Renew the Pact: Time of our Lives, part 24
Log Info
- Title: Renew the Pact: Time of our Lives, part 24
- Emitter: Whirlpool
- Characters: Paenitia, Aryia, Seyardu, Lyme, Fallon
- Place: Goldcoast of Veyshan, Tashraan: the choatic streets
- Time: Friday, November 26, 2021, 8:31 PM
- Summary: The Time Trippers are attempting a commune, they have asked two questions and discovered that they can trust Akoniril. They use their remaining to determine Shaevin is somewhat trustworthy, a person caused this time loop, meeting themselves would be a mistake. More questions are posed, and it's followed up by a divination. Something to help them find the shadow that darts between the lines of time, who caused this all.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Appearing -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Paenitia 3'0" 34 Lb Halfling Female A Lucht knight, dark skinned in bold feathery finery. Aryia 4'8" 110 Lb Shadow Elf Female A heavily scarred mul with a curious look about her. Seyardu 5'6" 150 Lb Sith-Makar Female A friendly silver sith-makar with a perpetual squint. Lyme 7'2" 435 Lb Orc Butch Black-skinned oruch of suitable stature. Fallon 5'6" 145 Lb Half-Elf Male A short hooded man. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= NPCs of Note -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Akoniril Belvade Shadow Elf Female High Priestess of Taara, reluctant participant. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= As the GM -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Whirlpool 5'0" Otyugh I am stinky! -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
Previously
The Time Trippers escape the Void Vulture and return to Akoniril. She's glad to see them. So glad. So. Very. Glad. To be involved in this. Speculation on what is going on occurs, and they run into a wall. More information is needed. Seyardu suggests a Commune with Althea, it could provide answers. Akoniril is told not to interfere. The silverscale casts the spell and some questions are asked. The first one, can Akoniril be trusted, and surprisingly the answer is yes. Oh dear, she's been outed as having possible altruistic motivations, how will she ever live this down? It's also determined, a Shard of Animus is not the direct cause. Paenitia suggests that perhaps Farland initiated the loop, by visiting Shaevin after they first confronted him, and that's why they were arrested - without him. This isn't asked. They take a moment to consider more questions, hopefully they'll get them in before the flames run out.
Seyardu turns to the flaming bowl. "Celestial Mother, can Lady Akorinil Belvade, who is in the room with us this moment, be trusted to help us resolve the problems faced?"
It's grudging and guarded in its tenor. It is affirmative, she can be trusted, but the guardedness implies it's more than likely because you've already dragged her into your loop.
Lyme looks over, "You're vetted by someone else's god. I think you get a gold star." He pauses, looking towards the flames, licking his lips.
Seyardu turns and nods, "For the events causing distortion in time we must fix, is it caused by a shard of Animus?" She asks, waiting for a response.
It is not directly caused by a shard, it would appear.
"Hmmm..." Paenitia says, tapping at the chin of her mask again. "I need the moment to think the more questions. Do you have the ideas?"
Do they? They might. Let's find out!
In good time...
Now
They stood a while in thought. And while in uffish thought they stood, ideas came burbling through the tulgy murk. And became questions:
Which the silverscale put to the brazier and her god.
"Is Shaevin turstworthy with this?" - "It depends on 'when' you ask him," is the answer to the question about Shaevin. It's sort of unclear, and the answer you get is more than the simple yes or no typically demanded by commune, indicating that it's ... complicated when it comes to him.
"Is the source of the time loop an object?" - No
"Is the source of the time loop a person?" - Yes
"Do we need to fight the time beast?" - No
"Is meeting ourselves bad?" - Yes
"Do we have to help Farland?" - No
"OH ITS A PERSON" Aryia signs, "so we have two questions to shoot in the dark if we want try and figure out who the fuck is it" <Handsign>
Lyme says, "Possible follow-ups: Is Shaevin the source of the loop? Since he's already complicated?"
Seyardu says, "I would just say Do we know the source of the loop"
Aryia signs, "What about Farland? What if the person getting beaten up in the jail was our past selves?" <handsign>
Seyardu says, "If that fails, knowing if it's someone we know in town, we still have something to go on."
"The jail, is it ourself see ourself?" Paenitia asks.
Aryia gestures, "ok, so... 'is it someone we know in town?' and the jail question." <handsign>
With the fire burning, time was short to ask questions, but with everything sorted, she works quickly. Each question asked, though she hesitates when asking about fighting the time beast, they sigh at the answer which is passed on. Each is relayed and interpreted, until the flaming bowl is only a few flickering embers. Thinking for a moment, she asks. "If we can not see ourselves, do we rescue ourselves from Jail in our past?" She asks, the bowl turning to a normal shimmering surface of water.
Suddenly, Seyardu stops and speaks quickly. "Is the person responsible someone we know in the town?" Just as she sees the last few wavering flames that dissipate from the surface.
"No," is the answer.
It's *not* someone you know. But you do, at least, know that it all comes down to the auction and the items there, so you know what they're *interested* in, at least.
Seyardu says, "At the jail, are we involved in rescuing ourselves?"
"You already have," is the answer to that one. Apparently.
GAME: Aryia rolls wisdom: (14)+4: 18 GAME: Paenitia rolls wisdom: (17)+2: 19 GAME: Seyardu rolls wisdom: (5)+4: 9
It occurs to the Time Trippers, why they already have that answer. Akorinil is the one who has to arrange all that. They had already told her, after all, and she rescued them. That part of the loop has already been set up again. Well... assuming she decides to play ball.
Her timeline depends on it.
The Red Knight has offered her suggestions, watches the questions asked and noted the answers. She slowly leans closer and closer towards the water as the commune progresses. When it finally goes flat, and the last response is given she leans back.
"Ah, the last question. I think that Akoniril have arrange that. We already tell her, and she rescue us, after all."
"We have set that part to loop again, if she play the ball, then I think that take care without us do more." Paenitia says with a chuckle, "So we only have the other nine to think of."
Aryia's got her face held in her hands and eyes closed. Thinking critically as best she can. Paenitia is a bit quicker on the draw on calling out that bit about the jail, so Aryia poses with a free hand to the air. "So... we have to stalk the auction and find who's suspicious?" <Handspeech>
Some things don't make it to the auction, so whatever happens, happens before that. They just don't know when. Fortunately, they do know where!"
Of course, the time hunter complicates things...
"Ah, yes, that would make sense." Seyardu nods at the explanation. Though then she shakes her head while waving one hand over the bowl, evaporating the water. She empties the sand back into a pouch as she continues. "So we need to find the culprit, not an object most likely, but we do not know who. Tracking them down will be a challenge still, though perhaps I could enact another ritual to tell us what we need to do, but I guarantee nothing."
"Yes. With the things that do not make to the auction, we still must deal. There is the Time hunter also." Paenitia says, covering things that are known. "I think the spell useful if we have more things to ask. I do not have the idea for who the culprit is."
She walks around the room. Perhaps it helps her think.
Aryia rubs at her face. "So... find out who's fucking with the objects before they get there?" she suggest, throwing spaghetti on walls at this point. "Yes, please Seyardu, that would be nice. Anything would help." <Handspeech>
Lyme nods slowly, chin buried in the palm of one of his hands. The other hand cups his other elbows. "You'd think gods would make things easier to figure out.," he grouses. "Okay. Yes, I don't know how the spell works, but if you can -- can you find out more?" That's Lyme's question of Seyardu. "Otherwise, it really is just back to the auction."
GAME: Seyardu rolls wisdom: (20)+4: 24
"Shaevin is, trustworthy for know, they said." Seyardu states, not quite yet processing the they she is speaking of. "But, they may not be, but how to deal with it, I think our best course is righting the problem. Though, that should him from being corrupted, though, this may instead make it so what happens is they are dead how we left them if that is determined to be the correct thing, I can not say for certain. This is all very confusing and I still can not make sense of things. But something with the void is affecting time in that case, this may be the source of the problem."
"Allow me another ten minutes, and I will prepare another spell to ask for guidance on what we should do, then. Hopefully, it will be successful."
"Oh, I had the better question. It just occur to me." Paenitia says, halting suddenly with a clang, "We should stop try fix this timeline, loop back, and do the next with more information."
"We still could, maybe there more we can learn. To fix so the guards we meet do not die, the others." She spreads her hands wide, her mask grinning as always, "nobody die."
Aryia gives a thumbs up to Seyardu as she requests more time to do another spell. But her attention shifts to Paenitia. Her brows pinched. "If we're conscious of this now, then every other iteration of ourselves has done so. This is the novel timeline, and the one that has to go right."
She then adds, with a bit of morbid reality, "I'd rather get this loop fixed so more people don't die rather than get ourselves killed trying to save every single person. Can't save everyone if we can't save ourselves." <Handspeech>
"Ha!" The little lucht laughs, "it is good you sign for our future selves, but I still need the translations."
"I would like to do that too, I really would, but that does not work how you think, if I am thinking how it may resolve. We go back and save them, yes, but that does not make a difference, as time will right itself how it sees fit when we fix it. And then, there is the concern. I do not think Shaevin was intentionally acting how he did, but rather it was a result of the loop degrading things. His relation to the god Navos may have made him more susceptible. If we go back, things may get even worse. So we should try to fix things now."
Seyardu sighs and begins pulling out another bowl, and a set of incense sticks that she begins setting in it.
"We have not died to that beast yet, otherwise we would not be here now. The less chances we give for failure, the better. Aryia was saying we need to do things right due to us remembering this timeline, and we need to work to fix this loop than risk going back and further complicating matters. There is no guarantee we could convince Lady Akorinil to help again, for example, and the risk of Shaevin becoming permanently corrupted may grow."
Paenitia says, "Okay," Paenitia says, "Tomorrow, the vaults or the bidders?"
Both. They could do both. They can always split the party!
Aryia makes some gestures. She and Seyardu have a brief conversation in sigh, about divination questions.
"Okay, well, we can ask the divination to take into account what the commune tell us?" Paenitia suggests, "We know is person, we have some idea of the tasks to do. Advice for the next step is the good thing."
Aryia nods in agreement with Paenitia.
"I will do what I can to incorporate that." Seyardu nods back as she is adjusting the arrangement of incense sticks. "I will ask for assistance in determining the person causing it, and how to fix things."
It was several minutes busying things, a lot of it moving things around, until the incense was lit and Seyardu steps back.
"Celestial Mother, we thank you for your assistance in determining what is going on here. We ask for further guidance, in determining how to solve the issues with this repeating time loop, and find the one responsible." <Draconic>
"A shadow darts between the lines of time, doing before what you know you've already done."
The answer is a bare whisper, audible to your ears, but still just a whisper.
"Ole!" Paenitia snaps her fingers in a salute, "the clear answer."
Tarien would be proud.
Aryia sits up ramrod straight. Was that...? This was the first time she's had any sort of direct contact with any divine being. So she's a bit.. stunned for a spell.
Lyme listens, but does not understand. His brow furrowed. "Fuck." He pauses. "My head hurts even more."
Seyardu blinks, and lets the incense burn down, hoping for further clarification. They were smouldering stumps, and the makari blinks again.
"I do not know what to make of that. Does that mean something else is breaking into the vault or somethings? I am even more confused as to what to do than before."
Aryia shakes her head, breaking her stupor. "Someone is going between the time lines, doing things before we do them, I think. So... we have to do something they haven't planned for, then catch them off guard?" <Handspeech>
"We have see our shadow selves." Paenitia says thoughtfully, "Shaevin say the Navos room send back an amount, but it is not the fixed amount. Someone from the loop past, is try, going after we go?"
"Except, we take the key." The mask turns, faces the others, "The little hourglass, was ours vanish or there are two now?"
"Maybe we smash the big one, just for good luck?"
Lyme pauses. "Let's... not smash that. So, we move through, doing things we... so, the hourglass is the object to stop the time loop?"
"Are we the shadows, or is that someone else? I do not know what we have already done, as we were not even here to begin with at this time." Seyardu frowns. "I do not know what to make of that, we have not seen things done before us yet. And I can not remember what we did before. I do not think breaking those is a good idea. We may need those, if we can not fix things this time."
The silverscale is really at a loss.
The oruch is not at a loss. It's time to do something. Asassinate! Take out Akoniril, use her loot to kill the Time Beast, then Shaevin and Farland. Take Everything. Do something.
The mul'niessa is at a bit of a loss too.
They stood awhile in thought.
GAME: Aryia rolls intelligence: (18)+1: 19 GAME: Lyme rolls intelligence: (2)+0: 2 GAME: Seyardu rolls intelligence: (4)+1: 5 GAME: Paenitia rolls intelligence: (8)+3: 11
Aryia sits and lays on the ground, trying to exist herself into this reality. Her hands motion aloud to the ceiling. "Well, I'm pretty sure us, or, our past selves, were stealing items from someone stealing them. The person started the loop, the first iteration. So... and this is just my guess, someone might be gong to the vault soon, and we have to stop them?" <Handspeech>
Lyme pauses. "Fuck. Okay." He looks up. "We can /do/ that. Let's just fucking go do it."
"What we are doing? breaking the hourglass?" Paenitia asks, looking at the handsigns, then back at Lyme.
Lyme shakes his head. "No. Going to the vault, and stopping whoever started this mess by stealing. Let's go." He looks at Aryia for confirmation.
Aryia nods and gets to her feet. She looks worn. Great, back to where guards were killed. Maybe that's why they saw the creature? Because of the first loop?
The Red Knight nods, "Okay, we have the ten hours because it only open twice a day. There will be the questions, if they see us. Maybe there the way we get hired as the new guards. Ha! That would be the laugh."
Akorinil has done exactly what she said she would: stayed out of it.
"So someone else stole things, and we tried to steal from them? We know a person started it, and they started things by stealing?" Seyardu asks after the translation is offered. "We need to stop them, yes, if that's at the vault, then we should stop them there."
"Yes, the vault seem the next step." Paenitia agrees.
