#these people think they're going to be able to access some magical disability care and support when they become disabled?

[practically-an-x-man]

What would your OCs think of Pyrrha? Either when she's more volatile after first defecting from the First Order, or after she's had more time to adapt to the real world and has started training as a medic?

Ooooh, good one! Pyrrha's a fun character! I mean, all of yours are fun, but... Pyrrha's definitely one of the more unique, and I love her. Let's see...

Rae: Is really no stranger to volatile people, so she'd be able to hold her own and might even be one of the first to start to push Pyrrha out of some of her old Order habits. And if they met once she'd adapted a little more, I think they'd get along well. Rae would be curious about her cybernetics, she'd probably be curious about Rae's mutation, it would be a mutual appreciation.

Robin: Honestly... I'm not sure. Robin's generally pretty easy to get along with (she's an empathetic person, and she's good at communicating with people since she's a performer), but Pyrrha's also a bit of a tough case. Robin would be friendly at first, and would definitely be accommodating towards Pyrrha's cybernetics/movement issues since she has disabilities of her own, but whether or not they'd actually become friends is more up to Pyrrha's reaction.

Madison: She's volatile herself, in her own way. She's not going to duck away from Pyrrha even if they met back when she first defected from the Order. She probably doesn't trust Pyrrha immediately, especially if she's seeking shelter at the X-Mansion (not out of anything personal, Madison's just really defensive of her home), but would end up being the first to stick up for her once they got to know each other a little better.

Ophelia: Takes one look at her, struggling to move with cybernetics that barely work, and basically goes, "Oh, honey, we need to fix this.". She gets Pyrrha into her lab- then notices how anxious she is to be back in a lab, and sets her up with snacks and blankets and a movie (and, most likely, Amadeus curled up on her lap) in an attempt to make her more comfortable. Then she gets to work, fixing up Pyrrha's cybernetics as well as she can.

Gia: Pyrrha's cybernetics are obviously a lot more advanced than Gia's modern-but-simple leg prosthetic, but she does offer a few tips she's learned for the scarring and friction points and things like that. Gia had access to actual medical care once she got out of HYDRA. Pyrrha... did not.

Jasper: Is more than a little intrigued at the sight of such advanced cybernetics, but the nursing side of their brain of course takes over before they even bother to ask questions. They offer Pyrrha some of the balm they use on Kyle's scars, to help ease the itching and irritation, and when they learn she's interested in medicine they offer to give her a bit of a crash course.

Kestrel: Is incredibly curious about her - they're a curious person by nature, effectively being a wildlife researcher for magical creatures, and both Pyrrha's cybernetics and her being an alien species intrigues them. They do also offer her a sandwich and a mild healing salve for the scars where her cybernetics meet her skin, but they're mostly focused on sketching her cybernetic limbs for their field notes.

Katherine: Is also initially curious, as she would be with encountering any alien or cyborg (curious but not necessarily afraid, since she's seen more than her share of strange things). Outwardly she's the perfect Southern hostess, offering Pyrrha tea and snacks and the TV remote, but once she leaves Katherine spends multiple hours poring the internet for research on space travel and bionic limbs.

Quinn: I think I've mentioned this a time or two, but her initial reaction is jealousy. She doesn't realize at first how much pain and difficulty Pyrrha has with her cybernetics, she just sees hyper-techy bionic limbs that give Pyrrha all the movement Quinn herself misses. As I've said before, that's a biased conclusion, and if they actually spoke a little more they'd realize how similar their situations really are, but... the ask said first impression.

Eris: Initially assumes Pyrrha's come to kill them - especially if they met back when she's still volatile, but even in her calmer times her appearance screams "living weapon". They'd probably start up a fight, but call it off when they see how much difficulty Pyrrha's having just moving around, and how utterly terrified she seems. Clearly she's not a weapon, because anyone who'd try to send an assassin after Eris would know to... well, pick a better assassin, for one.

Nikoletta: Actually completely understands having your bodily autonomy taken away from you by force, with everything she went through at the hands of STAR Labs, so it's honestly a rare glimpse of public emotion for Nik. And even rarer, she offers Pyrrha a hug - maybe because she genuinely feels like Pyrrha needs it, or maybe just because she sees herself in that situation and knows how badly she wanted someone to hold her back then, but it's a hug regardless.

#my friends!!! #answered asks #my ocs #ophelia octavius #jasper wilson #madison douglas #oc kestrel #oc quinn/aces #rae mckinney #gia pantazis #robin cassidy #oc eris #nikoletta bordeaux #oc katherine johnson

[etherealsign282]

I can agree with "people that don't work a day in their life still deserve food and shelter" while also agreeing with "until life can get to that point, being able bodied and simply choosing to mooch off of others and be a leech because you don't feel like it, when we all know how much it sucks trying to pay for stuff on our own *to begin with*, let alone when a grown person absolutely refuses to help out and thinks it's okay to expect to be taken care of at their grown age, is selfish and unreasonable. Not to mention taking away resources from the disabled, the poor, etc to try and live a comfortable life of having everyone cater toward you because you have a strict "no capitalism" lifestyle, is unethical and not to mention extremely ableist. And you're still indulging in capitalism, just under the facade of the billionaire lifestyle where you make the ones under your feet deal with it for you."

Like unless someone doesn't mind and can afford taking care of you, you still should be working and taking care of your necessities if you're able to. I agree that we shouldn't have to, for the bare necessities, but we live in a world where we do. At this point you're being so anti capitalist that you're actually just making a full circle and acting like every rich person who also doesn't want to deal with capitalism and is trying really hard to piggyback off of every resource and break as possible. You're the crab in the bucket pulling down all the other crabs until they can magically lift you up and take you with them.

"If someone doesn't want to work a day in their life, they still deserve food, water, shelter, everything else". Of course. But the people working to directly support their angry basement 30 year old Kyle friend, deserve those things too, and having someone like that piggybacking off of them and you going "yeah! Fuck capitalism!" Doesn't help a goddamn person in that situation. Being uwu positive about just not doing anything doesn't help any fucking body. You're not doing anything by stating what we deserve because unless you're saying it to the people in power, it's not going to change reality. It doesn't make disabled people feel accepted or better, when they see lazy kyles not do anything and can still afford to manipulate the world around them to help them, and they're struggling just to get food stamps and a disability card.

Everybody deserves food and shelter and everything else, but that's not the same thing as encouraging people to do nothing in a capitalistic world to "stick it to the man". Until the people in power are on board, the able bodied dickweeds are literally just taking away from everybody else and they know that's what they're doing, and that's why there's such a huge discourse from able bodied people to accept it and be okay with it. I'm not.

What if y'all were like "everybody deserves cake". You're watching some able bodied person eating chunks of the hungry, the poor, and the disabled people's slice, getting full from their leeching because everyone is more easily accessible to take from them than walking all the way to the end of the table- where the fat and full person took 75% of the cake and are giving out slices for a certain price. And y'all are just watching the people who either have to go walk all the way to the other side to pay for each granule, or can't move from their spot and are waiting for the fat man to push a small slice to them after begging for help for a month, seeing how they're trying their best to share but aren't nearly as full or as satisfied as the one going around to each person for more mouthfuls of the slices. Then looking at everybody else witnessing it, and going "if some don't want to walk to the other side of the table and put the money down for a piece then that's okay. Everyone deserves cake."

#capitalism #there is definitely an ethical way to consume under capitalism #and it's not taking away from your fellow poor friend under the guise that you're anti capitalist #you just care about yourself

[12pt-times-new-roman]

c3e53

DDB watch: No sponsor!

There is a sponsor from Honor Among Thieves, though, so take that as you will. The movie is, of course, being funded by Hasbro, and if I remember correctly, this movie could be more important to WotC than D&D Beyond sponsors. So I will personally be boycotting the movie, and if you care about WotC's OGL shenanigans at all, I would suggest you do the same. (Remember: pirating Hasbro products is a victimless crime!)

Chetney returns later in the night. "I didn't--" "It's okay." "I didn't mean--" "It's okay."

With a nat20 arcana check, Chetney remembers that Catha's influence has always been something he's fought to keep under control, but he has always been able to control it before. But because lycanthropy is classed as a curse, it's a magical effect, and it's amplified by the energy of the solstice, making it more difficult for Chetney to retain control.

"I enjoyed it! You were so alive! I shot you in face, multiple times!" Frida my beloved. This is such an interesting reaction for them to have, because who's to say that Aeormatons weren't programmed to be used as test subjects and punching bags?

"No, it's great! I just hold your fate in my hands, that's all." a dm always fulfills his threats

How has it taken me this long to realize that "Frida" sounds the same as "free to" when said with Frida's accent?

Deanna and Frida have lived in Uthodurn for about four years. They live in the house where Deanna's family used to live; they make money by selling Deanna's wares (knitting, mostly) and trading things from their expeditions.

The solstice is also messing with the ever-burning lanterns and enchanted lights that line the central streets of Uthodurn, making them very dim or non-functional.

Many businesses are closed, as well as the temple dedicated to the All-Hammer. The temple being closed is something that never happens.

Chetney sees Oltgar's Chest, where he used to work. It looks like it's expanded, and it has a second floor now. Also, Chetney stabbed Oltgar in the hand, in addition to stabbing someone in the knee.

They arrive at the Vellum Steeple, and there's no one at the front desk, but at a call, a dwarven man appears. Surface thoughts are that he -- along with everyone else in the Steeple -- is trying to figure out what's going on. They don't seem to know much about the solstice itself. They're frustrated to the point of not having time to deal with the Bells Hells right now, because the Steeple isn't technically open to the public right now.

There are 15 or so people inside the Steeple, and the one who seems to be in charge is an elven woman with a pompadour hairdo. This is the same person Matt described at the Steeple in a leadership position in C2E74 -- Scribewarden Ressia Uvessik (she/they).

According to her, the solstice is deeply diminishing divination magic specifically, including clairvoyance, augury, and scrying. Long-standing enchantments have been disabled, including teleportation circles. Inter-city contact is cut off. Given this description, I don't think it's specific to divination magic -- the lights and sending are both evocation magic, and teleportation circle is conjuration.

The Vellum Steeple has sent parties to the Dwendalian Empire and to Rosohna. This is super interesting to me, and is definitely an indicator of political relationships in the continent -- this means that Uthodurn, or at least the Cobalt Soul (which I believe oversees part of the Vellum Steeple) has a positive relationship with the Kryn Dynasty.

FCG/Ashton good cop/bad cop is out, FCG/Deanna good cop/bad cop is in

wait, FCG has access to 5th level spells! They can cast commune!

That dimming of magic affected everything. Uthodurn is facing an issue of escaped prisoners, whose magical binds were weakened enough for them to escape. Some long-standing enchantments of the like have been weakened -- Travis specifically mentions artifacts like the horn of Orcus, but guess fucking what? The same thing applies to the shackles of the Chained Oblivion!

Oh, the teleportation circles were shattered. They weren't just disabled for a time, they were broken. Which means, as per the spell, it will take a year to re-establish them.

Invisible, Chetney overhears quite a few things. People are trying to find the underlying source of the enchantments maintaining Uthodurn's lighting; the high priests of Uthodurn's temples are filled with anxiety and worship services have been cancelled; and a lot of people are just pouring through history that involves a mass loss of arcana.

A loud metallic clang reverberates throughout the city. The room pauses for a minute before going back to their work. This is the walls between discs slamming closed, bet your ass.

Chetney opens a double door and finds a research chamber. There are no people inside, but it's decorated like an office with bookshelves, glass trinkets, and a brass orrery. There are full maps of the city, as well as all of the mines that have expanded outward; ledgers and papers that speak of who originally created many of the city's enchantments; historical pages and scrolls that talk about mass dispelling events (though these have been small, usually localized, and city block-sized). There's a large map of Exandria, but otherwise, nothing that would indicate research beyond Uthodurn or Wildemount.

As she walks in, Chetney realizes that this is the Scribewarden's personal office. She is accompanied by two other people, both of whom she asks to research Ludinus Da'leth and the Cerberus Assembly. She downs a vial of dark brown liquid (possibly a potion of enhance ability, haste, or some other spell that would help their research).

Leaving the Vellum Steeple, the Bells Hells find that the gates between the discs have been closed. Royal guards and Glassblades both are surrounding the gate, with their back to it and pushing crowds away. Some are wounded and bloodied.

Through smaller gates in the wall, nobles, soldiers, and other anxiety and fear-filled people are filtering into the Liberation Disk from the Grand Disk. In the center of that group are the king and queen of Uthodurn, who look spooked and are trying to calm the crowd around them.

FCG's spell save is only 15?? what the fuck Sam?

Frida has a +11 perception, so one of their expertise skills is perception (4 prof + 3 wis + 4 expertise).

"Are we sealed in here?" "Yep! Because FCG decided to run in--" "We're going to prove our worth to the gods!" oh my god. oh my god. is this a self-fulfilling prophecy? is the exact thing that Talisein said during this week's 4SD about to come to pass?

On the other side of the wall, they see..... bodies. Civilians and guards alike. Most unmoving, all marred with slashes. Deanna saves a young royal guard. "What did this to you? "It was this... this fuckin' statue. The one they keep in the citadel. It just... came to life, started killing folks, we had to rush everyone out..."

Interesting note: bioluminescence still seems to function, since various types of flowers and fungus along the walls are still glowing.

Down the way, the Bells Hells see the shadow of a quadrupedal beast with a purplish, ruddy coloration to it. It looks ghostly and material at the same time, and the sounds it makes are as if it has hooved feet.

The guard notes that the statue had been decoration for a long time -- "a statue of one of the great beasts of the Veluthil."

The Veluthil is the former name of the Savalirwood. When Molaesmyr fell to ruin (about 300 years prior to C3), the surrounding forest was horribly corrupted; half of its majority-elven population fled to Bysaes Tyl, which was later assimilated by the Dwendalian Empire, and the other half fled to Uthodurn, where they were taken in and formed the diarchy. The Veluthil was renamed to the Savalirwood, after the elven word for guilt ("savalir").

Break time!

The citadel of Uthodurn looks like a crystal tornado, frozen in place, descending from the top of the 100-foot ceiling of the Grand Disk.

The beast is half material, half ethereal, held together with energy that glows like starlight. It's not actively stalking or rampaging -- it looks confused, like it's looking for something.

As a statue, it was kept on a pedestal in the throne room of the citadel.

Imogen approaches the throne room and sees the bull circling the pedestal where it sat. It isn't a beast or a humanoid; by opening her mind, Imogen senses a brain and an intelligence, but it's alien. It's emotion, not words. She senses anger, frustration, confusion, fear, and longing. It seems to be lost, sad, furious, working on bestial instincts.

Initiative!

Frida's brand of Aeormaton has the "Living Shield" racial ability, allowing them to use their reaction to impose disadvantage on an attack roll against a creature adjacent to them.

It's both a celestial and a beast, and just fails Fearne's charm.

FCG tries to speak to it after casting tongues on it. "If you can understand me, tell us where you want to go, and we can try to help you get there." "I don't know how I got here. I need to get home... to the forest. Where do I go? Where is home?" It doesn't speak with language or words -- it projects emotions that are interpreted into words.

Casting tongues on the creature itself is a fucking brilliant move. This way, everyone can understand it, and it can understand everyone.

Deanna reaches the plaque. It reads, "in memoriam of the fall of Molaesmyr."

So, what's the deal here? Was this thing petrified by people in Uthodurn? Did they find it already petrified by the corruption of the Savalirwood or Molaesmyr itself? If it was petrified by the elves of Molaesmyr, why? Did they need to get it out of the way in order to go forward with their experiments, and if so, is that why the forest was able to be corrupted in the first place? If so, was it Ludinus who ordered it?

The plaque being in elvish implies that it was not brought here by the dwarves;

Fearne's charm fades, but they had four animal handling checks over 20. "Show me where out is."

"Were you from another plane of existence? Do you know?" "I was from the forest. I was the sentinel beast, Umudara. Where is out?"

With a 29 persuasion check, Imogen gets the guards to open the siege gates. On the other side, there are hundreds of Glassblades and royal guards. Hitting the captain of the guard with calm emotions gets them out of the way of Umudara as he makes his way through.

The Bells Hells make their way up the Auger Trail, escorting Umudara out of the city.

"I don't sense it. Where?" "To the south. That way." "...thank you."

"How many of those things are imprisoned throughout Exandria? They can't-- it's not natural."

oh my god Chetney is still in the throne room, I repeat, Chetney is still in the throne room--

He carves his initials into the leg of one of the thrones, and looks for gems imbedded on them. "Oh, they are very well adorned--" "They ain't so well adorned now!"

The thrones are carved from a kind of tree that used to exist in the Veluthil. "It's a unique mixture of pale gray bark with deep maroon layer of bark, like hardened sap that wraps around that climbs up and twists around." Interestingly enough, this description is the same as the one Matt gave for the odd-looking trees that were near the Gorgynei village.

He also finds an engraving of the All-Hammer, and a switch on it opens the door behind the thrones, through which Chetney promptly goes. It descends beneath the disk in a long, curving tunnel, and eventually exits from the base of a massive statue of a tree near the entrance to the Grand Disk.

Udumara heads southward, alone, to find the Savalirwood (and possibly Molaesmyr). I really hope he gets to the Blooming Grove and gets to help the Clays fix the Savalirwood.

#critical role #critical role c3 #critical role campaign 3 #critical role spoilers #critical role liveblog #note watches c3 #long post