The Revelation of Mulmo PBP - WARNING SPOILERS

[beermotor]

Hamun Ry will position himself in the middle of the group, behind the General, but not at the rear. Just. in. case.

[Skyscraper]

Maledict shares his thoughts with his sword, as he often does.

- Lady Blackrush, I embark on yet another adventure, but this one I feel will be special, as I seek the Well of all Wells.

He then readies himself on his barding-armored warhorse and speaks to the group.

- I will open this march around the hill, if you will tell me where to go.

Assuming people point it out for him and no one objects, Maledict will be the first up front.

Finally, to Rupert the Imp he offhandedly throws a piece of dry bread to the ground. Rupert falls on it like a cat on a mouse and devours it, not even noticing the mud on the bread. Rupert follows Maledict's horse on foot, breathing hard.

[Raven_Crowking]

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

[beermotor]

Hamun Ry flips a coin... (1=heads, North, 2=tails, South)... 2, tails... "Go South around the hill. Seven times." Then he whispers to himself, "Show me this entrance, Mulmo, and I will restore your slave, but only if you uphold your end of the bargain. Wisdom and secrets I require."

[Raven_Crowking]

Those who deal in riddles may well have heard of Mulmo, He Who Whispers Forgotten Secrets.

Many of those who travel into dark subterranean realms, never to return, are surely slain by creatures in the depths. Others may discover that the darkness is to their liking. A few fall prey to Mulmo, and what they forget in death the Buried Whisperer learns from their dying minds. It is said that Mulmo knows every secret that has ever been forgotten. It is said that Mulmo hears every word whispered on love's pillow, every curse screamed in defiance, rage, or hatred. Some knowledge is said to be hoarded by He Who Whispers, but other forgotten secrets are shared with those who would know what has been lost.

Although sometimes these secrets are given freely, and seem to do no harm, at other times they are bargained for dearly, or are given where they will increase the power of Chaos across the planes. His revelations are often cryptic, appearing to offer benefits until darker implications are revealed. Mulmo may be most consistent to those who hold him as a patron, but he has been known to whisper to any who can be goaded to actions serving Chaos. To see Mulmo is to be driven mad. To hear Mulmo's rasping whispers is to know much...and, perhaps, also to be driven mad.

[Raven_Crowking]

It requires a DC 15 Stamina check to run around the hill seven times without stopping. The horses can make this easily, but poor Rupert the Imp may not make it. You ride south, so clockwise around the hill, following the progress of the sun.

[Ogrepuppy]

Those who deal in riddles may well have heard of Mulmo, He Who Whispers Forgotten Secrets.

[So, probably not the Enigma-Judge who worships the Father of Riddles and Lord of Mysteries, you're saying? ]

[Ogrepuppy]

It requires a DC 15 Stamina check to run around the hill seven times without stopping. The horses can make this easily, but poor Rupert the Imp may not make it. You ride south, so clockwise around the hill, following the progress of the sun.

[Do we need to be facing the hill at all times? We could have the horses side-step around the hill (like the horse here).]

[beermotor]

It requires a DC 15 Stamina check to run around the hill seven times without stopping. The horses can make this easily, but poor Rupert the Imp may not make it. You ride south, so clockwise around the hill, following the progress of the sun.

Wait, what? I thought we were riding to the east, to the hill, so we're on it's west side, ....


Oh wait. Hmm.

So we want to be facing west... so you're saying we're going clockwise (south) from the eastern side. OK. I'm with it now. Sorry for derping...

Hamun Ry rides without concern for Rupert the Imp.

[Skyscraper]

STA roll for Rupert: 1d20 = 9 . So:

After the second turn around the hill, Rupert's breathing becomes alarmingly irregular.

After the third turn, Rupert's breathing is the least of the concerns: the deformed, both over-and-under-sized huntchback is sweating hard and brothing at the mouth.

After the fourth turn, Rupert stumbles more than he runs.

After the fifth turn around the hill, Rupert falls to the ground and vomits his piece of dry bread (and the fir branches he also ate - which incidentally make for a nicer smell to the otherwise fetid expectoration). His dedication is remarkable however, as he gets up and continues, half the time crouching and stumbling, half the time crawling on hands and knees.

After the sixth turn, the poor chap falls flat on his face in the mud and passes out while Maledict continues to galop. The cavalier doesn't look back, naively expecting his squire/scribe to follow. It is only when he crosses the unconscious Rupert on the seventh turn that Maledict interjects as he passes Rupert on his galoping warhorse, mud splashing the poor boy:

- Get up, Imp! Do you expect to become famous and scour the land of monsters, if you sleep on the job! Gods, I thought I had trained you better than this. I'll have to review your wages, and cut the dry bread in half. You can't keep it in your stomach anyway.

Maledict continues to finish his seventh turn, not waiting for the disappointing Rupert to get up.

[beermotor]

It requires a DC 15 Stamina check to run around the hill seven times without stopping. The horses can make this easily, but poor Rupert the Imp may not make it. You ride south, so clockwise around the hill, following the progress of the sun.

[Do we need to be facing the hill at all times? We could have the horses side-step around the hill (like the horse here).]

"I believe we only need to start from the proper place, and circle it seven times. Then the way will open," Hamun says to the Enigma-Judge.

[Raven_Crowking]

The Imp is in real danger of being trampled to death; DC 15 Luck check to avoid.

When you assemble back before the hill....there is no apparent change.

[Ogrepuppy]

"I believe we only need to start from the proper place, and circle it seven times. Then the way will open," Hamun says to the Enigma-Judge.

"Hold, good Hamun--don't we need to wait for the sun to set, according to the riddle?"



[I wait until just a bit before sunset and cast Second Sight (using J Marr's Crawler Android app). The result was 25, which means I receive an ongoing sense of possible outcomes for the next hour. By concentrating, I can receive a sense of whether a future action--in this case, FACING the hill, at SUNDOWN--will be a bane or boon specifically in the sense of opening the thorn wall.]

[beermotor]

Hamun Ry shrugs. "You may be correct. Mulmo wasn't clear. Let's wait until the sun begins to set." Then he seems to have second thoughts. "Perhaps we should send the Thief up to scout around and take a look, while we wait? The thicket seems impenetrable from here, but ... looks could be deceiving."

[GnomeBoy]

"Suppose we need to turn back time to reveal the opening that is not there now -- perhaps we should thereby go counter-clockwise. I once visited an ancient church, that if you ran around it three time counter-clockwise, you were taken into days past..."

"Beyond that, with the horses running around the hill, we can just ride side-saddle to remain facing the hill. My horse is certainly trained for such things."

"Or, y'know, ride normally and just keep your head turned."

[Skyscraper]

The Imp is in real danger of being trampled to death; DC 15 Luck check to avoid.

Luck check 1d20 = 1

Thus endeth poor Rupert's days of adventuring. The boy's life expextancy had already been overreached, by all accounts. It is said that on the hillside, the half-dwarf, half-giant huntchback boy saw an angel in his last moment of life, and said "v'hello!", before passing away.

- I should have kept my last piece of bread, says the compassionate Maledict.

He then turns to the problem at hand.

- So, how can we both face hill and West (setting sun) if we run around the hill? At some point, the hill and setting sun will be in opposite directions for us. Hmmm. And what does "parting elf locks" mean? Maybe that's simply to say that the thorn trees will part to allow us entrance when we've done that running around properly. And yes, I would agree to repeat this exercise during the night, the vernal equinox, perhaps that is the solution.

[Stouthart]

"So, it sounds as if we should gather on the east side of this hill, facing west as the sun sets... correct? I feel that should be our starting point. Then start circling from there."




[OOC: Just adding this again so it's easier to reference:

Facing hill and setting sun,
Seven times around it run
Solstice, midsummer’s eve or equinox
Is the time to part elf locks.]

[Skyscraper]

"So, it sounds as if we should gather on the east side of this hill, facing west as the sun sets... correct? I feel that should be our starting point. Then start circling from there."

Maledict belches as he digests his copious breakfast after a long (and useless) galop.

- Yes, this sounds right. The start and end points should be the eastern slope, facing west. There the path to the Well of all Wells will be revealed to us after having circled the hill seven times at sunset.

OOC: is the venral equinox at a specific time during the night, e.g. midnight?

[Stouthart]

"It's settled then. We wait until sundown. If that doesn't work, send Travič forth."

Jep motions for his retainer, Kyeena, to help him off his horse. The mute cannibal nods assent and cups her hands to receive Jep's left boot as he dismounts. She easily lowers him to the ground despite his considerable weight.

[OOC: Jep picked up Kyeena while questing in the Emerald Jungles. Her savage tribe ambushed Jep as he was searching for the Bracer of Gorgon (which he failed to locate.) He slew the attackers, sparing Kyeena in exchange for 7 years of servitude. To seal the deal, Jep had her cut out her own tongue and eat it.]

[Raven_Crowking]

The vernal equinox is the day in spring when the length of the day and the length of the night are the same; i.e., a 12-hour day is followed by a 12-hour night. The autumnal equinox is the same, in autumn. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year; the winter solstice the longest night.

[Raven_Crowking]

Very well; sunset comes. What do you do?

[beermotor]

[Does the Engima-Judge's prayer give us any additional information?]

[Skyscraper]

- I suggest to start on the Eastern slope, facing West towards sunset and the hill, and galop around the slopes of the hill (starting North, for no particular reason) seven times, returning to the point where we started, still facing West. I believe that the entrance towards the Well of all Wells will then be revealed through the thorn trees. Shall we?

[Stouthart]

- I suggest to start on the Eastern slope, facing West towards sunset and the hill, and galop around the slopes of the hill (starting North, for no particular reason) seven times, returning to the point where we started, still facing West. I believe that the entrance towards the Well of all Wells will then be revealed through the thorn trees. Shall we?

"I agree. Kyeena my love, time to remount."

[Raven_Crowking]

Very well. You do the ride again, this time going counter-clockwise around the hill. When you assemble at the end of your ride, horses lathered, you can see the gates of the elf hill on the eastern side, going in to the west.

Revealed, the gates to the elf hill are fifteen feet across and twenty feet high, massive ornate doors made of cast bronze and fastened to a stone frame. Each door is cast with a tangled image of a massive tree, twining vines, and thousands of animal and faerie images – some cleverly hidden, and others immediately apparent.

Bears, squirrels, serpents, sprites, dryads, birds, nymphs, and fauns all cavort upon the bronze faces of the doors, along with countless other figures both natural and fey. There are runes written across the stone lintel over the door.