While Fiora is upstairs, Vaga hears the sound of another set of footsteps on the second floor. As Fiora and Kaled are arguing, a girl’s voice whispers into their ears “Not his fault...” The voice trails off and remains silent.
Guston, having smashed into a completely invisible force and fallen down the stairs into a jumbled heap of nothing, stands up in confusion. He recognizes the voices of both Fiora and Vaga as they converse, but he can’t see them and doesn’t know where they are. He hears Fiora telling him to look around for traps, and Vaga telling Fiora to go upstairs and get his armor, and then something woosh past him as it rushes up the stairs, but for the life of him he can’t seem to figure out what has happened.
“Guys...!” he whispers. “Where are you? Did you just open the door? Is that you laughing Ignatius?”
Wow, so many things have happened while I was asleep! Anyways, I'm ready for more action now!
Ignatius hovers outside through the kitchen window and casts Detect Thoughts in the direction from which he thinks the laughter came from.
I'm using this spell to detect the presence of thoughts from conscious creatures and indirectly the creatures themselves. As an added bonus, I'll also know something of what they've been thinking.
"Kaled, we aren't alone here. Get your gear and be ready for anything. I think we're dealing with spellslingers or spirits. Neither option sits well with me. The others are downstairs."
The moment that Guston approaches the door, he feels really sad... and he still thinks he’s dreaming. For all he knows, he’s alone downstairs, probably still in a just waking fog, listening to his friends, who aren’t actually there, talk in such a way that he’s only caught half the conversation. The door shut tight of its own accord, in a very dream-like fashion, and now he feels sadness while sensing eyes on him.
“What did I eat?” he mumbles to himself, trying to remember.
“Well, whoever you are watching me,” he says in a sad, resigned voice, “I’m sure you’ll turn out to be some undead aberration, come to haunt me for my guilt again, just like most nights... most likely a little girl or boy that died from my sins, and now I have to live through this nightmare until I wake up again... and then of course, it won’t quite be as scary and frightening as real life has been lately, because this will all just be a dream.”
He steps in the direction he believes the eyes are, out of a morbid, depressed curiosity, his +1 dagger held resignedly.
And he sees a man wearing a ragged poncho and a worn wide-brimmed hat sitting at a table in the corner of the room. The man’s face is hidden beneath the hat, and Guston can not tell what he looks like. “Really?” the man says in a soft voice. “That’s quite the imagination you have, though I wouldn’t object to being a dream.”
The sound of a girl’s laughter once again fills the room, as a ghostly image of a small, dark haired girl materializes next to the man. The image stands there and looks at him with a smile on her face. His hand reaches out and tussles her hair, eliciting another laugh.
Ignatius hovers back in, realizing that whatever was outside has already made it's way in. Something makes him understand that this whatever is apparently not any malevolent force, but rather some distressed spirit seeking shelter in the warmth of the inn. Nevertheless, it's not wise to come to any conclusions so hastily.
Once inside, Ignatius sees the ghostly man and the little girl. Though they don't seem to look like a hostile sort, he still decides to examine their intentions before he decides on his next move.
And he sees a man wearing a ragged poncho and a worn wide-brimmed hat sitting at a table in the corner of the room. The man’s face is hidden beneath the hat, and Guston can not tell what he looks like. “Really?” the man says in a soft voice. “That’s quite the imagination you have, though I wouldn’t object to being a dream.”
The sound of a girl’s laughter once again fills the room, as a ghostly image of a small, dark haired girl materializes next to the man. The image stands there and looks at him with a smile on her face. His hand reaches out and tussles her hair, eliciting another laugh.
“I wouldn’t object to being a dream, either, sometimes. Mind if I join you?” Guston asks, motioning to the spare chair at the table. “It’s not too often that those in my dreams engage me in any sort of conversation.”
Vaga never saw what Guston seem to have seen, nor hear what Guston seem to have heard. He looks suprisingly at Guston as he suddenly dreamwalks into the room towards the man and the.. ghost? Vaga remains as stealthy as possible, relying on his still active invisibility spell to allow him to wait and see what will happen. His fists are clenched hard, ready to strike with a stunning punch if he senses even the most faint of threats towards Guston. He follows him and moves towards the back of the man in the wide-brimmed hat, trying to position himself favorably if battle will commence. He keeps a keen eye on the child ghost.. he doesn't like spirits or ghosts or undead. The dead should remain dead.
He thinks to himself while moving around in the room "It seems Guston saw something then was thrown into a dream state, yet I saw nothing and I've kept my wits.. did they attack his mind because he did see them or did they not attack me because they didn't see me? Bah, I wish Kaled or Igna was here so they could explain all this mumbo-jumbo-magicky stuff.. I can't understand how they can trust anything so fickle. Trust in your fists! Yeah, that's how you do it. Trust your fists."
Edit: Removed Ignatius as I just re-read and realized Ignatius also moved into the room, right? @Rik_Kirtaniya are you also now moving into the room with the man with the hat and the spirit child??
And btw, when we have group invisibility, do we see eachother? Can Vaga see Igna the spiderboi climbing around in the ceiling?
Ignatius casts Detect Thoughts, and hears... nothing. He cannot even determine if the man is sentient or not, which is strange. The man gestures to the table and says “You and your friends are welcome to join me, but beware the child, for she is mischievous and likes to play games. Or rather, her memory likes to play games.” The man chuckles softly, before adding “I too find myself truly haunted by my dreams.”
Guston sits himself at the table gladly. “Tell me about your dreams,” he says cordially. “And don’t worry about the child. All children have some mischief in them, as long as their parents don’t squash it...”
The words catch in his throat as he remembers counseling the parents of his flock. He breaks off, the sentence unsaid.
Surprising, Guston isn’t such a jerk when he thinks everything is a dream. It’s almost as though he can forget about his curse and his appearance because it hardly matters.
The man chuckles once more and says “Indeed. Little terrors, they are. Heartless, mocking little monsters. Can’t a man just satisfy his gluttony in peace?” As he says this, he looks up at Guston, so that Guston can see his glowing blue eyes beneath his hat. Guston is immediately wracked with vivid memories of his past, as though he was back in his hometown, reliving the events that had occurred. He sees images of the families grieving over their lost loved ones. He hears their curses, their anger. He feels their condemnation.
The images stop just as suddenly as they began, as the man drops his gaze back down to the table, his hat obscuring his face once more. After a moment, he says “I have no place to judge. After all, I am just a lonely wanderer. What you saw was not my judgement, but yours. You continue to inflict this pain upon yourself. A form of self-torture that I know all too well. You, however, have a choice. You can learn to forgive yourself, and in doing so, start down the path of redemption. Or you can end up like me, a mad vagabond who finds neither comfort nor happiness, but more pain, more memories.” He pats the ghost girl’s head, and she fades away into nothing, leaving behind a soft voice whispering “Not your fault...”
“But good sir, that is the question. I see myself as irredeemable. Chauntea’s curse on me is a just punishment. Even here, in my dreams, in your eyes, as you know, I see their suffering that I caused. My betrayal. And because that is what I see, I fear that is what I am.
“How can I ever learn to forgive myself? I don’t believe I have earned the right to put aside my self-inflicted suffering. I don’t know if I will ever earn that right. Even now, I am surrounded by friends I hardly deserve.
“Please, share with me, good sir, the lessons and pitfalls to avoid that you allude to. I take irrational risks in a hope for self-destruction... it’s ironic, for my betrayal was motivated by self-preservation. And yet when I fear the end is near, I panic.
“I know in my heart that Chauntea will forgive me... when I forgive myself... but I daren’t hope that I can.”
“Such is an answer I do not have the right to give,” the man says. “I can merely observe the path you take. You possess the ability to choose. Whether you find these answers you seek depends on your choices. My advice is this: do not shirk the responsibility that comes with the choice, and know that every choice comes with a responsibility.”
Vaga listens and relaxes a little. It seems this vagabond is no threat, quite the opposite actually. Vaga remains alert but idle. This is Guston's show.
*Fiora, having entered with Kaled, caught the last half of the current conversation.*
"I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Fiora, Protector of Children. Care to tell me why you are followed by the specter of a little girl?"
*Fiora tries to be diplomatic, but she cannot fully disguise the distrust in her voice.*
”You might be, but I am not. You will find me in my quarters if you need me. ’Til then I bid you all good night. ”
Vaga breaks his invisibility spell and goes up the stairs and up to his room where he intends to stay until morning. He thinks Guston is in better need of solace rather than a thousand questions, thus he leaves.
[Spoiler]Guston backstory is awesome. But I can't help but feel an opportunity to help a lost soul has slipped by... I DEMAND MORE BOILS TO APPEAR ON GUSTONS FACE!!!!
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It worked with the demand for rolls... Give a gnome a break...[/spoiler]
Comments
Guston: Listen: 5+2=7
Vaga: Listen: 14+3=17
Kaled: Listen: 1-1=0
Ignatius: Listen: 3+4=7
While Fiora is upstairs, Vaga hears the sound of another set of footsteps on the second floor. As Fiora and Kaled are arguing, a girl’s voice whispers into their ears “Not his fault...” The voice trails off and remains silent.
Downstairs, the door slams shut loudly.
“Guys...!” he whispers. “Where are you? Did you just open the door? Is that you laughing Ignatius?”
Ignatius hovers outside through the kitchen window and casts Detect Thoughts in the direction from which he thinks the laughter came from.
Guston: Perception: 14+2=16
Both Guston and Vaga instinctually turn towards the door as it slams shut, after which Guston suddenly experiences a feeling of utter sorrow.
He is able to shake off the feeling with some difficulty, though he now feels like someone is watching both him and Vaga.
“Am I dreaming? I’ve got to be dreaming. I haven’t done any sleep-walking for years.”
Shaking his head to clear the confusion, Guston walks over to the door to close it and (if possible) goes back upstairs to bed.
“No sense in leaving a draft open,” he mumbles to himself.
“What did I eat?” he mumbles to himself, trying to remember.
“Well, whoever you are watching me,” he says in a sad, resigned voice, “I’m sure you’ll turn out to be some undead aberration, come to haunt me for my guilt again, just like most nights... most likely a little girl or boy that died from my sins, and now I have to live through this nightmare until I wake up again... and then of course, it won’t quite be as scary and frightening as real life has been lately, because this will all just be a dream.”
He steps in the direction he believes the eyes are, out of a morbid, depressed curiosity, his +1 dagger held resignedly.
The sound of a girl’s laughter once again fills the room, as a ghostly image of a small, dark haired girl materializes next to the man. The image stands there and looks at him with a smile on her face. His hand reaches out and tussles her hair, eliciting another laugh.
Once inside, Ignatius sees the ghostly man and the little girl. Though they don't seem to look like a hostile sort, he still decides to examine their intentions before he decides on his next move.
Ignatius again casts Detect Thoughts!
He thinks to himself while moving around in the room "It seems Guston saw something then was thrown into a dream state, yet I saw nothing and I've kept my wits.. did they attack his mind because he did see them or did they not attack me because they didn't see me? Bah, I wish Kaled
or Ignawas here so they could explain all this mumbo-jumbo-magicky stuff.. I can't understand how they can trust anything so fickle. Trust in your fists! Yeah, that's how you do it. Trust your fists."And btw, when we have group invisibility, do we see eachother? Can Vaga see Igna the spiderboi climbing around in the ceiling?
The words catch in his throat as he remembers counseling the parents of his flock. He breaks off, the sentence unsaid.
Surprising, Guston isn’t such a jerk when he thinks everything is a dream. It’s almost as though he can forget about his curse and his appearance because it hardly matters.
However, I'm not sure if we can see each other or not. @Nimran, what do you say about this? How will group invisibility work here?
The man chuckles once more and says “Indeed. Little terrors, they are. Heartless, mocking little monsters. Can’t a man just satisfy his gluttony in peace?” As he says this, he looks up at Guston, so that Guston can see his glowing blue eyes beneath his hat. Guston is immediately wracked with vivid memories of his past, as though he was back in his hometown, reliving the events that had occurred. He sees images of the families grieving over their lost loved ones. He hears their curses, their anger. He feels their condemnation.
The images stop just as suddenly as they began, as the man drops his gaze back down to the table, his hat obscuring his face once more. After a moment, he says “I have no place to judge. After all, I am just a lonely wanderer. What you saw was not my judgement, but yours. You continue to inflict this pain upon yourself. A form of self-torture that I know all too well. You, however, have a choice. You can learn to forgive yourself, and in doing so, start down the path of redemption. Or you can end up like me, a mad vagabond who finds neither comfort nor happiness, but more pain, more memories.” He pats the ghost girl’s head, and she fades away into nothing, leaving behind a soft voice whispering “Not your fault...”
“How can I ever learn to forgive myself? I don’t believe I have earned the right to put aside my self-inflicted suffering. I don’t know if I will ever earn that right. Even now, I am surrounded by friends I hardly deserve.
“Please, share with me, good sir, the lessons and pitfalls to avoid that you allude to. I take irrational risks in a hope for self-destruction... it’s ironic, for my betrayal was motivated by self-preservation. And yet when I fear the end is near, I panic.
“I know in my heart that Chauntea will forgive me... when I forgive myself... but I daren’t hope that I can.”
Guston’s head is in his hands in sorrow.
"I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Fiora, Protector of Children. Care to tell me why you are followed by the specter of a little girl?"
*Fiora tries to be diplomatic, but she cannot fully disguise the distrust in her voice.*
*edit*
Vaga breaks his invisibility spell and goes up the stairs and up to his room where he intends to stay until morning. He thinks Guston is in better need of solace rather than a thousand questions, thus he leaves.
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It worked with the demand for rolls... Give a gnome a break...[/spoiler]