5/7 Tanna 2024/04/16(Tue)16:02 No. 1088958 ID: 710216
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She eyes me a little weirdly. “Let’s try a different angle. Does the name Yis mean anything to you?”

I-it does actually. That same revulsion… “Uh… yeah actually. Who’s that?”

“Another one of the three Fate Weavers. Their symbol is the three stars conjoined by the Threads of Fate. Omorful’henzio Khakranzee is the third, the Theotian this temple is dedicated to.”

>Draw the weird symbol you saw in that room, the one with three curls. Ask her if that's the symbol on the box. It's a symbol of a powerful being, either eldritch or godly, so if it's on the box we know for sure that it is important somehow.

Hmm… it’s sounding like I was an enemy of the fates. Strange. Ah well… ummm, I’m not sure what room you mean. You don’t mean the main hall right? No, you’re talking about one with three curls.

Yeah… I think I know what you’re talking about. The triple curly symbol, I can picture it in my mind pretty easily. Maybe it’s the symbol of the Theotian I used to follow, or maybe it’s just some more eldritch shit. I don’t remember seeing it anywhere in particular though. It’s weird, even though I have to be suspicious of myself… that symbol feels comfortable. “Do you mind if I show you something, and can you promise you won’t freak out immediately in case it ends up being some huge revelation?”

Another strange look from her. I can’t help it, alright, I having trouble remembering things! “Ssssurrreeeeee.”

I end up drawing the symbol on the floor using prestidigitation. Damn, I’m cool. As I go to sit back down again, she observes it. Apparently not coming to any conclusions, she sighs as she says, “Sorry, no huge revelation here. It is the same symbol that’s on the box though! As far as I know, it doesn’t belong to a major Theotian. I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about the main pantheon too. Maybe it’s some demi-god or archfey’s symbol? You could just be remembering it from when you stole it earlier.”

6/7 Tanna 2024/04/16(Tue)16:02 No. 1088959 ID: 710216
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>Ask her what color your eyes are.

Oh yeah! Watch this, I’m about to bard it up. “Hey, your eyes are a super pretty blue by the way!”

She looks up from the symbol and into my eyes, a hand going behind her head. “Oh! Uh… thanks? Yours are pretty too!” Giving me an awkward smile, she goes back to looking at the symbol, trying to decipher something from it.

Uh… “S-sorry. Can I… see them again? They’re just really blue, while mine are so…”

She looks back up once more, suspicion wrought on her face. “What are you trying to do?” That suspicion gives way to realization, she figured it out! “Are you hitting on me? Tanna, I’m flattered, but I don’t really think this is the ti-”

For fucks sake. “My eyes. What color are my eyes?”

“Oh. They’re a lightish gray. Does this have to do with your memory? You could’ve just asked.”

That wasn’t the point! I’m supposed to be good at this! “Ugh… kind of. I was trying to find out in a cool, bardly way but you RUINED it.”

She gives me a really strange look and giggles. “I wonder if you were a weirdo before you got amnesia or after.”

I roll my eyes at her. I gotta figure out how to get better at this bard thing. Anyways, there’s your answer, Winds. Mina sees them as gray too. I’ll check them with Detect Magic and the mirror when I get a chance.

7/7 Tanna 2024/04/16(Tue)16:02 No. 1088960 ID: 710216
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>what this place is exactly

As the symbol begins to fade away, I ask her, “Hey so, what is this place anyways?”

Going back to being serious, Mina says, “I think it’s a hidden temple to Omorful’henzio Khakranzee. We stumbled across it after finishing a job to kill a chupacabra. It was using the ruins above as a nest to terrorize some farmers near Felicol. After a quick look and finding some treasure, we all decided to return back to town and offload some of it before returning and exploring some more.”

>Also, ask if any of her friends had voices in their head recently (kind of like you did) maybe perhaps their unnatural actions could be that same reason as yours, they're hearing other voices telling them to do stuff.
>Mina is unaffected. Perhaps because she has a patron entity warding what makes her, well, herself.
>Mina seem unaffected by the mind altering effects her friends succumbed to.
>You may want to mention that you think some aspect of interacting with the box can cause this effect

I’ll word it in a way as to not reveal you all. “So about your friends, can you describe when they started acting unnaturally? Was it immediately after interacting with the box? Any signs, voices in their head, something that seemed off? And any considerations as to why you might be unaffected?”

As if reliving a bad memory, she looks away, one arm crossed and holding her elbow again. “It all kinda started here. We found this weird room in the temple. A ritual chamber of some sort, I wasn’t sure of its purpose, but there were some remnants of really powerful magic in there, and considering how old this place is...”

She pauses to let that sink in. This place looks like it’s been abandoned for a while, but I don’t really know enough about the Weave to wonder why that might be significant. “The Weave was a bit too advanced for me. I didn’t really know what it was used for, but the symbol of the Eye was carved into the ground.There were a bunch of skeletons in the tattered regalia of Omorful’henzio scattered all about the chamber. The box was in the center of the Eye. The skeletons all… looked like they all died brutally. Some had their skull smashed against the wall with their fragments embedded in the stone, others had deep cuts found gouged along the bones in their arms, and others worse still.”

She pauses to look at her amulet. Helping to break out of some stupor, she continues. “It freaked all of us out… except for Roderick. He just went to the box and picked it up. I tried to warn him not to touch it, but he ignored me. After he picked it up… the way he looked at us, it was terrifying. His eyes had nothing but hateful violence in them. Everyone got defensive, but whatever bloodlust existed just then vanished as quickly as it had appeared. I tried to detect if he was charmed or anything like that, but… everything looked fine. Besides the powerful remnants in the room, the box itself and Roderick were normal when it came to the Weave.”

She looks back at me, fear creeping into her eyes. “After that, Roderick asked the others to take a look, to see that it was safe. E-everyone else touched it, I kind of wanted to as well, but… when it was my turn, they wouldn’t let me. Said it wasn’t necessary anymore. Ever since then… all they’ve wanted to do is figure out how to open it.”

Her tears start to well up again. “It was subtle at first, their obsession and their attitudes, but as time went on they got worse. The look that Rod had when he first picked it up, it’s all I see anymore when I talk to any of them now. They call me h-horrible things, throw out veiled threats, and keep trying to get me to leave. …I j-just want my friends back.”

She sniffles and hugs herself while looking down and to the side, avoiding my gaze. She’s softly shaking as well. “S-sorry. I just n-need a moment.”

She stands up and moves into the prison room with Jacob. Well, while I debate that in my head, it sounds like she never touched it. Maybe that could be why she’s unaffected? If that’s the case, I wonder why they wouldn’t let her? Maybe it’s as you all said, and it had something to do with her patron?

>Ask Mina to collect the poison or to drag the body out of the smelly room if she can't.
>Here's a hypothetical: You both do a mutually binding vow beneath the *pantheon* (especially if there's an inclusive term for both the 'good' and 'evil' set of gods, use THAT), that as both of you agree that the box is incredibly dangerous and you will, within the limits of any preexisting oaths each of you may have, and regardless of your current moral stance at any given time, work to get the box to a situation where it's potential for harm is minimized, and to conduct yourselves honorably in the act getting it to such a situation.
>Is such a thing possible?

I’ll ask her once Mina gets a hold of herself. Would feel a little insensitive to do so now. I feel kinda bad sitting here while she’s hurting like that, but if I’m being honest, I don’t really know what to do.

>Ive never heard of an antisocial bard. Though, I suppose if there was one, they wouldnt get out much... ignore that!

I’m starting to think more and more that’s what I actually am. This whole ‘talking to people’ schtick is kinda hard. I don’t think I’m doing a bad job per say, but you all are definitely saving my ass. Thanks again for everything.

>Also, based on some pattern matching of what I've been able to determine, if you are or were especially religious or religiously empowered, or straddle the line between divine and arcane magic, you might be a variant of the 'standard' magical bard powerset called, variously, a 'cantor' or a 'faith singer'.

Do you classify things like that in your world, Winds? That seems very… mechanical? I guess we call our spells specific names though… so maybe I just forgot that’s how things are supposed to be.

Well whatever. Is there anything you think I forgot, or something I should ask? We’ve been here for a bit, we should probably figure out a plan and get moving before her friends start to get suspicious.

>Do you classify things like that in your world, Winds?

Honestly, there's a lot of people that are really, really against such niche classifications. Or were, if we're remnants of something, I guess?

But there are totally some groups obsessed with pigeonholing EVERY single possible category and pattern of supernatural anything (or, well, anything notable I guess), and the stuff they come up with CAN be useful. If a bit exhausting!

>>1088960
You fought it off.
Proud of you, slinky.

Maybe you were more of a lore bard than a people bard.
Teller of tales, knower of things.
Its entirely possible that your hate of fate weaving gods isnt born of opposing faith and dogma, but a personal hate of beings trying to control you.
Your cult themed outfit and gear could well have been a disguise.
So many unknowns...
So.
Lets focus on the knowns.

You have a friend now.
Shared goals and both highly motivated.
You werent alone, but her help is far more substantial than ours.
She needs help too though...
Place a hand on her shoulder and tell her
"you must have been feeling so alone. Me too. Were not facing this alone anymore. Neither are your friends. Were here for them too even if they dont know it right now."
Or something like that.

we also now know we winds are seeing the yellow eyes.
Two possibilities,
The yellow we see indicates us.
Or
The yellow eyes we see may be a...
a...
trace of the influence of the box and its entity?
I making a guess here.
If its the latter, this means we can warn you when the influence is or has been on someone.
Thats a mystery for another time.

The box then...
Getting it away from them isnt guaranteed to break its hold, but at least it will stop the opening efforts
I have a horrible feeling if they open the box whatever happens to them will be far worse.

Lets see if mina can share what she knows of the layout of the place in the parts of the ruin we couldnt reach.
Share with her the idea of getting the box out of here so they cant hurt themselves further, pulling the ropes up behind you both and seeing if putting some distance between them and it breaks the hold.

For that matter, it might be worth checking jacob.
See if he seems clear after his nap.
See if the two of you can spy any magical strings latched on to his mind with a detect spell.

>>1088978

Agreed, she did good for keeping her moral center! And hooray for cooperation!

Whatever past you believed you have a patron god: The Whisper or Solo. Please refrain from defaming someone who want your well being and is nice enough to accept a date with one fellow wind.

Some of us may judge and debate morality, but I want to clarify something: My priorities have nothing to do with being good or bad. The main objective is your safety followed by your self interest.
If you chose to assume that your desire for the box is the result of manipulation I will once again mention the option of leaving, preferable with Mina. Why should you sacrifice yourself to the influence of the box for people you don't even know? Travel to the next city and whatever consequences result of this hopefully won't reach you.

Assuming you still won't abandon this problem:

First ask about her remaining friends. What each one of them is capable of. Is there really three of them like we believe? Why is the one we haven't seen yet less trusted by the lizard and the dog?

Mina being attacked by a spider in the smelly room give her the opportunity to question them if sound from here can be heard where they are and if they didn't care that she was in danger.

For the deception we should use half trues. She could ask their help rescuing Jacob from the spider, this way we would separate them since Rod have difficulty dealing with the smell.

>>1088960
Ah. So, the reason she was spared is that she didn't touch the box, and the influence didn't want her to do that at all. Maybe something inconvenient would happen if she touched it? Well, that's up to her in the end-- if she wants to risk falling under its influence by touching it on the bet that touching it will allow her patron to do something about the problem.

...wait, something doesn't add up here. If only touching the box causes it to take you over, then... why would you infiltrate the party in the first place? I think you were indeed sent by someone or something. Also, when you saw that Weaver symbol in the cell you were ordered by the unknown entity associated with the box, and you PROMISED to get it. You can't break your word to an entity that powerful, so you have to get the box no matter what. Thankfully you weren't ordered to do anything specific afterwards, so... we have a good amount of wiggle room here.

It's also worth noting that you were ordered to GET the box. Not open it. Also, the ruffians aren't letting you get it. Which means there are two separate influences here. The symbol being on the box *could* mean that the unknown entity ordering you around helped make the box but isn't responsible for its effects? Like, maybe the ritual the cultists here did corrupted the box? Or they used the provided box to contain something evil but unrelated to your boss? All questions we have no way of answering right now unfortunately. Unless we receive orders to the contrary I think our best bet is to take the box somewhere it can be examined safely. Somewhere that isn't Weaver-associated.

Once your new friend has calmed down you need to come up with a basic plan of engagement. How can you two use your resources to nonlethally take down the others and retrieve the box?

Better start making plans for how to transport the box without physically touching it, I suppose. And how to get it out of this place without touching it. You all have rope?

Getting the box seems like less and less of a good idea. You don't even know where you're supposed to deliver this box anymore. It's safer on the floor of this abandoned temple than in your hands, where you could be taking it in the completely wrong direction.

My suggestion would be:
1) hide the box
2) convince Mina's friends you've taken it
3) run like heck

They'll follow you, and if you can evade them (this time), then they won't go back looking for the box. You can find out who wants you to get it, then go back, get the box, and deliver it to them.

Cassilda seems like an annoyance at worst, but Omorful’henzio Khakranzee... his followers did what the butterfly's weren't willing to do. Did they take the box, kill everyone who touched it, then kill themselves, to leave it stranded without anyone to influence? (Then from whence came Roderick, influenced by it before even touching it?) Omorful’henzio Khakranzee might be trouble.

>>1089028

I don't think leaving a dangerous and attractive artifact in the kind of place that attracts desperate ruin delvers, looters, and robbers is a good idea for keeping it out of people's hands, yea? There has to be SOME sort of reasonably trustworthy institution for handling dangerous things like this somewhere, right??

Give Mina another moment to compose herself, then probably get a move on before you're found.

1/6 Tanna 2024/04/26(Fri)18:32 No. 1089799 ID: 7625c4
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>You fought it off. Proud of you, slinky.
>Agreed, she did good for keeping her moral center! And hooray for cooperation!

Ah… heh, thanks. I’m glad I’m doing this for an actual reason now, but… I dunno if I really fought it off, it feels more like I’m working within its bounds.

>If you chose to assume that your desire for the box is the result of manipulation I will once again mention the option of leaving, preferable with Mina.
>Getting the box seems like less and less of a good idea.

I get what some of the Winds are saying. Even now I’m being manipulated, and I know going after the box still is a bad idea. But the desire to get it is insanely strong, nearly all of my thoughts are related to it. I’m honestly afraid if I leave it here, I’ll go insane.

>Also, when you saw that Weaver symbol in the cell you were ordered by the unknown entity associated with the box, and you PROMISED to get it. You can't break your word to an entity that powerful, so you have to get the box no matter what.
>I don't think leaving a dangerous and attractive artifact in the kind of place that attracts desperate ruin delvers, looters, and robbers is a good idea for keeping it out of people's hands, yea?

There’s also these two points. The monster in the suit I saw in that vision promised it would kill me if I didn’t get the box. I don’t want to test whether it can actually do that.

Likewise, tricking Mina’s friends into thinking we have it probably won’t work, especially if they have the box on their person. If we can somehow get it away from them though we can maybe try something, but I don’t know how I’ll react to leaving it behind.

>You have a friend now. Shared goals and both highly motivated.

I don’t think Mina is going to abandon her friends to the box either, she seems pretty devoted to them. If I left, it’d be the same as leaving her to die. She’s my first friend, I can’t do that! I want to help her!

I think… I’m chained to this road, Winds. It’s hard to even consider leaving when there’s not a majority saying I should… I can’t muster any desire to abandon it like that.

I hate the box now, but it has its claws in me, so I might as well make the best of it. It’s for everyone’s safety that I take it. In some sick way, that includes my own. I’ll need your help in the path ahead Winds, I won’t be able to trust myself.

2/6 Tanna 2024/04/26(Fri)18:32 No. 1089800 ID: 7625c4
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>Give Mina another moment to compose herself, then probably get a move on before you're found.

Well with that depressing realization, I find a moment to myself. I can do some things in the meantime, such as checking my mirror with Detect Magic.

It seems to work, although I’m not seeing anything odd. Lemme know if you see things differently, Winds.

>Two possibilities, The yellow we see indicates us. Or The yellow eyes we see may be a... a… trace of the influence of the box and its entity? I making a guess here.

I really hope it’s not the latter. Maybe… you could try doing something, if you think the color indicates you all that is. I don’t know what it is you could try… but anything’s worth a shot. I’d really like the peace of mind knowing that this weird eye color you all see is actually just you instead of some malevolent force.

>Cassilda seems like an annoyance at worst, but Omorful’henzio Khakranzee... his followers did what the butterfly's weren't willing to do. Did they take the box, kill everyone who touched it, then kill themselves, to leave it stranded without anyone to influence? (Then from whence came Roderick, influenced by it before even touching it?) Omorful’henzio Khakranzee might be trouble.

Maybe I should ask Mina about her faith’s relation to the Eye. The way she portrayed the cultist’s deaths sounded like some of them may have killed themselves, while others were killed by something else. It feels like something went wrong… I can think of a few better places to leave something stranded, such as the center of a volcano. No doubt that Omorful’henzio is troublesome, what kind of fucked up do you have to be to build a hidden underground temple like this?

>in the kitchen: there is another door, and a sword.
>Theres also a scimitar on the wall above the suspected pantry.
>Ask Mina to collect the poison or to drag the body out of the smelly room if she can't.

I’m going to go grab that Scimitar and drag the spider’s body out really quick. Cutting my way through a few more webs and holding my breath, I bring the spider out into the main hallway. The Scimitar is a little high up, but I manage to knock it loose with the rocks in my bag. I pick it up and give it a test swing, it cuts through the air pretty nicely!

Scimitar - Though it has a bit of rust on the edge, it’s an agile and deadly weapon. Can use dexterity to determine attacking. I’m proficient with this!

I really like my sickle. It just feels good and familiar. But I’ll use the scimitar for now, it’s a way more effective weapon.

>looks like a pantry in there but may be another room.

I’m a little curious about the door in the back of the kitchen, so I try to open it. While the handle doesn’t seem to be locked, the door won’t open.

>STRENGTH CHECK: 2 > 2 = FAILURE

So I try slamming into it! Other than some clutter falling over on the other side, and bruising my shoulder a little, not much changes. Stay closed then, I bet there’s nothing cool behind you anyways.

I take about a minute to milk the spider of its venom, and at the end of it I have a Potion Bottle of Thinweb Venom.

Potion Bottle of Thinweb Venom - Milked from a Thinweb Spider and stored in a potion bottle. Guaranteed to leave behind a bleeding wound and possibly induce some hallucinations.

3/6 Tanna 2024/04/26(Fri)18:32 No. 1089801 ID: 7625c4
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I’ve given Mina some time, hopefully she’s doing better. Peeking my head through the prison door, I see her sitting across the other side from Jacob, looking at her amulet. He’s still bound to the prison door and asleep while she’s looking rough. I give her a friendly wave.

Noticing me, she gets up slowly and makes her way over. “...Hey Tanna.”

“You ok?”

She looks back at Jacob before shaking her head. “No… not really. But I’ll get over it. Let’s figure out what we’re going to do.”

>She needs help too though… Place a hand on her shoulder and tell her "you must have been feeling so alone. Me too. Were not facing this alone anymore. Neither are your friends. Were here for them too even if they dont know it right now." Or something like that.

She does look like she needs some help. I don’t think I’m very good at this, but I’ll give it a shot. Putting a hand on her shoulder, I say, “Hey, these past few days must’ve been pretty awful, I can’t imagine how alone you’ve felt.”

She locks her gaze onto mine, and something inside it seems to break. Shaking her head, she suddenly pulls me in. Ahhhh okaaaay, I wasn’t expecting that you strange butterfly person. Her tears begin to stream down my robes. “I-I’m so stupid, Tanna.”

She clutches me hard, crying hard into my shoulder. I uhh…. I embrace her back, going with the flow here. “Hey… don’t say that about yourself. You’re not alone anymore. We’ll find a way to help them.”

She’s shaking really hard, her sobbing getting mixed into her words. “I d-didn’t know wha-what to do. They’re just so aw-awful now! It started off with them shunning me, t-then the name calling! An-and now… they take turns h-hitting me… I l-lied when I said I didn’t think they’d hurt you… I-I’m just a stupid worthless coward…”

Her friends were beating her? What? I take a sharp breath, and I can feel the corners of my vision blacken. “Why didn’t you just leave? Weren’t they trying to get you to?”

For a while, she just sobs into my shoulder. Seems like she was really holding this in. Just sitting there like that for some time, she finally calms down enough to talk. With a dull weariness in the undertones of her voice she says, “I love them, Tanna… they’re my family. I couldn’t leave. They were mean, but it was mostly to me. I was so afraid that if I wasn’t around to be their punching bag, they’d end up killing each other. So I just endured it, just hoping Cassilda would answer my prayers.”

I knew she was going to say something like that. My chest feels really tight, and I find myself crying a bit as well. I can’t help but deeply loathe Mina’s friends, even if they’re just as much under the influence of the box as I am. This is about her though, so I hold that bit in and tightly hug her back. “Y-you are not alone anymore, alright? A-and you’re not a coward, you did try to do something. We’re going to stop this, ok? We’ll figure something out.”

She gives off a weak laugh, and we hold the hug for a while longer. When it feels right, she softly pulls away and smiles at me, looking a lot better. “I didn’t think Cassilda would send an amnesiatic thief as an answer to my prayers, but she’s a bit of a wildcard. I’m sure we will. …Thanks, Tanna. Sorry for dropping all of that on you. You doing alright yourself?”

4/6 Tanna 2024/04/26(Fri)18:33 No. 1089802 ID: 7625c4
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More weird emotions that I don’t know the reason for. This amnesia garbage is exhausting. I hate having this uncomfortable feeling that any odd thing can make me feel that way. Butterflies, symbols, abuse…

Whatever, wiping my eyes and calming myself down, I say, “I’m alright, something about that resonated with me. Couldn’t tell you why though.”

She gives me a pitiable expression. “I can’t imagine what that must feel like, hopefully you get your memories back.”

I’m starting to wonder if I want them back myself. “Hopefully… We’ve been here for a bit, you think your friends are going to come by?”

Shaking her head, she says, “It’s possible… but Roderick thinks there’s something really important in that ritual room. He’s spent hours in there before, and I don’t know why or what he’s looking for. I’m not sure whether the others know either.”

>Whatever past you believed you have a patron god: The Whisper or Solo. Please refrain from defaming someone who want your well being

I don’t really feel anything when I hear of Solo or The Whisper, unlike the names Cassilda and Omorful’henzio. I don’t think I was being that rude either, but who calls themselves, ‘The Whisper’? I’m just saying.

>and is nice enough to accept a date with one fellow wind.

O-oh. You’re going on a date with them? (How does that even work?) Uh… my bad, I didn’t mean to be insulting! I hope you have a good time!

Apparently they’re my patron though? Are they the reason you’re with me, Winds? I wonder who they are. Mina seems pretty good with deities, maybe she knows. “Hey, one last quick question. This name keeps popping up in my head. They’re called, ‘The Whisper’, or Solo. Does that sound familiar at all?”

Surprisingly, she shakes her head. “Sorry, I haven’t got a clue. That’s a pretty cool name though.”

>Lets see if mina can share what she knows of the layout of the place in the parts of the ruin we couldnt reach.

I-It is not a cool name! …Bah. It’s time to get things rolling. Good idea Winds, let’s start off with figuring out what this place looks like. I take out a piece of paper and the ink from my pack and offer it to her. “No problem, that’s still good information. We should start planning what we’re going to do. Could you draw a map of this place?”

Taking the supplies, she places the paper against a wall and starts to draw out a map. “Sure! I haven’t explored everything, been spending most of my time out in the camp, but I know the general layout.”

>Once your new friend has calmed down you need to come up with a basic plan of engagement. How can you two use your resources to nonlethally take down the others and retrieve the box?

While she’s drawing, I ask, “If we’re going to take down your friends without killing them, what are you capable of?”

Refusing to look away from her drawing, she begins to list out her capabilities. “I’ll be the first to admit I’m not very good at hitting things with sharp metal sticks, but I can cast spells! I like to think I'm a pretty decent healer, and I’ve got a few different incantations memorized for the day. I can usually cast around six times a day before getting tired.”

With a small pause, she continues, “...I spent one earlier healing myself with Cure Light Wounds earlier today, so probably five. The other spells I have memorized are Hideous Laughter, Sanctuary, Bless, …and Protection from Evil. I also have a scroll of Cause Fear and some potions of healing.”

Why’d she pause on Protection from Evil? “What was the last spell you said you had memorized?”

Handing me the finished drawing, she says, “Protection from Evil. It was my last hope before you came along. I was going to try to cast it on one of them to see if maybe it would help. One of its benefits is that it has a dispelling effect on ‘evil’. They told me they’d… really hurt me if they saw me casting a spell on them when I wasn’t ordered to, and I wasn’t even sure if they were under an effect like that in the first place, so I’ve been a bit hesitant to try. Since Jacob’s here and tied up though, I was thinking about casting it on him. We’d have to wake him up though to see if it’d work.”

5/6 Tanna 2024/04/26(Fri)18:33 No. 1089803 ID: 7625c4
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I look at the drawing of the map. Eaugh… well it’s functional at least, though Mina is certainly no artist. I give her a sarcastic look. She sticks her tongue out at me and shrugs.

>First ask about her remaining friends. What each one of them is capable of. Is there really three of them like we believe? Why is the one we haven't seen yet less trusted by the lizard and the dog?

Another good question, though lizard and dog is a bit reductive. Putting the map away in my bag, I ask her, “So your friends, can you describe them?”

Gesturing towards to the tied up Amurrun, she begins to list everyone out, “Jacob, Roderick, Vax, and Evel’yee. Jacob is our street’s guy, has connections everywhere, and knows how to land a nasty hit. Seeing as how he’s tied up here though, we won’t have to deal with him.”

“Roderick is our leader, he’s a big Okagou. He carries a really big sword and destroys whatever is in our way. I don’t think either one of us could take a hit from him. Don’t think he’s just a meathead though, he’s smart.”

“Vax is another big guy, an Iruxi. He’s also tough, and he can hit pretty hard, but he prefers playing things defensively with his shield. He may seem gruff, but he’s super nice. I knew things were seriously wrong when he started joining in the name calling. He still hasn’t hurt me physically despite everyone else joining in.”

“Lastly is Evel’yee. She’s a pretty quick-witted Weski, and a superb archer, able to split an arrow from some twenty marks distance. She’s got a ton of utility packed as well. Stuff like smoke bombs, choking powder, fluorescent paint arrows, and more. She’s probably the one that hit us with something unexpected.”

Sounds like we won’t have to deal with any one throwing spells at us at least. “When I passed them earlier, it sounded like they didn’t trust Evel’yee very much.”

Mina gives a weak chuckle at that. “She’s our newest member, and has been with us for about four months now. Roderick was always getting mad at her, she’s got a bit of a mouth. What she said wasn’t too bad usually, and she was getting better. Well… until all this.”

>Share with her the idea of getting the box out of here so they cant hurt themselves further, pulling the ropes up behind you both and seeing if putting some distance between them and it breaks the hold.
>Better start making plans for how to transport the box without physically touching it, I suppose. And how to get it out of this place without touching it. You all have rope?

It just so happens we do have some rope! Though we’ll have to get it from the main hall. We can probably drag the box out of here with that if we need to. “So… once we incapacitate your friends, we’ll have the box. We should be able to get out of here by climbing the ropes or through the hatch. Once we’re out, we can pull the ropes up and block the hatch. Hopefully, once we’re far enough away, it removes the box’s influence on them.”

Her smile starts to grow wider when I say that, her ears and tail are sticking straight up. “I like the sound of that! We just need to figure out how to pacify them. You got any ideas?”

Easier said than done, there’s a lot of new stuff to process. Maybe there’s a better way to go about things considering all this new information? “Gimme a little bit to think of a plan…”

>Here's a hypothetical: You both do a mutually binding vow beneath the *pantheon* (especially if there's an inclusive term for both the 'good' and 'evil' set of gods, use THAT), that as both of you agree that the box is incredibly dangerous and you will, within the limits of any preexisting oaths each of you may have, and regardless of your current moral stance at any given time, work to get the box to a situation where it's potential for harm is minimized, and to conduct yourselves honorably in the act getting it to such a situation.

Oh, thanks for reminding me, Winds. “Before that Mina, is there some sort of vow we could make, just in case either one of us falls under the box's influence? Some sort of magic that would bind us in some way? I’m not… very familiar with how that might work.”

She puts a hand on her chin while shaking her head softly. “The Theotians tend to not get directly involved with mortals like that, their wills are instead interpreted and carried out by their faithful. It has something to do with a centuries old philosophy. It’s actually pretty rare when someone is granted the ability to cast in a Theotian’s name. I’m sure there are spells that can create the sort of effect you're talking about, I think Geas might be one, but I’ve only been a priest of Cassilda for a bit. I’m hardly capable of something like that.”

Really? It feels like I’ve been pretty directly involved with. Hells, aren’t you all some sort of divine intervention?

6/6 Tanna 2024/04/26(Fri)18:33 No. 1089804 ID: 7625c4
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>See if the two of you can spy any magical strings latched on to his mind with a detect spell.

I’m curious about that too. I let Mina know I want to examine him really quickly, and she agrees. Playing a quick diddy, I cast Detect Magic.

I’m still not used to this view. It’s hard to tell if something is strange or not with all these weird rainbow colored threads and stuff, but I think the detection itself is supposed to help me identify things. Looking at Jacob, I assume Mina was right. As far as I can tell, nothing looks terribly out of place with him.

>Mina being attacked by a spider in the smelly room give her the opportunity to question them if sound from here can be heard where they are and if they didn't care that she was in danger. For the deception we should use half trues. She could ask their help rescuing Jacob from the spider, this way we would separate them since Rod have difficulty dealing with the smell.

That’s not a bad idea, the group still probably considers Mina neutral. Maybe we could have her lure one of them away and surprise them. They all seem to be competent fighters, but with the two of us we should be able to overpower one, especially with all of our tricks. Maybe the archer? Mina’s other spells seem pretty useful for an engagement if things come to that. Her Hideous Laughter in particular would be good at disabling some of them for a time. I still have that Paralysis scroll as well, and my own reservoir of casting.

Do you have any other ideas though? Should we wake Jacob up and test Mina’s protection spell on him? I’m curious to hear what you all have to say!

The reference document has been updated with all spells that have been listed so far.

>>/questdis/141925

>>1089800
Im at a loss over what we could too.
Maybe if enough of us make noise at the same time when you're looking in the mirror we might see a flicker or pulse.
>>1089802
Goid thinking mina.
its worth trying.
Maybe keep him gagged.
Try to get him to open his eyes first.
We can see if theyre like yours.
If not, by process of elimination the yellow eyes are us.

>>1089804
Oh.
Okay.
That's, um.
Well.
The influence is definitely on him.
And it is strong compared to the vestiges we could see on you.
It also means we'll be able to see if minas spell works.

If it does, youll be better set against the others with another ally and one who sounds like a bit of a scoundrel.
Maybe practiced with the use of a blackjack.

>>1089801
By the way.
Im glad you did that.

It may have felt awkward and hurt a bit too, but being able to let go of that... that weight even if only for a moment will bolster her resolve.
Lift despair long enough for her to start seeing hope again.
Thats pretty important.
Despair locks your thoughts on a single path with one end.
Seeing only the inevitable
hope sees many roads and destinations.
It beholds the possible.
So, yeah.
As important as healing any physical wound in some respects.
Good work tanna.

>>1089800
>>1089804

Okay... Let me tell you what we see when you did the two detect magics. I don't personally have training in Arcana, so I will be relying on you to interpret what I'm seeing. Maybe some others can explain this look better? First! The mirror. You are outlined in sort of rainbow hues, as is the lines of the mirror itself. Your eyes are bright yellow. There are what seems to be wisps or steam or something pointing from your eyes and off and to the side. Behind your head there are two ovalish, yellow, rune-looking things that are mostly obstructed by your head being in the way.

The unconscious prisoner: again, things are a psychedelic rainbow sort of look. He's crowned by an ovaloid halo in yellow, with yellow bands encircling him from behind and around his shoulders. The text 'Open the Box' is repeated, in yellow, several times.


Let me guess, under a Detect Magic, yellow is how you all categorize the school of magic that affects the mind?

You forgot to describe what you saw in the mirror. To us your eyes were even crazier yellow and there was a message behind you.

Since you didn't react, does this mean you can't see the written messages around Jacob? I haven't even considered the weird messages you saw earlier were only visible to us.
While I think it's better to ignore most of the things messing with your head, Jacob's influence is so one note and predictable that I doubt thinking about it will cause new problems: he is ordered to open the box.

>You’re going on a date with them?
Not me, the Yellow Honey Water fellow.
>How does that even work?
I have no idea. The proposal mentioned "smooches", so it wouldn't be just talking.

They sound like though cookies... this will be difficult.

First we need to secure a place to leave the incapacitated enemies. They outnumber us so we can't afford to let them rescue each other.
The prison is good if we can lock the cell and if they don't have their own keys. It's also reasonable if we risk they never looking, but with Jacob snoring loudly I don't like the chances.
The other option is to leave them after the place we plan our ambush, so they would need to get past us to get to them. If the smelly room if the ambush place Jacob will sleep tied to the blocked door, if we plan to ambush in the hub room any of the surrounding rooms are fine.

Evel’yee sound like she will be much easier to deal while she is unaware, so we should target her first. She is also the only one we have a chance to physically overpower so we have alternatives to spells.
I'm not sure, but I think a well timed combination of Hideous Laughter and unarmed grab could be enough.

As for using Protection from Evil on Jacob: I think it's a waste. If it work he will still be drugged with sleeping medicine, so he would be an ineffective ally. Save for a more conscious prisoner or for an emergency untested gamble.

Oof, a lot to unpack.

> what kind of fucked up do you have to be to build a hidden underground temple like this?

Judging from the state of decay of the priests, a hidden underground temple worked pretty well for hiding a box like this! That's why it'll be safer here than in your possession while you try to learn what to do with it. But uh...

> I’m honestly afraid if I leave it here, I’ll go insane.

You feel it more than we do. If you feel that merely moving in the opposite direction of the box is enough to drive you mad, then that's not an option.

> I think Geas might be one, but I’ve only been a priest of Cassilda for a bit. I’m hardly capable of something like that.

Someone sure was, since you seem to have a Geas on you, Tanna. It's very similar to being enthralled by an artifact though, so not sure. If you have a Geas you're kinda screwed since you can't remember the wording, so even if you take the box, you could accidentally violate some clause in it you don't remember.

> I didn’t think Cassilda would send an amnesiatic thief as an answer to my prayers,

Cassilda did not send you, Tanna.

> who calls themselves, ‘The Whisper’?

Someone who doesn't want to be very memorable, that's for sure.

> I-It is not a cool name!

Yeah he's a dork. His bumbling put us in your head maybe gave you amnesia even, and all he told us is you need to get to safety.

>>1089821

We saw his eyes already. They're not yellow.

>>1089831

Yellow is the color of... someone.

Strange that we can see the yellow threads only when you cast detect magic Tanna, but you can't see them. If they're not magic, Mina's "Protection from Evil" spell actually might help after all.

So with Mina's friends the choice is
1) Evade
2) Heal
3) Kill

(Mina won't like that third one.)

Protection from Evil on Jacob is yeah... bit of a waste. Vax is probably the best target for that. Evel'yee might be too naturally evil, and Roderick has something in him besides just the box's compulsion. He might be complicit, and no spell can protect him from himself.

OK you need an ambush regardless. We have cells, we have paralytic venom and incapacitating spells, and a wickedly sharp awesome scimitar (repeat: Mina will not like that option.) Hm...

>>1089835
You're right.
They're not.

You hear that tanna? The yellow eyes have got to be us.

Oh.well, thats got implications.
Ingore that, slinky.
Focus on the job at hand.
Capturing one hostile alive for the protection test.
The other wind was right.
Jacob is already debilitated whoevers side hes on.

>>1089846

Eh, it could just be an indicator of activity on the channel we use to communicate

>>1089804
Are you hearing or reading his thoughts with that spell? Looks like all they're hearing or thinking about is "OPEN THE BOX"

I wonder if saying the name of the item is a bad idea?

Luring someone away from the others would be a good opening gambit. If we can disarm them before the others arrive to help them that's a big advantage since we have several casts of disabling spells/scrolls and a 2v2 is basically an instant win (so long as they fail their saving throws).
Once they're disabled you can rush in, grab the cursed item, and then we barricade the door of whatever room combat took place in. That'll buy enough time to escape. The only real issue after escaping is, how will she rescue the others? Maybe she can go to a church for help and bring some clerics or mercs along for the return trip to more easily overpower them if they're still affected? In the meantime you'll have to take the cursed item somewhere where it can be properly sealed away. I expect once you have the container again it will start influencing you to try to open it, but we should be able to fight its influence enough to prevent that.

If Protection from Evil works to block the influence then we have the option of leaving the thing behind...

1/4 Tanna 2024/05/04(Sat)16:57 No. 1090315 ID: d80e0d
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>>1089825

I’ll admit, at first I did it at your behest Winds. I didn’t really want to at all, but I figured it’d make her more effective. I’m not so sure how I feel now though. Kind of good I guess? I’m glad I ended up doing that too.

>You hear that tanna? The yellow eyes have got to be us.
>Eh, it could just be an indicator of activity on the channel we use to communicate

Well… that’s good! Maybe it’s not a hundred percent confirmed, but if all it is is a representation of you all, that’s better than it being something bad!

>Im at a loss over what we could too. Maybe if enough of us make noise at the same time when you're looking in the mirror we might see a flicker or pulse.

Let’s chalk that up on things we can try later to a list. Once we’re out of this pit, we’ll have plenty of time to give 'em a shot.

>Judging from the state of decay of the priests, a hidden underground temple worked pretty well for hiding a box like this! That's why it'll be safer here than in your possession while you try to learn what to do with it. But uh… You feel it more than we do. If you feel that merely moving in the opposite direction of the box is enough to drive you mad, then that's not an option.

Yeah… I’m sorry Winds. I know you all want to protect me and I’m being obstinate about not leaving, but it really is that bad. Trying to even think of leaving it behind does something weird to my head.

>I wonder if saying the name of the item is a bad idea?

Are you talking about the box, Winds? I’m not sure what else you’d be referring to if not. I have no idea what its name is, but I can’t imagine how you all saying it could harm us.

>Cassilda did not send you, Tanna.

Damn right she didn’t. I’m here because I want/need/am being forced to be here! …Bleh, that sounds stupid. I just don’t want to admit that maybe I was probably sent here by something. Frustrating to even think about

>Yeah he's a dork. His bumbling put us in your head maybe gave you amnesia even, and all he told us is you need to get to safety.
*snrk*
Well… I can’t be too mad at him if he’s the reason you all are in my head, even if he might’ve given me amnesia. I don’t know what I would’ve done without your help. At least he probably didn’t send me here. …I wonder why he wanted you all to help me, it can’t just be because he cares.

>Someone sure was, since you seem to have a Geas on you, Tanna. It's very similar to being enthralled by an artifact though, so not sure. If you have a Geas you're kinda screwed since you can't remember the wording, so even if you take the box, you could accidentally violate some clause in it you don't remember.

That sucks! Wouldn’t a Geas be detectable though? I should have seen something when I examined myself, if that is the case. Artifact sure is a scary way of describing the box…

>You forgot to describe what you saw in the mirror.

Speaking of examining myself, sorry again. I didn’t really see anything worth talking about. You all saw what I saw, right?

>Okay... Let me tell you what we see when you did the two detect magics.
>I don't personally have training in Arcana, so I will be relying on you to interpret what I'm seeing.
>First! The mirror. You are outlined in sort of rainbow hues, as is the lines of the mirror itself.
>The unconscious prisoner: again, things are a psychedelic rainbow sort of look.

Yeah, I figured that’s what you all saw. The rainbow colored threads are the Weave, but I’m in the same boat as you are. I’m not sure what they mean. There are some patterns to things, such as Jacob’s clothing having a bit of a spiral shape, and the space around him was far less dense with Weave than he physically was. Same with me. There was also a dense outline that gave us shapes.

>Your eyes are bright yellow. There are what seems to be wisps or steam or something pointing from your eyes and off and to the side. Behind your head there are two ovalish, yellow, rune-looking things that are mostly obstructed by your head being in the way.
>He's crowned by an ovaloid halo in yellow, with yellow bands encircling him from behind and around his shoulders. The text 'Open the Box' is repeated, in yellow, several times.
>To us your eyes were even crazier yellow and there was a message behind you.
>Are you hearing or reading his thoughts with that spell? Looks like all they're hearing or thinking about is "OPEN THE BOX"

Huh? Wait, what? I don’t think… no, I definitely didn’t see anything like that. My eyes were just a rainbowy mess of threads, and I definitely didn’t see any rune looking things behind Jacob or I.

>Since you didn't react, does this mean you can't see the written messages around Jacob? I haven't even considered the weird messages you saw earlier were only visible to us.

Yeah… you got the right of it. That has to be what’s going on. I promise you if I saw something like that, I’d have brought it up. Besides my eye color, you all can see things I can’t.

>The influence is definitely on him. And it is strong compared to the vestiges we could see on you.

Well… at least it’s confirmed that something has a grip on Jacob. Why can’t Mina or I see that, but you all can?

As for the messages behind us, I’ll get a good view for you all. Telling Mina I might’ve seen something strange, I ask her to hold the mirror behind me, and I take a look. Feigning ignorance still, I look behind Jacob as well. I still don’t see anything in either case… so I chalk it up to her as me mistaking something. Hopefully it helps you all though?

2/4 Tanna 2024/05/04(Sat)17:07 No. 1090319 ID: 9048b0
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>Let me guess, under a Detect Magic, yellow is how you all categorize the school of magic that affects the mind?

I really don’t know. Magic is still new to me. My new friend however… “Hey Mina, are certain colors in the Weave associated with certain schools of magic?”

Her eyes light up when she gets another chance to talk about magic. “Sometimes, different colors have certain attributes. Heat tends to have a red and orange Weave, so those tend to be pretty popular colors for Evocation. The spell, Fireball, is a good example. To cast one, you need to craft a small but highly condensed bead of those two colors and send it somewhere to explode outwardly. I’m leaving out a ton of steps and simplifying it a lot, but that’s the general concept.”

“What about spells that affect the mind? Are they yellow? Can you read a person’s thoughts if they’re under an effect like that?”

With a smile, she happily continues to over explain. “Enchantments. Basically you supplant certain ideas in the mind of your target. A Charm Creature creates false positive emotions made out of Weave. The color for that can be whatever though, you’re creating vague feelings and suppressing the target's desire to question them. Sometimes, certain spells have certain colors. Rage for example is primarily red.”

“As far as I know, you can’t read the thoughts of a creature using Detect Magic, even if their mind is being altered. You can determine the effect of the alteration, and what it might be doing to them, but thoughts are odd. Some people think they’re another system of magic entirely…”

Pausing for a breath, Mina begins to hold aloft her hand. Using her amulet, she begins to conjure magic strands of yellow Weave to demonstrate. “As for your other question. The color yellow, when it comes to the Weave, is a strange one. Many consider it ‘divine’, as divine casting primarily uses yellow Weave to create its effects. Even the three moon gods; Lunayin, Io, and Charon; deliver to their clerics a combination of yellow Weave and their associated colors.”

Well, that was an expla- “It tends to integrate into other colored Weave once the divine effect is delivered though, becoming other rainbow colored threads. You can see this happening as I hold the spell. Because of that, it’s very uncommon to see naturally, just slightly less rare than white. Of course, it’s still Weave like any other, and can be interacted with as much as any other color.”

I wait as she stops, but it seems like she’s finished for real this time. “Thanks for the explanation. You sure have a lot to say about magic.”

With a cheeky grin, she says “Anytime! Learning about the Weave is a hobby of mine.”

>Strange that we can see the yellow threads only when you cast detect magic Tanna, but you can't see them. If they're not magic, Mina's "Protection from Evil" spell actually might help after all.

I still don’t know why you Winds can see something that Mina and I can’t. Her explanation would have me believe I should be able to see what you’re all talking about. You can only see all that stuff when I’m using Detect Magic too, right? I would think that whatever you’re seeing is magical in some way just because of that, but I really don’t know.

Still so many unknowns though, as you all said before. I need to stop fretting over them, time to focus on what needs to be done.

3/4 Tanna 2024/05/04(Sat)17:09 No. 1090322 ID: 49cec7
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>As for using Protection from Evil on Jacob: I think it's a waste. If it work he will still be drugged with sleeping medicine, so he would be an ineffective ally. Save for a more conscious prisoner or for an emergency untested gamble.
>Protection from Evil on Jacob is yeah... bit of a waste.
>Jacob is already debilitated whoevers side hes on.

So, figuring out our next course of action, it sounds like Jacob isn’t worth using Protection from Evil on just yet.

>So with Mina's friends the choice is
>1) Evade
>2) Heal
>3) Kill

Evasion isn’t feasible if they have the box, which they probably do. Killing is… I don’t think I’m ever going to convince Mina to follow a plan involving that, and I don’t really want to kill them either. That leaves healing, and if that fails, incapacitating.

>Focus on the job at hand. Capturing one hostile alive for the protection test.
>Evel’yee sound like she will be much easier to deal while she is unaware, so we should target her first. She is also the only one we have a chance to physically overpower so we have alternatives to spells.
>Vax is probably the best target for that. Evel'yee might be too naturally evil, and Roderick has something in him besides just the box's compulsion. He might be complicit, and no spell can protect him from himself.

>OK you need an ambush regardless. We have cells, we have paralytic venom and incapacitating spells, and a wickedly sharp awesome scimitar (repeat: Mina will not like that option.) Hm…
>Luring someone away from the others would be a good opening gambit.

This scimitar is pretty fucking sweet… Hopefully we can remove whatever’s affecting them with Mina’s spell then. And it seems like an ambush is the plan, either getting Evel’yee or Vax alone. Speaking of venom...

“Earlier Mina, you said I brought some poisons… do you still have any of those?”

She purses her lips and nods slowly. “Ah… shoot, I forgot about that. Yes, I still have the rest of your Oloth’arr, you can have it back. Evel’yee claimed the other two vials though. ‘Wevekil’ and ‘Eclipse’. Wevekil is really dangerous Tanna… I can’t imagine what the other one is.”

>MENTALITY CHECK [Wevekil]: 3 + 1[Familiar Field] > 2 = SUCCESS
>MENTALITY CHECK [Eclipse]: 3 + 1[Familiar Field] > 3 = SUCCESS

Yeah… they are dangerous. Wevekil, otherwise known as Magebane, is a Weavetoxin. Made from the blood of some certain monsters, like Dweomercats and Beholders. It makes a person very nauseous and disrupts their ability to associate with the Weave. It’s a popular poison used in assassinations and militaries, as it can severely cripple spellcasters, but you can also use it to treat Weave related curses and disease. It can be fatal if used in large doses.

The other poison, Eclipse, is extremely lethal. It’s a magical poison that, once introduced to your system, you either die immediately or survive. The poison manifests your most primal fear in your mind and stops your heart. It has a very high mortality rate. It’s extremely difficult and dangerous to make, requiring powerful magic and condensed Aforcolsius from the continent of Mortl’krak.

What was I doing with those…? As I’m pondering that, Mina hands me what was once my vial of Oloth’arr. Another non-lethal tool in our kit. “Thanks… and you’re right, Eclipse is horrible. We can’t let Evel’yee strike us with that. As for what I had them… I couldn’t tell you why. I really wish I didn’t.”

Vial of Oloth’arr - A non-lethal poison that can put people under. Requires the target to ingest it, or introducing it to their blood stream.

This prison would be a good place to store them… if we can figure out how to open the cells. I wonder if that key from earlier…

I take it out and try it on one of the cell doors. Agh… nope, this key isn’t for these doors. “We never did find the key for those. Maybe you have a secret lockpicking skill?”

Worth a shot. Taking out Jacob’s lockpicking set, I try to shimmy the lock. I quickly find out I have no idea what I’m doing. I shake my head towards Mina. “Well… maybe we can wake Jacob up and see if the spell works?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. Even if it did work, he’d be too drowsy from Oloth’arr to be useful. We should save your spells for someone more conscious and as a last resort.”

“That makes sense. If it doesn’t, we can probably trap someone like Evel’yee in the torturer’s room if we bar the door with something heavy.”

“Not a bad idea, I think with that in mind, I’ve got a plan.”

Mina seems to get a lot more serious, and all of her attention is waiting on what I’ve got to say next. “Evel’yee is a serious danger. Along with those poisons, she’s the one that could surprise us with her gear. I want you to lure her down here, tell the group Jacob needs help with the prisoner, that he thinks he’s close to breaking me. That should hopefully appeal to her darker side. Can you do that?”

A spark of fear crosses her eyes, but she holds fast and nods. “I-I can. Just lead her through the main hall and down this hallway?”

Gods, I hope she can do this. Nodding towards her, I say, “I know this is hard for you, but if all goes well we’ll take her out quick and safe. I’ll be lying in wait in the prison room. She’s small, right? Even if our spells fail, we’re both twice her size. We should be able to overpower her. This tiny hallway should make shooting us difficult too. Try to walk behind her if you can.”

Clasping her amulet, she takes a deep breath and nods back. Determination fills her eyes. “Alright. Are we ready?”

>Jacob snoring loudly

I pull out the scroll of Silence. “Not yet. She’s a Weski, so she’s probably got extremely sharp hearing. I’m gonna silence Jacob’s snoring with this scroll. Should make him impossible to hear.”

She looks at me with a bit of surprise. “That’s actually… I forgot about that. Good catch!”

She narrows her eyes all of sudden though. “You took that scroll from the table, right? We should probably put the coins you stole back. Don’t want her noticing they’re gone when we walk past.”

Ughh… that is a good point. But my money… ahh… it’s only for a little bit. I reluctantly hand it back.

With all that done, I bid Mina good luck. As she begins to make her way towards her friends, I do some cleaning up. Starting off, I move the spider’s corpse into the prison, and clean up the blood with Prestidigitation. Then I close all the doors in the hallway besides the prisoner’s door. Once it looks like nothing’s been tampered with, I begin to cast Silence around Jacob. I’ll make sure to give myself a little room near the exit, just so I can hear them enter.

As the spell finishes… it becomes super quiet. Along with the darkness, it’s… very dissociative. Feels like I could get lost here forever… agh, focus! I leave the silenced zone and post myself up beside the door, waiting for things to begin.

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It’s about a two minute wait until I start to hear some voices.

That must be Evel’yee. She has that same feminine squeak that I heard earlier. “Figures that moron would need some help. Not sure why a little bitch like you even wanted to get involved, isn’t your whole schtick being a healer? You’re pretty much useless at everything else. Why haven’t you left yet?”

I hear a weak laugh. “I… guess I wanted to be helpful.”

CREAK~

The door opens and I can smell… “Mina. We are being serious. It will be sad to see you go, but you are not being helpful. You should really leave.”

~CREAK

That’s not a part of the plan. Why is Vax here as well? As they close the door behind them, torchlight streams into the hallway. Peering through the crack in the door, I see Mina shivering behind the two of them. “S-sorry… I can’t… leave you behind…”

Taking point, Evel’yee venomously says to Mina, “Dunno how you haven’t figured this out yet dumbass, but no one, not even this scaled shit-for-brains idiot, wants you here.”

Vax emits a deep and low growl before saying, “I often think about how easy it would be to break you in half you little piece of sewer trash.”

Still walking forward, she looks at Vax and twirls her hand at him. “Yeah yeah, big fucking words. Scariest part of all that was you believing you’re capable of thought in the first place. Anyways, where in the hells is Jacob?”

Mina points towards the torturer’s room. “H-he’s over there. Might’ve fallen asleep, you k-know how he is.”

The three of them continue to walk towards the door… “Huh… the fuck is he being so quiet for? Jacob? You in there asshole? …I’m not hearing ‘nuthin.”

Vax draws his sword slowly, though it seems more a precautionary measure. “Strange. This room is noise dampening last I remember, but still…” Raising his voice, he calls out, “Jacob? Are you ok? Surely you are not so foolish as to fall asleep with your prisoner nearby?”

After waiting for a moment, Evel’yee motions the other two back. “I’ll check the door, gimme a sec.”

>2v2 is basically an instant win

Gods I hope you all are right… things are suddenly a lot scarier. Mina is clutching her amulet, and I notice her take a glance my way. I mouth the word ‘wait’ to her. How should we go about this, Winds?

>>1090319
Hmm, strange. Detect magic is allowing us to see the "divine" threads, but not you, which means the magic is hiding itself from mortal eyes, I suppose?

>>1090322
Poisons are common tools for Rogues and other spy-like professions... Oh, since you have the sleeping drug now we can use it to put everyone to sleep if Protection vs Evil doesn't work!
>>1090325
Oh you cast Silence, which means we've only got one spell left... We could try Charm Person on Vax? He's the nicest so he should be most vulnerable to it. Scroll of Paralysis is the other option, which we would want to use on the archer. If you start the fight by using the scroll on Evel’yee, then Vax will be on you and you can just defend until Mina hits him with a disable... but you could use charm person and then duck behind the door so that Evel’yee can't attack immediately, and she would be hindered by Vax anyway.

I dunno if it really matters what we use on whom so long as you don't get shot.

>>1090332
Scrolls don't count for spells cast in a day, Tanna still has two spells left.

>>1090332
Charm Creature only affect their perception of Tanna, not Mina. She need to be alone to use it effectively.
It might be useful on Evel’yee. If Vax is really slow on the uptake he will take longer to realize Tanna betray them, so altering the perception of the person who would notice first could delay any aggression toward Mina. (I say that but I'm not sure it's the right move.)

I believe Grease will be very effective against Vax. Less so on Evel’yee, even so it would still be an extra challenge. It's an area of effect, so could you aim at the two without affecting Mina? (That sound like a reasonable first move.)

One thing we need to consider is the sound you need to make when casting your own spells. It might be better to begin with a scroll to avoid detection.
For this I would suggest Scroll of Paralyze on Vax. If she doesn't escape in time Evel’yee can be subdue with brute force or Charm Creature if we fail to catch her. In case this work without a hitch Mina can try Protection from Evil on Vax after Evel’yee is defeated and before the paralyses worn off. (This is my preferred plan.)

Trying to think of leaving does something weird to your head due to the blatantly visible compulsion to 'Get The Box' that we see on you. At least that's a workable compulsion, LOTS of room for interpretation there! It doesn't say to directly touch the box, it doesn't say what to do with the box once you 'get it', it leaves the specifics of what it means to 'get' open to interpretation, it doesn't have anything to say about what precautions you take, whether you can share with others that you are under a mind affecting compulsion, etc. etc. It's also way weaker than Jacob's compulsions to open the box. Oh! Fun factoid, in my language, the word 'Geas' looks like it is pronounced 'Gee-us' but is actually pronounced "Gesh".

Anyway, there's a BUNCH of types of mental compulsions out there, and not all of them are a full-on Geas, so let's not assume specific and detailed features about the nature of a compulsion based on anything other than what we can actually observe (ie, like how we can observe yours has less of a push than Jacob's).

Hmmm. If we are super unanimous on encouraging you to do something and a lot of us are pushing it, you might find that tricky to resist. I personally promise not to abuse that, and to call out bad actors, preventing harmful consensus scenarios.

Wow, old you knew her poisons! Pity there aren't more nonlethal poisons here, that is really a quite effective use-case, you know, having a debilitating effect, something fundamentally different than the sort of thing one can also achieve with a sword in someone's gut.

Grease is also a useful combat spell. The Paralsis bit is useful too. How confident are you in turning a final lethal blow into a nonlethal one? Like if you think you are getting a last good hit in, you pommel strike instead of edge strike and knock them out? How about coating the edge of a sickle or scimitar with that nonlethal poison and dealing enough damage with the edge to cut and, then knocking them out with the pommel once they're woozy?

> Wouldn’t a Geas be detectable though?

Heck if I know! Might be a good thing to inquire about. Maybe there's a kind of god-magic outside the weave?

> Artifact sure is a scary way of describing the box…

Oh the box probably isn't an artifact. But what's in the box? Does it terrify you what could be in that box, making people kill to release it? Yeah, artifacts are terrifying.

> I definitely didn’t see anything like that.

Then it's a good thing Whisper sent us, because we're detecting Geas-like effects where even seeing the Weave falls short. Oddly, he didn't send us for that purpose. He just sent us because you were going to die, and he wanted to save your life for some wager of his.

> it really is that bad.

Don't worry Tanna, we're going to get the box, and we're going to get you safe. Whatever you have to do, we'll deal with it as it comes.

>>1090322

> What was I doing with those…?

Crippling spellcasters, and killing people, obviously! The real question is why? And why such rare poisons? Scimitars are much cheaper at murder.

>>1090325

> That’s not a part of the plan. Why is Vax here as well?

Uh oh...

OK you have a "double surprise" here, where you can get a surprise attack, and they'll expect Mina to back them up. Then she can get off a surprise attack, which as a healer isn't ideal, but it's still an advantage. Evel’yee should be disabled top priority, as she has your deadly poisons, and some of her own, and knows how to use them.

Vax - tough, surprise doesn't work
Evel'yee - agile, can't target without surprise

So Charm Creature on Evel'yee, which might help avoid combat in the first place, or at least delay it. You're a bard! Who would ever want to hurt you?

Vax might attack you then, but Evel'yee should get in the way. She won't use lethal force because uh, that's not how charm works.

Mina can cast Hideous Laughter on Vax from behind, and you should be able to tie him up, then. That shouldn't break the charm on Evel'yee since you can explain that you're just restraining him so he can't hurt you. If she breaks it though, Mina can attack her (ineffectively) to give you a chance to clock Evel'yee on the back on the head. Tie her up, then flee! Watch out for the grease!

If the charm holds, then tell Evel'yee you need her help, and go with her to confront Roderick, who's carrying the box.

OH AND STAND OUTSIDE OF THE EFFECT OF THE SILENCE SPELL WHEN CASTING YOU ARE A BARD

>>1090325
Agreed with the other winds.

Evalee is the prime target.
Im torn on paralysing her or charm.
If charm, then presuming it takes tell her "help me take down the lizard and we can open the box together."
Charm works best when the requests you make still essentially align with the demeanour and aims of the target. If the idea fits smoothly with them, itll slide right in. If its against their nature, itll be jarring and maybe resisted.
They have a fractious relationship, its a goal she'd approve of and you can then get her to lead the way, giving you a chance to backstrike her with the debilitating poison.

Maybe cast through the crack in the door, if that puts you out of the silence zone.
Buy some seconds of confusion to get the jump on the lizardman.

The good news is if it comes to violence you are well equipped to heal your and their injuries, all the same thats the last and least favorable option.

>>1090363

Casting through doors might not work due to limits of the Weave, there's various reasons why murderholes and arrowslits and the like might need to be a minimum size for the aperture for magic to be cast through them. Something to ask about later.

1/5 Tanna 2024/05/14(Tue)16:34 No. 1090964 ID: daff89
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>Crippling spellcasters, and killing people, obviously!

;A;

2/5 Tanna 2024/05/14(Tue)16:34 No. 1090965 ID: 5c6431
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>Poisons are common tools for Rogues and other spy-like professions...
>The real question is why? And why such rare poisons?

Y-yeah. Maybe I was a spy or something. I wasn’t good at lockpicking though… okay, maybe I was an alchemist instead? Or someone who sold medicine maybe? You said it before, the only difference between medicine and poison is the dosage…

>Don't worry Tanna, we're going to get the box, and we're going to get you safe. Whatever you have to do, we'll deal with it as it comes.

Ah, you’re right, Winds. I told myself earlier I’m not gonna care about what I might’ve been. Gotta deal with the problems as they come now! And thanks… I don’t know how many times I can say that, but I really do appreciate you more than you can know.

>Wow, old you knew her poisons!

Yeah… it sure seems that way. I’m not gonna wish I didn’t, but I really hope I didn’t use all that knowledge as a killer before my amnesia.

>Hmm, strange. Detect magic is allowing us to see the "divine" threads, but not you, which means the magic is hiding itself from mortal eyes, I suppose?

I guess so? It seems to at least be the case so far at least. Have there been any other yellow things you all have seen that I might not have? Something to ask Mina about I suppose.

>Anyway, there's a BUNCH of types of mental compulsions out there, and not all of them are a full-on Geas, so let's not assume specific and detailed features about the nature of a compulsion based on anything other than what we can actually observe
>it's a good thing Whisper sent us, because we're detecting Geas-like effects where even seeing the Weave falls short. Oddly, he didn't send us for that purpose. He just sent us because you were going to die, and he wanted to save your life for some wager of his.

I was going to die… and I’m just part of some wager. I guess… meh? I’m glad I’m not dead, even if it’s for a shitty reason. As for the ‘Geas not Geas’, I can definitely feel it. As I said before, even thinking of abandoning the box does something to me that feels like I just cannot afford to do that. Not even being able to see it sucks, how am I going to get rid of this?
The reason isn’t… well okay it’s a bit crummy.
>Might be a good thing to inquire about. Maybe there's a kind of god-magic outside the weave?
Not too far off!
God magic?! I’m just compelled to get a box, eaugh…! Add another thing to ask Mina. Should probably compile a list at this point and go through it when we’re out of here.

>Trying to think of leaving does something weird to your head due to the blatantly visible compulsion to 'Get The Box' that we see on you. At least that's a workable compulsion, LOTS of room for interpretation there!
>Oh the box probably isn't an artifact. But what's in the box? Does it terrify you what could be in that box, making people kill to release it? Yeah, artifacts are terrifying.

Yes, it does scare me! If I didn’t have to “get” it, then I’d find it a lot less so… but that thing that’s ‘MAKING PEOPLE KILL TO RELEASE IT’ is going to be in my immediate path soon. You’re right though, “get” is a pretty loose term. I have some room to work around how I do that, but it’s still got me a shiverin’!

>Hmmm. If we are super unanimous on encouraging you to do something and a lot of us are pushing it, you might find that tricky to resist. I personally promise not to abuse that, and to call out bad actors, preventing harmful consensus scenarios.

Huh… I guess I haven’t really thought of you all like that. You made it clear from the start, you’re here to offer advice and suggestions. But… ah, no, I’m not going to question that. I trust you, Winds. You aren’t here to make my decisions for me, and I appreciate you promising not going to abuse that.

>One thing we need to consider is the sound you need to make when casting your own spells. It might be better to begin with a scroll to avoid detection.

I can’t really interact with the Weave without an instrument. I’m super reliant on one, even when it comes to activating a scroll, so noise is going to be made either way. There’s something about the music and my manipulation of the Weave that comes naturally when I play.

>How confident are you in turning a final lethal blow into a nonlethal one? Like if you think you are getting a last good hit in, you pommel strike instead of edge strike and knock them out?

I’m fairly confident I could do that, though I’d have to swing with that intent in mind. Might make it a bit harder to land a proper blow, you’re meant to hit people with the edge of swords, y’know. But if I do end up hitting someone, I’ll try to keep my attacks safe.

>Oh, since you have the sleeping drug now we can use it to put everyone to sleep if Protection vs Evil doesn't work!
>How about coating the edge of a sickle or scimitar with that nonlethal poison and dealing enough damage with the edge to cut and, then knocking them out with the pommel once they're woozy?

With this amount of Oloth’arr, I can probably get two uses if I can introduce it to them through ingestion. Otherwise, if I plan on poisoning them through injury, I’d have to use the whole vial to ensure a good cut gets enough in. I wish I could hold it, but my hands are full, and I need my mouth to use my harmonica. I’ll leave it in my bag for now.

3/5 Tanna 2024/05/14(Tue)16:36 No. 1090969 ID: e93cf1
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>OK you have a "double surprise" here, where you can get a surprise attack, and they'll expect Mina to back them up. Then she can get off a surprise attack, which as a healer isn't ideal, but it's still an advantage.
>OH AND STAND OUTSIDE OF THE EFFECT OF THE SILENCE SPELL WHEN CASTING YOU ARE A BARD
>Maybe cast through the crack in the door, if that puts you out of the silence zone.

I know I know! I’m not a doofus, I made sure to give myself some space.

As I prepare myself, Evel’yee kneels at the door and begins combing it over. Looking towards Mina, I mouth the words, “Go with it”. Then, I start things off with an eerie fweet of my harmonica.

INITIATIVE:

Evel’yee Trèswillow - 4[Dexterity] + 8[Roll] = 12
Mina Haliasong - 3[Dexterity] + 7[Roll] = 10.3 Surprise
Vax - 2[Dexterity] + 9[Roll] = 10.2
Tanna Sybilant - 4[Dexterity] + 3[Roll] = 7 Surprise

ROUND 1:

Evel’yee Trèswillow’s Turn

Evel’yee turns her head curiously towards the door I’m hiding behind as soon as I start playing my instrument. “What’s that noise…? Ah shit!”

Surprised, she starts to reach for her bow, but she’s completely caught off guard.

Mina Haliasong’s Turn

Mina grips her amulet, seemingly waiting for what I’m going to do. That frail look she had before is replaced with hard determination now, her gaze drilling daggers into Vax’s back.

Vax’s Turn

“Ah…? Fool that I am…” He’s oddly calm about being caught out, but I’ll take it. Vax gets into a defensive position, but there’s no chance he’ll be able to react before I get my spell off.

Tanna Sybilant’s Turn

Swift Action & Standard Action

>Maybe cast through the crack in the door, if that puts you out of the silence zone.
>Casting through doors might not work due to limits of the Weave, there's various reasons why murderholes and arrowslits and the like might need to be a minimum size for the aperture for magic to be cast through them.

I’m not sure how it would work either. I’m pretty confident I ‘could’ do it, but I don’t want to bung it up by being overly cautious. Besides, I’m a godsdamned bard, no more hiding. It’s time to bust this shit wide open!

>We could try Charm Person on Vax?
>It might be useful on Evel’yee.
>Evel’yee should be disabled top priority, as she has your deadly poisons, and some of her own, and knows how to use them.
>So Charm Creature on Evel'yee, which might help avoid combat in the first place, or at least delay it. You're a bard! Who would ever want to hurt you?
>Evalee is the prime target.

She definitely won’t want to be hurting me after this. Flinging open the door, the eerie note I had been playing before turns into something far more bouncy. Ending with a harmonic flourish, I attune myself with the Weave and hit Evel’yee with the spell, Charm Creature.

>CHARM CREATURE: 3[Evel’yee] vs. 3[Tanna] ~ 21[Roll] <= 50 = SUCCESS

I can feel my incantation grip Evel’yee’s mind and alter her perception of me. There was nothing but vicious aggression before, but the spell forces her to look at me in a different light. Now, all she can do is gawk at me confusedly and say, “Wha- Fuckin’... you were our prisoner… but that doesn’t make any sense…”

“Evel’yee? …And she believes me the idiot. Mina, the prisoner…” Vax turns around just in time to see his ‘ally’ throw her torch to the side and cast a spell on him.

“Sorry Vax, but Iguana stop you all from hurting yourselves.” Mina’s magic is released and a swirl of yellow Weave rushes into the Iruxi.

>HIDEOUS LAUGHTER: 2[Vax] vs. 3[Mina] ~ 75[Roll] <= 75 = SUCCESS

Holy moly that joke was bad. Can’t help but chuckle a little. As for Vax though, he falls to his knees, barely able to contain himself from erupting into laughter. Beneath that guffaw is angry betrayal. “Heeahe…! Mina! What are you doing?! Ho ho hoo, hee hee!!!”

Vax has fallen prone.

Vax, can’t take it anymore. He hits the ground and starts ROFLing.

END ROUND 1

4/5 Tanna 2024/05/14(Tue)16:36 No. 1090970 ID: b8477b
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ROUND 2:

Evel’yee Trèswillow’s Turn

Swift Action & Move Action & Standard Action

“Mina! I always knew you’d turn coat!” Evel’yee finally finishes drawing her bow. She posts up closer to me since I’m her very good friend, then aims her weapon at Mina.

“Wait, wait! Don’t shoot!” Just as Evel’yee is about to release, she jolts. Giving me a questioning look, she comes to a rest with her string drawn.

Still trained on Mina, she says, “There better be a damn good reason for this, Mina. You’re lucky my friend’s vouching for you.”

Mina Haliasong’s Turn

Swift Action & Standard Action

“Hey, c-calm down Eve, Vax was planning something bad. Tanna can explain. Right, Tanna?” Gesturing towards me, there’s a pleading look in her eyes. Then she begins to non-threateningly placate Evel'yee with one hand, while the other is still clasped around her amulet. She appears ready to cast another spell should things go awry. Evel’yee looks up at me expectantly.

Vax’s Turn

“HAHAHA!! DON’T LISTEN TO HER EVEL’YEE!! MINA!! YOU!!! IGUANA! HAHAHAHA!!! I TOO AM A REPTILIAN!! IT IS THE FUNNIEST SHIT I HAVE EVER HEARD!!!” Is he gonna be alright?

Hideous Laughter will end at the beginning of Vax’s next turn, and he will be able to act.

5/5 Tanna 2024/05/14(Tue)16:36 No. 1090971 ID: 43c3d3
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Tanna Sybilant’s Intermission

Well, this is chaotic, but it’s in our favor. I know I’m ‘fighting’ for my life here, but it’s kind of fun, in a high on life kind of way. I can feel my heart thumping hard with exhilaration and fear simultaneously.

>Mina can cast Hideous Laughter on Vax from behind, and you should be able to tie him up, then.

Funnily enough, that’s what ended up happening. As for tying him up though… I don’t have anything to do that with actually!

>tell her "help me take down the lizard and we can open the box together."
>They have a fractious relationship, its a goal she'd approve of and you can then get her to lead the way, giving you a chance to backstrike her with the debilitating poison.

That’s what I’m thinking as well. I might be able to talk Evel’yee down and even convince her to even turn against Vax. She might have something to tie him up too, supposedly she has a bunch of gear. Is there anything else I should mention or do, Winds?

>>1090965
Oh does he, now?

>>1090971
Intentionally stab the sword away from Evel'yee, into the bow so you can slice the string. Just to catch her off-guard, sultrily scream the following words:
[Censored to prevent vomiting]

>>1090971
Hmm, what to say? We have to appeal to both the box obsession and her normal personality I think. Tell her you're going to open the box, and you need Mina's help to do it, but Vax is going to get in the way because he's too weak for what needs to be done. Tell her to help you drug him so he falls asleep. After Vax is unconscious then tell her you need her to take the drug too.

Tell her Jacob got drunk and spilled the beans; he and Vax were going to take the box for themselves after they got the answer out of you. So lets knock him out and get back to the box before the other guy steals it.

Well done tanna.

>>1090976
May be possible to just move the bow aside with a finger tip while saying.
"I need your attention on me friend.i have to explain something."
Gentle movements and suggestions that fly parallel to their normal behaviours keep the charm from breaking.

>>1090981
Drugging vax is a sound idea, though have to take into account any physiological resistances he may have.

I doubt shed take the drug.
Shes a trained poisoner too.
Enough so that she may interpret it as a hostile act.

Maybe...

>>1090982
Yes.
Phrase it that he said they were cutting the females out of the deal.
Implicates all active hostiles.

Hmm.
What if we spun the tale that they planned to drug the women and leave them down here.
Let her examine the bottle that jacob drank from if its at hand. As evidence.
Tell her they were using small, accumulating dosage so she wouldnt pick up on it.
...but we may have an effective antidote.

That way she may trust her "friend" enougn to take what we offer her..

Should she smell the presence of the drug in the "medicine", tanna could tell her yes, its present but neutralised by the counteracting agent in the recipe. That she will feel a slight drowsiness then a headache as her body purges the toxin.

It look like Evel’yee can be rely upon for the next hour. Good job convincing her to tolerate Mina betrayal. Good thing she wasn't very loyal to her actual friends to begin with.

>>1090976
>...stab the sword away from Evel'yee, into the bow so you can slice the string.
The spell will end if you harm her, so don't confront her unnecessarily or try to sabotage her bow. The last thing we want is an accidental hit during an altercation.
Persuasion seem very effective in her current state, but if for some reason you still want to disable her after the combat is over just hug her. She is tiny and weak and won't oppose a friendly hug from behind, once you get a good grip she shouldn't be able to escape.

>>1090981
>Tell her you're going to open the box, and you need Mina's help to do it, but Vax is going to get in the way...
That should cover the main points well enough during combat.

>Tell her to help you drug him so he falls asleep
This idea is too dependent on her turning completely against Vax. It would be better than having her try to kill him, but she could refuse to attack him at all.

>>1090982
Save more elaborate explanations for later.

>>1090995
>Phrase it that he said they were cutting the females out of the deal.
You have no idea if Evel'yee have this kind of disposition or if it would be a believable behavior from Jacob. She did turn against Mina as all the others, so I wouldn't bet on any loyalty to her gender.

>it’s kind of fun
It is. You persuaded one of them to become your ally and magically charmed another inverting what to them looked like a three against one. Turning your enemies resources against them is very satisfying.

Next turn Evel'yee will act first, so we will get to see how much she is siding with us.
After that is Mina. She still have four casts left, so she may try the Protection from Evil or stall him for another round. She didn't mention having rope with her, but she could have something to try to immobilize Vax before he recover. She could also distance herself to avoid his retaliation.
If unimpeded Vax will probable try to attack either Mina or Tanna, Evel'yee is unlikely target for now. He knows what Mina can do and would want to recover Evel'yee, so it would make sense for him to focus on Tanna, although it would be a mistake in judgment because that would guaranty Evel'yee would turn against him. If he understand Evel'yee specific condition he may try to use Mina as a hostage and reason with Evel'yee.

Lastly is Tanna turn.
If the conflict is not resolved but is going in your favor just attack him. I doubt a few cuts would be enough to kill him and we can heal him after.
If the situation develop for the worse you may need to use the Scroll of Paralyze. Charm would work well but it would be difficult to persuade Vax to forgive Mina, although not impossible since she didn't hurt him.

>>1091002
>cut out the females.
Its less a call to gender solidarity and more a swift way of saying everyone down here but me mina and you have turned on you.
Any way of conveying that isolation is equally good.
Just conscious of time available during whats still potentially a combat situation.