The fantasy Gibraltar eh? I definitely am out of touch with the quest's geography though where the Norman party used to live in is now inhabited by other Neanderthal tribesman they met in that competition. Dunno where they went after they stowed onboard after the shadows went body snatching royalty.
Age of Ice and Blood: A Pathfinder System Heroic Fantasy Quest
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
-
- Tags
- pathfinder open voting
- Location
- Germany
They stayed on the Anwari island, Antonio payed them to guard our horses.
Vote closed.
Arc 5 Post 15: Of Secret Tomes
Of Secret Tomes
Eight Day of Olweje-hamba (Olweje Descending) 1348 A. L. (After Landfall)
Though your first impulse is to agree, for understanding unlike gold can pass from one hand to another with none coming out the poorer, you hesitate. Inge had agreed to teach Zaia what she knows of the brewing of waters and the reducing of brine, perhaps more, but she had not agreed to spread that same lore far and wide and from the very words of the man beside you other priests of that same order had refused to aid him. Thus you agree to speak to the girl and make his case. Thus you tether an invitation to the Marcella if he would wish to come himself book in hand and have her look over it.
You can see the hesitation in Eriran's eyes. For the first time you see their color clearly, a sort of odd blue green that shifts as the light slipping between the shutters spills out across his narrow face. Desire wars with caution as he opens his mouth, closes it, then nods without a word to follow you out into the narrow path outside.
He stops and looks back, muttering something in the local tongue, too soft for you to even try guessing what. If only you could see what he is doing... you start inwardly, surprised at yourself for even having the thought, the desire, but you cannot deny it. Since coming to this world you have felt as a man submerged in murky water, left to trust fist the scholarly skill of Zaia and the practical navigation of Antonio, then the lore of Inge and even Esha, new come onto the ship. Perhaps you have more in common with the strange seer than you had first thought.
Eriran does not seem to know what to do with the smile you give him and so he does nothing, but you note that he holds patchwork pouch in his right hand all the tighter as he looks around the alleyways of Fartown, echoing with the sound of shuffling steps, loud hawkers and the rumble of the river beyond.
Thankfully no thugs or other low folk are minded to trouble a trio of armed men no matter their company and when you come to the gate the guard looks only for his fee of entrance to the city, a few meager pieces of polished obsidian which pass for coppers in a land where copper might be forged into a sword and thus more precious by far. A pair of beggar children, their ages hidden by the grime upon their faces look on with painful yearning, a way into the heaven is obviously dearly bought for such as them.
"Don't..." the wizard interjects and from his tongue it is clear that he is speaking to you. "They are more likely to lose a hand past the wall than fill the beggar's bowl."
"You think they are thieves?" you ask, grimacing. You do your best not to assume sin simply from the sight of poverty which might be the lot of any struck by misfortune.
Eriran shakes his head. "That is the punishment for begging outside the steps of the temple or shrine of Ureni and those are taken almost every hour of the day and night by ones who dwell closer at hand."
"That did not seem to be so on the other side of the walls, I see no temple," you motion at the streets behind you. In truth that you had seen no house of worship does not surprise you. Unlike the world from when you had come a shrine is not marked as clearly in this one . It can be as simple as a slap of stone in the midst of a town square, or even a grove of trees grown specifically to purpose, secret save for those who know the way of the god or spirit which is there worshiped.
"The Five Tablets, the law of the city does not hold beyond its walls," the mage replies and you nod absently.
When you reach the ship it is to the sight of a great cauldron of brass, green with the touch of the sea being listed onto its deck with a simple crane powered by the arms of many men. Inge's new cauldron briefly hangs above the deck like a man-forged moon green and glimmering in the afternoon sun then it is slowly lowered to the creaking planks below. The girl waves at you, with a curious look at your companion, then a greeting, less guarded than he might once have given, but still with an childlike wariness to her.
Antonio had not returned yet. but his second had been empowered to invite any guests you might show with aboard and so with some hesitation at the sight of the ragged mage he does, even going to far as to offer a place at the table, though that might have been from some impression that a hot meal would be of great wroth to Eriran. You wonder what he would think he he knew that you had offered him more than a year's pay for one of the Marcella's deckhands?
The meal is catfish and leaks... you hardly taste it, willing it to be done that you might know if Inge will take the deal, if the seer can divine what lurks in the very walls of the ship.
Inge steps into her cabin with her guest soon to follow and you not half a step behind just in case. Only there with the door carefully shut the mage hands a strange tome bound in pale leather to Inge. The girl takes one look at it and pales as though she had seen a ghost... and perhaps she has. "This was written by one who had scant care for the will of the Dark Mother...." gingerly she opens the cover and with visible effort, lips moving along withe her eyes reads the first few lines. "Are you certain you wish to know what lies within this?" he asks the seer gravely. "What is known cannot be unknown again..."
"Well it can if someone rips it with claws sublime from your mind," Esha is standing in the door... the door you had been certain had been closed. "The girl means that it is heresy, the sort that would have them hang a stone around her throat and drown her if they priests knew she had helped pass it on."
"What do you know of it?" the seer asks, one thin hand reaching for the tome.
"I know enough to recognize a tome written with a purpose so that it might not be found by farsight... of which few indeed across all the corners of the world would be able to use," the sorceress counters. "My father would have killed for something of that sort... well he would have killed for less, but for that he would have killed long past the point of tedium."
"I'm... fine. I do not think the Lady would mind it I translated this," Inge speaks up. Then in a softer voice she adds. "The Keepers of the Deep might."
"And if you get caught and put to the rack then your screams will lead them right to... us." Esha speaks as one who is not unaccustomed to thinking of racks and those who make use of them.
What do you do?
[] Allow Inge to translate the book
[] Counsel against translating the book and try to strike another bargain
-[] Write in
[] Write in
OOC: Sorry this took so long I got distracted by a Divided Loyalties vote.
Travler66
Let her name echo in song!
- Location
- Beyond
Who isn't? It's a big one.
- Location
- Germany
[X] Allow Inge to translate the book
FFriendship and heresy are magic.
FFriendship and heresy are magic.
- Location
- Argentina
A pity that E6 doesn't allow for Ur-Priests, right?
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Shit...
I would rather part with the 500 gold, but I don't think we have much choice here, not if we want to actually learn anything about the Marcella's new Eldritch nature.
If this dude fucks with us or tries to pull a scam, we are killing him. Maybe the Marcella can even help dispose of the body again.
[X] Allow Inge to translate the book
I would rather part with the 500 gold, but I don't think we have much choice here, not if we want to actually learn anything about the Marcella's new Eldritch nature.
If this dude fucks with us or tries to pull a scam, we are killing him. Maybe the Marcella can even help dispose of the body again.
[X] Allow Inge to translate the book
- Location
- United States
Man, not wanting to steal the power of the Gods because you would offend your patron the…God of Thieves? Seems like a pretty wack opinion lol
For this quest tho, right now I'm leaning towards not wanting Igne to translate it just because she's already burnt many a bridge helping us lol. As a kid I don't want to be increasingly limiting her opportunities like this; it feels too much like taking advantage of her.
- Location
- Argentina
Being tangled in illegal shit is a guarantee of not getting sold out.
[X] Allow Inge to translate the book
- Location
- Texas
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Allow Inge to translate the book
- Location
- Germany
All said I don't see much risk for Inge, because she's party and if she gets accused of heresy I'd definitly vote to save her or die trying.
The seer is more at risk, but he's had the book for a while and isn't dead yet, so Im optimistic.
Besides, the world is huge and while Ikomi might be a world-wide goddess, or nearly so, no single organisation of priests has power everywhere.
Is the last part correct @DragonParadox?
Even if the Ikomi priests of any particular land or city-state claim that something is heresy, there are plenty of other lands.
The seer is more at risk, but he's had the book for a while and isn't dead yet, so Im optimistic.
Besides, the world is huge and while Ikomi might be a world-wide goddess, or nearly so, no single organisation of priests has power everywhere.
Is the last part correct @DragonParadox?
Even if the Ikomi priests of any particular land or city-state claim that something is heresy, there are plenty of other lands.
Sure, there is no united cult hierarchy, there can't be one due to communications and just the lack of any such tradition.
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Now that I think about it, this world does seem quite ripe for religious schisms, unless the gods are a lot more involved in day to day cult management than is typical.
For a faith to be united under a single authority beyond the regional level would probably be fairly rare, since magic, even at a low level, would make centralizing power difficult.
It's all well and good when Archpriest Bob, an experienced 6th Cleric with Epic scale magic, makes a decree and the faithful listen and obey, but when Archpriestess Janice, who is equally powerful but lives 1,000 miles away, issues a conflicting decree, then things can get dicey.
Huh, I wonder if Inge would like to start her own splinter cult of Ikomi?
- Location
- Germany
She doesn't really have the build for it.
Needs more diplo.
Though we'll see if we can add some options in that direction once she is actually a level 6 archmage and can choose all kinds of feats beyond the necessary ones.
- Location
- Germany
Unrelated, but Pathfinder WotR has a really stupid attitude to human sacrifices.
A companion of yours is murdering people to nurse an insane spirit of the land back to health (if you know the story around the Worldwound in PF it's pretty obvious why every spirit in a large area around is sick, insane or dead).
She does this by killing random people from your side.
When you confront her, you can only tell her to stop or let her continue. Letting her continue is obviously evil, but that's not why I decided against it.
Why the hell is there no option to sacrifice cultists? You have to kill those by the dozens in adventure-mode and by the hundreds in crusade-mode, but it is utterly impossible to catch and sacrifice a bunch? That's just inefficient.
Also there are serious mixed signals on killing cultists in general. Most of the time it's not at all questioned, it's just mooks you go through.
But every now and then there is a chance to spare a cultist with no particular redeeming features in a specific scripted situation (like one time as a secret test of character from a Gold Dragon) and sparing them is the Good option. Why did this one deserve to live, but not the last twenty?
A companion of yours is murdering people to nurse an insane spirit of the land back to health (if you know the story around the Worldwound in PF it's pretty obvious why every spirit in a large area around is sick, insane or dead).
She does this by killing random people from your side.
When you confront her, you can only tell her to stop or let her continue. Letting her continue is obviously evil, but that's not why I decided against it.
Why the hell is there no option to sacrifice cultists? You have to kill those by the dozens in adventure-mode and by the hundreds in crusade-mode, but it is utterly impossible to catch and sacrifice a bunch? That's just inefficient.
Also there are serious mixed signals on killing cultists in general. Most of the time it's not at all questioned, it's just mooks you go through.
But every now and then there is a chance to spare a cultist with no particular redeeming features in a specific scripted situation (like one time as a secret test of character from a Gold Dragon) and sparing them is the Good option. Why did this one deserve to live, but not the last twenty?
Ah... you see that was one of the rare non-mook cultists, which are ennobled beyond their lesser kin by virtue of... quick look over there it's a band of orcs, let''s kill it to the last. 
- Location
- Germany
He didn't even have a name or a story. That would give me a reason to spare him.Ah... you see that was one of the rare non-mook cultists, which are ennobled beyond their lesser kin by virtue of... quick look over there it's a band of orcs, let''s kill it to the last.
He was literally Cleric of Baphomet, with the same model, equipment and build I murdered by the dozen.
OK, now that is just lazy, he should at least have a name, preferably a sob story to go with it.
- Location
- United States
There are spoilery reasons behind that, but needless to say there are valid reasons for why she's murdering random citizens in back alleys instead of sacrificing cultists.
- Location
- Germany
Okay.
I mean, she is also very obviously enjoying her murdering of people.
I hope I can still follow the story despite having told her to stop murdering.
Even if she had to kill citizens of this particular city, it was inhabited by cultists for decades. Even if she has to kill crusaders there are traitors and deserters.
As it is, she is directly harming the morale and fighting strenght of my army, which is not acceptable.
I still did spare him, but only because I read ahead and you need to be nice to the healer who is secretly a dragon here.OK, now that is just lazy, he should at least have a name, preferably a sob story to go with it.
I have looked ahead in the Paths and while I still think Devil would work narrativly for the Signifier PC, I am too enarmored with the huge boni from the Gold Dragon path to block my way towards getting it for the final few Mythic ranks.
Ok, vote closed, let's see if your seer gets eaten.
- Location
- Argentina
Not ominous at all, of course
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Well, if nothing else that should satiate the Marcella's appetite for a while and no one will be complaining when we keep his book.
