Watching the Watchers - 23.10.24 - Dee'arna
Oct 29, 2024 19:14:22 GMT
Andy D, Nic, and 2 more like this
Post by ruthcd on Oct 29, 2024 19:14:22 GMT
Notes in Dee’arna’s diary after the events of Who Watches the Watchers?
This week’s adventure at last threw a little bit of progress onto my investigations into the Watchers, our cult of the One and Many.
I saw a notice go up from Nalaeryn, asking for someone to go into the woods and rescue an associate of hers. Well, given all I already know, it seemed likely that the Seventh Watcher was looking for another. The Eleventh? Next in the poem after all…
I knew who I wanted to bring on this mission right away.
Fern, I have adventured with a few times, and like me she has been staying at the Three Headed Dragon so I knew she could be called upon quickly. Since our recent bout fighting and hunting down an invisible thief in town I have understood two key things about them.
One - they have versatile magic, adaptable to many different situations and unusual needs.
Two - they have their own brand of obsession with discovery. Who else sees a figure climbing over the rooftops invisibly and gathers a whole party to spend a day relentlessly answering the questions of who and why? Yes, we are quite alike I think.
Now Safire… Although we’ve only worked together once, she definitely left an impression! With this intense storm magic, plus a sparkling charisma that she undersells, I thought she would be a fantastic friend to have. Plus, I hoped that the parallels in our personal quests would intrigue her. There are as many strange things on land as there are in water.
And Zaspar. Honestly, I was starting to feel bad that he didn’t know about the curse. I hear the One and Many saying I should be keeping his secrets, and true, I do not trust Zaspar to be quiet about everything with his fiancé. But if he spills that I carry a powerful entity with me, maybe that information would give the Hekrati some pause?
Plus, it is good to have a friend who’ll watch your back - and I told him as much.
I would of course have brought Kem, but given we were going in to rescue a Watcher, it felt possible that having the rat curse present might make them less inclined to answer questions. I need them on my side, if I’m to coax secrets out of them.
And if there was one thing I was sure - it was that I would not leave the forest ignorant. I prepared Zone of Truth and Command to force answers out of whoever we met, but in the end it wasn't lies I received, but honest uncertainties. I hope. Perhaps I should have forced the matter further… but still I prefer to make allies than enemies. Let’s go back to the start though. Keep your notes in order Dee'arna.
I explained to the team about the Watchers: a secret-loving cult that I am researching and investigating, where nothing they ask for will be straightforward. So I made it clear: whilst the notice said we’re here to rescue someone, it is our secondary goal. The first one is knowledge.
Thankfully, Nalaeryn had provided a map alongside the missive, which I was able to follow without issue. This led us through the Angelbark once again. I have skirted the edges around Bloody Creek, and gone through the middle to the archway to Sigil. But this time.. there was a sense the forest had become Woods, and not a place I am welcome with the crow mark.
As we travelled deeper, Fern’s familiar, Otis, spotted that we were being followed by an enormous boar. Knowing that it is one of the five animals of these five cults, it seemed likely this was a threat. So I magically hid us from it, but still it found its way ahead to a shared destination.
We came to a clearing, with a tree full of crows in the centre, and a figure calmly waiting at the foot.
This person didn't react to my illusory self at first, when I sent it to test the danger. But immediately knew who I was - “you’re late”. I saw no point in trying to disguise myself - these Watchers know who I am and who I carry. I would rather ally myself with them if I can than waste time on basic subterfuge.
We were still somewhat nervous about approaching, given the giant boar between us and them. But the person spoke out that she, the beast, was there as part of a bargain, and wouldn’t harm us.
Moving closer now, we could see a woman, hooded, and her eyes covered up by a cloth. She chooses not to see, so she can activate her ‘future seeing’.
“The next will show you future thrills”
Indeed this was the Eleventh Watcher, Vinya she is called.
She had asked the Boar for a favour… I wonder what she offered in return? What can *secrets* offer violence? The boar died in the end, so what was gained from their side? A mystery for another day.
What followed was a conversation that certainly tested even the most holy of patience. She answered my questions speaking of things that were to come. Nothing was direct and clear, even in her future present, as she called it.
But one immediate warning: the Things in the Woods would leave her a mere pile of broken bones if we did not intervene. She had died many times. In 14 minutes.
While we waited for this time to pass, Vinya offered my three companions the chance to ask her a question about their future.
Fern - “How can I learn everything I want to when I only have so much time?”
There was a moderately winding reply which came round to saying that she would have to make a choice very soon on what to learn, but that this was not the most important decision she would make.
Safire - “Is Umberlee really on my side?”
She couldn't speak to the nature of gods, they are outside of her sight. But there will come a time when Safire won't need Umberlee at all, but maybe she will see her as still useful.
Zaspar - Will I marry Robin?
“No.”
No further obfuscations. Only -
“It won't be your choice.”
The clearest line of all. What a relief. Hopefully soon he will be free of the trap currently closing around him!
I got snippets of the knowledge I was looking for too:
-They, the Watchers, the curses and all, are here for a battle
-It will be done in increments
-One thousand, three hundred and thirteen - the ways the world can be rewritten
-The Twelfth was killed (??) “Not all are coming. And some will not come at all.”
And so the 14 minutes passed, and on time we were surrounded by wolves creeping out of the trees. They were joined by a weird thing, a grey wolf with no flesh covering its skull. It spoke to us briefly, about a price to be paid, in death, for coming into their territory.
We could have negotiated our retreat maybe (Safire tried for a moment) - but with the Boar present, and baited violence in the air, it would be extremely tricky. The group looked to me to make the call.
By Lasseega, I am an archaeologist, not a battle strategist!
But sometimes you have to pick a side and try something. So I said we fight.
I was clearly correct about my choices of companions. Safire was incredible at frying these wolves with her lightning, and did the majority of the work to clear them away. We were all able to play our roles, and together kill even the largest of the Things in the Woods. It was satisfying for Lasseega to guide the bolt of her radiance for me to deliver the death blow.
With that done, we entered the version of the future where Vinya was saved. Although in truth, she barely made it. Fern summoned up a floating disc to carry the Watcher out of the Woods - done at some haste.
Now, at last, I had some moderate peace to try and find out exactly what it is Kem, Ronkk, myself - and I guess the others too - are caught up in. I questioned Vinya greatly, and have updated my notes on that strange riddle as a result.
It’s clear that, although there are five curses attached to adventurers in the Dawnlands, there were and are, another eight. But they are not all involved in this coming battle. Each of them desires to be the Only One. And this might be through defeating each other… or combining in some manner?
------------
Thanks for the great DM and team
Willem, Safire, Zaspar and Fern
This week’s adventure at last threw a little bit of progress onto my investigations into the Watchers, our cult of the One and Many.
I saw a notice go up from Nalaeryn, asking for someone to go into the woods and rescue an associate of hers. Well, given all I already know, it seemed likely that the Seventh Watcher was looking for another. The Eleventh? Next in the poem after all…
I knew who I wanted to bring on this mission right away.
Fern, I have adventured with a few times, and like me she has been staying at the Three Headed Dragon so I knew she could be called upon quickly. Since our recent bout fighting and hunting down an invisible thief in town I have understood two key things about them.
One - they have versatile magic, adaptable to many different situations and unusual needs.
Two - they have their own brand of obsession with discovery. Who else sees a figure climbing over the rooftops invisibly and gathers a whole party to spend a day relentlessly answering the questions of who and why? Yes, we are quite alike I think.
Now Safire… Although we’ve only worked together once, she definitely left an impression! With this intense storm magic, plus a sparkling charisma that she undersells, I thought she would be a fantastic friend to have. Plus, I hoped that the parallels in our personal quests would intrigue her. There are as many strange things on land as there are in water.
And Zaspar. Honestly, I was starting to feel bad that he didn’t know about the curse. I hear the One and Many saying I should be keeping his secrets, and true, I do not trust Zaspar to be quiet about everything with his fiancé. But if he spills that I carry a powerful entity with me, maybe that information would give the Hekrati some pause?
Plus, it is good to have a friend who’ll watch your back - and I told him as much.
I would of course have brought Kem, but given we were going in to rescue a Watcher, it felt possible that having the rat curse present might make them less inclined to answer questions. I need them on my side, if I’m to coax secrets out of them.
And if there was one thing I was sure - it was that I would not leave the forest ignorant. I prepared Zone of Truth and Command to force answers out of whoever we met, but in the end it wasn't lies I received, but honest uncertainties. I hope. Perhaps I should have forced the matter further… but still I prefer to make allies than enemies. Let’s go back to the start though. Keep your notes in order Dee'arna.
I explained to the team about the Watchers: a secret-loving cult that I am researching and investigating, where nothing they ask for will be straightforward. So I made it clear: whilst the notice said we’re here to rescue someone, it is our secondary goal. The first one is knowledge.
Thankfully, Nalaeryn had provided a map alongside the missive, which I was able to follow without issue. This led us through the Angelbark once again. I have skirted the edges around Bloody Creek, and gone through the middle to the archway to Sigil. But this time.. there was a sense the forest had become Woods, and not a place I am welcome with the crow mark.
As we travelled deeper, Fern’s familiar, Otis, spotted that we were being followed by an enormous boar. Knowing that it is one of the five animals of these five cults, it seemed likely this was a threat. So I magically hid us from it, but still it found its way ahead to a shared destination.
We came to a clearing, with a tree full of crows in the centre, and a figure calmly waiting at the foot.
This person didn't react to my illusory self at first, when I sent it to test the danger. But immediately knew who I was - “you’re late”. I saw no point in trying to disguise myself - these Watchers know who I am and who I carry. I would rather ally myself with them if I can than waste time on basic subterfuge.
We were still somewhat nervous about approaching, given the giant boar between us and them. But the person spoke out that she, the beast, was there as part of a bargain, and wouldn’t harm us.
Moving closer now, we could see a woman, hooded, and her eyes covered up by a cloth. She chooses not to see, so she can activate her ‘future seeing’.
“The next will show you future thrills”
Indeed this was the Eleventh Watcher, Vinya she is called.
She had asked the Boar for a favour… I wonder what she offered in return? What can *secrets* offer violence? The boar died in the end, so what was gained from their side? A mystery for another day.
What followed was a conversation that certainly tested even the most holy of patience. She answered my questions speaking of things that were to come. Nothing was direct and clear, even in her future present, as she called it.
But one immediate warning: the Things in the Woods would leave her a mere pile of broken bones if we did not intervene. She had died many times. In 14 minutes.
While we waited for this time to pass, Vinya offered my three companions the chance to ask her a question about their future.
Fern - “How can I learn everything I want to when I only have so much time?”
There was a moderately winding reply which came round to saying that she would have to make a choice very soon on what to learn, but that this was not the most important decision she would make.
Safire - “Is Umberlee really on my side?”
She couldn't speak to the nature of gods, they are outside of her sight. But there will come a time when Safire won't need Umberlee at all, but maybe she will see her as still useful.
Zaspar - Will I marry Robin?
“No.”
No further obfuscations. Only -
“It won't be your choice.”
The clearest line of all. What a relief. Hopefully soon he will be free of the trap currently closing around him!
I got snippets of the knowledge I was looking for too:
-They, the Watchers, the curses and all, are here for a battle
-It will be done in increments
-One thousand, three hundred and thirteen - the ways the world can be rewritten
-The Twelfth was killed (??) “Not all are coming. And some will not come at all.”
And so the 14 minutes passed, and on time we were surrounded by wolves creeping out of the trees. They were joined by a weird thing, a grey wolf with no flesh covering its skull. It spoke to us briefly, about a price to be paid, in death, for coming into their territory.
We could have negotiated our retreat maybe (Safire tried for a moment) - but with the Boar present, and baited violence in the air, it would be extremely tricky. The group looked to me to make the call.
By Lasseega, I am an archaeologist, not a battle strategist!
But sometimes you have to pick a side and try something. So I said we fight.
I was clearly correct about my choices of companions. Safire was incredible at frying these wolves with her lightning, and did the majority of the work to clear them away. We were all able to play our roles, and together kill even the largest of the Things in the Woods. It was satisfying for Lasseega to guide the bolt of her radiance for me to deliver the death blow.
With that done, we entered the version of the future where Vinya was saved. Although in truth, she barely made it. Fern summoned up a floating disc to carry the Watcher out of the Woods - done at some haste.
Now, at last, I had some moderate peace to try and find out exactly what it is Kem, Ronkk, myself - and I guess the others too - are caught up in. I questioned Vinya greatly, and have updated my notes on that strange riddle as a result.
It’s clear that, although there are five curses attached to adventurers in the Dawnlands, there were and are, another eight. But they are not all involved in this coming battle. Each of them desires to be the Only One. And this might be through defeating each other… or combining in some manner?
I still do not fully know the stakes, time, or place of this fight ahead. Only that it will begin with “dead things they shouldn’t have tried to wake up”.
But however it is done, they (at least the other curses) will use us curse-bearers and this land as tools and victims in their war. The One and Many, the Watchers and I... may yet be allies. He has not betrayed me yet, and the path we travel is certainly a fascinating one. The Eleventh seemed confident that, with or without the knowledge of the risks and the role I have in all of this… I will keep digging into their secrets.
------------
Thanks for the great DM and team
Willem, Safire, Zaspar and Fern