78 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
78 lines
4.2 KiB
Markdown
## Chapter Summary
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Omta is extremely conflicted about the PCs. On one hand, they are
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deck-touched, which means they have a certain bond with Omta. On the
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other hand, the PCs have agreed to work with Tymora, and Omta is
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terrified of Tymora. So in this chapter, Omta erects barriers that
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prevent the PCs from getting too close to the Deck, but he also makes
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overtures to communicate with the PCs. He will lower the barriers when
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he is confident that the PCs understand his point of view. This chapter
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is all about building trust.
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When the PCs arrive back at the remains of Castle Green, all that
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remains is the basement. Omta has created two lines of defense: first,
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he has turned the basement into a complicated labyrinth where movement
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is only feasible with Omta’s permission. Second, he has walled off the
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Deck behind an impenetrable steel door.
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When the PCs enter the labyrinth, they find it confusing and impossible
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to get anywhere. But they also feel a presence in the back of their
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minds, trying to communicate with them. This is Omta’s first attempt at
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communication, using the telepathic bond they share. At this stage, all
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the PCs have to do is make an effort, trying to talk to Omta. It doesn’t
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matter *how* they try to communicate, or how successful they are, as
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long as they make an effort. Once the PCs show that they care about
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establishing contact, Omta will start helping the PCs to navigate the
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labyrinth: he will take them where they want to go, if they just say
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where they want to go.
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Once the PCs can navigate the labyrinth, they will start finding Green’s
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employees scattered about the labyrinth. An important side quest is
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helping Green’s employees get out of the labyrinth, one by one. It can
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be quite gratifying to get everybody out safe and sound - with the sole
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exception of Green and his bodyguards, who are trapped behind the steel
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door.
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Eventually, the PCs will reach the steel door. By this time, Omta will
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be dissatisfied with his efforts at communication so far. The telepathic
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bond is allowing him to send vague impressions and emotions, but it’s
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bad at sending detailed information. So Omta comes up with Plan B: if
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telepathic communication isn’t working, then we can try writing! He
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conjures six parchment scrolls, and drops them at the PCs feet. Then, he
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adds six pigeonholes to the door. After the PCs decipher a scroll, they
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can put the deciphered scroll into a pigeonhole. When all six scrolls
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are deciphered, the door will open.
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The scrolls contain a strange form of writing: each scroll contains
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several cards from the deck, arranged in little groups. The Deck is
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using cards as a form of symbolism. Each card has a symbolic meaning.
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The PCs have collectively drawn many cards. They automatically know the
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symbolic meanings of any cards that they have drawn. But there are also
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many cards on the scrolls that the PCs *didn’t* draw, and they may have
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no idea what *those* cards mean.
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To learn the symbolic meanings of *those* cards, the PCs will have to
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talk to NPCs who drew those particular cards. This becomes the main
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quest of this chapter: tracking down NPCs who drew particular cards.
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Unfortunately, talking to those NPCs is not always easy. For example,
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one of these NPCs has been transformed into a rampaging beast. Another
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has been put into a coma. Figuring out how to get useful information
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from NPCs who have been drastically warped by the deck can be a
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difficult challenge.
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Talking to those NPCs, the PCs will discover that many of them are in
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crisis. The Deck has turned their lives upside down, for good or for
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bad. Many of them need help. The PCs have the opportunity here to build
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relationships that will end up paying off in later chapters, when these
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NPCs may become powerful allies with deck-granted powers.
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When the PCs finally know the symbolic meanings of all the cards, they
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will be able to decipher all the scrolls. This allows them to open the
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door, which leads to Omta’s hiding place. The PCs can then have a true
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conversation with Omta for the first time. When the conversation is
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over, the PCs are returned to Castle Green. There is no longer a steel
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barrier preventing access to Green and the Deck. The PCs can go talk to
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Green, and can negotiate to buy the Deck.
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