The Orb of Red Dragonkind isn't really that scary if you know the mechanics of the thing. It has a piss poor DC to overcome our monstrous Will saving throw, plus the Mind Blank that blatantly renders us immune to it's interference and the PfE effect on our amulet that prevents mind control. Added to that is Nine Lives, the presence of three people able to cast Alter Fortune, and well, I'lI stop now

You might want to talk to DP about the below.

A Red Priestess, in the middle of the wastes, near the Orb of Dragonkind. A shiver goes down your spine. No lesser mage would have simply stumbled over that place, and any who might gain it would have the means to enslave you, even through all your wards. Still, if this priestess is willing to talk then you will talk, and if you do not like her answers then you can still fight.
 
This is hard. I know exactly what's wrong, but working without any personal connection or even just a bit of history on her makes this really, really difficult.

I'm not done yet, but here is the first part. @Snowfire, I've decided to deviate from your idea. Reasons below, but the gist of it is, we know what she did in canon when she doubted. Let's not lead her towards that, but away from it.

So far I'm only trying to get her out of the danger zone. Setting her up in a new direction will follow in a bit, when I got a good idea how to do so.

[] Plan Bringing This Home
-[] If at any point Viserys thinks it's a good moment to move closer to her to show both physically that a connection is growing and to comfort her, he will do so.
-[] "I think, in the end, the important truth is not behind the masks, but before them. A thousand aeons of deathless scholars have not unraveled the truth behind it all, bitter and alone in their endless work. Yet others lived and died all around them, unburdened by the question of what lies beyond the turning of the spheres. No, I think what matters most is what we see when looking at these masks. Not the truth all encompassing, but the truth of our selves." // Saying yes to her question would be easy, but I think it's not actually helping her in any regard. It would just leave he with doubts and might set her on a very destructive path to see them smothered. If destructive for herself or others is the question, but it wouldn't be pretty either way. So let's not give her the answer she wants, but the answer she needs. At her core, Melissandre is an old woman that is looking for the sense behind it all and the great apocalyptic war against a grand enemy is just what someone in her state of mind would latch onto. What she is asking for now is validation of the purpose of her life, so let's give it to her, but in a way that is self-sustaining instead of destructive.
-[] "I know not your history Melissandre, nor why you follow R'hllor. What I know is that you have made this choice for a reason. You can force any man or woman to recite a prayer, to serve in chains, but not even the gods an force us to believe. I have seen it tried." Motion to Rina. "And it failed. But when I speak to you, I know that there is conviction behind your words. That this is not a path forced upon you, but one you have chosen and for that and that alone, it is the true path for you." // Basically I'm telling her that it's fine. Coming with logical arguments about philosophical truths was a good way to get her to open up to this point, but right now she is raw with emotion and those need addressing. If she didn't have those doubts about her own path, we would have gotten absolutely nowhere with the arguments so far. At the core, she craves the truth and what shakes her so is the realization that she might have spent her whole life running after the nicest lie instead. So she needs to know that, even if she thinks she failed, that's okay. Stupid mortal who can't comprehend the whole truth, remember that?
 
@Azel, will you address the masks of the Other and how to distinguish them from the masks of all that is good? Because one direction she could snap in is the one where she rejects her doubts by a bout of fanaticism and 'burn the tempter'.
 
@Duesal, or anyone else I suppose, mind giving me a hand for Research Actions?
1) If i'm not wrong, Dany's kinife-dragon, Feeder, asked us to make him a mate, or something? What exactly he asked for?
2) What was the name of that Lich-cleric of Syrax we got out of Valyria with a promise of resurrection? Shouldn't we have started on making a ritual for him already?

Somehow I will find a way to make blood magic power everything.
Get it to power a demiplane withing Yss' sanctum, and have time there go faster than outside. Voila.
 
1) If i'm not wrong, Dany's kinife-dragon, Feeder, asked us to make him a mate, or something? What exactly he asked for?
2) What was the name of that Lich-cleric of Syrax we got out of Valyria with a promise of resurrection? Shouldn't we have started on making a ritual for him already?
1) He didn't ask for a mate, he just asked for more dragon daggers. Lots and lots more. On the bright side we confirmed a lack of Tiamat influence.
2) Laenor Targaryen. And if we brought Amrelath back and we have access to Wyla's ritual and with the lore left over from Garin and Selyse's ritual we shouldn't be too far off from bringing him back.
 
Melisandre explicitly said that she was waiting for Viserys here. She strongly, strongly implied that she wanted to "judge us" by watching us deal with this and seeing how we fought.

Look, there are three possibilities here:
  • Melisandre is weak and irrelevant as a spellcaster. Unlikely.
  • The Red God has no Outsider servants Melisandre could summon as reinforcements to fight a Lich. Also Unlikely: Gods and devils both have some!
  • The point wasn't to grab the orb, but to judge us first and open contact from a position of strength. Maybe she was planning on using it against us if we had to fight, but it wasn't her first priority either - otherwise she'd have seized it before we even arrived.

Or as a fourth option:
She knows (assumes) that the Orb is an important enough item for Viserys to come get it himself. And wanted to confront us in a place she could prepare beforehand and not at the seat of our power. Coming to Sorcerer's Deep with the intent to kill Viserys if his answers are not to your statisfaction seems like something Darwin Awards would love.

No. She knew that this was here: she could have come with summoned servants (a Cleric of her level can easily call in dozens of CR 12+ allies if given a few days to prepare, or simply go off-plane to wherever the Red God lives and bring them back), or brought other Red Priests with class levels.

We do not know if she prepared or not.
She might have help waiting close by.
Maybe beneath the sands, maybe a little farther away waiting for a sign to gate/teleport/etc. in.

So @Azel please be prepared that if Burny takes over or Melisandre breaks down that our party might be surrounded by highlevel 'somethings' that can be used as artillery.
I don't remember us checking for anything like this and well better be prepared.
 
[X] Plan Bringing This Home
-[X] If at any point Viserys thinks it's a good moment to move closer to her to show both physically that a connection is growing and to comfort her, he will do so.
-[X] "I think, in the end, the important truth is not behind the masks, but before them. A thousand aeons of deathless scholars have not unraveled the truth behind it all, bitter and alone in their endless work. Yet others lived and died all around them, unburdened by the question of what lies beyond the turning of the spheres. No, I think what matters most is what we see when looking at these masks. Not the truth all encompassing, but the truth of our selves." // Saying yes to her question would be easy, but I think it's not actually helping her in any regard. It would just leave he with doubts and might set her on a very destructive path to see them smothered. If destructive for herself or others is the question, but it wouldn't be pretty either way. So let's not give her the answer she wants, but the answer she needs. At her core, Melissandre is an old woman that is looking for the sense behind it all and the great apocalyptic war against a grand enemy is just what someone in her state of mind would latch onto. What she is asking for now is validation of the purpose of her life, so let's give it to her, but in a way that is self-sustaining instead of destructive.
-[X] "I know not your history Melissandre, nor why you follow R'hllor. What I know is that you have made this choice for a reason. You can force any man or woman to recite a prayer, to serve in chains, but not even the gods an force us to believe. I have seen it tried." Motion to Rina. "And it failed. But when I speak to you, I know that there is conviction behind your words. That this is not a path forced upon you, but one you have chosen and for that and that alone, it is the true path for you. Sometimes we might stumble on way and sometimes despair haunts our steps, but as long as we carry on, as long as we not give in, we will never fail completely." // Basically I'm telling her that it's fine. Coming with logical arguments about philosophical truths was a good way to get her to open up to this point, but right now she is raw with emotion and those need addressing. If she didn't have those doubts about her own path, we would have gotten absolutely nowhere with the arguments so far. At the core, she craves the truth and what shakes her so is the realization that she might have spent her whole life running after the nicest lie instead. So she needs to know that, even if she thinks she failed, that's okay. Stupid mortal who can't comprehend the whole truth, remember that?
-[X] Trigger Grand Destiny, Divine Insight and throw Mythic Power behind this: "I have seen many things on my travels, both wondrous and appalling. I've spoken with angels and devils. Once I stood before R'hllor himself and argued about the fate of two friends with him. Another time I spat in the face of hell itself, to gain the freedom of a woman I barely knew then. I've seen the shades of gods from times long forgotten, whispering to me with their last dying breaths, and another who, after an eternity of torment, had the will to cast off his pain and hatred to be reborn pure again. And if I have any truth to share from all these things, then it is thus: There is always a choice and it is these choices who we are. Light and dark, virtue and sin, temptation and resolve. It is this what the masks mean in the end, but it is on us to see what each masks means and to choose between them. And if it is the light you seek and found it in R'hllor, then I would gladly call you ally, mayhaps even friend some day, but know that never I will begrudge a man or woman if they found the light in other teachings." // Hope, this is Mel. Mel, this is Hope. Please be nice to each other. In the end, this is the mother of all authority arguments. We've witnessed enough divine shenanigans to know very well what we are talking about, but the important matter at hand here is the core of choice. Remember how we've met Vee? She gruesomely killed a few people, but they were assholes and she was lashing out at them while being depressed. Or Xor? The guy who thought he would do Lys a favor and finally have some friends by cooking up a zombie plague for an insane Vampire? Yeah. The nicest eyeball in the universe is a mass-murderer. And this is ultimately what the whole faith debate boils down to. We don't care if you follow this god or that, we care if you are cutting people open to feat on their organs. We take exception to that. Likewise, we take exception when you set people on fire for saying something you didn't like. Some gods will ask for that kind of nonsense, but as long as R'hllor doesn't, then we've got no issues. And as for Mel, if she really cares about the Light and Dark showdown, about the Good and the Truth and the Order and all that, then there is nothing wrong with her or her faith. And this is why I bring up Best Coatl here. He left behind the things he knew he didn't need. So can others.

@Snowfire, do your thingy. I'm going for a smoke.
This was pretty draining.
 
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