Field Mission 6: A Day in Thay, Call to Arms

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Mou mou!!! (T/N: Die, Karsus!!!) NAVIGATION 1. A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME WHERE DO WE EVEN BEGIN? Depending on how you look at it, our story begins in the town of New Aspen- or, for as some of you may know it now, New New Aspen. A long time ago, a mayor had made a deal with the Cult of Shadows in order to stop the pestilences that they brought upon their little town. His sister, Laurel Hollyweather paid the blood price that was required by their organization. A body, willing, so that they may take form in this world and return to walking the land of Toril once again. It never sat well with the mayor, who was lauded as a hero for saving his village. But what became of Laurel after the Cult of Shadows had left New Aspen? Her spirit merged onto the nearest creature, turning it into the Matronly Mother that once waged war against the town for forgetting her noble sacrifice. The Reclaimers put an end to a long and unhappy family feud, also claiming their first Grand Relic in the process: The Space Mittens. This is the story of what happened to Laurel's body. After the cult assumed control of an avatar for their will, Laurel headed to Waterdeep. There, she presented herself as one of the Seven Sisters, a group of women who were blessed upon birth by the Goddess Mystra herself; if in the event they were cast from their celestial thrones once again, she'd have one of seven options to choose from. The protection of the Weave, above all else, was paramount to the survival of the world as we know it. The cultist was smart, and cunning, and easily spun a believable story as to the whereabouts of her own tale, and why she had been missing for as long as she did. In the shadows, she assumed control of Blackstaff Tower, the prominent wizarding school upon which Waterdeep had churned out countless defenders of the realm. When you play the long con, it helps to have a goal in sight. And when you wage war against Magic itself, you better have a damn good convincing persona if you're going to infiltrate the town of Thay. And thus, she became Casariel Silverhand. DOESN'T IT START EARLIER THAN THAT? From another angle, you could say that this all began eons ago, a time and place long forgotten by the annals of history, scant with records or accounts of a long-forgotten city. The Netheril, as you would have it, was home to a sprawling empire of city-states, banded together under a council of mages who pushed the boundaries of science and magic all the same. They propelled their capitals into the sky, keeping them afloat and sustained by draining unfettered magic from the land itself. It drained every ounce of energy it could just to keep itself going, and as all great empires go, the Netheril had to fall. A brilliant wizard by the name of Karsus had been researching magics that were never meant to be toyed with. He summoned a 13th level spell, one whose casting would only ever happen once in the course of all Faerunian history. Named posthumously, or perhaps, by the man himself, as Karsus' Avatar, he enacted a ritual that brought about the winds of change for the world. In attempting to solve the Netheril's thirst for magic to sustain itself, he opened up a link between all planes of existence, and in doing so, saw the horror of what he had actually accomplished. He became a god, which is awful in its own rights, but worse- he invited the very thing that wound up ruining the Netheril and forcing it to come falling down from the skies. The lone dissenter to this plan was a woman by the name of Mystryl. Rewarded for her stalwart opposition to Karsus' plan, she was gifted with the radiance of the Celestial plane, granting her the power to control the construct and flow of magic itself, and thus, the Weave was born. Through it, she could limit mankind's powers so that no one would ever be able to do what Karsus was capable of achieving. But what truly became of the Netheril? Many cities fell and became occluded with the sands of time. The desert, having received such an imbalance of magic, experienced such ravaging torment that entire stretches of land became looming crystals, nullifying any magic that dared be cast in its range. But one city had fallen into a plane of existence, brought down into it by the rift Karsus had made. The Shadowfell welcomed this lost city with open arms, immediately claiming the bodies of every living citizen left. They wandered, as ghosts, in their destroyed home. They plotted for centuries to return to the home they had once loved, and watched from the outside as their greatness had faded to nothing. Their dissatisfaction only grew as time went on. They saw beyond the universe and knew what was on the horizon, clutching the space between spaces in its unceasing appetite to consume all. The Hunger. The remaining Netherese banded together and sacrificed 90% of their population to bring their city back to Faerun, but without bodies to return to, they could only manipulate in the shadows. Their city began to fall, without the energy to sustain its levitation- until it was piloted into the World Tree. All to get one soul back into the land of the living. And thus, the Cult of Shadows was born. WHOA, TOO FAR BACK And depending on where you look at it, our story really just begins with Karsus. Once the owner of the Grand Relic of Divination, Karsus had seen the expanse of time in both directions. He saw a future of this world that he couldn't bear to live with, and decided to enter the game and play with a timeline even longer than Casariel Silverhand's. You see, Karsus wasn't born in the time of the Netheril, no. His era is our own, and by merit of having the Lamp of Unwinding, he knew things that he would inevitably have to do--- because he was the one who would do it. Or had done it. Karsus knew of the story of Karsus' Avatar, his own fabled myth, and struck with his own unfortunate time loop, knew he'd have to go back in time to begin the chain of events that had led him to where our story takes place today. He needed to give rise to the Goddess of Magic to ensure that the Weave would exist, so that one day... one day, the Bureau of Balance would come to fruition from Lucretia and Maureen's dream. Karsus had become his own boostrap paradox, completing numerous loops of time to ensure his own existence. Trippy, right? You might be wondering how a goddess of time like Istus would feel about all of this- and if you guessed that she was livid, you'd be... sort of right, and sort of wrong at the same time. In her infinite knitting, she only moves forward, determining the future of events, and you can imagine the moment she found Karsus' string in the city of Thay, long, long before the events of the current situation that we're all in. But she, too, had to see to it that fate was obeyed- and this was, for better or worse, Karsus' fate. Mystra has dominion over the Weave, the force through which all magic is summoned in this world. It's existence isn't one of legend, but actuality. And it's power source is the Wellspring of Magic, a place that holds it together like glue. Remember when it was mentioned up there that Mystra blessed 7 children in case she ever needed to possess one of them from being cast out from the Celestial throne? It had happened once; dubbed "The Time of Troubles," the Celestial plane was locked off for a while and she was sent to roam the earth as a mortal. It left the Weave completely undefended. You can imagine the look on her face when Karsus had appeared to lend her a hand. She thought he was dead and long forgotten, but here he was, the Lamp of Unwinding in his hand, in a land that would one day be known as Thay. And he agreed to ensure the Wellspring of Magic's safety. He tricked and lured an adult black dragon that was terrorizing the land around its home into visiting it, and put it into a deep, deep slumber around the Wellspring itself. Mystra, once she regained her status as a goddess, saw to it that Karsus would no longer have the ability to move forward and back through time. Karsus, knowing the events of his own story, surrenders willingly. Mystra takes the Lamp of Unwinding and leaves it in the hands of a trusted, far more sane wizard... Khelben Arunsun: Rainer's great grandfather. The city of Thay is then formed as a pact to keep the Wellspring of Magic safe. Karsus himself founds Boarbumps with 4 other great archmages of the time. Once he's done what he promised to do, to perpetuate safety to the Weave, he agrees to whatever fate Mystra decides for him. But he knows... of course he knows. He's seen what happens. And thus, Karsus is bound to the Tower of Avalon, deep within the Sea of Fallen Stars. 2. WHAT THE BUREAU OF BALANCE DID In lieu of an expanded section here, detailing out the events that you've helped to accomplish, we're going to defer to the timeline document that we've been maintaining! You can read about all the important events that took place during A Day in Thay over there. 3. WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING AT THE WELLSPRING OF MAGIC Now that you're caught up to speed, a few of you know by now what's been happening down beneath the town level of Thay. Surrounding the Wellspring of Magic is an extremely old black dragon, tricked into a near eternal slumber by Karsus, and protecting the source of all magic in Faerun. Some of you have made it down here just before 7pm to see, or maybe hear, Casariel and Rainer down here, arguing over something that couldn't be audibly heard. You've discovered ways down into the deepest layer of this dungeon: a magic mirror that, once attuned by Ferran, allows safe passage down to the depths. An entryway in a bathroom haunted by a specter of Boarbumps past. A secluded and spider infested climb through the forests surrounding the town. All of it leads here, to this very confrontation. Rainer, who finally feels that the gravity of the situation has been felt by a group of people she knows as responsible for destroying magical artifacts, sits between Casariel and the dragon, interrupting the well laid out plans of the Cult of Shadows. This is her rock and her hard place. On one hand, awakening the dragon destroys the town and unleashes a horror upon the world whose rage has been built up over centuries. Casariel glows a dark purple energy, ready to revive and control it to do her bidding: break through the barriers of reality and welcome The Hunger once and for all. On the other hand, the thing that Rainer has kept close to her heart, is finally revealed. And no matter how many times this has been scripted, and how many stalemates she's found herself in, she's never been able to break the cycle. In her robes, the Lamp of Unwinding rests, waiting for its next use to turn back time. But this iteration, this cycle? This is it. This has to be it. It's now or never. Casariel smiles with vile intent in her every waking feature. "You know you can't stop me, Rainer. I've drunk from the Wellspring of Magic. We're one now. Killing me will only destroy the Weave." And now you know exactly why she's perpetuated this exact scene. She's done this over 2,000 times already. And she's never had a third option. From here on out, things are about to get dicey. What do you do? 4. CALL TO ARMS: RESUME We hope you're ready for this mission's conclusion! Here are the rules: ○ Utilize this post as a discussion board if you're interested in teaming up! It might help to hit upon your character's path actions, strengths, magic items and abilities. This way you have an idea of what's available to you as a team when the assignments go live. ○ We will RNG team rosters if there's overflow. Each of the CTA missions below have the required archetype in the header, along with a maximum group size allowed to undertake the mission. Each group needs at least one character with the required archetype, so keep that in mind when signing up. If one group gets more than the maximum allowed signups, we'll RNG a final group roster for you. ○ Sign ups for the threads will close on Tuesday, December 3 at 6PM EST. If you've signed up for a CTA in the last mission, please be considerate and allow others to sign up this go-around! If we receive threads without at least two signups by that time, we will then reopen the thread and allow everyone to throw their name in the hat. If this happens, we will subsequently close CTA signups on Wednesday, December 4 at 6PM EST. ○ CTA plans are due on Friday, December 6 at 6PM EST. Results will be rolled and posted. ○ The CTA log will go live on Monday, December 9 at 8PM EST. Remember, if you signed up and submitted plans for a CTA, you must thread it out or you will be considered ineligible for the following mission's CTA plot. ○ Success or failure in this mission is largely relative to the overall state of Thay, the safety of the Wellspring of Magic, and the Grand Relic's reclamation. Read more below for more information! blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

DOWN IN THE DUNGEON (VARIED)

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This CTA is a little different than last! We're going to take a total of 10 characters for this specific event. It's assumed that you all are working together in one way or another, acting simultaneously. Your results will be tied together and the choices you make or the results you receive will permanently change the landscape of the game forever.

CONFRONT CASARIEL (INTELLIGENT - MAX OF 3)

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The Lady of Shadows herself, Casariel has been working behind the scenes for centuries. Every meticulous plan that she's laid forth comes to a head here. Her success will mark the beginning of the end.

It's time to shine some light on the darkness.

○ Killing her outright while possible, comes with extreme consequences. As stated above, she'd bound to the Wellsping of Magic in a way that if she dies, she takes it down with here and all magic in Faerun will cease to work.

○ Attempts to reason with her or charm her will be at disadvantage: she's harbored this murderous and evil will for so long that it's practically the only thing that's kept her going.

○ Student NPC's are available to join your team and can be piloted by you when you receive the result of your rolls.

○ Failure here will have rippling effects downward throughout the rest of the CTA's.

(frozen comment) SIGNUPS

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Signups close Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. EST.

YOUR TEAM IS ...

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This DLC unlocks Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. EST.

SUBMIT PLANS HERE

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This DLC unlocks Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. EST.

Plans are due by Dec 6 at 6 p.m. EST.

DEAL WITH A DRAGON (STRONG - MAX OF 3)

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It begins to awaken from the commotion and the threat to its well-being provided by the abundance of people now in vicinity of the Wellspring of Magic. Towering at a gargantuan figure, this is no small task for the team of Reclaimers that looks to face it.

○ The black dragon has an aura of Frightful Presence. Meaning, its very existence in your vicinity can cause someone to become immobilized in fear and unable to move closer to it. You'll need a way to either power through it or disrupt its effects if you want to avoid the disadvantage you'll end up receiving on attempting a roll in its vicinity.

○ There are several magic items in your possession as well as blessings that you might've received in this mission to handle this threat. We highly suggest signing up if you're in that camp of individuals, as your time here will be made significantly easier with the right strategy and equipment.

○ Two dangers to watch out for: the dragon destroying the well in the skirmish, and the possibility of it taking flight and bursting through the town of Thay. Both can be mitigated, if it happens, with a successful roll on one of the CTA's listed elsewhere.

○ Failure here will have rippling effects downward throughout the rest of the CTA's

DEFEND THE WELLSPRING (WISE - MAX OF 2)

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More important than the Grand Relic itself, the Wellspring of Magic must be protected at all costs. Its destruction will weaken this world to a state of being unable to properly fight The Hunger, as well as have devastating repercussions everywhere.

○ You're here to bolster the rolls of the two teams above. Your main objective will be coming up with contingencies to support Team Confront Casariel and Team Deal With a Dragon, all the while keeping the fray of battle far away from the Wellspring itself.

○ Successful, innovative and creative plans will provide bonuses to the overall rolls of the two CTA's listed above. These will range from a +1 to a +3 on their outcomes.

○ Failure here, at any point, with a margin greater than 5 will have negative effects on the rolls above. These will range from a -1 to a -3 on the outcomes above.

○ Failure with a margin of 10 or more will leave the Wellspring dangerously uncovered. We'll roll a percentile dice to determine whether or not it is destroyed.

○ We will allow a maximum of 3 different strategies/plans here. The total result, between all + rolls and all - rolls will be tallied and applied accordingly. This is the definition of high risk, high reward. Less attempts mean less opportunity for destroying the wellspring, but more attempts allow for higher mission success rates if you rack up those positive bonuses.

○ You may enlist the help of student NPC's to aid you in this endeavor, if and only if the teammates involved have built CR with them throughout the month. They don't remember all the events that happened before, but some of them do get a strong sense of deja vu and might be willing to lend you a hand. Including them in your plans will net your own roll positive benefits depending on which NPC you've chosen. Speak with Team Confront Casariel to make sure that there's no duplication of Student NPC's between your submissions.

NAB THE RELIC (DEXTEROUS - MAX OF 2)

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Let's face it. If everything goes to hell, Rainer is apt to reset the timeline and try again in another loop. Those of you who have met Istus know that this is gravely against her will, and you cannot perpetuate the endless abuse of time that she's been manipulating. Well intended or not, your job has always been to destroy the Grand Relics and cause as little collateral damage as possible, so... where are our thieves at?

○ You're going to need to be nimble in executing this. Rainer will most likely be support casting from the middle of the arena, and protected by several layers of abjuration magic. Breaking those barriers puts her at great risk of being attacked and killed, but it also allows an attempt at the relic.

○ There's not much time for persuasion here, so any attempt at being charismatic and goading her into handing the relic over will be at disadvantage.

○ This Grand Relic is particularly invasive and will attempt to commune with you. Ever had a thought about going back in time and changing one thing? Ever thought about what the future might hold? It's thrall is easily considered the worst of all known Grand Relics, since the allure of its power is quite powerful.

OVERALL RESULT

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The various teams down in the cavern below the town of Thay take their positions and try to disarm a ticking time bomb on their hands. This is it- this is the fate that Rainer worked so hard to stall so that there could be hope. A chance that the world could have both outcomes: the town of Thay staying safe, and the world provided its abundance of magic so that things don't go haywire left and right. She's reset time over 2,000 times, waiting for the day that the Reclaimers would come and would put an end to all the madness going on in her beloved town. She hoped and prayed that everything she's done won't condemn her to a non-existence, as she looks down at the skin beneath her robes, her corporeal form blinking in and out of existence like a defunct light bulb that's seen the end of its lifespan.

What we have down here, is the final attempts of the Bureau of Balance to bring order to the darkness of chaos. Something deeper, more horrifying is beginning to occur outside the realm of the Prime Material plane, as all the clerics and paladins within the order begin to feel the power they were gifted start to wane. Something is going wrong with the Celestial plane, and even though we're all stuck in a bubble of time that repeats indefinitely, time moves forward outside at a screeching pace.

Whether or not the world is ready for the outcome of our heroes' efforts, that much is still to be determined. Some will eventually come to call this "The Darkest Day," others, "The Beginning of the End," but, to all of us down here beneath the surface of Thay, we know it to be "The Day the World Stood Still."

Deep down below, a team of adventurers attempt to talk down a dragon. Dave Strider shapes into the visage of a young dragon whelpling, attempting his best to talk down the ancient black dragon from destroying everything. While he succeeds in dragging the dragon away from the wellspring, opening up a spot for Minato, Jack, and Szass to defend the Wellspring of Magic, it's not out of persuasive effort- but rage. The dragon remains unconvinced of the genuine nature of Dave's efforts, and in anger, chases him down and swipes him from the sky. He lands, a gash of claws across his chest that would leave its scar forever (9).

Roxas and Natsuki quickly come to his aid as an arrow of platinum fire is dug into the ground, sanctifying the place they stand, but their friend remains in poor condition. The gashes left across his body mar the runes of restoration he's prepped on himself, making them unable to be used, but he has an ace up his sleeve. Dave calls back to the most delicious bottle of apple juice he's ever drunk, trying to call forth its holy magics to aid him in his time of need, but even then, the cold-pressed magic of honey-crisp deliciousness fail to reach him. These are dire straits; Roxas tries to plead with Bahamut to hear his plea, but his voice doesn't reach the god. None of their voices do.

Meanwhile, valiantly, Jack, Minato and Szass try their hardest to stop the Wellspring from being destroyed by either Casariel or the dragon. Their efforts create more obstacles as the field is beginning to be covered with illusions of refuse, detritus blocking the paths of the Reclaimers that attempt to sweep through this new minefield. Szass goes down, and it looks like he's close to the brink of death. They bring his body to the Wellspring and join the dragon team in an effort to take it down with ranged attacks.

Its fury is too righteous, they miss often, and left with no other option, Roxas, Dave, and Natsuki try to take it down in one last confrontation.

Casariel, standing to the far side of the cavern, glows with a dark energy as she tries to tame the monster at the other side of the cavern. This is what she's been waiting millennia for, she's ready to bring this world to its knees and make it pay for what it did to her home and her family. Blake and Phoenix try to talk her down, but it only provides a minor distraction for her as Rainer slings spells behind a Globe of Invulnerability. Adriel tries to convince her, tries to call back to a time when they were family... even if it was all a lie, there has to be something there, right? There has to be. He fumbles to take out the ticket from the show she took him to, and for a moment, there's a tiny shred of doubt within her. But she can't bear to deal with it. She doesn't want Adriel to have to see what she's about to do, and puts him into a magical slumber. His body slumps to the floor.

"You dare try to bring my nephew to pull at my heartstrings!?"

They can't reach the woman within her (10), but they knew it probably wouldn't. This is a setup- a distraction so that Sans can control the battlefield and create an advantage to separate her soul from this body with the Chance Lance, a gift bestowed upon them by Istus herself. While she doesn't notice his attempts, her focus too tight on Phoenix and the item he's wielding, she feels the sling of a silence spell attempting to reach her from the wellspring team. Her dark aura pulsates outward, and Sans is frozen in place, an unfortunate lucky accident for her, as he's held in place (3).

Made of magic himself, she has the capability to manipulate him. She is, after all, made of the Weave.

Sans is made to bend down to his knees in a supplicant position. Her wicked smile, hidden behind pristinely shaded lips of ruby red, is a haunting feature, and the last that Phoenix sees before he tosses the Chance Lance straight towards her (7). But the little magical skeleton isn't the only one with Misty Step- in fact, she Dimension doors out of the way as the lance hurls straight forward.

Straight into the Globe of Invulnerability that's kept Rainer safe.

Her eyes go wide.

A few moments before this, Spike and Mira had done their best to find a way to reach out to Rainer and stop her from simply using the relic. She knows that she can't keep doing this, and fears that she's not far from her own death- but maybe? Maybe it's worth it. If she dies to reset time once more, she can leave this to the Reclaimer's hands. Spike and Mira gain her confidence, as she smiles to them, trusting their good intention (18).

"It seems as if we're in a rough spot! But keep your faith, we can overcome this. We can do it, Mr. Janitor!"

Her face is still brightly shining, even in this darkest hour.

The Chance Lance hits her abjuration and shatters it. In the confusion, they ask her for the Lamp of Unwinding. She shakes her head.

"If I have to die to keep this world safe, I'd gladly give up my life."

She begins to unwind the lamp, turning it over as the sands of time start to trickle down, and then- in an attempt to stop the abuse of magic- Mira distracts her by attempting to defend her from the next barrage of attacks that Casariel slings her way. Spike telekinetically yoinks it out of her hands, but unfortunately (3).

The dragon team continues to take it down. They're fighting valiantly, despite looking severely injured. The spells that Jack and Minato are using to try to heal them are coming up short without the guidance of radiant intervention, and Roxas notices Natsuki about to be spit on through an acid breath. He dodges into the way with shield raised, the emblem of Bahamut deflecting what would've been her doom. The resultant repulsion of that attack spreads acid everywhere.

As it hits the top of the cavern, causing large chunks to begin crumbling. Spike tries to pull the lamp of unwinding back, but it's too late. Crushed under a swarm of acid and rock, it shatters as the time-space continuum begins to get wonky (10).

The relic is destroyed- and time finally marches forward.

Casariel's won. She can feel it. No longer trapped by Rainer, she charges her own lance of dark, vorpal energy and begins to take aim. The Chance Lance returns to its owner, and just before she can get the killing blow on her, Phoenix rams it straight into her chest. Blake roundhouse kicks it deeper into her.

Rocks in the cavern begin floating upward as a surge of light pours from the Wellspring of Magic. Sans, finally freed, goes to try and drink from the Wellspring himself, to keep his existence in check, but as magic begins to die, he's forced to crawl towards it until... he stops in place, inanimate (4).

You've killed her. Casariel. But in her dark design, she's manipulated the flow of the Wellspring to be tied to her very essence. A ritual so deep in dark magic that it should've been impossible to accomplish without hundreds of years of research and preparation. One last checkmate that Rainer couldn't overcome. With her soul dispersed and her body dead, hanging by the crux of Thay's clocktower, the minute hand juts deeply into her. Her contorted features still carry that harrowing smile. The light from the Wellspring dies out, as magic- all over the world... all over Faerun and across the planes of existence, gives one last sigh of breath, and fades out.

The dragon, no longer under Casariel's control, bursts through the floor of Thay.

It cannot be vanquished (8), as it soars into the sky, relishing in its newfound freedom. It doesn't destroy Thay, however. In its new lease on life, it leaves and flies past the horizon.

The cavern grows silent as light from the above begins to pour in.

Rainer looks towards the carnage, and for the first time in 6 years, presses her hands into her eyes and begins to cry.

OOC NOTE:

Well, everyone. It's safe to say that this was a mission failure. Magic has been destroyed in all of Faerun, which leaves our heroes with quite a difficult set of challenges ahead. What does this mean IC? Magic as we know it, will cease to function. That's a pretty big handicap, but we'll peel back the curtain a little bit to let you all know that the extent of its effects will most likely be limited to the next interlude. We'll discuss the deep rammifications of this mission in the upcoming log, and look forward to the final field mission. It'll involve heavy illusion magic- and your path actions will be restored for the length of it while we're dealing with the final relic.

Additionally, the gacha shop will still remain open one last time. The items you receive from it won't entirely be useful in the interlude, but as above, will work in the final relic mission.

Lastly, as promised- we've built the game out to work on either ends of the outcome to this mission. Rest assured, we'll continue fighting forward to the final confrontation with The Hunger, even if this mission didn't pan out as well as we'd hoped.

See you all in the CTA log.

TOPSIDE

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There are several things that need to be done in the town of Thay while this is all going down. These rolls are not connected to each other, but have the potential to throw a wrench in the ongoing events that occur beneath the surface. As such, they will be rolled for first in order.

PREVENT GROMPH FROM INTERFERING (CHARISMATIC - MAX OF 2)

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He's onto this entire thing, and while his presence here is probably a huge boon to the overall mission, he also brings with him an extremely chaotic element. Perhaps it's best to keep him occupied.

○ Gromph is most easily swayed by passionate talks and responds to the urgency of the situation based on instinct.

○ As a Drow himself, he's weakened by being placed in sunlight, and has a natural affinity to spiders. His innate casting allows him to shroud himself in magical darkness at will.

PREVENT ONERION FROM INTERFERING (CHARISMATIC - MAX OF 2)

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Here comes Dudley Do-right, to the rescue. No one's sure who really kept him abreast of the situation, but a large contingency of Bureau members heading down below the city of Thay can't be good for Boarbumps. Probably best to keep Gilderoy here (oops, did we say that?) far away from the chasm below town.

○ Onerion is most easily swayed by hard, cold facts and appealing to a greater sense of order and justice.

○ Otherwise... if you're looking to break shit and cause a ruckus, here's your moment to shine.

CLEAR THE TOWN OF POTENTIAL CASUALTIES (CHARISMATIC - MAX OF 2)

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Let's face it: when shit hits the fan and if that dragon has to break through ground, the citizens are going to need a place to go and hide in safety. Fortunately for you, most of them are highly willing to evacuate once they hear the earthquake, so that much is an easy enough task to complete.

However, one contingency of people seem to be standing in the town center, ready to attack at any cost.

Your fellow Reclaimers.

Get them the hell out of here.

○ No notes this time! This one might or might not be pretty straightforward. :)

OVERALL RESULT

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You've successfully stopped Onerion and Gromph from interfering, as well as taken back the Seekers from their current position.

The result of these successes mean that the plans down below the chasm will go unhindered by any of these parties, resulting in a neutral result to the rolls in the CTA results there.

We turn our gaze now, down to the chasm below to find out what happened.

QUESTIONS

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[feytality]

Is the clearing the town of casualties CTA like... timeloop versions of Reclaimers? Will we have to convince/fight each other?

Can the magical items/blessing items be lent to others for the dragon CTA?

[napstar]

Minato and Kaede shook hands with Szass. Is Szass only sticking with Kaede and/or Minato or would he help any Reclaimer?

[wrightingwrongs]

So, out of OOC curiosity, how would the Chance Lance's 'timeline splitting'(?) work?

Possible follow-up answers depending on the full details.

[ribticklers]

Just to be sure, Cas drank from the wellspring before the loops started, right? Also, will this CTA start from a new loop or from the time they're down in the dragon cave?

One more question: I've been having Sans's levitate skill flavored such that characters feel him grabbing their soul, since that's how it happens in canon. Is Sans grabbing and levitating people by their souls a valid interpretation? I never expected it to be more than relevant flavoring but I have a vague idea where it might be, so.

[hxppythxughts]

I just realised I never asked what the fire from the Bahamut arrows actually...does... (ง ื▿ ื)ว The RNG write-up states "But when you knock it into an area, it does no damage to an enemy. Instead, the conflagration rages outward, to a circle of 5 feet in all diameter, staying stationary to where it landed." Does it actually burn stuff up? What are its properties and effects besides, presumably, Hot?

Also how many of them were in the quiver?

[feytality]

If Maya's not participating in a CTA, can she still provide Summoner buffs for them and/or get animal friends to lend them a hand?

[parfaitgirl]

If you can't answer this without it being submitted as a part of a final plan that's totally fine, but does Feral Instinct potentially work on dragons? The path action does say "animal" so on an OOC level I'm thinking probably no, but just wanna know if that information would be available to Natsuki or not!!

[mylawn]

Inquiring minds want to know about:

1. The size of the wellspring
2. Anything notable about the surroundings and general terrain? How much space do we have to work with?

[philoxenia]

So the relic-nabbing bit says that "Rainer will most likely be support casting from the middle of the arena," which begs a couple questions--

1. Who's she supporting here?
2. Are we all in this arena space--that is, all those who're down in the dungeon? I'm assuming so, and how big is this space?

[ribticklers]

What did Rainer reward Sans with in the RNG thread?