Pavel's page

Pavel steps outside again, heading into the cemetery. He pulls out his morningstar and straps on his shield- just in case.

In the temple, Pavel clears off Desna's altar a little bit and takes a moment to kneel. He touches his mother's scarf to his forehead and says a brief prayer.

"Wuh'Walker on the Spheres, bluh'bless our journeys and aid our cuh'companions. May our hearts sing with joy at new horizons and our steps grow ever lighter, despite our buh'burdens."
He clears his throat and rises, dusting off his knees. He spares a quick glance for any religious icons to bring back to the caravan, something to take from the fallen temple and carry on the road.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

That done, he turns to the others.
"Cemetery?"

After the search of the town, Pavel leads Raith back to the gates, Garand, Sorin and Izumi.

"Most of the huh...houses are empty. Clear avenue fuh'for escape if we need it. East side o' town has a tuh'town hall and a temple with a cemetery. Wuh'we can start there, then move down to the lagoon and the shuh'ship before moving up to the castle to fuh'finish the sweep."

He points a thumb to Raith.
"Ruh'Raith found a rusty key. Maybe one o'you smart guys can fuh'fix it up with magic or somethin'."

While scouting

Pavel leans closer to Raith and whispers.
"Luh'let's do a little recon in the houses first. When we suh'see what's there, we bring the others in to cluh'clear it. Rinse and ruh'repeat, 'till we reach the castle."

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

Pavel waves Raith to follow.

Pavel nods.
"Suh'sit tight. Ain't seen no truh'tracks comin' in or out, but..."
With an exceptional grace for his size, Pavel keeps to the shadows, getting close to the walls around Brinewall and slipping into the village.
Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

"Nuh'nice of it to give directions, whatever's in there...", Pavel says, nervously eyeing Ameiko.

"Wuh'we ready to go?"

With a shrug, Pavel leaves the rutted road and returns to the caravan.

"We'll have to leave the wuh'wagons for now- road's no good... whuh'what's goin' on?"

Any input on my favored terrain? I was thinking mountains/hills but I want to be sure it'll be useful.

Well, you know, Pavel's taking points in intimidate so I thought I'd go with something a little rougher around the edges.

Pavel turns to Garand, surveying the road.
"I'll tuh... take a look fur- further up."
He creeps off, though there isn't enough cover to keep him hidden.
Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Survival (tracking): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

How far away are Garand and I? Did we see any indications of a disturbance at the camp?

"Ruh'Reck... Reckon I should scuh'scout ahead, Sandru?", Pavel asks as he dismounts.

Considered a level of either rogue or barbarian (I like the idea of Pavel flipping out in a fight) but I think there's more benefit to just staying focused on the ranger class.

HP: 1d10 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Okee doke, so that's going with the average of 5 to get 7 hp.

Any input on favored terrain? Seems like narratively it would make the most sense to take either forest or mountain/hill given the path we've taken and Varisia's geography.

"What are you doing out this way Pavel?"

Sorin stops in his rounds, crossbow at the ready, a quizzical look on his face.

"The only reason that I am not with the others is that I can't dance, so I might as well take the first watch. You on the other hand, look like you are avoiding everyone..."

Pavel shrugs, making only furtive eye contact.

"Fuh'Fig... FIGURE...", he says, struggling to straighten his tongue,"I said enough fuh'for... damn it... suh'said enough for today. Better to just cu... cool out over here for a buh'bit."

At the crossroads
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Heal (untrained): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15
Handle Animal vs. DC 20 to train Ogre for combat during the journey: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Pavel just hasn't had enough time to make the lessons stick with all the traveling tiring him and his horse out.

Pavel attends to his duties silently, keeping his mouth shut and setting up his tent apart from everyone else- determined that if anyone's going to ignore him, he'll ignore them harder.

Pavel looks a little red.
"Whuh'whatdya mean "confidence"?! Yuh'you makin' a crack about my spuh'speech impediment?! I'm pluh'plenty confident!"

Pavel points to Raith and looks at Izumi.
"Huh'He said it, not me!"

Pavel shrugs his shoulders, looking to everyone else incredulously.
"Whuh'whu'wha... So suh'sensitive... didn't even muh'mean nothin' by it..."

Pavel is befuddled by Sorin's reaction.
"What? Yuh'you're like that sometimes! I'm stuh'still your friend!", he shouts to his back.
Pavel's talent is pissing people off without realizing.

"D'Don't mind Sorin, Garand. He's always gotta have the luh'last word- you'll fuh'forget what you were arguing about and he'll stuh'still be carrying it on 'til he wins just by tiring you out."

Pavel turns to Shalelu.
"Wh'What's the deal, Shalelu- yuh'you were all fired up to get them ogres an' you buh'barely fired a shot. Yuh'your arrows too valuable to waste or you truh'tryin to make sure we get enough pruh'practice?"

Pavel nods.
"Best wuh'we don't, either. Suh'save your tempers for the raid, guys. Lotsa ogres to kill."
He pats his horse's neck and leans closer to the beast's ear.
"Nuh'not you, dummy. The other kind."

Pavel spends much of his time when not on guard duty or scouting seeing to the caravan's horses and training Ogre to keep his head during battle.
Profession (stable master):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Pavel listens, dusting off his hands after the felled horse has been cleared. He looks into the woods and up at the sky as if thinking, then puts a hand on Izumi's shoulder.

"I think the ogre has a luh'lot more responsibility for killing your horse then yuh'you do. Buh'but really, we all gotta stuh'stick together more. I know you wuh'wanna be Mr. Big Shot an' hold the line on your own, but wuh'we gotta support each other. One of us muh'mighta gotten hurt, but we coulda distracted that bastard a little so's he didn't kill, uh, Ts'Tsuyoi. I ain't no general, but from wh'where I was standing, you was guh'gonna be next without any help."
He shrugs.
"But, yeah, I-I could give you a few puh'pointers. Thing about huh'horses- they take some convincing. Dogs, thuh'they'll usually just follow yer orders wuh'once you show 'em who's boss and who's got the truh'treats. Horses, they ain't as much luh'like that. Puh'part of it's showing them who's in charge, but it's also shuh'showin' that you got their interests in mind- thuh'that you know each other. So you gotta bu'build trust, right? They're a little more like puh'people that way."

Pavel claps his hands once, looking at the assembly.
"Great! Luh'let's get on the move again. I'll uh, get... Suh'Sue-yo? I'll get Izumi's puh'poor horse outta the road and we'll, uh, wuh'we'll get rollin' again..."

"Yuh'You can ride Ogre for a whuh'while Izumi, if you want. Reckon it's buh'better I scout on foot in the woods for now, eh?"

With Shalelu's sudden return, Pavel grows quiet once again. The corners of his mouth twist and curl like he's chewing over his preferences one way or the other.

"Wuh'well... be right suh'civic-minded of us to clear 'em out. And I ain't fuh'fond of nothing that'd butcher a horse like that. Buh'but you're in charge, Sandru. Nuh'no tellin' if we leave after the ogres that the buh'bandits might regroup and come after the caravan."

Pavel spits in the dirt.
"And on the chance she's fuh'found out and surrounded wuh'we just leave her to her fate eh? Or wuh'wait until she's tuh'too long gone for us to make a difference? Yeah, she's an old hand at this, but a buh'bad turn o' luck could get anyone and no offense, but a mob of ogres could be tuh'too much even for her. But, hey, as long as..."
The ranger stops what he's about to say, realizing he's gotten too worked up.

"Sandru, it's yuh'your caravan. Ameiko, she's yuh'your friend. Wh'whatta you say?"

"Ju'just by herself?!", giant Pavel booms,[b]"Wuh'we gotta go after Shalelu fuh'fore they regroup an' gang up on 'er! Wh'which way'd she go?"

The ranger ties Ogre (the horse, not, you know, the ogre) off with the rest of the caravan, then peers into the depths of Churlwood hoping for some sight of the elf.
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

Attack of opportunity: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

2d6 + 4 ⇒ (4, 5) + 4 = 13

More than happy to see the ogres break off the assault, Pavel turns his attentions back to the rest of the caravan while he's still enlarged.

Enlarged- +2 Str, -2 Dex, -1 attacks and AC; totals- 15 AC, attack bonus unchanged, +1 damage, damage as large weapons.

Pavel swings his great weapons in retaliation.
Longsword/Spiked Shield: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

2d6 + 4 ⇒ (1, 6) + 4 = 11

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

"Suh'somebody back up Izumi, thuh'this won't be too quick and he's all on his own!"

I thought only the star stamps are difficult terrain- I should be on the clear if that's the case.

Pavel steps into the ogre's swing range, slashing with his sword while bashing his gut with his spiked shield.
5 foot step to G4.5, full attack.
Longsword/Spiked Shield: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

1d8 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Incredible, nothing above a 5.

Dismount as free action: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Pavel attempts to quickly drop from his horse's back, but gets caught up in the stirrups and has to take an extra second to get untangled.
Move action-dismount
He draws his sword once he hits the ground, his shield still at the ready.
I'm assuming I had my light shield equipped, since I can still use the hand while I've got it braced on my arm. So, dismounting and drawing my sword is my whole turn.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
"Luh'lousy old geezer. Answered yer suh'sodding questions..."

Pavel waves back once he sees that everyone else has gotten a bit shy.
"Fuh'fair travels to yuh'you as well. We've had nuh'no problems on the road thuh'thus far- shuh'should be a pluh'pleasant trail ahead for you. How fare the ruh'roads around Churlwood? Should we expect truh'trouble?"
Diplomacy: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2
Somehow I doubt they're going to take a shine to me...

Pavel claps along, then rises at an appropriate time in the song and starts dancing as well- though he's a bit rusty on all the steps.

Pavel keeps pace with the wagons astride his ornery horse until Sandru gives him the signal to start scouting ahead. He takes off with a wave, his colorful Varisian scarf flapping in the wind behind him.

I don't see Garand on the job list, chief.

I'll go with guard duty or scouting, then. Guard duty can give us a bigger bonus on Offense and Security. Being a scout, I would provide my own food and either secure more for the caravan or raise Security. So, either sounds good to me and you can have up to three scouts.

I'll also mark myself down with a Cure Moderate Potion and Lesser Restoration, since it seems Garand is the better choice to have the wand.

I guess since three of us are guards, I'll end up driving. So it's pointless for me to own a horse.

"Eh, yuh'you know what I can do, Sandru. I could pull gu'guard duty or scouting... or I guess dr'drive, even though that's a luh'little boring."

Pavel downs the rest of his beer and slaps Raith on the back.
"Ogres die like an'anything else. And I'm sure Sha'Shalelu's happy to show us huh'how it's done. Nuh'not worth gettin' worked up over suh'somethin' that probably wuh'won't happen anyway."

"Excellent Pavel! I look forward to learning Skald from you then. What did you say in Skald?"

" 'The quick red fuh'fox jumps over the sluh'sleepy badger.' Ju'just one of those suh'simple sentences for language lessons."

Sorin ponders Shalelu's words, talking mostly to himself. "Ulfen, I must look into learning that language...and Skald as well I suppose. The runic system won't be an issue, its just based off Draconic."

He blinks, and looks up at Shalelu, "Thank you for your guidance. It is a shame that you will not be travelling north with us. Especially as this is terrain that you have not seen before, I imagine that it would have been particularly exciting to find new vistas and encounter different cultures."

Knowledge:Local 1d20+7

"Furthermore, Shalelu, from what I have heard, you are quite exceptional with bow and blade, and since this will not be a quiet forest picnic, your aid would be greatly appreciated."

"Sk'Skald is the language's name- Ul'Ulfen is the ethnic grouping."

Pavel clears his throat.
"Den raske rødrev hopper over den søvnige grevling."

Skald:

"Thanks for the advice. Ameiko will be there. She's about all I need to remind me of home. Never had this much coin in my life, not even sure what to do with it all. I guess this will start me off. Maybe while we're traveling you can teach me how to fight with more weapons. Need to learn to shoot a bow and swing a sword.", says Raith.

"Sh'sure, if you wuh'want to. Seems like you do pr'pretty good with your fists and fuh'feet, but cuh'couldn't hurt to widen your horizons."

Pavel thinks quick about what he knows of the flora and fauna in Churlwood up north, trying to prove the he can be as knowledgable as Shalelu- despite never having been there.
Knowledge-Nature: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

Shopping List

Longbow- 75 gp (sell off shortbow, or donate to someone)
MWK light steel shield w/shield spikes- 169 gp
Two weeks of trail rations- 7 gp
Horse, heavy- 200 gp
Bit and Bridle- 2 gp
Riding saddle- 10 gp
Saddlebags- 4 gp
Feed, one month (assuming there's room in the wagons- total weight comes to 300 pounds)- 1.5 gp
Cold Weather Outfit, just in case- 8 gp
Antitoxin- 50 gp
526.5 gp

Leaving me with 86 gp, 1 sp.

Okay, removing the food for me and the horse gets me to 94 gp and 6 sp. I think Pavel would still want his own horse unless it's just really going to be a complete hassle- don't want my ranks in ride and handle animal to go completely to waste.

Raith will visit Ameiko and see if she needs anything.

Raith will ask Pavel, "What do you think I need for the journey?"

"W'well, I'd say definitely bring some wuh'warm clothes- 'specially if Suh'Sandru's route takes us through the muh'mountains. Food's tuh'taken care of; extra blanket's all'always a good idea, suh'some good sturdy boots. Gr'grooming stuff, anything you need luh'like that... You could get a lotta fuh'fancy gear and all that stuff, buh'but really, it's just the suh'simple common sense things that you'd ruh'really miss if you didn't huh'have 'em."

He scratches the back of his head.

"Luh'lotta travelers act like it ain't suh'somethin' that comes up, but uh'anything that helps wuh'ward off homesickness is a good thing to take. Once you been muh'marchin' through the mud an' rain and things ain't luh'lookin' so good anymore, it's good to have somethin' to ruh'ruh'remind you of better times. And of cuh'course any potions or things you muh'may need when trouble fuh'finds us."

Pavel busies himself gathering his supplies. He commissions a lighter shield more suitable for attacking and defense and picks out a longbow. When the breeders show their stock of horses at the market, he carefully chooses a fine beast trained for riding- a powerful red stallion named Ogre. When not planning for the impending journey or giving his terse farewells in town, Pavel can be found training his beast to hold its own in combat.
I put the heavy horse's stats in my profile- the bestiary said that you should add the advanced template to the base horse stats for a heavy horse. Not trained for combat yet- in three weeks I can make a DC 20 handle animal check to get him prepared for it unless we just won't have time on the road.

Shopping List
Longbow- 75 gp (sell off shortbow, or donate to someone)
MWK light steel shield w/shield spikes- 169 gp
Two weeks of trail rations- 7 gp
Horse, heavy- 200 gp
Bit and Bridle- 2 gp
Riding saddle- 10 gp
Saddlebags- 4 gp
Feed, one month (assuming there's room in the wagons- total weight comes to 300 pounds)- 1.5 gp
Cold Weather Outfit, just in case- 8 gp
Antitoxin- 50 gp
526.5 gp

Leaving me with 86 gp, 1 sp.

I'll work on a shopping list for Pavel once we have an idea of how much cash we're getting total. Should we get our own horses? Will we need cold weather stuff, rations?

Pavel will help Sandru out with organizing things as best he can, procuring his supplies and discussing what kind of terrain to expect (whether he'll need to get warmer clothes, when we'll resupply, etc.). Seeing as new faces will be joining the five of them on the trip, he'll try to get over his inclination to avoid talking to anyone and at least spend a little time with each (Shalelu, Koya and Ameiko) before spending a month or more on the road with them.

In spare moments, he'll take some time to get familiar with the weird sword the talking skeleton was using (Whispering Shrike).