A World Apart (Inactive)

Game Master mdt

"I agree. <blink> Your human names are so difficult to remember, <blink> you would do well to introduce yourselves, so I get a chance to <blink> associate your scents with a name, otherwise I find it difficult <blink>to remember who anyone is."

Palomia jumps slightly as she finally seems to actually notice that the canine is both talking and blinking from spot to spot.

Kn. Arcana: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

"Uh yes, introductions. Palomia Kasic, scribe and student of the arcane - the cat is Relas, my companion and protector."

", તમારા જૂથ મને બહાનું? હું જ તમારા પ્રમાણપત્રો પર મારું જ્ઞાન અભાવ હોઈ શકે છે, તારી આ થોડું પક્ષ માં ઉમેરી દેવામાં આવી છે શકે છે, પરંતુ તરત જ તમે નેતા છે? ઓહ, અને, છતાં 'થોડી ઈજા' સાજા હરકોઈ પ્રચંડ છે?"

She is, of course, referring to that lovely little injury he inflicted upon himself when he thumped his fist on his armor.

As the GM, I'd like to note I love it when I can just toss everyone together and not have to post for a week or two as they take off RP'ing. :)

Ok, so if he's Thumper, who is Flower, and who is Bambi?

The tiefling seems to bounce slightly on his feet, nodding in response to Palomia's response about the hobgoblin not being the same as the locals, relaxing slightly, but still not trusting him.

Trying to get an idea of all of these creatures, he searches his knowledge of strange beings he's studied.

Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

Baru doesn't recognize the dog's species. He kind of recognizes the summoner, but it's a very rare magical tradition. All the humanoid types require Kn (Local).

Knowledge Local, you say?

Local: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Baru recognizes the Elf from legends, but has never seen one in person. Legend has it Elves are rather wild island dwellers and water going types. Barras he perceives as human. Tieflings of course are readily recognizable. The hobgoblin, obviously, he recognizes. The Oread is also recognizable, but considered rare, as there are no stable mountain hectates.

"I'm Relas! Like Palo said, I'm her companion. Don't worry, I don't bite!"

He pauses, listening to the tiefling woman with interest.

"Palooo, we need to learn whichever language she's speaking so we can talk to her! All I can tell right now is that she seems to be taking issue with something Goragg said; reading body language is good but it can only get you so far, you know?"

Cale settles down and finds himself a comfortable seat.
"There's being many things we learnt and I don't see why we can't share what we learnt. We found what seems to be a stormy Hecate also known I think as a unstable Hecate. We had to pass through that before we reached what is a stable Hecate." The rocky shoulders gave a brief shudder as he remebers that trip.

"The locals there gave us information about the Hecates thanks to Kalasin over there who managed to communicate with them. Seems like there's other stable Hecates that holds a a city of sorts on them, we heard of others and that they usually stick to their own considered boundaries. Those like us are legends to them and you might consider that the creatures that they harvest have what is known as Arcette in them. This Arcette powers magic and seems to be crystalised magic. The locals are very touchy on that and seems to be some compettion on that." Leaning back to allow the others to absorb his words.

"What's more is that apparently, one can join a Hecate and stay, receving a share of arcette harvested (their term for it) or leave. Should you leave without joining and return, they turn hostile. Should you join and then leave, you're considered exiles. Pretty harsh terms, not sure if this holds true for all stable Hecates. The one we found was a swamp and life there must be hard as they don't seem to have any knowledge of farming." Cale pauses here, looking to see if the others are following.

"We've lost our goblin and kappa as well. Kalasin here dropped in on us screaming as our replacement. The VOICE apparently has a sarcastic sense of humor." Cale chuckles on that.

"If we're talking about in teams, we might want to consider having someone in each team that's a local, or speaks this world's languages. I confess that being unable to speak to anyone here a rather large putdown since I can't understand a word of which they're mostly speaking." Cale points out what he feels is an important point.

Cale will speak in common and then the local common, Aldrah's being teaching them.

Palomia listens intently as Cale tells his tale of the other group's exploits. When he finishes, she exclaims "So that's what those strange orbs were that we found! We couldn't figure out what they were aside from some form of magical power. Relas was able to eat them to regain some of his strength and vitality." She then sighs. "It sounds like you had better luck than we did. Thankfully we didn't encounter any storms, but the only place we really did much exploring in was a Hecate that consisted of a savannah. No signs of civilization beyond an old broken-down wagon that we found and a battlefield that seemed to be centuries old. That was where we found our friend, Baru," she says, nodding at the male tiefling.

"He's not really told us much more than what you learned - he mentioned that the savannah Hecate was stable and thus likely close to one with some sort of settlement or civilization in it. Apparently it's harvest time for those arcette orbs, so there's a higher chance of running into locals who are inclined to be somewhat-amiable. Also..." her voice drops slightly and she glances a little worriedly at Goragg. "Apparently there are other hobgoblins out there, somewhere, and they're not inclined to be friendly if Baru is to be believed."

Palomia then repeats herself in Draconic for Baru's benefit.

Goragg notices Palomia's worried look and responds with some annoyance.

Yes, we heard about the hobgoblins too. I'd just as soon avoid them as they'll consider me a spy. And unlike the farmers we encountered recently, hobgoblins will be trained for war and disciplined. And I know what my kind does with spies.

I can... - he remembers his manners a little too late - any of my party can lead you away from them.

Sensing the possibility of losing his new squadmates, however undisciplined and noisy they may be, he continues with apparent sincerity.

They are all battle hardened and worthy of respect.

He glances meaningfully at Aldrah.

"આ સ્થિર hectates તેઓ ફળદાયી છે, જે વારંવાર ખેતી અને ક્યારેય બદલી આવશે તે છે. અર્ધ સ્થિર hectates એક વખત દરેક દસ કે વીસ પેઢી બદલાય છે, અને સુનિશ્ચિત પોતાના પ્રકારની પર, કંઈક વિશ્વસનીય છે, જેમ ફળદાયી બની શકે છે. અસ્થાયી hectates માત્ર કે, અસ્થિર છે. તેઓ ઘણી વખત વય, અન્ય વખત લઈ અથવા તેથી લેતી એક ધૂન પર બદલો."

She explains hectates, eying the hobgoblin.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16 Wow, easy to make that check, barely make the check.

She notices his glance, but doesn't seem to react to it, simply folding her arms and closing her eyes as she thinks.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Baru's eyes harden as he speaks slowly, stopping halfway through speaking. He grits his teeth and almost has to spit the words out.

Palakka follows the conversation as best he can, sniffing each individuals scent as they speak.

Ashes and Embers. Palomickasic he identifies the first speaker.
The smell of distant corruption on the wind. Does not seem to speak common, no name given but she was not addressing me but rather speaking to Ashes-and-Metal
the scent of chemicals, also does not speak common, but I think she is called Baru
CatRelas. Palakka suppresses the desire to chase the cat. He think's she's probably too big to let herself be chased.
Stone-and-Earth. Wise speaker, but still has not introduced himself.
Ashes-and-Metal. Apparently Distant-Corruption is challenging his pack leader status.

I am Grim, Suhsi Chef, all around comic relief and the Brains in team Stag i also dabble in arcane knowledge and some alchemy.

"So the cat's a summoned creature, I get that. But what's with the dog? And for that matter, why are we still here? I don't get the crystals, but you all woke up, and you're acting like they're some super important thing, so shouldn't we be doing something else? I guess if everyone else is speaking, I'm Aldrah. Let's hope we don't end up meeting like this again, yes? I don't feel like babysitting a bunch of sleeping adventurers again." she says in Local Common, tapping her foot impatiently.

Psst. He. He is called Baru.

"Another individual with knowledge of the alchemical arts?! Fantastic!"

That is exactly what the other guy said. he simply replied with a smirk

Kalasin, having needed to introduce herself by scent in the past, approaches the dog that kept blinking around, holding out a hand to allow him to easily learn her scent as she introduced herself to everyone. "I am Kalasin Wingfield, an herbalist and a cleric of Ashava."

anger and chemicals. Grim thought Palakka as the introductions continued.
Herbs and what is that dog? no, more feral; wolf. KalasinWingfield.

"I am Cale Pavel, Farmer." is Cale's usual simple introduction even as he follows Kalasin's lead recognizing the familar way he used to introduce himself to his own livestock back then. Offering his hand for the Dog.

"I would like to know about you as I think I have seen one of your kind before in the slave pits but I didn't know you could speak." Cale muses before turning to Aldrah.

"I'm sorry to trouble you like this Aldrah, we're unsure of this crystals as well. It seems that we who were once dead has being brought here to explore your world and this crystals are a means for us to store and record the data we discover to this VOICE. I for one would be grateful to you others who would guard us while we're indisposed. Indeed I thank you now for doing so." Cale gives the non Crystal PCs a gladiator's salute.

That raises a question, do Palakka and Lilandra have these crystals or does one group have them and the other doesn't?

Stone-and-Earth. CalePavel. Palkka blinks briefly at Cale's request.

"Most of my kind <blink> do not speak the tongue you call common, <blink> speaking only the First tongue that you call 'Sylvan'. <blink> I was raised among humans, so I learned the common <blink> tongue. In the common, our people are called 'Blink Dogs' <blink> and we have the ability <blink> to briefly fade into the ethereal plane. <blink> Also we bend the dimensions <blink> to travel to a distant spot." With that, he disappears from where he was standing. His voice wafts from behind you. "Like this." Turning you see him sitting nonchalantly behind you.

Palakka and Lilandra do have the crystals, and they remember having severe headaches when they had to return to the point they arrived. They don't remember any 'upgrade' but their gems are purple, where as they were blue before.

"Impressive. Thank you for showing me this so close." Cale smiles.

"I see that you ahve a crystal embedded in you as well. It seems different from ours. Why? Could you explain?"

What about our own crystals? Are they the same colour as they were or have they changed?

They changed or where in the process of changing earlier, Cale.

"I have not had the privilege to meet a blink dog before now. None lived in the forest around my home." Kalasin watched intrigued by the blink dog. "I didn't catch your name, would you share it with us please? Or perhaps suggest something for me to call you? I do not wish to offend."

Goragg gapes openmouthed at the blink dog.

Abbas nods at the Blink Dog when he mentions "elements" 33 posts ago by my last update LOL

Gesturing to himself the suli offer, Abbas. Warrior. Touched by the elements since it seems worth noting. I echo Cale's sentiment, thank you for watching us will the Voice forces us to sleep...which apparently is a "thing" that will happen from time to time...

"Stone-andEarthCale Pavel <blink> You are welcome, and I have no knowledge <blink> of why our Gems are different. Perhaps because we were at a different world?" <blink>
To Kalasin, he says "Herb-wolfKalasinWinfield, I apologize; <blink> I have been most rude after your gracious introduction. <blink> I am named Palakka by Humans."

Sensing another dreaded social infraction, Goragg bows overly deeply and says,

Yes, we thank you for watching over us. We honor your service.

"Herb Wolf?" echoes Cale, raising an eyebrow.

"Why's that Kalasin, if you would please." Cale requests more out of curiousity than anything else.
I can't recall if Kalasin ever mentioned that she was a werewolf, I'm just assuming Cale doesn't know.

She hasn't, but I'm assuming that Palakka can smell something of the wolf in her, even if he doesn't necessarily recognise it for what it is.

Yes, were's do not smell like humans.

Lilandra tries her best to commit all the names to memory, but it's obvious from her slowly widening eyes as the introductions and translations are made that it's beyond her present ability.
"Right. So nice to meet you all, err, I suppose. 'Better circumstances', 'pleased and honored', 'at your service', and all the rest of the culturally approrpiate additions." She adds the last with a wave of her hand. "Our 'benefactor' had Palakka and me in a smaller group, and I gather from the seemingly general lack of knowledge of one another that the same held true for you all as well." She looks over to Palakka before glancing back to the others as she sets the butt of her glaive into the rock beneath her feet. "So how are we splitting this band up then?"

Aldrah shrugs, gazing around the room at this odd assortment of adventurers, not to mention the animals, which is still confusing her the most out of anything else here.

"Whatever we do, we should do it quickly. From what you all are saying, you're hearing a voice telling you to do something, so...you should probably obey the 'booming voice in the sky' or whatever. If it forced you all to fall unconscious already, I doubt you want to find out what happens when it gets mad."

Goragg grunts his assent.

Yes, let's go. I don't think the boats will fit everyone, so we needs must split up into two parties. Each party should have a mix of skills to be prepared to face whatever surprises our unseen puppetmaster has in store for us.

He turns to his previous companions.

Cale, Grim, Kalasin, Aldrah...I would have you again as traveling companions. You have shown your bravery and mettle under fire.

Uncomfortable with negotiations and diplomacy, he trails off and leaves it at that.

Nope, never mentioned it. Not something that generally gets well received when you say 'Hi, I'm a werewolf. Nice to meet you.'

When Palakka had called her Herb Wolf, she had tensed. She wasn't surprised he had noticed she wasn't just a human. Not really. 'See, he knows better than to call us a dog. He knows better than to insult us.' Trying to relax and not draw attention to the reaction being called a wolf caused her, she focused on ignoring Her.

Then, Cale just had to ask. She froze, panicked. Taking a shaky breath, she forced herself to answer. "Well, the herb thing... I'm an Herbalist, as I've said. Granny taught me how to make all sorts of remedies and health aids, taught me to heal the mundane way. I kept it up... after she... passed... So it's no surprise I smell of herbs..." Getting more nervous, she continued, "As... As for the wolf thing... I've... always had a special tie to wolves."

Sense Motive on Kalasin 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Cale decides not accept Kalasin's words at face value after all who doesn't have secrets?
"Thank you Kalasin. I understand now."

Turning to look at everyone.
"It maybe wise for us to share our respective skills. I see two locals then and thus they must be in seperate teams. Having someone able to speak to the locals would be good. Being able to forage and pick our way through this dangerous parts would be needed as well. I being a simple farmer have little in any othe stated skills but I am strong of body."

Turning to Goragg
"Thank you for your compliments but we all know that I did almost nothing. It was both you and Grim who practically defeated all foes against us." saying it without missing a beat.

"Both Grim and Kalasin are magic users or in the case of Grim, alchemy so both teams would need someone who can identify arcette and its different properties. I have seen red and green while Grim has handled black. I dare say I'd trust them when they speak about this strange substance." indicating the other two.

Turning to the two locals.
"If you would please, inform everyone here about the surrounding hecates when you first met us so that everyone can decide where to head from here."

The other team can have the other Alchemist also, I am sticking with Cale, Kalasin and Goragg

So, it sounds like the groups are going to split up soon, and along the original lines they arrived in, with the two newbies both going with Team Dolphin? In which case, I need you to work out (in character) which directions you are going. Previously Team Dolphin went NE while Team Stag went SW. Will you be going in the same directions, or will you be taking different boats this time?

Our team has need of a wizard or sorceror. If there are any who wish to join us, I can offer the support of several strong warriors he points to himself, Cale, and Grim (Kalasin counts too, but Goragg does not recognize that) to protect you.

"I work best as a scout. I am quiet and fast, and I can get out of trouble easily. I can forage, even for human food. I did so before, at the monastery, and in this new life. I will go with Mixed-ElementsAbbasWarrior, if he will have me."

"Hmm, seems most everyone prefers to stick with what...and who they know. That's understandable."

Palomia looks thoughtful for a moment, then shrugs. "I know some magic obviously, but I'm no great and powerful wizard - most of my magic is applied towards strengthening Relas in various ways as well as a few utility cantrips. However, I like to think that I'm fairly knowledgeable about a range of subjects and I've got a knack for languages."

"Palo, I think we should stick with Abbas and Baru. Not that the other group seems bad," Relas hurriedly adds. "But they seem very strong already - and they have the benefit of healing magic on their side, as well. We don't. We could use the extra hands and paws to make up for that."

Its fine Goraag, they could use the extra help i am sure.

"As far as my own abilities, I seem to have left my resume back at the academy... well who knows how long ago that's been? Eh, it doesn't matter now anyway does it? I've studied a number of ancient languages that won't seem to do me much good here and I know a spell or two." She shrugs then rolls the glaive backward over her hand like a baton before catching it and snapping the butt back down to the ground. "I can use this pretty well too, if it comes to it. I prefer looking at ruins and artifacts to fighting over them, but I've admittedly seen more of the latter since I got sucked into this 'arrangement'."

Then I think Lilandra and Palakka should join us. With Rellas and Palakka we will focus on scouting and speed. With Lilandra and I providing the fight and Palomia using her magic at a distance. This keeps your group intact. .. Abbas gestures at Gorrag and the others It is clear that we will return in the future. If at that time it seems we need to reconsider our strategy, we can do it then?

Abbas pauses for a moment. I would like to try to take the Dolphin boat again. I want to see if it takes us back to where we were or someplace new. Knowing how the heads affect the destination might be the key to moving about all the "hectates".