Out of Character (OOC) Thread

[Jerusha]

Hmm.   Darcy has ward cubes, but he doesn't know what they are or how to use them (I'm not sure rolling at a disadvantage would enable him to use them).  So a Hero point would be required for him to show them to one of the others and ask something like "Yo, do you happen to know what these are?"

[Evie]

Hmm.   Darcy has ward cubes, but he doesn't know what they are or how to use them (I'm not sure rolling at a disadvantage would enable him to use them).  So a Hero point would be required for him to show them to one of the others and ask something like "Yo, do you happen to know what these are?"

Nope, I considered that already, so that's why Aliset specifically mentions that even regular dice could be useful.  LOL!

[Jerusha]

So I could do an advantage roll (Darcy has that lovely memory) to see if he remembers the funny cubes in his sea bag,  and if he still fails, use the hero point?  (Though I agree with Laurna, I'd kind of like to not use it for this.)

Correction, that would be 2 dice but I succeed on a 4, 5, or 6.

[Evie]

My thought is that if Darcy remembers he has "dice," then Aliset, Wash, or even Columcil would quickly pick up on the fact they aren't ordinary dice the moment they touch them.  Wash probably has the most training in how to use them, but if he doesn't succeed, then Aliset or Columcil could try.  Aliset is pretty tired by now (though she might try a surreptitious fatigue banishing spell again if it doesn't look like we'll be heading to our beds anytime soon, or another Deryni could offer to do that for her).

[Jerusha]

Unfortunately, if Darcy remembers he has those funny dice, they are in his sea bag, which is back with the horses at the church.

Unless Father Columcil happened to dart in the stables as he was chasing after Aliset, grabbed the bag, and brought it with him.

"Oh by the way, my Son, I brought this along just in case you might need it."  I think that might cost a lot of hero points! 

[revanne]

Columcil could use them. I'm thinking of that bit in The King's Justice when Ciard gives Kelson the rings he has taken from Loris and Goronwy and says something along the lines of "I wouldna touch these unless I was well-warded". I can't remember how the rest of the conversation goes but the implication is that warding is part of those unexplained Borders skills.

[revanne]

Sorry the good Father was too worried about distressed horses and missing maidens in disguise to bother about lost property.

[Evie]

Ok. I guess someone could roll for Wash to see if he happens to have his on him at the moment (which leaves open the possibility he owns some but they're not with him just now, if the roll fails). I think that should fall under fair use for his character, especially as Laurna has given permission for us to use him in her absence, though I'm at lunch and only able to access the internet via phone at the moment, so maybe someone else could give it a go. Or another idea would be to make it back to the church using similar concealment to what Aliset used to cloak the party during their travels, but she is possibly too fatigued to do it just now, so that might need to be remedied first. Or maybe Wash knows a similar but different diversion? He didn't seem to know how Aliset was doing that cloaking earlier, so that's why I don't suggest him doing the exact same thing.

[Evie]

Columcil could use them. I'm thinking of that bit in The King's Justice when Ciard gives Kelson the rings he has taken from Loris and Goronwy and says something along the lines of "I wouldna touch these unless I was well-warded". I can't remember how the rest of the conversation goes but the implication is that warding is part of those unexplained Borders skills.

Good point. And if the roll fails, that could be explained by the Border folk having other ways of warding things that don't necessarily involve Ward Cubes, so maybe they are too unfamiliar a type of warding for him to work out. Or since Ward Cubes attune themselves to their user over time, it could be that someone who hasn't used those particular cubes before might have more of a problem using them at first, and might fail their first attempts. Lots of ways to explain a failure roll. But this also leaves open the possibility of creating a Border-specific method of warding without needing Ward Cubes.

[Bynw]

I firmly believe that Deryni and Deryni-like (aka Border folk) can Ward without Wards Major (aka Ward Cubes). It's harder to do and not as powerful as using the Cubes which contain abit of their own power. But it is possible, and useful if having Wards Major is difficult to explain or dangerous to possess. Or just simply not available.

[Jerusha]

I can roll for Washburn, but if it fails, it fails (no hero point, but we have other options).  I'll post the results here.

2 dice, 2 + 2 = 4.  Verification number 565s83271f.  Sigh....

[Evie]

I can roll for Washburn, but if it fails, it fails (no hero point, but we have other options).  I'll post the results here.

Sounds good. I strongly suggest the roll just be for whether he has them on his person at the moment, so that Laurna can still roll later for whether Wash has any with him on this trip at all if that dice roll ends up failing, since you never know when having a set of Ward Cubes with us (that we actually know about) might come in handy later.  For that matter, Aliset's book of family spells probably contains a basic Ward Cube activation spell in it, or she might happen to know how to do that off the top of her head, so any one of us could whittle a set of wooden cubes for her to activate at some later time.

[Jerusha]

Results posted above and again here:  2 dice, 2 + 2 = 4.  Verification number 565s83271f.  Sigh....

We appear to be on an unfortunate roll.  Maybe that amulet is influencing us?

[Evie]

Yeah, it seems that way!  Dratted nuisance, it is!    I've had an idea for how we might get around the lack of Ward Cubes to create a similar effect (assuming the dice roll succeeds...grrr!), using "an old Border method" (which may or may not actually be an old Border method, but our prisoner needn't know that!), but don't have time at the moment to roll for it and write it up, so I will leave that idea unexplored for now.  Perhaps if Anne gets a free moment, Columcil can come up with some cunning plan.  Otherwise, I think I can come up with something that might work, hopefully even without completely blowing Aliset's cover.

[Evie]

OK, I finally got a chance to write the scene based on my idea.  And I found this interesting paragraph I'll leave here, which may spark some similar ideas for use of Borderer folk magic that could have some cross-applications with regular Deryni magic:

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunwise

"Some of the poorer sort of people in the Western Isles retain the custom of performing these circles sunwise about the persons of their benefactors three times, when they bless them, and wish good success to all their enterprises. Some are very careful when they set out to sea, that the boat be first rowed sunwise, and if this be neglected, they are afraid their voyage may prove unfortunate. I had this ceremony paid me when in Islay by a poor woman, after I had given her an alms. I desired her to let alone that compliment, for that I did not care for it; but she insisted to make these three ordinary turns, and then prayed that God and MacCharmaig, the patron saint of the island, might bless and prosper me in all my affairs. When a Gael goes to drink out of a consecrated fountain, he approaches it by going round the place from east to west, and at funerals, the procession observes the same direction in drawing near the grave. Hence also is derived the old custom of describing sunwise a circle, with a burning brand, about houses, cattle, corn and corn-fields, to prevent their being burnt or in any way injured by evil spirits, or by witchcraft. The fiery circle was also made around women, as soon as possible after parturition, and also around newly-born babes. These circles were, in later times, described by midwives, and were described effectual against the intrusion of 'daoine-sìth' or 'sìthichean', who were particularly on the alert in times of childhood, and not infrequently carried infants away, according to vulgar legends, and restored them afterwards, but sadly altered in features and personal appearance. Infants stolen by fairies are said to have voracious appetites, constantly craving for food. In this case it was usual for those who believed their children had been taken away, to dig a grave in the fields on quarter-day and there to lay the fairy skeleton till next morning, at which time the parents went to the place, where they doubted not to find their own child in place of the skeleton."