Part CDXXVII: Understanding
Understanding
Ninth Day of the Second Month 291 AC
Looking about at the solemn faces of your friends you can see that they share your concern, but that they are just as much at a loss as you about how to explain the horror inflicted on the city above by the otherwise helpful, almost charming, spectator. Hopefully your silver tongue will not fail you in this most delicate task.
"I fear you have been mislead, friend," you begin gently as you may. "Many of those who died by the plague did not return in any form, they are simply lost, with all the potential of a life cut short, as surely as if one had driven a dagger through their hearts." If Xor apreciates the works of men's minds and hands this should get the point across to him
Xor's eye stalks lower in obvious contrition. "I should have known a sickness would impede consistent results. I warned Daario but he said his goddess would make things more even and Wyla agreed... she did not seem the type trust blindly."
"Wyla could not have denied her maker," Garin spat out the last word like a curse. "It was an unbreakable compulsion."
"What have I done?" the beholder-kin sounded horrified, blinking rapidly in distress.
"I realize this may not do much good but know that all here are aware that you acted with only the best of intentions," you try to comfort him. He looks around your friends' faces and they all agree, even Ser Richard, though he looks more than a trifle disturbed by this turn of events.Monsters are ever so much more convenient when they are not wreaked by very understandable guilt.
"There's more isn't there?" he asks after a moment, his central eye turning back to you.
"There are different kinds of the living dead," you continue, somewhat reluctantly, not that you have much choice now. "The plague mostly created lesser dead, who remember little of their living selves and feel naught but pain and hunger for the living. These poor wretches are lost as surely as the dead."
Xor squeezes all five of his eyes closed in what you can only imagine is an expression of pain. "And I call myself a spectator, an observer of the wonders of the infinite planes... I deserve to sit here and rot."
"What good's that goin' t' do?" Vee interjects unexpectedly from where she had been sitting quietly on the edge of one of the bone tables. "Least there's some kind of magic you can make to bring the dead back or stop the plague there's naught more you can do here. But out there's full of terrible people and things most folk don't know how to fight but you can, or at least give advice 'bout it."
"Thank you young one," Xar replies his tooth-filled maw moving in an approximation of a smile. "It is good to know I am still welcomed even my you who has all the reasons in the world to resent my presence."
"I tried to help once and it turned out bad," she explains. "I was sad and lonely 'cause I had magic, and people are scared of what they don't understand. I figure you're even more unchancey it was a lot more lonely down here."
"If you still wish to have me, prince Viserys, I shall come with you, to see the world and its marvels, and to battle those who would defile and lessen them," Xar declares.
You are not sure you like the militant light in his central eye, but you can hardly refuse him. A deal is struck, to take him at first to visit the archives of Braavos, though understandably he prefers open vistas and living company to musty tomes after being sealed here for all this time.
The discussion then passes over to the various options for flesh-crafting. You are unsurprised that many of the options are draconic though other stranger things are also reserved in the dying flesh-forge. Alas you cannot make use of all that ha been preserved here as the forge will take only so much use in its mostly ruined form sate before further work becomes unsafe. Even so using the ancient mechanism is not without risk and will require your own arcane knowledge as well as Vee's skill at healing in addition to Xar's help or the grafts to take.
Available Grafts (Choose 3 max):
Dragon Heart Presence
A bit of a dragon's heart tissue is grafted into your chest, giving you some of the dragon's indomitable spirit.
Location: Flesh.
Description: Although your appearance does not undergo an obvious physical change, you ooze confidence and pride, tinged with arrogance and a certainty of victory.
Activation: Dragonheart presence is always active once the graft is installed. It requires no action on your part to activate or deactivate.
Effect: You gain immunity to paralysis effects and the frightful presence of dragonkind. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, and Intimidate checks you make involving a creature with the dragonblood subt-ype.
Sacrifice: 4 HP
Grafting Heal Check: 15
Grafting Knowledge Arcana Check: 12 (Automatic success)
A bit of a dragon's heart tissue is grafted into your chest, giving you some of the dragon's indomitable spirit.
Location: Flesh.
Description: Although your appearance does not undergo an obvious physical change, you ooze confidence and pride, tinged with arrogance and a certainty of victory.
Activation: Dragonheart presence is always active once the graft is installed. It requires no action on your part to activate or deactivate.
Effect: You gain immunity to paralysis effects and the frightful presence of dragonkind. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, and Intimidate checks you make involving a creature with the dragonblood subt-ype.
Sacrifice: 4 HP
Grafting Heal Check: 15
Grafting Knowledge Arcana Check: 12 (Automatic success)
Gleaming scales:
Your skin is hardened with scales grown from samples taken from a living dragon, allowing you to grow a protective plating over vulnerable areas.
Location: Skin.
Description: Strong, gleaming dragon scales cover the skin of your torso and limbs. The scales are the color of the donor dragon. Gleaming scales have a glossy texture and can be ridged, depending on the dragon variety. They move as you do, not hindering your movement in the least.
Activation: Gleaming scales are always active once the graft is installed. The graft requires no action on your part to activate or deactivate.
Effect: Natural armor +1 Fire Resistance +5
Sacrifice: 2 HP
Grafting Heal Check: 13
Grafting Knowledge Arcana Check: 10 (Automatic success)
Your skin is hardened with scales grown from samples taken from a living dragon, allowing you to grow a protective plating over vulnerable areas.
Location: Skin.
Description: Strong, gleaming dragon scales cover the skin of your torso and limbs. The scales are the color of the donor dragon. Gleaming scales have a glossy texture and can be ridged, depending on the dragon variety. They move as you do, not hindering your movement in the least.
Activation: Gleaming scales are always active once the graft is installed. The graft requires no action on your part to activate or deactivate.
Effect: Natural armor +1 Fire Resistance +5
Sacrifice: 2 HP
Grafting Heal Check: 13
Grafting Knowledge Arcana Check: 10 (Automatic success)
Metabolic Fire
You acquire the dragon's devastating ability to breathe energy.
Location: Flesh.
Description: The implantation of this graft within your chest leaves no casually visible effect. However, exposure to the energy within your body darkens your teeth until they become solid black, like obsidian. A faint gleam of fire might play around your teeth when you show them.
Prerequisite: You must have at least one other draconic graft before you can gain metabolic fire.
Activation: Using metabolic fire is a standard action.
Effect: You gain a breath weapon, usable once every 1d4 rounds, that functions as described on page 306 of the Monster Manual. The form of the weapon (line or cone) is the same as that of the donor dragon; a cone-shaped breath weapon has a length of 30 feet, while a line-shaped breath weapon has a length of 60 feet. The breath weapon granted by metabolic fire deals 6d8 points of damage; a successful Reflex save (DC 10 + one-half your HD + your Con modifier) halves the damage.
Sacrifice: 5 HP
Grafting Heal Check: 22
Grafting Knowledge Arcana check: 24
You acquire the dragon's devastating ability to breathe energy.
Location: Flesh.
Description: The implantation of this graft within your chest leaves no casually visible effect. However, exposure to the energy within your body darkens your teeth until they become solid black, like obsidian. A faint gleam of fire might play around your teeth when you show them.
Prerequisite: You must have at least one other draconic graft before you can gain metabolic fire.
Activation: Using metabolic fire is a standard action.
Effect: You gain a breath weapon, usable once every 1d4 rounds, that functions as described on page 306 of the Monster Manual. The form of the weapon (line or cone) is the same as that of the donor dragon; a cone-shaped breath weapon has a length of 30 feet, while a line-shaped breath weapon has a length of 60 feet. The breath weapon granted by metabolic fire deals 6d8 points of damage; a successful Reflex save (DC 10 + one-half your HD + your Con modifier) halves the damage.
Sacrifice: 5 HP
Grafting Heal Check: 22
Grafting Knowledge Arcana check: 24
Hands of Flame [Elemental Graft Fire]
Your hands become limned with flame, allowing you to heat your metallic weapons and deal fi re damage with them. Your mere touch can cause flammable objects to ignite.
Graft Location: Arms.
Description: Your hands glow faintly with orange flame. While never actually alight, the skin of your hands and forearms seems to hold liquid fi re, pulsing slightly as it races through your body. When you activate the graft, its glow becomes almost white, and a shimmer of heat can be seen rising from your hands. Their flesh grows almost translucent, allowing anyone looking at them to see the tracings of fiery veins and white-hot bones beneath the skin. With the graft active, you can hear the crackling of flame as your hands move through the air.
Activation: Activating the graft is a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Effect: Each time you activate the graft, your hands grow white hot for 1 round. You generate so much heat that your mere touch deals 1d6 points of fire damage, and you set fire to any flammable objects your hands touch. (Your own clothing and gear are unaffected.) Your metallic weapons also conduct this heat, and while the graft is active, attacks with such weapons deal an extra 1d6 points of fire damage. If you drop the weapon or it is taken from you, the flames die immediately (although anyone taking the weapon from you takes 1d6 points of fi re damage for doing so).
Sacrifice: 4 HP
Grafting Heal Check: 16
Grafting Knowledge Arcana check: 19
Your hands become limned with flame, allowing you to heat your metallic weapons and deal fi re damage with them. Your mere touch can cause flammable objects to ignite.
Graft Location: Arms.
Description: Your hands glow faintly with orange flame. While never actually alight, the skin of your hands and forearms seems to hold liquid fi re, pulsing slightly as it races through your body. When you activate the graft, its glow becomes almost white, and a shimmer of heat can be seen rising from your hands. Their flesh grows almost translucent, allowing anyone looking at them to see the tracings of fiery veins and white-hot bones beneath the skin. With the graft active, you can hear the crackling of flame as your hands move through the air.
Activation: Activating the graft is a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Effect: Each time you activate the graft, your hands grow white hot for 1 round. You generate so much heat that your mere touch deals 1d6 points of fire damage, and you set fire to any flammable objects your hands touch. (Your own clothing and gear are unaffected.) Your metallic weapons also conduct this heat, and while the graft is active, attacks with such weapons deal an extra 1d6 points of fire damage. If you drop the weapon or it is taken from you, the flames die immediately (although anyone taking the weapon from you takes 1d6 points of fi re damage for doing so).
Sacrifice: 4 HP
Grafting Heal Check: 16
Grafting Knowledge Arcana check: 19
Elemental Flesh [Fire]
Elemental essence courses through your body, granting you incredible resilience. Your fl esh and vital organs strengthen, giving you the ability to ignore potentially crippling blows.
Graft Location: Flesh.
Description: Your body undergoes an elemental change, and you are surrounded by an otherworldly aura. You don't seem completely part of this plane, and you share some of the traits of the elemental donor that gave you this graft. your skin takes on a ruddy hue, your eyes dance with flickering light from time to time, and your body emanates a feverish heat.
Prerequisite: You must have at least one other elemental graft before you can gain elemental flesh.
Activation: Elemental flesh is always active once the graft is installed. Using it requires no action on your part.
Effect: 50% chance to ignore the extra damage of critical hits and sneak attacks
Sacrifice: 5 HP
Grafting Heal Check: 22
Grafting Knowledge Arcana check: 24
Elemental essence courses through your body, granting you incredible resilience. Your fl esh and vital organs strengthen, giving you the ability to ignore potentially crippling blows.
Graft Location: Flesh.
Description: Your body undergoes an elemental change, and you are surrounded by an otherworldly aura. You don't seem completely part of this plane, and you share some of the traits of the elemental donor that gave you this graft. your skin takes on a ruddy hue, your eyes dance with flickering light from time to time, and your body emanates a feverish heat.
Prerequisite: You must have at least one other elemental graft before you can gain elemental flesh.
Activation: Elemental flesh is always active once the graft is installed. Using it requires no action on your part.
Effect: 50% chance to ignore the extra damage of critical hits and sneak attacks
Sacrifice: 5 HP
Grafting Heal Check: 22
Grafting Knowledge Arcana check: 24
Feathered Wings [Fiendish]
Fly upon the wings of vengeance itself, implacable and unerring
Graft location: Torso
Description: Feathered Wings resemble those of an Erinyes, large and bird-like almost angelic if not for the delicate crimson patterns that look like freshly spilled blood.
Activation: Automatic and at will (see below)
Effect: Flight at twice normal land speed, each round the grafted creature can make a bluff check opposed to the opponents sense motive check. If successful the grafted creature gains a +2 circumstantial bonus to attack
Sacrifice: -5 Diplomacy with any creature with the Good sub-type as well as any character with Aura of Good
Grafting Heal Check: 20
Grafting Knowledge the Planes check: 15
Fly upon the wings of vengeance itself, implacable and unerring
Graft location: Torso
Description: Feathered Wings resemble those of an Erinyes, large and bird-like almost angelic if not for the delicate crimson patterns that look like freshly spilled blood.
Activation: Automatic and at will (see below)
Effect: Flight at twice normal land speed, each round the grafted creature can make a bluff check opposed to the opponents sense motive check. If successful the grafted creature gains a +2 circumstantial bonus to attack
Sacrifice: -5 Diplomacy with any creature with the Good sub-type as well as any character with Aura of Good
Grafting Heal Check: 20
Grafting Knowledge the Planes check: 15
OOC: As you can see the rolls were weighted towards grafts more common in Valyria. There was a chance of stranger grafts but those rolls failed. On the plus side you got some pretty impressive grafts with good synergy. Failure to implant will have no negative consequences except on a crit fail. Lastly Vee gets an extra 400 XP so she can actually take Graft Flesh. I'm going to need a level up plan for her after you select the grafts.
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