dragonbane ... secret of the dragon emperor part 11!

so where to next, if we're just about done with this temple, hmm?

GM Elle: Morning dawns in the herb garden at the Temple of the Purple Flame.
Sasha: Do we wake up dead because the monster-eyes elf dude herbs us to death in our sleep?
GM Elle: No -- Hafarmal is there, awake before you with a pot of herbal tea on the fire. Everyone should mark off a ration for breakfast. The elf expresses some melancholy over the fact that he'll be closing off the portal that makes his herb garden grow so well, but says it's probably for the best.
Sasha: Damn straight it is. That thing's a monster-maker. 
GM Elle: At any rate, he hands you over the poison antidote he promised you for running off the cultists. He was able to make 3 doses.
MSG: Great. I'll tell him he has our thanks.
GM Elle: Anyone else have any parting words for Hafarmal? No? So where do you head next, then?
Ariel: I think we should go back to Outskirt! We've got a bunch of stuff we could sell off, right?
Sasha: I mean, some scimitars and battle axes from those cultists. Still lots of room in the wagon, though.
Akane: Produce the map! We must see if landmarks of promise are nearby before we rush back to sell a few scimitars.
Claire: I'll get the map out of my backpack. I'm not seeing any wagon-friendly roads to any of the castles or villages marked near us, though.
Akane: Let Zedeja's wiser eyes examine it. Hmm. Yes, it's a liability to take a wagon any of those places. Especially if we don't know which might have treasure. We should return to Outskirt and purchase more donkeys instead. Also a donkey-minder. No more donkey escapage while we explore dungeons!
MSG: Makes sense to me.
Claire: All right, back to town it is.
Ariel: I call shotgun on the cart! Or maybe crossbow I guess since there aren't any shotguns.
Akane: Zedeja will pilot the cart again.
GM Elle: It's a day and a half back to town. On the first shift of day one, you're passing through the Magna Woods. Through the trees, you notice something you didn't spot on your trip northward. It looks like the ruins of a small tower or keep.
MSG: Is it obvious enough that we're suspicious about it appearing out of nowhere?
GM Elle: No, it's back a bit from the road. You could easily have overlooked it ... in fact, I'll roll a die and say that even this time, it's only Zedeja who spots it.
Akane: Of course. The awareness of Zedeja is great. I halt our donkey cart. "Look! Ruins! Someone should go investigate! A responsible type, not a halfing."
Hettie: In a fit of pique, Dilfriida insists on going.
GM Elle: All right, who else?
MSG: Sure, I'll go. Might be some knowledge hiding in there.
Claire: Filvius will definitely go along too, then.
Ariel: It seems like a lot of work to Fidu. I'll stay with the cart.
Sasha: Everybody knows why I've got to go. A monster-slayer never rests.
GM Elle: All right. You proceed through the trees and underbrush until you round a small hillock and see the ruins clearly. It's an ancient tower, all right, mostly intact but also obviously in shambles. A beam has collapsed across the door in, and the building is large enough you think it will take a whole shift to search, basically.
Sasha: Well, we have to at least get the beam out of the way and make sure there are no monsters to kill inside. I'm thinking if we're doing that, we might as well stay a little extra and search.
Akane: What? This decision requires consultation!
Hettie: I suppose Zedeja might have specified before we left whether we should return to consult her and under what circumstances.
Ariel: Don't give her ideas, Hettie! Now she's going to do that on top of bossing us around all the time.
Akane: The suggestion is a good one, but Zedeja would probably have discovered it herself while awaiting impatiently the return of the explorers.
Hettie: Which is why I said anything.
MSG: I guess Quackers and I can get to work shifting this beam. Filvius or Dilfriida want to go let the cart couple know what we're up to?
Claire: I'm guessing Dilfriida would rather not, so I'll go.
Akane: There is consternation and argument, and suspicion for this idea falls on the thievingness of the halfling, but we do not need to enact it all if others do not wish to.
Hettie: Gracious of you, Akane.
GM Elle: Getting inside and searching the place takes a lot of work, but near the end of a shift's time, you find the entrance to a hidden cellar. There's a chest inside that contains two treasure cards worth of loot.
Sasha: So no monsters, is what you're saying.
GM Elle: Right. Who wants to draw the cards?
MSG: I'll draw one. Looks like ... silver coins to the tune of 2d6 x 10. Hah! I roll an 11, so 110.
Claire: Which is what, a whopping 11 gold? So far this treasure deck is not turning out super-generous.
Hettie: Here, I'll draw the next one. Perhaps Dilfriida will be luckier. No, it's a silver necklace worth 2d6 x 5 silver coins. I roll a 9 for 45.
Ariel: On the bright side, that more than pays for our next donkey!
GM Elle: The time spent searching does mean you only get one shift's worth of travel in for the day, so the second day will be a full day's trip.
MSG: I'll set up the tent using Bushcraft, I suppose.
Claire: And I'll help so you get a boon.
MSG: Thanks! One of the two dice comes up a dragon.
GM Elle: You all sleep like babes, then. I'll say it's restful enough to put a spring in your step the next day, and if I don't roll a delaying encounter, you'll get into Outskirt by late afternoon instead of early evening. I'll also skip rolling for nighttime encounters.
MSG: Nice.
GM Elle: You do wake hungry, though, so mark off another ration each for the next day. No encounters for the morning shift ... but in the afternoon, you come across three dead humans hanging from a tree. They're wearing black robes similar to the ones you've seen on those cultists, and they look to have been killed by sword wounds.
Hettie: I will search the bodies to see if there's anything to loot.
GM Elle: You don't find anything, but you do notice that each of the three has a tattoo on the inner forearm. The mark looks like this:

MSG: Very culty.
Ariel: I'm watching out for people with that tattoo from now on!
Sasha: Are you going to ask everybody to roll up the long, black sleeves of their black robes? Cause I'm kind of thinking the black robes will be a giveaway.
Ariel: Or maybe the guys who wear the black robes wear them so everybody thinks all the cultists wear black robes, and then nobody checks anybody for tattoos. No way I'm falling for that.
Akane: It's accurate. All party members should heed the words of the wise old wolf.
GM Elle: Nothing else of note happens on your travels for the day, and as the afternoon winds down, you see the palisade of Outskirt come into view as you crest a hill. To refresh everybody's memory, here's what you've seen of the town:

You're coming in through that north gate, and to the west is the town square with that armless old statue.  The buildings along that north wall are the general store and the smithy. Across the way is the Three Stags, which is the inn run by Vagnhild, who seems to be sort of the mayor or town elder or something. That's also where you met Annabelle, who told Dolora the Truth Society is looking for Dragon Emperor relics and offered 50 gold pieces for each chunk of the 4-piece statuette that can be used as a key to open the vault under the ruins at the center of town, where there's a magic sword that once belonged to the Dragon Emperor.

MSG: This is all coming back to me now.
Ariel: What's coming back to me is, we have loot to trade! Fidu wants to head straight for the smithy to sell off these scimitars and battle axes we have. I roll a ... boo, 18 on my bartering to sell them.
Sasha: Geez, Aers, you haven't even given Elle a chance to say whether the gabby dwarf chick is even there.
GM Elle: She's there, but the 18 means she says she's stocked up well enough she can't give you anything extra, so they'll get you half of book price.
Ariel: What the ... the table says that's only 40 gold for all of them. That's barely more than we paid for the donkey and the cart! How are we ever going to make a profit at this rate?
Sasha: Well, we did find some silver pieces and jewelry bits and bobs, right? How much did those come to?
Akane: Zedeja recalls exactly! Gold bracelet equals 60. Emerald equals 10. Silver pieces are 110.
Hettie: Well, I'm looking at what's written on our cart inventory, and it says 155 silver pieces. Are the 110 part of that?
MSG: I have the 110 written on my sheet. Maybe the 155 are leftover party treasure from when we were stocking up? That's only the equivalent of 15 gold.
GM Elle: I don't think it will break the bank if we assume the 155 doesn't include the 110 on Dolora's sheet. My math says with six characters, that total comes to the equivalent of 96 gold and 5 silver, which is 16 gold and eight coppers each, with 2 coppers left over.
MSG: Well, I'm using some of mine to buy an open helm and get my armor rating up.
Akane: Zedeja shops for donkeys. The book says, so expensive! Especially when saddle-bagged twice for maximum item carriage. Hmm. Suppose this: buy one donkey, plus four saddlebags. Keep the cart, and when we reach a road's end, hide it and any unneeded items in bushes. Journey on with two donkeys. If anyone steals our cart and hidden items, we track them down with bushcrafters and teach them a lesson against such thievery. I summon the wise hound to barter for this donkey plus bags.
Ariel: Um ... I roll a 15, so I make it.
GM Elle: You get the donkey and saddlebags for 20% off.
MSG: Still pretty steep ... 28 gold, 8 silver. If we split it 6 ways ... 4 gold, 8 silver each.
Sasha: I'm swapping out my broadsword for a longsword. I'll give it a shot with my own bartering ... 2! Got it!
GM Elle: It takes two rolls to do the whole transaction, though, one to convince Okald that your broadsword is worth more than she'd normally pay, another to convince her you deserve a discount on the longsword.
Sasha: All right ... well ... watch this! Hah, another 2!
GM Elle: Okald is impressed by your smooth talking --
MSG: I think for a mallard it's called "quackery."
Claire: Haha
Sasha: Whatever. Gimme the calculator. Looks like I'm out 12 gold and 8 silver on that deal.
Hettie: While it's still light and those hilltop ruins aren't quite so creepy, I want to go look into them.
GM Elle: Everyone but Filvius is shopping or swapping ... are you going to let him know where you're going?
Hettie: Better than that, I'll invite him along. It certainly can't hurt to have a mage with healing and lightning bolts in my corner while exploring.
GM Elle: Does Filvius want to go, Claire?
Claire: You bet! Who knows what kind of knowledge I might dig up in some ancient ruins?
GM Elle: All right, so as you climb the weathered stone path up the central hill of Outskirt, you find yourself in an area of crumbling stone walls loomed over by a decrepit temple much smaller than the one in the Magna Woods, but an impressive centerpiece for this small town anyway. There's an open terrace strewn with rubble to the southwest of the circular main temple, and a small hut at a slightly higher elevation to the northwest of that, smoke issuing from its chimney.

Claire: Hmm. So somebody's apparently living up on this hill by the temple ruins?
Hettie: Curious.
GM Elle: It does look that way.
Claire: So do we want to go poke around the temple ourselves, or maybe go ask whoever that is what they know about the place? I mean, the ruins have obviously been here forever. Maybe this person in the hut already knows more than we could find out looking around on our own.
Hettie: Dilfriida wonders whether second-hand information could necessarily be trusted when we can have a first-hand view ourselves.
Claire: That's a good point. But if we know what someone is willing to tell us, and then we find something different when we look for ourselves, it's a good bet that difference means we should pay extra attention to whatever it is, right?
Hettie: Dilfriida is no sophisticate, so she bows to your argument.
Claire: Okay, let's head up to the hut, then.
GM Elle: After climbing a steep path to the upper part of the hill, you find a simple dwelling with a grass roof and walls of stacked granite. There's a connecting garden surrounded by a low fence. Herbal-smelling smoke billows from the rough chimney.
Claire: I guess we'll head up to the door and knock.
GM Elle: There's a brief delay and some muttering. Then a shriveled old man opens the door. He's utterly hairless, and wrinkled as a prune. His feet are bare. You're not sure if he's wearing a robe that looks like a sack, or an actual sack. He asks what he can do for you.
Claire: I tell him we've come seeking knowledge.
GM Elle: His creaky, low voice says, "What kind of knowledge?"
Claire: Filvius struggles to avoid saying, "What have you got?" Actually, no, with my 8 Charisma, I guess I do just say that straight out.
GM Elle: He tells you he's far too old and has seen far to many things to even attempt an answer to that question. "If you haven't any specific reason for being here, I should just get back to my meditation."
MSG: Tough crowd.
Claire: I ask him what he's meditating about.
GM Elle: He scowls and it makes his wrinkles even wrinklier and he says, "I meditate on many things. For instance, right now I am going inside to meditate on the importance of calm and composure and their ability to wear down the rough edges of aggravation." Then he starts to close the door.
Claire: Oh well, we tried. Come on, Dilfriida.
Hettie: Dilfriida waits until the door is closed and then steps by Filvius and knocks again repeatedly.
GM Elle: You hear grumbles and footsteps return to the door and it opens again.
Hettie: I ask him where precisely he finds the nerve to rebuff the questions of brave adventurers on a quest to solve the mysteries of this foggy little valley. Not, obviously, in exactly those words, but Dilfriida has her dander up over being dismissed.
GM Elle: He squints at you with his brows so furrowed an accordion would be jealous. Then he says, "You desire knowledge? Bring me a mince pie from the baker, a jug of mead from the tavern, and a tin of those little candies from beyond the valley that Master Ulvard sometimes has on his shelf of luxuries and nonessentials. For each one, I will answer you one and only one question to the best of my abilities."
Claire: I ask him where the baker is, since we've already been to the tavern and the general store.
GM Elle: He says he could tell you, but it would count as one of your three questions and then you'd have only two left.
Claire: Sheesh, what a grump. I don't say that to his face, but I do say it to Dilfriida once he's closed the door and we're walking away.
Hettie: Dilfriida agrees and asks if we should spit in his pie when we bring it.
MSG: You two are really leaning into this 8 Charisma thing, aren't you?
Claire: I mean, "role" and "playing" are two of the three words in the name of this kind of game, right?
Hettie: Dilfriida says, "Now we need to find someone who won't force us to do errands in exchange for telling us where the bakery is."
GM Elle: Is that your next move, then? You see the ruined temple ahead as you're coming down from the old man's homestead.
Claire: Hmm. On the one hand, I'm now on a mission to earn the for-sure knowledge of prune-grump answering three questions. But on the other hand, I might want one of those questions to be about something in the ruins, so I probably want to have a look inside before we cash in our questions.
Hettie: Dilfriida is most likely still peevish about the old man's disrespect, so she would just as soon get away from this area for a while. She proposes we have a look in the temple when we return.
Claire: Sounds good to me.
GM Elle: All right, while the two of you head out to find the bakery, let's switch back to our shoppers, who have probably finished up by now. Where are you each going next?
MSG: Might as well be the inn for some mead and food.
Ariel: I'm beat from all the traveling and haggling.
Sasha: You were riding in the cart the whole time.
Ariel: Did you listen when Elle was describing the road? It sounded way too bumpy for riding in the cart to be very restful.
Akane: Zedeja thinks a meal will be good for her very aged stomach, after these travels and the donkey dickering.
Hettie: Hmm.
Akane: What? Why is there giggling? It's an adequate substitute for bartery, isn't it? I've referenced the thesaurus because Zedeja of Mind must have a more English vocabulary than Akane from Japan.
Ariel: Sorry, those were just a couple of funny words to use together.
Sasha: Yeah it's a perfectly good word. Be sure you always say, 'dickering' and not 'dickery,' though.
Akane: More vocabulary to look up. Role-playing enwisens me.
GM Elle: How about Quackenscrump, Sasha? He heading to the Three Stags too?
Sasha: Sure. Probably overdue to get out of this armor.
GM Elle: When you get to the inn, then, you find some unsavory looking characters making a drunken racket at one of the tables in the common room. There's also a darkly mysterious woman in plate armor sitting in a corner, eyeing the boisterous table narrowly. They look like this.

MSG: Mysterious, hmm? Sounds like the kind of person who might have some knowledge. I'll go over and ask her if I can buy her a drink.
GM Elle: Go ahead and make a Charisma check to see how she responds to you.
MSG: Dammit. 19. 
GM Elle: She says she only drinks wine, and then she points to the mostly full goblet on the table in front of her and says she has plenty for the time being and would just as soon be left to her own thoughts.
MSG: Sheesh. Friendly type.
Claire: Want to try your luck at the unsavory table? Maybe they're more amenable to being bought a drink.
MSG: I get the impression they've had plenty already, and I don't get the impression they're the knowledgeable type. I'll just go get a table of my own and wait for any of the group who want to join me.
Sasha: Quackers is up for a drink.
Akane: Zedeja must eat, then rest.
Ariel: Fidu has that same idea.
GM Elle: The serving girl, Annabelle, takes your orders and brings them out when they're ready. While you're waiting, you see a rough-looking mallard come in and sit with the table of rowdies. They seem to pay him some deference, and raise their mugs toward him as he sits.

MSG: Definitely not buying that guy a drink.
GM Elle: When Annabelle returns with your food and drinks, he squawks at her to come over. She waves brightly and says she'll be there in a minute. Then she leans close to you, Dolora, and asks if you found anything 'interesting' on your adventures.
MSG: I tell her we found lots of interesting stuff and I'd be happy to tell her about it when she's got a little more time.
Claire: You're not going to blab about us finding the next statue piece, are you?
MSG: Maybe. She's a 'Truth Seeker' after all, so I'm inclined to butter her up in search of knowledge. But I didn't tell her about the other one before ... we'll just see how it goes.
GM Elle: She says she's excited to hear more, and that she'll come and look for you if the tavern quiets down, or once it closes for the evening regardless. After that, she goes over to the disheveled mallard and his companions and asks if there's anything else she can get them. The rowdy ones start roaring for more drinks and the mallard says something that's lost in all the noise.
Ariel: I do not trust that guy!
Sasha: Yeah, he looks like a spooky wizard.
Akane: Or possibly that hood is cultish garb.
GM Elle: Is this table talk, or are your characters saying these things?
Ariel: Well, I did say I was going to be on the lookout for those cult tattoos, so if the duck guy is wearing culty robes, probably I would be eyeing him and saying what I thought. Not super loud or anything. I'm too old and slothful to be loud about it.
Sasha: I figured it was our characters talking.
Akane: Agreed.
GM Elle: Okay, then you notice one of them spots you looking their way -- the big hefty bald guy.
MSG: I'll raise my tankard toward him in a friendly way.
Ariel: I'm looking at that tattoo on his head to see if it looks like the one on those dead cultists. But I roll a 16 on my spot hidden.
Sasha: I mean, from the picture it doesn't look very hidden to me.
GM Elle: It's not, and you can tell it doesn't look the same, other than just being a tattoo with a pointy, symbol-y look.
Ariel: It didn't really look like it to me either, I guess.
Sasha: Then why'd you roll?
Akane: It's devious from our innocent Ariel, I think! She hoped for a Dragon or Demon roll to mark the skill for advancement.
Ariel: Um ...
Sasha: Shame on you, Aers!
GM Elle: Yeah, I'll let it slide, but it's really better if you ask whether you need to roll or not before you just do it.
Ariel: Okay, sorry. So can I spot hidden to see any tattoos peeking out from under their sleeves?
GM Elle: Sure, but I'm counting the 16 you already rolled as the roll for that.
Ariel: Poop.
GM Elle: Anyway, the bald guy sees you still staring and says something to his buddies and gets up. The mallard says something back, but all the others are still making rowdy noise and you can't make out what.
MSG: I'd ask if I could Spot Hidden to read lips, but my Spot Hidden stinks and mallards don't have lips.
GM Elle: The bald guy is stomping aggressively in your direction, taking a last swig from his tankard along the way and then letting it dangle empty in his hand.
MSG: Do you really mean dangle, or do you mean he's got it clenched in a fist like he might smack somebody with it?
GM Elle: More the second one. He reaches your table and demands to know what you all think you're looking at?
MSG: I say I was just tipping my glass to some fellow patrons of this fine establishment.
Ariel: I don't say anything. Definitely not, "We think we're looking at cultists!"
Akane: Zedeja says, "Two of us are young and easily distracted by enthusiastic activity. Two of us are old with weak eyes and must peer carefully to see what occurs around us."
GM Elle: He doesn't seem to buy it and leans in and says, "Well, we don't like bein' stared at!" You notice the others are scooting their chairs like they're thinking something might happen.
Sasha: Quackenscrump says, "Sorry, why don't you let me buy you all a round of drinks to make up for it." I make sure I say it loud enough for the other ones to hear. Can I make it a Persuade roll?
GM Elle: Sure. Since you asked.
Ariel: Why are you looking at me like that, Elle!
Sasha: I roll a 2.
GM Elle: He looks like he's considering your offer. The others yell at him. "Come on, Vlort! Free drinks are free drinks! Don't let your dander spoil it for the rest of us!" He looks grumpy but stands back up instead of looming over you.
Sasha: I'll wave the serving girl over and give her, what's that, 3 coppers a mug?
GM Elle: Four.
Sasha: Dammit. So 2 silvers for all 5 of them to get another mead.
GM Elle: The bald guy points a finger at you and says, "That's all right this time, but don't think a few flagons means you can keep givin' funny looks at us."
Sasha: I'll say we'll be sure not to. Then I'll say if it will help show we're not up to anything, I'd be happy to play some darts or have an arm-wrestling contest once we're done with our meal.
GM Elle: He kind of harrumphs and goes back to his table.
MSG: I like this arm-wrestling idea. If you keep them occupied, that will give me time to chat with Annabelle.
Sasha: If they take me up on it. Or darts. Is there a darts board?
GM Elle: Not that you see.
MSG: Well, while we're finishing our meal and waiting to see if they take Quackers up on his offer, I guess you can cut back to Filvius and Dilfriida.
GM Elle: Sure. As you're coming down from the hill, you can each make an Awareness check.
Claire: 14 blows it for me.
Hettie: I roll a 9, which is a success.
GM Elle: Dilfriida, you think you smell a scent of fresh-baked bread from down the street to your right as you exit the stone path that leads up to the ruins.
Hettie: Excellent. I'll tell Filvius and strike off in that direction.
GM Elle: You soon see smoke rising from that windmill structure along the south side of the street. It seems to be the source of the mouth-watering smell. As you get closer, you see that the mill is attached to a log house with piglets, chickens, and carefree toddlers running about the fenced yard. The children appear to be young halflings, so they're quite small.
Sasha: I'm glad it's not me that has to clean the pig shit off those kids' feet.
Akane: We have practice, though, from cleaning harpy excrement.
Sasha: Yechh. Thanks for reminding me.
Akane: You're welcome!
Hettie: I'll ask the kids where to get a mince pie around this part of town.
GM Elle: They laugh and say their dad is the one who gives them mince pies, but you can't have theirs since you're strangers and you're not invited to dinner.
Hettie: I make a rude gesture at them and look for a door into the mill.
GM Elle: It's not hard to find. As you walk that direction, though, you see all the halfling kids copying your gesture and giggling.
Claire: Let's ignore them and find the baker, okay?
Hettie: Fine, but I've got it in for those little miscreants now. Dilfriida probably calls them "shits" instead of "miscreants," I suppose.
GM Elle: The front part of the mill tower turns out to be a small shop. Inside behind the counter is a plump but elegant halfling with a head of handsome curls and a winning smile. You see shelves of baked goods as well as stacks of bagged flower all about the little room. He asks what he can do for you.
Hettie: We need a mince pie, ASAP.
GM Elle: He looks a little downcast and says they're all out of them for today, but then seems to force himself to brighten. He says he can hold one for you from the batch he makes tomorrow morning, if you care to come back then.
Hettie: Dilfriida figures he's regretting letting those sty-wallowing kids of his gobble down all the mince pies, but she has the sense to avoid saying so.
GM Elle: Probably a good move.
Claire: I'll give him our names and say we'll be back in the morning.
GM Elle: He clears his throat awkardly and asks if you might be willing to pay up front or at least leave a deposit. "They're very popular, our mince pies. Our regular customers might be a bit ... put out, if they saw we'd held one back that wasn't paid for."
Hettie: I say he should tell them to jump in a hole if they get bent out of shape about it.
GM Elle: He looks a bit taken aback and stressed again.
Claire: I'll go ahead and get out my coinpurse and pay anyway. I mean, we'll be out the money one way or another. No reason to make this guy anxious by not paying now. How much is it?
GM Elle: A full-size one is 3 silver and will count as 3 rations. A one-serving one is 1 silver.
Claire: Well, the prune dude on the hill didn't specify what size, so I'll shell out for the single-serving version.
GM Elle: The baker thanks you for patronizing the Chubbycheeks bakery and says he looks forward to seeing you tomorrow.
Claire: Okay, candies from the general store and then back to the Three Stags for that jug of mead.
GM Elle: At Master Ulvar's store, you find that those candies are a luxury item and will cost you five silvers.
Claire: Hmm. If the knowledge that buys me is good, it's cheap at the price. But there's no guarantee the pruney guy will come through with anything useful, so I'll try to haggle for a cheaper price. I get a 15, though, which is nowhere close to the 4 I have in bartering. I fork over the 5 silver.
GM Elle: After fending off your counteroffer by saying these come by long-distance caravan from far beyond the mountains, he makes the exchange and says he's sure you'll enjoy them. He can hardly keep them on the shelves.
Claire: Great, that's nice for him. Ready to get back to the inn, Dilfriida?
Hettie: Very much so.
GM Elle: When you enter, you see your companions finishing off a meal at one table, a handful of other customers scattered about the place, and that table of rowdies in the corner.
Claire: If there's room at our table, I'll go sit down and order a meal.
GM Elle: Unless the group specifically chose a smaller table, there's room.
Akane: Is there a table that fits only five? If yes, Zedeja would insist on that one. Then, "Sorry, halfling, no room left here."
GM Elle: No pentagonal tables at the Three Stags, I'm afraid. Of the tables available when you arrived, the choices would seat 4 or 6.
Akane: Suppose the table is for 6, but I moved one chair elsewhere.
GM Elle: In that case, Annabelle or Vagnhild would probably move it back when they saw Dilfriida and Filvius come in. Most likely saying, "Now how did this get here?" when they spot the extra chair over by a table where it doesn't belong.
Akane: Foiled! Still, it's good to see this quick service from inn employees.
Ariel: Even if it had worked, I'm probably going up to the room for a snooze as soon as I'm done eating, which I'm guessing won't be long.
Akane: Rooms! We haven't secured them, have we? Oldsters must lodge together again. I summon the innkeeper.
GM Elle: Vagnhild puts in an appearance regularly in the common room, so you see her relatively quickly. 
Ariel: Ooh, I'll see if I can sweet-talk her into that same deal we got last time. Is it okay to roll my Bartering?
GM Elle: Go for it.
Ariel: I roll a 9, easy peasy.
GM Elle: Same total as last time, then: 17 silver, 6 coppers for the two rooms and two spots in the dormitory.
Claire: I'll shell it out this time, but somebody else needs to get it next time.
Ariel: Thanks! Anyways, off to bed for me now, in that case.
Akane: Zedeja also will retire for rest.
Sasha: I think it's about time for me to remind the maybe-cultists about my friendly arm-wrestling offer. I'll go over and ask how they're doing and see if any of them want to take me up on it.
GM Elle: The mallard says, "I think Imvir should give it a try." The guy he indicates is the scrawniest looking one, and seems caught off-guard by the suggestion, but says, "Uh, sure, Quasimund." We'll do this as best two of three using opposed strength rolls. Lower roll wins, as long as it's a success.
Sasha: I'll take off my, uh -- what's the word for the forearm parts of the armor?
Hettie: Vambraces.
Sasha: Hot damn, you just knew that?
Hettie: I looked it up early on in the game when I learned one of the party had plate armor.
Sasha: Nice, thanks. So I'll sit down opposite this Imvir dude and start by taking off my left Vambrace.
GM Elle: He frowns and starts rolling up his left sleeve, but says, "Hey, maybe we use our right arms? Left is my off one."
Sasha: Did he get his sleeve up far enough I could see if there's a tattoo in sight?
GM Elle: Make a Spot Hidden check.
Sasha: Nope. Got an 8 and needed a 6.
Hettie: I would have been looking too if I'd known that was part of what's going on. But since nobody clued me in, I'm just watching for the entertainment value.
MSG: I would definitely be watching for tattoos.
Claire: Me too.
Ariel: Me too! If I wasn't in bed.
GM Elle: MSG and Claire, draw initiative cards. Winner is positioned at an angle that will let you try a Spot Hidden check.
MSG: 2.
Claire: 5.
MSG: My check is a 7, but I needed a 6.
GM Elle: So no one sees squat.
Sasha: I tell the guy it's fine, I was just taking off both vambraces for comfort.
GM Elle: He looks relieved and starts rolling up his other sleeve. Roll Awareness, Sash.
Sasha: Aha! 5 makes it!
GM Elle: You notice one of the others elbow him before his sleeve gets too far up, and he stops unrolling it. He puts his elbow to the table and signals that he's ready. Go ahead and roll the first opposed check.
Sasha: Oof. 17 is a success, but just barely.
GM Elle: He rolls an 8. Looks like he gets you the first time. The others hoot and cheer drunkenly, and Imvir grins. Next try.
Sasha: Dang, 16!
GM Elle: He rolls a 7. Others in the common room are watching too. Some of them laugh, and somebody calls out, "Ooh, big strong mallard knight, huh?"
Sasha: They're really lucky I didn't get that "thin skinned" weakness Dilfriida has.
MSG: Dolora says she'll give it a shot.
GM Elle: They make room for the dwarf. The same guy is up against you.
MSG: That's a 3.
GM Elle: He gets a 6, so you pin him. Next try?
MSG: 7.
GM Elle: Against his 10, you win again.
MSG: I'll look around at the others challengingly.
GM Elle: A dark haired woman takes Imvir's place. Her companions start saying, "Glinssa, Glinssa, Glinssa!"
MSG: Dragon this time.
GM Elle: You smack Ginssa's hand to the table almost instantly, and she says "Ow! Okay, I'm done with that." She gives up her spot, shaking out her pained hand as she rises.
MSG: Anybody else?
GM Elle: Vlort sits down, glaring at you through narrowed eyes. He rolls up his sleeve, and everybody can make a Spot Hidden check.
MSG: 17.
Claire: Dragon!
Sasha: 11, fail.
GM Elle: Claire, Filvius sees just a little corner of a tattoo sticking out from where he's rolled his sleeve. Looks like he was trying to be careful to uncover as little of it as possible, if any. But you're convinced it's the same tattoo you saw on the strung-up cultists. Something about the angle and the curves you can see just looks like a dead-on match.
MSG: Well, that's a win even if the arm-wrestling goes south. I get a 15.
GM Elle: He gets a 4 and roars victoriously, standing up and punching his hands in the air over his head.
MSG: Great, nice, congratulations.
GM Elle: He sits down again and squares off with you for the next go. 
MSG: 10 this time.
GM Elle: Another 4 for him. Dolora goes down. There's general celebration amongst the rowdies. Quasimund's head nods slightly within the depths of his hood.
MSG: Hmm. If they're sizing us up for some reason, maybe it's a good thing we didn't totally thrash on them.
GM Elle: Vlort is pumped up from his win, and says, "Anybody else? Who wants to try it against me?"
Claire: Filvius will pass.
Hettie: Dilfriida too. She's not a weakling, but not a strong-woman either.
GM Elle: Are you sure about that? Because Vlort glares and grins at you both and says, "What's the matter -- the rest of you a bunch of chickens?"
Claire: Filvius says, "Yes, pretty much."
Hettie: Sigh. Dilfriida obviously doesn't take to being called a chicken and tells him to take that back.
GM Elle: Vlort laughs and says, "Well, obviously I wasn't calling you a chicken. I'd never expect a wee child like you to step into a man's contest like this."
Hettie: Damn it. All right, I get up from my seat and stomp over to try it.
GM Elle: He says not to worry, he'll take it very easy on you. Okay, make your Strength check.
Hettie: Aha! This time I get the 4.
GM Elle: Vlort's roll is 12. He looks shocked and a bit angry that you've bested him. Roll again.
Hettie: Even better -- that's a 2.
GM Elle: It's a tie ... but ties go to the player. You win. Vlort shoves back from the table muttering something about "conniving halflings" and storms out the front door.
MSG: If the contest's over, I'm going to offer to buy Glinssa an extra drink, to make up for smashing her hand so hard.
GM Elle: All right, she definitely accepts that.
MSG: I'll try to pal up with her some then, and see if I can get on her good side. I'm not trying to convince her to do anything, just being sociable. Dolora's very staid and serious, so I'm not being the life of the party, just making interested, respectful conversation.
GM Elle: I'll call that a straight Charisma check at the end of the evening. How many drinks are you going to buy her total?
MSG: Let's say two since she's already had at least one, right? The rules say anything more than three gives you a condition, and I don't want her getting Angry.
GM Elle: All right, I'm giving you a Bane for her starting off indisposed to take a shine to you, but a Boon for the second drink, so that makes it a straight roll. She'd had more than one drink earlier, though, and she becomes Disheartened as a result of the second one.
MSG: I make my roll with a 15, which is close but still under my Charisma.
GM Elle: You put her at ease enough to let her guard down a little. Since she's disheartened, she starts talking about how losing the arm-wrestling so quickly made her feel bad, because Quasimund already treats her like she's the lowest member of the gang, and Vlort picks on her all the time.
MSG: I'll tell her that if she ever feels like her group isn't doing right by her, we might have an opening she could fit into.
Claire: Do you tell her that the opening is for a donkey handler?
MSG: I do not.
GM Elle: Quasimund sees that the two of you have been talking a while and comes over and squawks at Glinssa that it's time to go. She looks even more downcast and starts to get up.
MSG: I'll tell her it was nice sharing drinks with her as a parting comment.
GM Elle: You can make an opposed Charisma check against Quasimund, then.
MSG: Ooh, Dragon!
GM Elle: Quasimund fails with a 12. You see Glinssa give him a resentful look. Then she nods quickly at you with a weak smile, and they leave. Imvir and the fourth guy lift whatever's left in their flagons and follow the two of them out.
MSG: Think I'm ready to turn in, then.
Claire: Me too.
Ariel: Chasing rabbits in my sleep already!
Sasha: Quackenscrump's going to close the place down.
Hettie: Dilfriida will go up with Filvius and Dolora.
GM Elle: Sash, mark off however many more coppers you spend on drinks, and then we'll skip to the morning next session. Wrapping this one up with experience ... participation, yes for everyone. Exploring a new location ... those ruins you found. Defeating a dangerous enemy ... I'm saying no for that one, since I don't count arm-wrestling. But I do count all the social stuff you did as solving problems without violence, which makes three marks for everyone, and another for whoever thinks they gave in to their weakness.
MSG: Filvius and I both went into those ruins for knowledge. I think we should count that.
Claire: No argument from me.
Ariel: Fidu went to bed early 
Sasha: If knowledge-searching in those ruins counts, I'm counting monster-hunting there too.
Akane: Plenty of domineerance from Zedeja, I believe.
Hettie: I think Dilfriida displayed a sufficiency of pique as well.
GM Elle: Okay, everybody make your advancement rolls then, and we'll see what happens next time.

three times three

so it looks like if i post three times a month for the next three months, this will end up being the fifth year in a row that i've broken my "most posts in a year" record.

sounds like the pressure is on!

boxed

longtime readers will know that my lovely girlfriend elle and i have spent the last 14 years sharing a body, which included a skull upon which one or another of our faces (but not both) can fit. well, the skull is still around even though the body isn't, so we still have to swap off if one of us wants to be a disembodied head instead of just a disemheaded face in a box.

and elle had a sudden lurch of desperation to get out of the box a couple days ago, which of course i was happy to say yes to.

(because i love her. so much!)

which means i'm currently riding that boxcar train along on a grand tour of the closet floor.

it's dark in here!

i mean, the closet's already dark most of the time, but you add on the extra cardboard light-blocking, and whoo, just plain pitch black. but that's totally okay!

if you think about it, we're all boxed in, one way or another. not too many completely free spirits out there unburdened by restrictions or barriers to their movements and interpersonal connections. some people have ritzier boxes than others, and bigger ones, and ones with windows or maybe a cool transparent dome. but each and every one of us is shut away from something.

in the dark about something (or if you're like me, lots of things!)

the thing is, though, even in a box, you're not completely all by yourself. you have your thoughts. you have your memories of other people. daydreams.

songs you can hum!

honestly a good song connects you straight through to whoever wrote it or sang it originally, so just by humming you bring a little bit of someone else into the box with you.

in my case, the box walls are also plenty thin enough for me to hear what's going on outside the box and even outside the closet. i've got plenty of people to talk to around here, and even if i can't see them through the box lid, i see them in my mind's eye. they're vivid. bright! all of them have the most joyous smiles.

so i don't mind being a little more restricted than normal.

my world is huge, even inside a box just bigger than my head.

next time you feel trapped in a box, shut off from someone or something you desire, my advice is, pay attention to what's in the box with you.

most likely, you'll be surprised how free you can be even trapped inside a box.

give it a try!

dragonbane ... secret of the dragon emperor part 10!

we're back! this most recent session was pretty short ... mostly wrapping up that purple flame temple we've been in for a while. take it away, elle!

GM Elle: Okay, here we are back at the Temple of the Purple Flame. As far as you guys know, there are only three doors in the place that you haven't poked your noses in yet.
MSG: Plus that trapdoor.
Ariel: Which one's closest? I know we just got finished resting, but I don't see why we'd want to waste energy going to the farthest one instead of the closest one. And the trapdoor's all the way up on the first level, so I know it's not the closest.
GM Elle: The closest one is that door to the west of the crossroads area where you found that grimoire and the other treasure. But the low, rusty iron door at the south of the manticore room is literally like, four meters farther away than that one is.
Ariel: Well, number one, four meters extra is four meters extra. And number two, I'm pretty sucky at the metric system still, so I'd just as soon not do the extra work of figuring out exactly how far four extra meters would be.
Hettie: If both you and Fidu are so set against the expenditure of undue energy, why not use that Treasure Hunter ability again and see where it leads you?
Ariel: Ooh! That's a great idea! When I get to the spot where I'd have to turn to head to the west door, I'll spend my willpower points and find out which way to the greatest treasures.
GM Elle: You get a lucky feeling about heading south, toward that rusty iron door.
Ariel: Yes!
Sasha: Let's head that way then, I guess.
GM Elle: When you get there, you see that it's thickly rusted within its frame.
MSG: I'll try my 18 strength on it.
GM Elle: Roll a Strength check with a Bane.
MSG: Wow, that tough, huh? I get a 4 and a 4 ... even one of our feebler characters could get it open with that.
GM Elle: I didn't say success would let you open it. It just lets you roll unarmed damage, which is d6 plus your Strength damage bonus die.
MSG: That's 2d6 for me, then ... I roll 7 points.
GM Elle: It's really stuck. You can barely tell that it shifted at all ... mostly by the fact that there was just a tiny groaning vibration from the hinges.
MSG: Hmm. Dolora thinks about it a second and says, "Wow, that is a monster of a rusty door."
Sasha: You don't really think that's going to work on Quackers, do you? Maybe he's not the smartest duck in the pond, but I think he can tell a door from a monster, and it's not like "monster" is some kind of trigger word for him.
MSG: How about this, then? I'm going to try to use my Performance skill to make a monster-ish sounding growl and throw my voice so it seems to be coming from the door.
Sasha: Now that might work! But you're going to have to roll it.
GM Elle: I'm going to say it's a Performance roll to throw your voice and if you succeed at that, a Bluffing roll to pretend it's a monster making the sound. Both of those will be opposed by Sir Q's Awareness.
MSG: All right ... Performance is a 10. Sash?
Sasha: Still in my great helm, so I have a Bane on Awareness ... oof! Demon!
GM Elle: Welp, maybe MSG doesn't need to make that second roll, then. I'm going to say the Demon means you totally fall for it.
Sasha: Let me at it, then! I'm going to hack right through that rust with my broadsword.
Akane: Seems possibly injurious to a sword ...
GM Elle: Yeah, normally I wouldn't have you roll to hit an inanimate object, but in this case, go ahead and roll. Another Demon will mean you damage your sword.
Sasha: 7 hits. But I only do 11 points.
GM Elle: You gouge away some rust and make a terrible racket, but it's not even close to opening yet.
Sasha: Hit 'er again ... Dragon! With the extra damage die, that's 20 points.
Hettie: Maybe you should use one of those battleaxes we looted after the last fight instead of risking your main weapon.
Sasha: No time! Didn't you hear that monster? 12 is another hit, this time for 11 points.
Akane: Wait! The gamemaster must first declare if the 20 points opened the door!
GM Elle: It didn't. And the 11 doesn't either, but you can tell it's getting pretty loose. The noise is incredible, though, echoing loudly through the whole vaulted hall.
MSG: You're going to wake the manticore up.
Ariel: I know you're joking, but Fidu's still going to look at the manticore just in case.
Sasha: 18 is a miss. Guess my sword glances off the frame or something? Dang, then another 18. But then another Dragon! 14 points!
GM Elle: That busts it open.
Sasha: I yank the door free! What do we see?
GM Elle: Inside is the bottom of a dark pit with raw, roughly-carved stone walls. Scattered across the uneven floor are dozens of skeletons -- some intact, some indistinguishable in the heaps of bones. But you can see that the more intact ones are shifting and moving. From between the loose teeth of their skulls come low, angry hisses and wretched groans. Some turn the black pits of their eye sockets toward you. Everyone make a WIL save to avoid fear.
MSG: Great. Let's see ... okay, a 10 makes it.
Claire: 15 blows it for Filvius.
GM Elle: You're enfeebled by terror and lose 7 willpower points. You also become disheartened if you're not already.
Claire: That cleans me out of WP.
Akane: Zedeja rolls a 3 of fearlessness.
Hettie: 13 for Dilfriida is a failure.
GM Elle: Paralyzed. You can't act on your next turn, and every turn after that you get another WIL roll to break out of it.
Ariel: Whew! 3 for Fidu too.
Sasha: Dragon for Quackers.
GM Elle: Not only are you not stricken with fear, but you don't even see these skeletons as dangerous at all. If anything, they seem miserable and pathetic to you.
Sasha: Well, they're still undead, and that makes them monsters, right? Unless something makes me think different, I think we need to draw initiative so I can get to chopping.
GM Elle: Go for it. Skeletons get a 10.
MSG: 5 for me, but I don't think I'm keen on charging in there.
Ariel: Yeah, I'll be not charging in on 8.
Akane: 6 for Zedeja. 
Claire: If we're doing a combat, I'll draw too ... looks like a 9.
GM Elle: Sash, you get to go first, then.
Sasha: I'm wading in with broadsword swinging! 7 on the first one I get to. 9 points of damage!
GM Elle: You hack loose a limb or shatter some ribs, but the skeleton doesn't seem to even notice much.
MSG: I'm trading this 5 card to Filvius so I can go later in the round and see a little more of what's happening before I commit to an action.
Claire: Thanks! Filvius will use his action to do a round rest and get back ... 5 WP.
Akane: Zedeja trades the 6 to Fidu. Waiting appears sensible.
Ariel: Well I for sure don't want to go next! Can I trade it to somebody else?
GM Elle: Only someone who hasn't already had a turn or waited themselves. That means the skeletons.
Ariel: Um ... then I guess I'll trade with them and be able to dodge if one attacks me.
Sasha: You bunch of chickens.
GM Elle: On their turn the skeletons only whine and grumble and wail. Most of it is just wordless noise of anguish and rage, but you hear some of them saying things despairingly, like, "Destroy this place!" and, "Let us rest ..." and, "Close it! Close the portal!" Zedeja? The 8 card is next.
Akane: I command our duck knight to come out and shut back this door. What can be gained, hacking at bones?
Ariel: Well, there is treasure in there ... I think. That's why we came this direction in the first place.
GM Elle: Fidu can't point that out until his turn, though, which is after Akane finishes hers and Dolora does whatever she intends to do.
MSG: That would be nothing.
Akane: Zedeja's commands are known. It can proceed to the wolfkin's barking about treasure now.
GM Elle: Is Fidu going to go in and look for loot, Aers?
Ariel: Heck, no!
GM Elle: New turn, then.
Sasha: If the bones aren't even getting up to fight back, I don't know if we need to bother with initiative, do we? Sir Quacks will get tired of chopping pointlessly pretty quick.
GM Elle: The skeletons just keep making their mournful and vengeful noises, with the occasional vague plea for you to free them or close off the demon realm.
MSG: I'll ask them how we do that.
GM Elle: They don't seem to be capable of coherent conversation. You get the impression many of them have been here for ages, just suffering the torment of lifeless existence.
MSG: Okay. Well, if another round of chopping by Quackers doesn't make them rise up and attack, I guess I'll try going in and digging around to see if there's anything good in there. Being ready to hightail it back out if need be.
GM Elle: How long are you going to dig around for?
MSG: If I don't get attacked or anything, maybe a stretch?
Ariel: I'll go in and join him after a little bit if he's not getting munched on by skeletons.
Sasha: And if they're in here and nothing's happening in the fighting department, I guess I'll switch to looting too.
GM Elle: MSG, you come across a gemstone. Roll a d6.
MSG: 3.
GM Elle: It's another emerald, worth 10 gold.
MSG: That's something, at least.
GM Elle: And that's pretty much all you find, other than the body of that cultist who fell through the trapdoor. Seems to have broken his neck when he fell. All he's got on him is his hand-axe, a key, and a coil of rope.
Claire: So I guess you're saying this bone pit is right under the trapdoor?
GM Elle: Right. If you look up from in here, you can barely see a thin line of light where the trapdoor is still slightly ajar.
Ariel: Well, I for sure see why the room with the grimoire set off my treasure sense more than this one did. Lame.
Sasha: Yeah, let's get out of here. Somebody grab the key, though. Probably just his housekey or something but you never know.
Hettie: Can we assume that sometime during the stretch, I made my save and broke free of my paralysis?
GM Elle: Yes. So where do you go now?
MSG: Back to that one door at the far west?
Claire: We've been everywhere else, right?
Akane: No debate! That door is our destination. Proceed!
Sasha: Sure, why not? Follow me, everybody.
GM Elle: Just to cut to the chase, you find that the door to the west opens into another spiral staircase going up. At the top, you find a locked door.
MSG: We try the key, obviously. Sash?
Sasha: Hey, I said somebody should grab it. I didn't volunteer to.
Ariel: Noooo! Please tell me we don't have to walk all the way back there! Can we say I took it even though I didn't say so when Quackers said to?
GM Elle: That's fine. You do find that the key opens the door, but the door just leads to that area you already explored on the first level ... the one you entered from the courtyard through the curtain of hanging vines.
MSG: Sounds like we've cleared the whole place out, then.
Claire: Let's go see if Hafarmal has brewed up some antidote for us yet.
Ariel: I think we should go check on our donkey!
Sasha: I'll go with you. If it's still there, we can bring it in to the herb garden with us for peace of mind.
GM Elle: Is everyone else going directly to the garden?
MSG: I am. I want to pick Hafarmal's brain about what those skeletons were saying and about the demon world we went to.
Claire: Ditto for Filvius.
Hettie: I think Dilfriida's still on the discombobulated side from those talking skeletons. The herb garden sounds like it would be a comforting place to calm down.
Akane: Zedeja accompanies the donkey pursuers. They may need guidance.
GM Elle: The garden is much closer, so Filvius, Dolora, and Dilfriida arrive there first. You see Hafarmal at work tending a fire under a metal tripod with a hanging pot. He greets you and asks if the temple is free of those cultists.
MSG: I'll say it is as far as we could tell. But there's a weird demon-world portal in the basement that seems to have an even weirder way of affecting time for anyone who goes through. So who knows? Some of them might be over in the demon world where they could come back at any time.
Sasha: Way to let him know we may not have finished the job we made a deal for, Dolora.
Hettie: I believe you're outside, Sash?
Akane: Yes! Less complaining about unheard discussions, more searching for a donkey!
GM Elle: Hafarmal chuckles a little and says that if they've passed through to the demon world and been there any length of time, it will become less and less likely they'll ever return. He sucks on his pipe and then gestures knowingly around the garden with it. "You can see how even being in the same environs with the portal affects plant life ... and, I suppose, my eyes and who knows what else. Passing though to the demon world would be unwise indeed."
MSG: I'll skip telling him the part where we went through, then, I guess.
Claire: But I definitely let him know about those transformed guys with the axes and the armor fused to their bodies and how they had black eyes like he has.
Hettie: Don't leave out our encounter with the horrifying pit of talking skeletons.
GM Elle: He frowns a bit at both of those revelations.
MSG: I ask if he has any idea how the portal could be closed. It seems to be messing around with a lot of stuff, and those poor skeletons have apparently been suffering for decades or centuries since they were thrown down in that pit.
GM Elle: Go ahead and make a Persuasion roll, MSG.
MSG: Ehh, Persuasion isn't my thing. I roll a 13, which fails.
Claire: Aren't you a bard?
MSG: Yes, but I'm better at Bluffing and Performance than winning hearts and minds.
Hettie: Dilfriida is disinclined to try her hand at convincing him. She doesn't want anything further to do with those skeletons. Also, her Persuasion is only four. So it appears to be up to you, Claire.
Claire: Hah. I'll roll, but not only is my Persuasion just as bad as yours, I have a Bane from being Disheartened. So ... well, I'll be! That's a 2 and a 4. So I make it.
GM Elle: And what exactly are you trying to persuade him of?
Claire: Same as Dolora, how to close the portal, if he knows.
GM Elle: He grumbles a bit and talks about how useful this enchanted herb garden has been to his work, but eventually he admits that the risk of further endangering life here in the Magna Woods seems more important than selfishly hanging onto the garden for himself. He tells you that a simple Dispel being cast upon the purple flame should put it out and close the gate.
Claire: Well, we did just find a grimoire with Dispel in it. But none of us has learned it yet.
GM Elle: Hafarmal invites you to rest and study here in the garden, then. He points at the pot and says he still has some work to do on the antidote he's been brewing for you.
MSG: Sweet.
Claire: Eww ... dang, I just read the bit about learning spells from the rulebook, and it says you have to use an advancement mark in the school for the spell, study for a shift, and make a skill roll to successfully learn it. And then you can't use it in the same play session.
GM Elle: Well, Hafarmal says he knows Dispel, and if the portal is closing, it might as well be his job to close it. He tells you to relax and enjoy the garden. Meanwhile, Fidu, Sir Q, and Zedeja go out the front gate of the temple and see that the donkey is nowhere to be seen.
Akane: Donkey! No hiding from your masters! Come out at once!
GM Elle: That doesn't seem to get a response.
Ariel: Can I look around for donkey tracks?
GM Elle: Yes. That's a Bushcraft roll.
Ariel: Ooh, I get a 12, which is just what I needed!
GM Elle: You spot some tracks leading off into the woods. Do you follow them?
Ariel: I dunno, should we get everyone else?
Sasha: By the time we do, some monster may have eaten our donkey.
Akane: Also, how far can a donkey have gone?
GM Elle: Well, you did rest an entire shift underground.
Akane: Hmm. Do we have enough sun left for a search?
GM Elle: It's late afternoon or early evening. Probably a couple of hours before it gets fully dark.
Sasha: Let's get a move on, then. Lead the way, Fidu.
Ariel: Okay, I guess ...
GM Elle: Not too far into the woods, you come across what looks like a relatively fresh pile of donkey dung.
Ariel: He must be pretty close, then!
Akane: Donkey! It's punishment for you if you don't heed!
GM Elle: Suddenly, you hear an answer to Zedeja's cries.
Ariel: Um ... a donkey-ish answer?
GM Elle: No -- it's a shrill set of voices coming from the trees above you. "Look! Tasties for us!" "And one has shiny pretty metal!" It's a trio of harpies swooping down to attack you. Time for initiative.
Ariel: 9 for Fidu.
Sasha: 3 for Quackers.
Akane: Zedeja is at 8.
GM Elle: The harpies draw 4, 5, and 7. They're circling in a swarm, and because they're staying airborne, you'll need ranged weapons or a long weapon like a big spear to attack them.
Sasha: Well, my longspear is back in the cart, so I guess I'm shooting my bow at them. 3 is a hit.
GM Elle: They'll use their 7 card to try dodging. And they succeed. On 4, They do an Excrement Attack -- they open their mouths and cloacae and unleash a rain of vomit and offal. All three of you gain a condition of your choice. It could be parried with a shield, but Sir Q is the only one with a shield and he already used his turn.
Ariel: Oh gross. It's going to get all in my fur. That'll be so much work to get out! It makes me Disheartened.
Sasha: I'm already Angry and Exhausted. Guess I'll get Disheartened too.
Akane: So unpleasant! Zedeja is Disheartened also.
GM Elle: On 5 they go again, this time trying to do an Eye Gouge on the knight. Only 5 points, though, so it doesn't get through your armor. However, the attack is supposed to blind you for a stretch and make you act as if in total darkness. I'm going to say they got a claw through your visor and scratched your forehead bad enough you're getting blood in your eyes, giving you a Bane on your attacks even if they didn't do enough damage to lower your hit points. Zedeja, your turn.
Akane: It's a roll of 2 with my sling. Their turns are all expended, so they can't dodge, which means 10 points of damage to one!
Ariel: I'm shooting that one if it's still alive!
GM Elle: It is.
Ariel: Boo. 11.
Sasha: New initiative? I draw the 9.
Akane: 2 for Zedeja.
Ariel: I got 5.
GM Elle: Harpies on 3, 7, and 10.
Akane: A stone to the head of the one I struck before! But -- I just remembered, my damaged sling. It's supposed to have a Bane. Rolling to see if the 10 points must be removed ... no, the die relieves me with a 2. Now, this turn's attack: 5 and Dragon. So sad to waste a Dragon on a Baned roll. Do they dodge?
GM Elle: Using their 10 card. It's a success. On 3, they do a Coordinated Attack on Quackenscrump, trying to rend and tear him and drag him into the air to drop him ... but they only get 3 damage, not enough to penetrate his armor.
Ariel: I'm shooting the hurt one again! Boo, another miss. I can't believe how long this fight is lasting! It's exhausting poor old Fidu, so I'm taking the Exhausted condition and pushing my roll. 7 is a hit!
GM Elle: You did all that work, but the harpy is still going to try to dodge. It succeeds with a 4.
Sasha: Okay, here's my blood-in-the-eyes bow attack: 8 and 2!
GM Elle: You didn't say which one you're shooting at.
Sasha: My pals seem to be handling that hurt one. I'll try a fresh one. 12 points!
GM Elle: That kills it.
Ariel: Good call, Sash!
Sasha: Live dangerously, or are you really living at all?
GM Elle: New initiative. The two remaining harpies get 1 and 2.
Ariel: Boo! Why did they get to draw first this time? I got the 6.
Sasha: 10 for me.
Akane: 4. But at least we have dodging for an option.
GM Elle: Death from Above! They're throwing rocks and tree branches and stuff at you. Everyone's going to take d6 damage unless you dodge or parry.
Ariel: Dodging sounds like a lot of work, and d6 doesn't sound so bad.
Sasha: Bring it.
Akane: Zedeja is too Disheartened to dodge.
GM Elle: 3 points on Quackers, so nothing. Ouch, 6 on Fidu.
Ariel: Yipe!
GM Elle: 5 on Zedeja.
Akane: The aged voice of the Mind squeaks with pain.
GM Elle: Eye Gouge on Fidu for their second attack.
Ariel: Oh gosh, I don't want to be blinded too! I try to dodge. Yuck! 17! Now I'm pushing the roll because I'm Scared! Whew! 9 this time.
Akane: The Baneful sling of Zedeja fires at a harpy of injury. 10 and 7, a hit!
GM Elle: It has only 2 hit points left, so your minimum damage kills it.
Sasha: Woohoo, go Zedj! Quackers takes another bloody-eyes shot at the last one. Oof. One roll is a Demon.
GM Elle: You accidentally hit a random player character or friendly NPC. On a 1 or 2, it's Fidu. On a 3 or 4, it's Zedeja --
Ariel: Wait, why are you picking up a d6 then? Nooo, don't give Quackers a chance to shoot our donkey!
GM Elle: Sorry, but 5 or 6 means the donkey has heard Zedeja calling it and wandered close enough it gets hit. Luckily for it, I roll a 4.
Akane: Unlucky for Zedeja though!
GM Elle: Yep, Sash, roll your damage. 
Sasha: Whoof. 13 points.
Akane: My leather armor stops 1. Wait, it also stopped 3 of dropped harpy rocks because leather is superior against bludgeoning! Oh. But the hit points of Zedeja ... only 12. Even just one 13 point arrow kills her.
GM Elle: Well, it doesn't kill her, but she's down and will have to make death rolls on her turn. New initiative.
Sasha: Sorry about that!
Akane: It's okay. Several chances still for Zedeja to live.
Ariel: Gimme those cards! No harpies picking first this time! What?? 7, ugh.
Sasha: 9 for me.
Akane: 10. At least Zedeja is dying very slowly.
GM Elle: The last harpy is on 2. Luckily, harpies are chicken, and it flies away instead of fighting on its own.
Ariel: Okay, I rush over and try to do Healing on Zedeja. My Healing stinks and I get a Bane, but maybe I'll get lucky. Nope.
Sasha: Same for Quackers, I guess, except that I'm Angry so I get an extra Bane. Three fails.
Akane: First death roll for Akane ... 15 is failure.
GM Elle: I'm not going to make you draw initiative every time, just keep going in order.
Ariel: More First Aid! Come on, Zedeja, breathe! No, so close! 5 and 7 ... but the 7 fails.
Sasha: Dragon and two fails for me.
Akane: 17 again fails for Zedeja against death.
Ariel: I'm getting really worried here! Blah! 19 and Dragon ... I'm going to push the roll and say I'm so worried it's making me Sickly. Fooh, two more failures.
Sasha: One success out of three for me.
Akane: 19. Zedeja must push this roll, she is so Scared. Now, success. Only two more and she is safe!
Ariel: First aid, first aid, first aid -- no.
Sasha: A 3, a 2, and a 9. So close.
Akane: Another success at death rolling, no need for a push.
GM Elle: What do you all think? Is this a good place to end the session?
Ariel: NO! THAT IS SO NOT EVEN FUNNY!
Sasha: I thought it was kind of funny.
Akane: Suspenseful!
Ariel: Just for that, look! I roll a 6 and a 5, which means my First Aid works! You get 2 points back, Zedeja.
Sasha: Whew, that was close!
Akane: Almost a first fatality. Zedeja orders you to learn better Healing at the soonest possibility.
Ariel: Well I am Disheartened, and Scared, and Sickly, and Exhausted, but we are finding this darned donkey and getting it back to the temple!
Sasha: Should we maybe do a stretch rest and let Zedeja get at least a few hit points back?
Akane: Zedeja wonders ... how far to the nest of these harpies? Can a survivor harpy get there and return with a larger swarm in 15 minutes?
Sasha: Good point. Probably we don't want to be sitting around here if that happens.
Ariel: So, do I need to make another Bushcraft roll, or what?
GM Elle: If I'd rolled that six, I was going to let the donkey take that arrow hit, so it's close. A few more minutes of following the tracks you were already after will let you find it. We can say you make it back to the temple before dusk fully seeps out of the sky.
MSG: Wow. You look like crap, Zedeja.
Claire: Actually, they literally all look like crap, remember?
Ariel: My fur is all gunked up with harpy poo.
Sasha: And vomit. Don't forget the vomit.
Hettie: There surely must be a well or something of the sort near this temple where we can get water and wash them off. Hafarmal is boiling something in that pot, isn't he?
GM Elle: Yes, he tells you there's a well over on the north side of the temple. He also casts a Treat Wounds spell on Zedeja ... but it only ends up doing 3 points.
MSG: I'm not saying so out loud, but this guy isn't the world's best healer.
Akane: 3 points exceeds 0 points.
GM Elle: That's a healthy way to look at it. Anyway, if you head over to the well, you're able to wash the worst of the crap and puke away ... enough so the stench won't keep everyone awake at least. Then you can all bed down for the night if you want. Hafarmal assures you it's safe.
Sasha: Yeah, and we can definitely trust a monster-eyes elf.
GM Elle: So I'd say this is a good spot to end the session. Everybody gets the participation mark. Sash, Aers, and Akane get the dangerous opponent mark. I don't think you really explored a new location. I do think everybody hit their weakness at least once. And you convinced Hafarmal to close the portal, so that's solving a problem without using violence. Three marks apiece and four for the harpy-puke trio.
Akane: Zedeja will attempt the learning of Dispel from the grimoire for one of her marks. Success! It will be castable next session.
GM Elle: Good job. What about Filvius, Claire?
Claire: Not wasting the advancement mark trying to learn from the grimoire -- my Languages skill stinks. Good game tonight, though, Elle!
Ariel: As always!
Sasha: Nothing like cleaning harpy yark out of the joints of your plate armor, I always say.
Akane: Nearness of death ... very cathartic.
GM Elle: Well, glad everybody enjoyed it. Next session should be good, since you'll be getting into something new now that the Temple of the Purple Flame is a wrap.
Hettie: I genuinely cannot wait.
MSG: Me either!

so where in the misty vale will next time take us? hang in there and we'll all see together! thanks for reading!

dragonbane ... secret of the dragon emperor part 9!

picking up right where we left off ...

GM Elle: The great abandoned hall is just as you left it, right down to the huge manticorpse in the middle. So which way are you going? There's the low iron door to the south, rusted over; the half-open iron door to the west, and the iron gate to the northwest, bearing the graven flame embossed in purple.
MSG: I'm thinking we should check out the half-open door and make sure there's nothing beyond it that might sneak up on us.
Claire: Personally, I'm thinking the great big gate with the fancy decorations looks like the ideal place to search for treasure and knowledge.
Ariel: Well, my treasure hunting instincts did bring us down here and did point kinda northeast and northwest from where I was standing at the time, so I'm betting there's treasure down here. But I don't have a clue which exact direction.
Sasha: I'm with the dwarf. We should check that open door for monsters before doing anything else. I'm heading that direction.
Akane: Wait! Zedeja has not been consulted!
GM Elle: It's a pretty brief walk across the dark, vaulted hall. Who's going with Quackenscrump?
MSG: Considering it was my idea, I'll go.
Ariel: I'll go too so they have a light.
Hettie: Dilfriida asks Filvius if he wants to go check that flaming gate. Not open it up just yet, but search and see if we find anything interesting about it. I've got my own lamp.
Claire: Sure, why not? But you guys come back and get us if there's anything interesting behind the open door.
Sasha: "Interesting" means the same thing as "monster" to Quackers, so he says he's pretty sure you'll know if we do.
Hettie: I'll lead the way to the big iron gate with my lamp, then.
Akane: Bah. If that direction is halfling-lit, Zedeja accompanies the other three.
GM Elle: The iron door opens outward, and will have to be pulled further open for you to get a good look through. Otherwise, someone with a lamp could poke one hand through with the light and stick their head in to see what's there.
MSG: I like the idea of pulling it open. Dolora volunteers to do that while Sir Q gets his sword and shield ready and Fidu holds the light.
Ariel: I'll be just a little behind Sir Q.
Sasha: Ready when you are, then.
Akane: Zedeja issues the command: now!
GM Elle: The door is a little stiff, but yields to Dolora's strength. Beyond, there's a two-meter stretch of hallway that opens up into a room that looks about eight meters wide. The far side is only dimly visible at the edge of your lamp's 10-meter glow. Do you enter?
Sasha: Sure. I tell Fidu to stick close behind me so I have light to fight by.
Ariel: Can do.
GM Elle: When you enter the chamber, you find that the corridor continues on the far side, again for about two meters. There, it ends at a narrow door not unlike the one between the spiral staircase and the vaulted hall. The room is wider north-south than east-west, about 12 meters. To the north, you see an iron bracket set into the stone wall, with old, rusty chains hanging from it. They're mostly broken, with only one manacle intact lying on the floor. To the south you see thick vines that appear to have grown through cracks in the wall and ceiling.
Sasha: I'm still waiting for you to describe the monster.
GM Elle: No monster just yet.
Ariel: I'm going to use my Treasure Hunter ability again, then. Which way seems the most treasury?
GM Elle: Something about those vines to the south seems to tickle at your imagination, for some reason.
MSG: Can I see if they're the murdery kind?
GM Elle: Make a Bushcraft roll.
MSG: Nope. 17.
Ariel: I check too ...  made it with a 4.
GM Elle: They just look like normal vines as far as you can tell.
Ariel: I'll go over and look closer then.
GM Elle: Hidden behind them you see what looks like a concealed door.
Ariel: Yes! Treasure, here we come!
Akane: Be careful when opening!
Ariel: Fidu's got his mind set on treasure, so he's going to skimp on the carefulness. I open the door.
Akane: This unruly group!
GM Elle: Inside is a chamber with a low ceiling. Part of the ceiling has collapsed, and the floor is covered with stones and gravel.
MSG: I don't like the looks of the partly collapsed ceiling, but I do want to know what's in there, so Dolora will go in if Fidu is going.
Ariel: You bet I am. Does it look like there's anything buried in the rocks and gravel?
GM Elle: It will take you a stretch to search it. Are Sir Q and Zedeja helping?
Sasha: Our light's in there now, right? So I don't know what else we'd do.
Akane: Zedeja does not search, but oversees the searchers. Look there! Now there! That rock -- possibly a treasure is under it.
GM Elle: Okay, while you four are doing that, Filvius and Dilfriida are at the big iron gate. What's your plan?
Claire: To be honest, I was sort of thinking I'd go ahead and straight-up open it. But I just double-checked my character sheet and realized I still have the Scared condition, so instead I think I'm going to carefully search it and see if there are any secret symbols or buttons or anything.
Hettie: I was most likely going to run if she preemptively rushed to open the gate, but if she's just searching, I'll hold the light and look as closely as I can also.
GM Elle: You can both roll to Spot Hidden.
Claire: Ooh, made it with a 5!
Hettie: A 5 for me as well.
GM Elle: Other than noting that this gate, while made of iron, shows no signs of rust, I'm afraid you don't see anything special. However, during your examination, you think you hear sounds of fighting coming from the other side of the gate.
MSG: Don't do it.
Claire: Don't worry, I'm scared, so I'm not going to open it to find out who's fighting. But I am going to put my ear to the gate and see if I can hear anything.
Hettie: I suppose I will too when I see her doing it.
GM Elle: Both of you can roll Awareness with a Bane because the gate is solid iron.
Claire: Awareness, huh? That's 8 and 18, neither of which gets me there.
Hettie: 6 and 16 for Dilfriida. The 6 would have succeeded, but the 16 doesn't.
GM Elle: All right, back to the other four. The three who are searching should make three Spot Hidden checks ... winner finds something.
MSG: Cool. "Winner" means low roll, right?
Claire: Low roll as long as it's a success, I'm pretty sure.
Ariel: Boo! I roll a Demon for my first roll.
Sasha: I fail with a 15.
GM Elle: The Demon means you sit the rest of the rolls out, Aers.
MSG: 9 for Dolora, also a failure.
Akane: What! This failure of finding is too much for Zedeja. "You underlings can't be trusted to search correctly!" I roll also. Roll is a 19, which causes Zedeja to become Angry and push her roll. Failure again! 16.
MSG: I guess that makes Zedeja the blind leading the blind.
Ariel: You said roll three times, right? My next roll is -- oh wait, I lost those rolls is why you're looking at me like that, isn't it.
Sasha: Quackers' second roll is 17.
Akane: Zedeja's roll number two now has a Bane from Angry. 9 succeeds ... but 16! No! More outrage of unsuccessful! I become Disheartened to push this roll. Finally! 9 and 7!
GM Elle: Dolora still might beat you by rolling under your 7.
MSG: No, I roll a 9.
Akane: Yes!
GM Elle: All right, you get to draw a treasure card from the treasure deck.
Akane: Gemstone! It says to roll d6 ... 3 is an emerald worth 10 gold!
GM Elle: Okay, third roll each.
MSG: 13 fails.
Claire: You guys are the pits at this.
Ariel: I can't believe this is where the best treasure is and we're not seeing any of it!
Sasha: Got something! 2!
Akane: Zedeja's Baned third rolls are a failure and a success, so, nothing.
GM Elle: Pick a card, Sash.
Sasha: Hmm. "Bottle" ... it says a Healing roll reveals the contents.
Akane: Zedeja insists she is best at this.
MSG: Even with your Bane? Oh, yeah, probably. I've got a 6 skill in Healing.
Ariel: Me too.
Sasha: 4 here. I'm fine with Zedeja checking it.
Akane: Rolls are 6 and 11, so it's accomplished.
GM Elle: Looks like it's booze.
MSG: Fancy booze worth selling, I hope.
Ariel: Can I roll Bartering to see if I can figure out what it's worth? Boo, 19 even if you let me.
GM Elle: It was a nice idea, but all you know is that it smells like alcohol. Now, that stretch has passed, so what are Filvius and Dilfriida doing?
Claire: I'm going to hurry back to where our fighting folks are if there's a fight going on on the other side of the gate. Assuming my light source is coming.
Hettie: Indeed I am.
Akane: Good! Two more searchers! You must make rolls for finding things at once!
GM Elle: Three opposed rolls to search, Filvius and Dilfriida.
Claire: 15.
Hettie: Me too.
Akane: The inefficiency of this searching!
Claire: Second roll is a 12, also a failure for me.
Hettie: Demon. Guess I don't get a third roll.
GM Elle: Last shot, Claire.
Claire: 7, and I needed a 6. Okay, heck, I'll get Disheartened to push it. And that was worthless because I roll a 14.
Ariel: Argh. This totally can't be the greatest treasures in the place -- one emerald and a bottle of hooch? I'm spending more WP and using my Treasure Hunger ability again. I mean, "Hunter." But maybe "Hunger" is even better.
GM Elle: All right, then, you find a worn old grimoire under a slab of rock you hadn't checked before, along with one card.
Ariel: Oh boy. d6 copper coins. I roll 3.
Hettie: Looking in the manual, there's literally one thing available for 3 or fewer coppers: a road toll.
Akane: What an offensive card to have in a treasure deck!
GM Elle: I'm going to say I agree. Hand me two more cards, Aers, and I'll tell you which one you get.
Ariel: Sure! Thanks for the break!
GM Elle: You also find a dagger.
MSG: At least that's worth like, 5 silver.
Claire: What I want to know is what's in that grimoire.
Akane: Zedeja the Mind must also know.
GM Elle: It contains the following spells: Fetch, Flick, Dispel, Magic Shield, Ignite, Heat/Chill, Gust of Wind, Fire Blast, Tidal Wave, and Salamander.
MSG: That's a lot of spells.
Claire: Uh-huh. And I notice most of them are Elementalist spells, which means neither one of our mages knows how to use them.
Akane: Some sound General, though. Dispel and Magic Shield, I think. 
GM Elle: Correct. Learning a spell from a grimoire takes a shift and an advancement mark, and you roll against Languages to succeed.
Claire: Oh, great, my Languages skill is dookey.
Akane: It's very feasible for Zedeja, though. 14 in Languages!
GM Elle: Unless the party wants to break for a Shift Rest now, though, there are still several parts of the temple you haven't gotten to.
Claire: Whoops, that's right. I forgot all about telling the group we heard fighting on the other side of the flaming iron gate.
Sasha: What kind of fighting? Any monster sounds?
Hettie: No, I'm afraid it was very generalized combative noise, nothing distinct.
Sasha: Whatever. I'm still heading that direction in case it's monsters.
Akane: Zedeja orders others to follow.
MSG: I don't see why not.
Claire: Great, let's go.
Ariel: I'll bring my light along.
Hettie: Mine as well.
GM Elle: You quickly find yourselves outside the iron gate. Whatever disturbance was happening before, all is once again still in the darkness of the vaulted hall.
MSG: Same door routine as before, Sash and Aers?
Ariel: Fidu's got his lamp ready.
Sasha: Quackers is loaded for monster bear.
MSG: I'll try to pull the gate open, then.
GM Elle: It's heavy ... go ahead and check Strength.
MSG: 9. Easy success.
GM Elle: In that case, you get it open quickly enough that anyone inside won't have time to prepare an ambush, though not so quickly that they'll be taken by surprise. Beyond the gate lies an ornate chamber with murals and lavishly decorated columns along the walls. The rock seems half-molten, semi-organic, like the inside of a fossil monster.
Ariel: Ew.
GM Elle: On a marble altar burns a violet fire. Two tall figures with axes are standing at the altar. The west wall, behind the altar, vibrates like a mirror of water, shimmering and now and then showing the image of some semi-organic city under a purple sky that moves with the observer, projected at skewed angles. Ornaments of bone, like the spinal column of some great beast, frame the view.
Sasha: Let's cut to the part where the figures with axes are monsters.
GM Elle: Both figures are over two meters tall, their elongated bodies covered with iron armor that appears fused to their flesh. A purple aura surrounds each one. They look over at you as the gate creaks wide, showing their eyes to be completely black. One asks in a raspy voice, "Who approaches? Have you too been summoned by Sathmog? To go through the portal and see its sights, as we have?"
MSG: I'll say --
Sasha: "Die, monsters!" I'm charging.
GM Elle: I guess that's initiative, then.
MSG: Great. Can I have the deck? I draw the 6.
Claire: 10 for me.
Ariel: 4.
Sasha: 7, dang it.
Hettie: 8.
Akane: 9. This is very poor initiating for everyone but the wolfkin.
GM Elle: The axe-wielding figures draw the 3. You know what? They're going to trade cards with Sir Quackenscrump.
Sasha: Woohoo! I run straight up at this guy here.
Hettie: You're not going to be able to attack if you move that far, though.
Sasha: No, but I'll scare the crap out of them.
Akane: They do not look very frightenable.
GM Elle: Ariel, you're up next.
Ariel: I guess I'll set my lamp down and use my bow to shoot that one there. 13 misses though.
Sasha: Nice try anyway.
GM Elle: Dolora's next on 6.
MSG: I'll move to here, switch to my shortbow, and shoot. There's another 13. Our luck's not looking so great.
GM Elle: Their turn. First, this guy chops at you with his axe, Sash. He misses with a 19.
MSG: You heard that, right Sash? He rolled and missed. Which means they're not monsters.
Sasha: Nah, that's just how scared I have them.
GM Elle: Second guy moves here and also misses.
Hettie: Dilfriida's joining the shortbow brigade on 8. I move up and fire ... 7 hits. Only 5 points of damage, though.
GM Elle: It barely gets through his armor. Zedeja?
Akane: It's a sling attack for the Mind. Oh. A Demon.
GM Elle: You break your weapon. That will get you a Bane until it's fixed by an artisan.
Claire: I guess that leaves me. I don't have a ranged weapon, so I'll just move to here and be ready to heal somebody next round or move in and staff them.
GM Elle: New initiative, then.
MSG: Again with the 6.
Claire: 9. I guess that's okay if I'm planning on healing.
Ariel: 4 again!
Sasha: 5 this time.
Hettie: Dilfriida goes on 3.
Akane: Zedeja: 1!
GM Elle: Bad guys are on 8. Zedeja, you're up.
Akane: A Bane with the sling ... I think still it's worth trying. 2 and 10! Hit!
GM Elle: These guys aren't too worried about a sling stone. He doesn't evade.
Akane: Damage ... only 5.
GM Elle: It's going to take you a long time at this rate. Hettie?
Hettie: I'll move to here, switch to my dagger, and Backstab. That's a hit, for 16 points of damage.
GM Elle: That got his attention. Aers?
Ariel: Shortbow again on that same guy! But I miss again.
Sasha: I"m next, right? Lemme show you how this is done. Broadsword on the dude who hasn't been hit yet.
Hettie: But ...
Sasha: Doggone Bane. I rolled a Dragon but also 17. I really need to get un-Exhausted.
MSG: Dolora will switch to her club and move up to strike at the injured guy. I miss with a 16, but I'll push it and become Angry. Oh, come on. 19.
Claire: We're not having much luck with these push rolls.
GM Elle: Their turn. Injured guy attacks Dilfriida, since she seems to be the only one who can hurt them.
Hettie: I'd take that as a compliment, but ...
GM Elle: You're in luck. He misses with a 19. The other guy attacks Quackers. 14 is barely a miss. Claire?
Claire: Guess I'll go in for a staff hit ... hey, got it with a 7! 11 points of damage.
GM Elle: He's looking pretty bad off. New initiative.
MSG: 9 this time.
Claire: Don't worry, I got the 2 so I'll probably trade you.
Ariel: 5 for Fidu.
Sasha: Yaaassss, the 1!
Hettie: Dilfriida is on 8
Akane: 6 this time.
GM Elle: And the axe guys are on 7.
Sasha: Damn it, Bane-blocked again.
Claire: Here's the 2, MSG.
MSG: Thanks. 6 with my greatclub this time, is he dodging?
GM Elle: Tries and fails.
MSG: 14 points, then.
GM Elle: He's down.
MSG: One more to go, guys ...
Ariel: I'll move here and shoot my shortbow again. But I miss.
Akane: Zedeja moves here and tries her Baned sling. It's no good.
GM Elle: Their turn. The one left standing attacks Quackers ... and misses.
Hettie: Dilfriida will move in to backstab him. Hit! 16 points.
Claire: Stepping up to staff the guy ... a hit for 9.
GM Elle: New initiative again.
MSG: 10.
Claire: 8.
Ariel: 9.
Sasha: 7. We're really tearing it up.
Hettie: 2, so that's better at least.
Akane: Zedeja also, on 3.
GM Elle: Cultists on 6.
MSG: You mean "Cultist."
GM Elle: Maybe.
MSG: I don't like the sound of that ...
Hettie: Dilfriida is out of WP, so she does a normal dagger attack. It's a hit if he doesn't dodge.
GM Elle: He does not.
Hettie: Ten points, then. Over to you, Akane.
Akane: Hmm. Probably better for a clubbing dwarf to go before a Baning sling mage. Here is the 3 card, MSG.
MSG: Thanks! Swinging ...  that's a hit with a 2.
GM Elle: Still not dodging.
MSG: Okay ... 18 points, then.
GM Elle: He falls. But now, on the Cultists' turn, you see the purple aura around the fallen bodies flare up, and they both rise, ready to fight on. With a cry of, "Sathmog's glory is beyond death!" this one attacks you, MSG. Hit.
MSG: I'll use my heroic ability to dodge. 4 makes it.
GM Elle: The other one attacks you, Sash. That's a hit if you don't dodge or parry.
Sasha: Bring it. I haven't hit anything this combat, so I'm not giving up my attack on one lousy axe swipe.
GM Elle: 11 points.
Sasha: Also known as 3 points when you're a tank. My turn. Stay down this time, you axe-swipe! What. The. Heck. 19 and 17.
Claire: I'll try my staff again ... noop.
Ariel: Well I'm super tired of missing with this bow, so I'll switch to my dagger and stab at this dude. Woohoo, 10 is a hit! And it wouldn't have been if I'd stuck with the bow. 8 points of damage!
GM Elle: He drops again.
MSG: So much for the glory of Sathmog.
Akane: Seeing the better luck of striking than slinging, Zedeja switches to staff and proceeds here to attack. This time, a hit with 12. Damage of 9.
GM Elle: That one goes down also. This time, they don't seem to get up.
Claire: I'll immediately go check this new altar to see if it has sun-buttons on the sides like the other one did.
Ariel: I'm going to look and see if the bodies have anything to loot.
GM Elle: Just the battleaxes, and no, Claire, no sun buttons.
MSG: I want to take a better look around now that we're not fighting for our lives.
GM Elle: You see that one of the murals portrays demons and demonic priests in pitched battle with dragons, whom they appear to be slaughtering. In the other, dragons are chained to altars, being sacrificed by priests with dark auras and demonic beasts.
MSG: I'll try to Myths & Legends it and see if it rings any bells. 7 is a success.
GM Elle: It would seem that if this temple dates to the time of the Dragon Emperor, the altar room above ground must have been a cover for this one down here, because whoever painted these murals would certainly not have been welcome in the Dragon Emperor's territory.
MSG: Interesting.
Claire: I'm looking at this watery-mirrory thing and thinking about what that cultist said about going through a portal and seeing its sights. 
Ariel: Uh-oh.
Sasha: I'm poking at the bodies and making sure they have plenty of holes in them to guarantee they won't pull that reviving stunt again.
Hettie: I'm searching the altar for any hidden compartments.
GM Elle: Sash, you easily make more holes. Hettie, roll Spot Hidden. Claire, you find that the angles and geometries of this city scene appear entirely wrong -- distorted, and uncomfortable to look at.
Claire: Well, nobody said gaining knowledge would be comfortable. I'll try stepping through it.
Ariel: Oh no!
Sasha: Hey, characters are pretty quick to roll up in this game.
Hettie: My Spot Hidden is a 3.
Akane: Zedeja orders everyone else to not pass through a demonic portal! Except thievery halflings. They can go if they want.
GM Elle: This altar does not seem to have any hidden compartments or activation mechanisms. You also don't see any apparent source for the violet flame. Claire, an oily black maze of semi-organic shapes surrounds you. Violet and purple suns shine in an orange sky, casting their light on towering structures without exterior walls. Too many dimensions, too many angles and corners. A cacophony of voices, too faint to make out what is being said. The pungent smell of blood and decay fills your head. Make a WIL roll, with a Boon. 
Claire: Oh, with a Boon, huh, nice! Of course, I'm Scared, so the Bane from that cancels it out. 18 is a miss, though.
GM Elle: You seem to be lost in the shifting miasma of the maze. Make another roll.
Claire: 2. Made it.
GM Elle: You feel like the mask is providing you some protection from the ghastly strangeness of this place. Suddenly, you round a corner and almost stumble over a small, broken piece of statuary.
Claire: I totally check it out.
GM Elle: It looks like another piece of the broken statue from your map.
Claire: Sweet. I'm taking it.
GM Elle: Make another WIL roll.
Claire: I'm good. 6.
GM Elle: Suddenly, ahead you see a shimmering surface like the reverse of the one you entered through. You can't make out a clear image through it, but the angles and hints of shapes that you see appear comforting and normal after this nightmarish landscape you've been moving through. Write down a note and hand it to me telling me what you do.
Claire: Okay ... here you go.
GM Elle: Hmm. All right. Meanwhile, everyone else sees Filvius step through the portal and disappear. What do you do?
Akane: Mourn. But only briefly, to match our brief association.
MSG: I'll go look closely at the image and see if I can see her in the cityscape.
GM Elle: No. It's too alien and distorted.
Ariel: Oh, dang. I just had a bad idea.
Sasha: What's that?
Ariel: There might be treasure on the other side of that portal. Maybe I should try my Treasure Hunter ability again.
Sasha: Are you sure going into an alien demon dimension searching for treasure doesn't sound like a little too much work for your character to do?
Ariel: Yeah, that's a good point.
Sasha: Holy crap, though -- on the other hand, if it's a demon dimension, maybe there are monsters to fight! Quackers goes in.
Hettie: Oh, this is ...
Akane: Zedeja insists! No more portalling!
GM Elle: Sash, you see the same freakish environment I described to Claire. It's deeply unnerving, and your sensory perceptions are so distorted, you're not even sure you'd recognize a monster if you came across one. Make a WIL roll.
Sasha: Oh, I'd recognize it, all right. And my roll's a Dragon.
GM Elle: As you wander the maze, you find something.
Sasha: Another statue piece?
GM Elle: No, draw a treasure card. 
Sasha: Poison dagger. Great. It says I have to roll evade or cut myself and get poisoned. Whoa-ho, though, another Dragon! Looks like I scoop it up without a problem.
GM Elle: Not only that, but in the process, you see what looks like another portal, this one with the comfortable appearance of your world.
Sasha: I'm trucking for it. If there's no monsters and just a bunch of poisonous shit to trip over, I don't need this place.
GM Elle: You exit through it, and everyone else sees Sir Q emerge from the portal. That is, unless anyone followed him through immediately.
MSG: Definitely not me.
Claire: Wait, Sash didn't even have to write you a note?
GM Elle: Nope. Anyone else go through?
Ariel: I would definitely wait and see if the other folks came back.
Hettie: For once I'm okay minding Zedeja.
Akane: It's unthinkable for one as smart as Zedeja to wander through such a portal of madness.
GM Elle: Quackers is back, then.
MSG: What happened? What did you see? Was Filvius in there?
Sasha: It's some crazy maze shit place. Made my feathers stand on end. I did find this poison dagger, though, if anybody wants it.
Hettie: I'll take it if you're offering.
GM Elle: So what is the group going to do? Still no sign of the elf.
MSG: Damn it. Quackers proved that it's survivable, and apparently there are no monsters or he definitely wouldn't be back yet. The idea of Filvius finding a bunch of other-dimensional knowledge over there and me not is even more aggravating and disheartening than my already Angry and Disheartened conditions. I guess I say I'll go through to try to find him.
Ariel: Okay, well ... I'll go through with you and try my Treasure Hunter ability in the maze, since there's obviously treasure over there.
Akane: So. Only the halfling of burglary obeys Zedeja's wisdom. The exact opposite of what is desired.
GM Elle: You two are really going through?
MSG: Yes, and I think we should hold hands and step through at exactly the same time.
Ariel: Let's do it!
GM Elle: Your plan immediately appears not to have worked. Each of you finds yourself alone in the same twisted maze Sir Q described. 
Ariel: I'll immediately use my ability. Which way to the greatest treasures?
GM Elle: Make a WIL roll to navigate. You too, MSG.
Ariel: That's a 16, but it makes me Angry because I'm pushing it. 3!
GM Elle: Draw 3 treasure cards and pick the one Fidu would think is the greatest one.
MSG: My roll's a 13, which succeeds.
Ariel: Okay, I'm taking this Gold Bracelet card, obviously! It's worth 2d6 x 10 gold coins! I roll 6, so that's 60!
GM Elle: MSG, draw one card.
MSG: Silver coins ... 3d6 x 10, and I roll 11, so 110.
GM Elle: Another WIL roll each, please.
MSG: 11.
Ariel: Dragon!
GM Elle: Wow. I'll let you choose between another treasure card or an extra advancement mark.
Ariel: Always treasure. Boo! This time it's only 1 gold coin.
Sasha: Should have taken the mark.
GM Elle: After only a brief time, Fidu and Dolora both show back up, separately.
MSG: I ask if there's any sign of Filvius yet.
GM Elle: The group has not seen him.
MSG: Damn. Well, do we want to close the gate and just kind of camp out in here and wait to see if he finds his way out?
Ariel: Yes, I could definitely use the rest. That place was exhausting.
Sasha: Works for me.
Hettie: Sure.
Akane: Zedeja agrees this seems sensible. "Dwarf, go use your strength to close the gate!"
GM Elle: Anyone going to stand watch?
MSG: I could definitely use the rest.
Ariel: Me too!
Sasha: Quackers has a couple of conditions, but he's still good to go. You guys get some shuteye.
Hettie: Thank you, noble mallard knight.
Akane: Zedeja also can use rest.
GM Elle: Seems like this was a good choice of place to rest, then, because the shift passes without any disturbance. And toward the end of it, Filvius shows back up.
Sasha: Quackers waves. "Yo, Filv."
Claire: I say, "Wow, you guys didn't waste any time setting camp, did you?"
Sasha: It's been hours, bud.
Claire: Really? Just a couple of minutes for me. And look, I found another piece of that statue.
Sasha: Nice work.
Ariel: When I eventually wake up, I say, "Oh no, our donkey! We left him again, didn't we?"
Hettie: I didn't lead him through the courtyard.
GM Elle: Well, he definitely didn't climb over the gap in the wall with Dolora and Dilfriida.
MSG: Damn it, I'm going to be mad if we have to pull that cart all the way back to Outskirt ourselves.
GM Elle: If you do, I think that's a task for another day. Let's break here for the night. This was a long session, and a ton happened -- I'm just going to say everyone gets all 5 marks for the evening.
MSG: Nice.
Claire: Thanks!
Ariel: Good job gamemastering, Elle!
Sasha: Yeah, super!
Hettie: I'm enjoying this campaign a great deal.
Akane: Dragonbane -- it's a new favorite, I think.
GM Elle: All right. Next time we'll see what the herbalist has been up to while you've been poking around down here.

thanks for reading, everybody!