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Initially, Valorian wanted nothing to do with this horseshoe business, but now he is agitated that Halak somewhat pushed him aside.
"I'll show him who is the horseshoe pitching champion. I should at least get a by, if not just sit aside and wait for the final challenger. It is ridiculous that I have to qualify with the rest of this rabble."
After watching a few throws, "Ooh, it appears that my companions have some skill after all."
Toss #1:
Looking very displeased with his first toss, Valorian kicks some dirt and adjusts his feet.
Toss #2:
Valorian smiles a bit, feeling like he is getting the range. "Oh, so close. This last one is sure to fly true."
Toss #3:
With a deep, boisterous laugh...
"Hahahaha! That's right boys, Valorian has come to defend his title. In Bellis we call that a ringer."
Moira looks a little baffled, but mostly intrigued by the turn of events. She carefully looks Asharii up and down, the wheels in her head turning. Then, she simply laughs. ”Well, it would simply be doing a courtesy, getting to know our visitor better, wouldn’t it Marcus? I know where Revas keeps the good stuff.” She waits until Revas is distracted, and then ducks behind the bar. She comes back with a heavy dark glass bottle, and smiles seductively at her friends. ”Let’s go find somewhere quiet, shall we? I know of a spot behind the chapel that would be perfect!” She heads in that direction, her skirts swaying.
Lumi cringes a little at Drezi’s jokes, but smiles gently at him anyway. ”Let’s go to the rose garden. There’s a lot of quiet benches there.”[b] She leads Drezi into the rose garden until the sounds of the horseshoe tournament and happy people is diminished by the thick hedges. She spreads out a small checkered cloth on one of the benches and cuts up the pumpkin bread, serving it with cream cheese. Drezi rapidly realizes that while the small loaf of bread looks humble, it is in fact absolutely delicious.
[b]”There’s not a lot to tell, I suppose. Tenzekil has always been interested in me, but I wasn’t ever interested in his affections. He’s really not a bad sort, and was plenty nice to me. I had nothing against him. However, two years ago Tenzekil lost the annual honey-harvesting competition to Elyin, even though he was the undisputed champion for years before that. That’s when he started bleaching. It’s what happens when gnomes stop enjoying life. We lose our connection to the first world and, and, all the color goes away.” Lumi squeaks out breathlessly. ”But Tenzekil hasn’t been the same ever since, I mean, how can you? Most gnomes don’t even survive. He’s mostly kept to himself more and more. I don’t think anyone really expected him to come today. “
Halak breaks into a grin at Oggie’s comment. ”You good man.” he says emphatically, pulling out a heavy leather coin pouch and opening it for Oggie to toss his prize in. Oggie can see the gleam of gold inside. ”Ok everybody! Big prize of twenty-six gold pieces! Oh, and potion too. See if you can beat the champ Valorian! And other new peoples. Yeah!” Halak bellows out at the crowd.
The crowd watches as Swift Wind gets a horseshoe that just touches the stob but doesn’t catch, and then they cheer when he gets a ringer. He catches his foot on the last throw, however, tossing the horseshoe only a few armlengths. Oggie’s three throws, starting with a ringer, are met with a shout, which turns to an “aww” when Halak measures, and the second throw was not quite close enough to be counted. There are a lot of whispers in the crowd when Valorian steps up, and he does not disappoint with the ringer on his last throw.
Several of the Bellis locals, not about to be shown up by crowd of visitors (one who didn’t even know what the game was, had he been raised under a rock?) step up to the pit.
Fayette Tount (clr 6) Attack +7
James Karindel (rng 7) Attack +11, Crit 17-20
Ulfas Blust (exp 5) Attack +3, Crit 20
The first to step up is one of Elyin’s friends, the ranger with the feathered token. Halak writes down “James Karindel” on his board of pegs. He walks to the line, tests the air, and then pitches intently. He scores a ringer on his first hit, and his next two all land right next to the stob. He grins, and winks to the crowd who all cheer wildly.
Next, Ulfas Blust, the gentleman who did not successfully win Moira’s dessert, trundles in. ”Ho, probably going to make a fool of myself!” He says with a grin. He pitches, missing horrendously on his first two, but getting a lucky throw on his last. "Hey hey! I got one! I got one!"
Last, to the surprise of the crowd, comes a tall middle-aged woman wearing a horned tiara. She has a bow across her back, which she hands over to a friend, and then hikes up her simple skirt. Halak writes down “High Priestess” on his board to which she laughs. “I have a name, Halak. I’m just another player!” He scrubs away the chalk to write “Fayette Tount”. The crowd claps for her, and she throws her horseshoes. All three land at some distance away and the crowd groans. She laughs again. "Looks like I'm not nearly as good at this as when I was young! I'm out of practice."
Halak tallies up the scores:
Halak: 1
Swift Wind: 4
Oggie: 4
Valorian: 4
James: 5
Ulfas: 1
Fayette: 0
"Looks like very clear. Four man tournament, okay?" Halak flips a coin to see what the pairings are.
"Oggie versus James. Valorian versus Swift Wind."
The ever popular game of horseshoes entertains citizens from all walks of life in Bellis. Both competitors receive three horseshoes to pitch, scoring points if they land within six inches of an iron stob approximately 30 feet away. The first thrower to reach 15 points wins the match. Throwers determine whose horseshoes come closest by making ranged attacks against AC 20. Treat a horseshoe as a simple ranged weapon with a range increment of 30. Feats like point blank shot apply as per normal. A “ringer” results on a critical hit (usually a natural 20) and awards 3 points. For the purposes of the game, however, a thrower increases his horseshoe's critical threat range by his Dex modifier. Thus, a thrower with a +1 Dex modifier may score a “ringer” on a natural roll of 19-20, and so on.
If no “ringers” are scored, the thrower with the overall highest result hitting AC 20 has the closest horseshoe to the stob, which awards them 1 point. A thrower may score points with multiple horseshoes if each of them come closer to the stob than his opponent's (i.e., multiple attack rolls hit AC 20 and exceed all of the opponent's results). Identical results from differing opponents cancel each other, awarding no points for those particular horseshoes. Once all points are tallied from each of the thrower's three horseshoes, the next round begins.
James salutes to Oggie when he takes his place opposite the Galtan. The crowd cheers both of them on.
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Drezi takes a bit of a piece of the pumpkin bread coated with an ample portion of cream cheese and savors it for a few moments then swallows. Drezi's eyes widen and he exclaims,
"Of course you know this already Lumi; this bread is absolutely amazing. I must serve it at my concert hall in Absalom. Can you have the recipe sent to the Grand Lodge? What was that ring Tenzekil threw? "
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Valorian is visibly disappointed with his tosses and grumbles after each round.
After the third round with no ringers, he turns to Shanks who is sitting almost at attention nearby observing the event. Kneeing and scratching the mutt behind the ear...
"Well, ol' boy, looks like today ain't my day. This plainsman has great skill. We should have stuck to the trees."
With a tilt of the head and a muffled whimper, the dog looks back as if commiserating with Valorian on what is shaping up to be his defeat.
Oggie and James's match is the first to be played out. James carries a smile of confidence from his high scores in the Preliminary round quickly disappear. He is plagued by string after string of bad throws. Oggie, on the other hand, scores ringer after ringer, reaching 15 point by the end of round 5.
Swift Wind and Valorian's match is not as decisive. At the end of round 5, Swift Wind sits on 13 points, and Valorian is at 6.
Swift Wind and Valorian's match is a bit more complicated:
Round 1: SW+3
Round 2: SW +3
Round 3: No ringers, SW has the closest shoe +1
Round 4: SW +3
Round 5: SW +3, V +6
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Round 6
Round 7
Visibly disappointed, Valorian, gives Swift Wind a heavy slap on the shoulder.
"Well done, my friend, well done. You do your people's proud. Now that this foolishness is over, I must return to the task at hand. The fey are devious creatures and this distraction may have provided just the opportunity to..."
Valorian's voice fades as something seems to have caught his attention. His eyes dart about peering into the treeline. Shanks follows as he re-enters the treeline north of the glade, soon disappearing into the foliage.
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Oggie nods to Swift Wind and steps up to pitch.
Round 1
- Ringer
Round 2
- Ringer
Round 3
Round 4
- Ringer
- Ringer
Round 5
As Oggie waits for Swift Wind to pitch he scans the forest attempting to find what drew Valorian's attention.
Seeing nothing Oggie continues to cheer on Swift Wind's throws.
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After a few minutes, Valorian wanders back into the glade, mumbling to himself and talking to Shanks.
"I know I saw something. You saw it didn't you? Those fey truly are devious. I think they are trying to deceive me into questioning my sanity. Haha. My mind is sharp as a bear's claw, aah boy. What do you think?"
Valorian pauses, as if waiting for Shanks to respond. The dog does look at the woodsman as if listening intently what he is saying and tilts its head.
"Yeah, me too boy. For now, I'll stay in the glade. No reason to separate from those we are meant to protect. But keep alert. No telling when those nasty fey will spring upon us."
The crowd leans in after five rounds by Oggie and Swift Wind. The tension is thick in the air. Oggie stands at 12 points, and Swift Wind is at 9. The competition could be close, depending on throws!
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Swift Wind seems extremely impressed by Oggie's initial throws, and then steps up to do his next few throws.
After the deciding round, Swift Wind claps Oggie on the back. "You are quite good at this it seems." Swift Wind grins slightly as he continues, "Perhaps you will need less protection than the others here with us."
Halak claps both Swift Wind and Oggie heartily on the back. The crowds of people cheer wildly, and Halak looks as pleased as could be. He presents Oggie a leather bag and a small flask. "Oggie great horseshoe champion! Bring great honor to wedding."
As the Horseshoe competition wraps up, people turn their attention towards the chapel. A sudden swell of music announces the bride and groom’s approach. Kailah and Elyin emerge from the chapel of Shelyn with the priestess Viviana by their side. Bridesmaids and musicians follow behind. Guests immediately gather in the amphitheater at the center of the grove. Once the procession reaches the gazebo, Viviana announces a song about unexpected love from Shelyn’s Melodies of Inner Beauty. She nods briefly to the musicians for accompaniment and starts to sing. The wedding guests all start to migrate towards the area, some grabbing seats, but most standing to get a view of the proceedings.
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After the deciding round, Swift Wind claps Oggie on the back. "You are quite good at this it seems." Swift Wind grins slightly as he continues, "Perhaps you will need less protection than the others here with us."
Oggie smiles as he replies to Swift Wind, "For a first time player you pitched a damn fine game."
Halak claps both Swift Wind and Oggie heartily on the back. The crowds of people cheer wildly, and Halak looks as pleased as could be. He presents Oggie a leather bag and a small flask. "Oggie great horseshoe champion! Bring great honor to wedding."
Oggie has a huge grin as holds up the bag with the prize money above his head.
As he lowers it he gestures that he has something to say, "Thanks y'all but before we started this I made some promises."
"I said that whichever one of you scored the highest I'd give a gold piece to."
Oggie opens the bag and pulls out a gold piece.
" Since that person was Swift Wind, this here belongs to him."
Oggie hands Swift Wind the coin.
" I also said that I would make a donation in all of your names to the brides dowry."
" No I ain't one for countin' large numbers but it looks to me that the other 25 gold in this bag would cover that promise. So this here is now a gift from all of you to the lucky couple."
Oggie tosses the bag to one of the wedding party.
As the people turn their attention towards the chapel Oggie turns back to Swift Wind, "Thanks for that vote of confidence brother. I know that I ain't had my head on straight the past few days. Razmirians and I have a history. They killed a bunch of good people that I grew up with and being teamed with Johkas has gotten to me. I'm back in the game so let's see if we can protect ourselves the rest of the team until we get through this here mission."
As Oggie turns towards the chappel he tucks the potion into his belt pouch.
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Lumi shrugs at the ring. "I guess Tenzekil was planning on professing his love to me. That would certainly explain why he was so upset." She looks at it awkwardly. "I feel really bad for him. Perhaps after the wedding I will have a chance to return this to him and hopefully make amends." She hops down from the bench and neatly ties up the rest of the bread in her polka-dot napkin. She hands it to Drezi with a smile, and takes his hand. "Let's go enjoy ourselves for the rest of the wedding, shall we? After the ceremony there will be food and dancing!She leads him out of the garden to the edge of the chapel.
Moira is very giggly from the sips of hard apple cider, the bottle of which is quite a bit stronger than the regular stuff. She perks up at the sound of Vivianna singing. "Hehe, Ashie, want to go see the ceremony? We can go scandalize everyone!" She emphasizes her point by pulling her bodice even lower and pushing up her bosom. "Oooooooor, we can just stay here! Hehehehehe." She leans over and kisses Marcus on the cheek, who appears to be quite content to follow the two wild women wherever they want to go.
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"Vivianna's clarion call is beautiful!" Asharii looks intrigued by the priestess' song - her mouth slowly curls in a toothy smile revealing her serrated teeth. She tears at her gown, slides her hand up her back under the gown loosening her corset with ease. Asharii's chest heaves for air, finally able to draw in air with a semblance of ease "Her song will make a fine backdrop..."
Asharii mirrors Moira pulling down at her corset. With a primal purr she leans in over Marcus' other side nibbling at his earloaf, first softly, then hard enough to draw a single droplet of blood which she gently licks from his ear.
Asharii looks Moira in the eyes, "lets just stay and enjoy what we have here" she then kisses Marcus on the corner of his mouth and lets her hand rest on Moira's.
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During the ceremony, Swift Wind takes the opportunity to sneak away and write a note in the chapel. He slips the note underneath the door to the back room, hoping that only Vivianna will see it.
Note Contents:
Our talk in the Chapel of Shelyn was quite enlightening about the gods of the southern part of the world. I wish that I had more time to tour the location with you, but there just wasn't enough time during the wedding festivities. I noticed that you might've been anxious about your new duties as the curator of this town's chapel. When I joined the Pathfinders, it was much the same with me. However a friend of mine helped me through the time and has been quite a good contact ever since. He also is a friend to many across Golarion, helping them in time of need. His name is Grandmaster Torch, and if you'd like to meet him or have me bring your regards back to Absalom for you, I would be more than happy.
Thank you, and I hope to be able to spend more time with you later.
Qaletaka, Swift Wind
In mid-song, Viviana suddenly stops and gasps in pain, swatting a bee on her forearm. A low, booming buzz then erupts from the treeline behind her as thousands more bees rise into the air. The roiling mass of insects heads straight into the gathered crowd, eliciting screams of terror.
<<Map: Wedding Festival Combat Start>>
about half the people and proves more secure than any other choice. The nearby creek offers the fastest means of avoiding the swarm, but proves too shallow to save very many. Lastly, the heavy canvas of the feast tent also offers some measure of safety if collapsed and held down to keep the bees out.
Valorian (+2 Terrain)
Swift Wind (+2 Terrain)
Jokhas
Oggie
Drezi
Asharii
Bees
Shanks (+2 Terrain)
Eagle (+2 Terrain)
Surprise Round Order(Act if you made your perception check):
Valorian
Bees
Jokhas
Eagle
Swift Wind
Shanks
Oggie
Drezi
Asharii
Wedding Guests
The bees swarm in from the woods, rolling into the wedding guests and stinging them. The guests run wildly in all directions, screaming and panicked. Elyin attempts to call out, but is stifled when bees fly into his face.
EDIT: Added the Animal Companions to the initiative!
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Swift Wind seems befuddled by the swarm that has come to attack the townsfolk. I need to protect those townsfolk from this attack. They need to get into this Chapel now!
Swift Wind whistles at Eagle, and then yells out to the townsfolk "Get into the Chapel now! You'll be protected from this attack! Jokhas, collapse that tent and get some people inside!"
While yelling to his companions about the attack, he picks up some dirt from the ground and then whispers some words to himself as he sprinkles the dirt over his body. When finished with this ritual he opens the door behind him, hoping that the townsfolk will listen to him.
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Drezi is thoroughly distracted by Lumi's comments during the ceremony and misses the first moments of action. "You are right Lumi, she does sing like a bir-OW Did I just get stung by a bee?" A bee? Didn't Lumi say that little rahat Tenzekil kept bees?
With a flourish he unleashes a roiling ball of water upon the nearest swarm and rushes with Lumi behind the hedge.
Aqueous Orb
School conjuration (creation) [water]; Level druid 3, sorcerer/wizard 3, summoner 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a drop of water and a glass bead)
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Effect 10-ft.-diameter sphere
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex negates; Spell Resistance no
You create a rolling sphere of churning water that can engulf those it strikes. The aqueous orb can move up to 30 feet per round, rolling over barriers less than 10 feet tall. It automatically quenches any nonmagical fires and functions as dispel magic against magical fires as long as those fires are size Large or less.
Any creature in the path of the aqueous orb takes 2d6 points of nonlethal damage. A successful Reflex save negates this damage, but a large or smaller creature that fails its save must make a second save or be engulfed by the aqueous orb and carried along with it. Engulfed creatures are immersed in water and must hold their breath unless capable of breathing water. They gain cover against attacks from outside the aqueous orb but are considered entangled by its churning currents, takes 2d6 points of nonlethal damage at the beginning of their turn each round they remain trapped. Creatures within the orb may attempt a new Reflex save each round to escape into a random square adjacent to the aqueous orb. The orb may hold one Large creature, 4 Medium, or 16 Small or smaller creatures within it.
The sphere moves as long as you actively direct it (a move action for you); otherwise, it merely stays at rest and churns in place. An aqueous orb stops if it moves outside the spell's range.
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After spending a delightful half hour eating chocolate and coaxing Sara Lynn into overcoming her shyness.
"Ah, anyone can hide behind a mask, my dear, but it is a great individual who shines despite it. This dessert, for instance, sings your praises even if muted by a facade of shyness. You have much to be proud of and little reason to hide it. I, too, lacked the extroversion to take advantage of my talents until met Razmir, and He..." He goes on, naturally.
So rich are the dessert and his casual sermon that Jokhas and Sara Lynn only finish in time to join the very back of the ceremony. They listen politely as he turns over various lines for later use in his toast.
Shelyn deigns to favor her worshipers only in times of happiness. This wedding is a happy occasion, and I offer my praise to those who made it happen and even more to the honored bride and groom. As those here married know, for every three laughs there will be one furrowed brow; for every happy occasion there may be an accident. It is the strength of our devotion to each other that sees us through - that, and our faith in one who blesses us in our happiness and shelters us in the case of misfortune. To the couple and this congregation, I offer Razmir's blessings. May He watch over us all and...
Yes, this is good. I should write this down, he thinks as he fishes out a piece of paper. At that point the singing chokes to a stop and bees descend.
More the domain of Calistria, wouldn't you say, Shelyn? Go on, goddesses, fight your battles and scar your followers.
Jokhas stands tall and calls out "Razmir protects us this day!" before pulling on his mask (swift action) and uttering an invocation of destructive salvation. As he announces his god's presence in protecting the innocent, a clap of thunder explodes above the crowd and strikes one of the swarms.
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On the following round (as I'll be out all day), Jokhas tries to calm the crowd, get its attention, and start directing them away from the gazebo. He looks around for his partners in Pathfinding.
The familiar will turn invisible, gain some altitude, and scan around for anyone who is either not panicking or is attacking along with the swarms.
Forgot to mention: masses of people do count as difficult terrain.
Lastly, I realized I had a brain fart. The lovely bridesmaids you're hanging out with probably would have wanted to be standing next to the bride in the wedding party. Har har. Just recall that they were all about to hustle into position before the chaos broke out :-)
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Perception Check:
Knowledge(nature):
Survival:
Surprise Round:
To Shanks, "Guard!" Handle Animal: auto-success
Loudly, "An angry swarm of insects! The fey are tricky my friends. Your weapons are useless against this threat. We need fire, and lots of it!"
Valorian moves to G14 and prepares to recover Alchemist's Fire from his backpack.
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Asharii remains oblivious to the arrival of the bee swarm. She turns to kiss Moira, and realizes she is preoccupied. At that moment Jokhas' spells go off.
That is the sound of trouble. Maybe I should stay here with Moira and "confort" her. Looking at Moira's and Marcus' worried expressions Asharii concludes that the moment for Lust has gone and it is now the time for Wrath. "Moira... stay here by the water and look out for Marcus!"
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Oggie turns at the sound of the bees.
Rapidly assessing the danger the crowd is facing he yells out, his strong commanding voice easily carrying over the crowd "Get yourselves into the tent and the chapel. We can take care of these bees once you are safe."
Standard action to move the crowd to safety and let them know we have this covered.
5 foot step to H-14
And that's it since it is a surprise round.
Round Order:
Valorian
Bees
Eagle
Swift Wind
Jokhas
Shanks
Oggie
Drezi
Asharii
Wedding Guests
Surprise Round:
Valorian moves out of the trees just as the bees swarm over the wedding party and guests. Jokhas Stands tall from within the crowds of people and blasts the bees with thunder and lightning. The power of Razmir arcs through the insects, and the dead bees rain down from the sky. The swarm seems utterly destroyed. The clap of thunder stuns the second swarm. Oggie calls out to the wedding guests, his strong voice carrying over the din of battle. Panicked guests run wildly, but some of them hear Oggie’s voice and look to him for direction.
Bees 1 fort vs sound burst
Damage
Bees 1 HP: -1
Round 1:
The first swarm defeated, Valorian throws an alchemist’s fire right into the second, the hit easy because of the stunned state of the swarm. The eagle swoops down and gobbles some bees. Swift Wind throws open the chapel door. Johkas and Oggie both call out, urging the wedding guests to safety. Drezi throws out his spell, and the bees ALMOST manage to dodge it, but then get entrapped by the water. Three of the wedding guests also get engulfed by the orb. Asharii comes running out of nowhere, her dress completely askew. A giant blast of fire explodes above the aqueous orb, but the water covers and protects those inside somewhat. While many of the bees are dead, a few still stubbornly cling to life inside of the orb. However, having already been stung, the three wedding guests inside the aqueous orb all pass out from the roiling waters. The masses of wedding guests stream towards the safety of the chapel and the tent. Vivianna, seeing the unconscious townsfolk, bravely stands her ground and channels, healing everyone within 30 ft for 5hp.
Aqueous orb damage
Bees 1 reflex vs fireball
Channel
Bees 1 HP: -32
<<Map: Wedding Festival Combat Round 2>>
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"Get inside, get inside! The Chapel will protect you from what is attacking the village." After this Swift Wind surveys the scene to see if he needs to direct more people, and then attempts to yell out at Jokhas or Asharii, "If the tent runs out of room, you can hide them in the water!"
Finally, Swift Wind whistles to Eagle to back off.
Directing the Crowd:
The wedding guests are thoroughly panicked, and difficult to direct in combat. You may spend a full round action to convince the crowd to move in a particular direction via diplomacy. Alternatively, you can simply call out commands to the guests, spending only a swift action to intimidate them. While faster, barking out orders to an untrained mob might not be as effective :-)
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Drezi loudly exclaims,
"You have gifted me with this fate os curte căţea, now help me find the source of this chaos"
Drezi extends his index finger, quickly draws Pharasma's spiral on his chest, then flattens out his hand and pulls upon the power of his destined blood. He then scans the area to see who the source of these swarms is.
os curte căţea = Boneyard B!~*@
He allows the Aqueous orb to stay in the same location, roiling in place
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Seeing the powerful spells his companions employ vs. his nearly insignificant attempts with Alchemist's Fire, Valorian turns his attention to the forest. He draws his bow and nocks a cold iron arrow.
Speaking out loud, but somewhat mumbling, "With such a large, blooming rose garden, why would these insects attack so viciously? Fey trickery, I say"
"With such a large, blooming rose garden, why would these insects attack so viciously? Fey trickery, I say"
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Asharii returns to Moira and Marcus' side (M5) and removes her skirts without modesty, thoughtlessly tearing at its fabric.
She suddenly pauses for a brief moment looking up at the young couple. "Now, now. No staring at the lady while she undresses, Marcus!" Asharii grins and steps out of her skirts stepping on them to get her feet free? "Be a darling Moira and hand me my bag", she sais extending her hand indicating her magic haversack.