Female Aasimar Wizard 6 (HP 53/53; AC 18/18/15; CMD 16 Fort +5; Ref +7 Will +8; Init +3; Perception +11; Darkvision 60 ft)
Douglas Muir 406 wrote:
Okay. If nobody has any questions, we can fast forward through the evening. A couple of questions:
-- does anyone want to peel off and explore the camp? or do you prefer to go from the feast to your tent, and then back to Sakkarot's in the morning?
-- it seems like it would be quite easy for either Zimu or Xen to get Raisa alone. Do either of you want to try, or not bother?
I thought for sure the group would have some questions! Judge? Jax?
Raisa thought Edmin was attractive, but I see how in character Edmin would not take this opportunity to take advantage by getting some information from her.
Jax is our current Romeo, and Xen ... well Xen is a man with a Dream. I think its really cute/almost running gag that he he keeps trying with anyone who seems available at the moment.
So how about before Xen goes exploring, he, Jax and Cуровую steal Raisa from the main group. Then depending on the outcome, Cуровую and Jax (unless he gets 'borrowed' by Raisa) can go on a sight seeing trip with Xen. I'm sure this will end well.
Female Aasimar Wizard 6 (HP 53/53; AC 18/18/15; CMD 16 Fort +5; Ref +7 Will +8; Init +3; Perception +11; Darkvision 60 ft)
As the boar is brought for the slaughter, Cуровую will quietly take Raisa by the hand, signal Xen and Jax with a raised eyebrow and head to less crowded and watchful surroundings.
'Raisa, is there anywhere more ... intimate that we can have some alone time to share? Xen and Jax were never big fans of Boar à l'Bugbear.
Well, while Jax is no longer actively unattractive, he's still Cha 10 versus Xen's Cha 17. I'd say that makes Xen the more obviously "cute" of the two. (Though of course Jax is a fascinating fellow once you get to know him.)
M DEAD KILLED BY DMDM Lore Warden 2/Arcane Duelist 3
Stats:
HP 4/45; AC 20(25 w def/CE)/16(21)/14; CMD 19; Init +5; Perception +4; Fort +7 (8 vs Poison), Ref +9, Will +3; Fire Res 1; BP 10/12; Spells Lvl 1 3/4 Initiative +5
The stockade is just that -- a wooden cage where criminals are held for a day or two pending public execution. There are three goblins in it. One of them does have an unusually large head.
Dren, you have an escort of two bugbears with direct orders from Sakkarot, so you can pretty much do as you please here.
M DEAD KILLED BY DMDM Lore Warden 2/Arcane Duelist 3
Stats:
HP 4/45; AC 20(25 w def/CE)/16(21)/14; CMD 19; Init +5; Perception +4; Fort +7 (8 vs Poison), Ref +9, Will +3; Fire Res 1; BP 10/12; Spells Lvl 1 3/4 Initiative +5
i can't i dont have it. no synergy for me :)
if i go searching for the necromancer book for you i will take in vis
Once again, sorry for the infrequent posting. Been a lot of long days.
The Judge does not stop his companions from their intended course of action. However, he does warn them all, that if they are caught, he will not endanger the mission or the lives of the other members of the Ninth to save someone's careless tail.
When the Judge is with Sakkarot:
How long have you been assembling this troop? And, why do you need bugbears and goblins when you have Enver's . . . unliving. It would seem that his giant would be quite capable of barraging the towers and the wall from quite a distance.
The Judge will continue to discuss tactics and how the Fourth came to be.
Init rolls for 2 bugbears 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 41d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20 and for goblin 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8. Since one of the bugbears won initiative, we'll say he grabs the goblin and holds him down while the other one slams the cage door shut. In a moment the goblin is pinned, and Dren can start cutting.
There is a certain amount of screaming and thrashing, followed by a certain amount of spurting and spraying blood. The bugbears don't care much one way or another. Dren, you can roll to see how fast it went, but within a round or at most two it should be done.
And, why do you need bugbears and goblins when you have Enver's . . . unliving. It would seem that his giant would be quite capable of barraging the towers and the wall from quite a distance.
Sakkarot snorts. "You've met Enver. Do you wonder why I am reluctant to build a strategy around him?
"But even if he were both sane and reliable, it would not work. His undead are powerful, but slow. He has only the one giant. It can throw rocks, but in a duel with the artillery of Balentyne, it will soon be destroyed." Sakkarot shakes his head. "In point of fact, his current crop of undead will have limited military utility until we start fighting open-field battles. In those, they will excel, though their slowness will still place limits on their tactical deployment... Well. Until then, they are primarily useful as terror weapons."
"Incidentally, Enver claims that his staff could be used to animate a more powerful type of undead... one still bound to obedience, but intelligent rather than a mindless lump of rotting flesh. Unfortunately, he says he'll need the freshly killed corpse of a spellcaster of at least moderate power. I have few spellcasters in my horde, and I don't care to waste any on his experiments."
The knife is quite sharp, and does a good job of cutting through the goblin's neck. The spinal vertebra are a bit of a messy chore, but nothing you can't handle.
(The voices are becoming excited! They murmur and babble in your brain. Something is going to happen!)
The head comes off and falls loose from the stump of the neck. There's rather a lot of blood all over Dren's hands... in fact, there's blood splashed all over him. The bugbears look mildly annoyed. The body lies there in a rapidly expanding puddle, blood pooling around it.
The head is speaking, quite clearly, in an unknown language. (The bugbears leap backwards. They're not panicked, but they're definitely surprised by this.)
It speaks for about thirty seconds. The eyes open and focus on you. It is definitely looking at you. Dren feels a thrill of profound excitement: this is contact! Contact with... something! Something important!
But he cannot understand the head's language. It's exquisitely frustrating.
After the first fifteen seconds or so, the head starts speaking more slowly, as if it is running out of some motive power. Its last phrase is a handful of syllables stretched out: "Caannn... taaak...aaaalll... lllaaaaaaaaahh..." And then it stops. And it's just a severed head.
Female Aasimar Wizard 6 (HP 53/53; AC 18/18/15; CMD 16 Fort +5; Ref +7 Will +8; Init +3; Perception +11; Darkvision 60 ft)
Douglas Muir 406 wrote:
"Incidentally, Enver claims that his staff could be used to animate a more powerful type of undead... one still bound to obedience, but intelligent rather than a mindless lump of rotting flesh. Unfortunately, he says he'll need the freshly killed corpse of a spellcaster of at least moderate power.
Male Human Oracle (FC) 15 Init: +8 Perc: +0 AC:24/14/20 F:+13 R:+14 W:+15 HP:124/124 Freedom of movement, Resist Cold/30, Air Walk 30'
Dren at this point snaps and starts screaming and generally acting like a spoiled little boy, No, no, no, no, you will talk to me and tell me what you want!
He starts stabbing the Goblins body and when the head doesn't respond he starts stabbing it. He doesn't stop until he is spent and can't stab it anymore. It takes him until that time to compose himself.
He looks around, a bit sheepishly, then shrugs his shoulders and gets up and walks away...
HP 169/169; AC:37/21/29; Saves: +22/+23/+20; Init +10; Per +28(See Invisibility), CMD 42
Misc:
Effects: Resist Cold 30, Fly 30', Telepathic Bond
That plan sounds good, Cimu. Jax does have a few questions for the Fourth.
Well, we've told our story of how we met..Perhaps you could enlighten us as to your own? I'd also be very interested to know what information you have, if any, about the Captain who runs the forces at the Wall.
The Judge listens to Sakkarot:
A spellcaster, that is too bad. We have sent two rather annoying spellcasters to watery deaths in the past few days. Unfortunately the only ones we have left are part of the Ninth, and I am bound to not harm and defend them.
The Judge waits and considers his words carefully:
Speaking of Enver and his staff, you may want to consider having someone else as the welcoming party should you expect the arrival of friends and not foes in the future. He used rather powerful magic on me, it had no effect thanks to the powers that the Dark Lord has given me, but, nonetheless, it was not exactly the welcome I expected. He is clearly a powerful necromancer, but also quite a liability should he lose his temper against those you do not wish to fight first. All that I can say is that the Fourth is lucky that I have many years of training working with the irrational and the insane and have learned to temper my response, otherwise you might be searching for a new spellcaster for the Fourth at this point. The Judge pauses again: Or a new Ninth I suppose. Neither of which I think that you would want to be informing the Cardinal that you need.
He starts stabbing the Goblins body and when the head doesn't respond he starts stabbing it. He doesn't stop until he is spent and can't stab it anymore. It takes him until that time to compose himself.
Dren doesn't have Linguistics... any Knowledge (Planes)?
M DEAD KILLED BY DMDM Lore Warden 2/Arcane Duelist 3
Stats:
HP 4/45; AC 20(25 w def/CE)/16(21)/14; CMD 19; Init +5; Perception +4; Fort +7 (8 vs Poison), Ref +9, Will +3; Fire Res 1; BP 10/12; Spells Lvl 1 3/4 Initiative +5
OMG I cannot wait to see what my 20/20 trip turns up!!!!
Okay, once the feast is done, Sakkarot will send you off to your tents. As noted, if either Xen or Zimu want to get Raisa alone, you can try to do that now. Otherwise, we'll fast forward to the morning.
M DEAD KILLED BY DMDM Lore Warden 2/Arcane Duelist 3
Stats:
HP 4/45; AC 20(25 w def/CE)/16(21)/14; CMD 19; Init +5; Perception +4; Fort +7 (8 vs Poison), Ref +9, Will +3; Fire Res 1; BP 10/12; Spells Lvl 1 3/4 Initiative +5
Raisa, walk with me. Lets talk, get to know each other.
Xen lurks, very quietly, just outside the tent door. A bugbear guard should be watching, but Xen blends into the shadows and goes unnoticed. And listens.
"Well, Wolf?" Sakkarot's voice is clear, with no sign of the beer he has been drinking.
"The orcishman is not what he seems. He's actually an ogre under some sort of glam. The 'Judge' is their leader, but not all of them accept him without reservation. He too is not what he seems. He looks to be an elvishman, but he smells like something else entirely. I'd guess another glam. In fact, I think they're all under glams." The Wolf-That-Watches speaks in a low, even growl.
"No surprise there, Wolf." Sakkarot's voice is amused. "If their tale is true, half Talingarde is hunting them under their true faces. And the Cardinal does enjoy his little tricks... What I really want to know is, can they do the job?"
There's a pause for a moment. Then, "The one with the axe was full of fear. Fear, and rage."
"Yes, I noticed that too. But they seemed to have no difficulty seeing Enver off."
"They should have seen him a lot further off than that!" The growl in the Wolf's voice is very pronounced now.
Sakkarot Fire-Axe chuckles. "Patience, good Lazar-Knez. For now, Enver is a valued member of the team. When Balentyne has fallen... we can re-assess our tactical needs."
"I'd like to re-assess the distance between his head and his body. Sir."
"I said, patience." Sakkarot's voice is firm. "Well then, this is the Ninth. We must trust the Cardinal's judgment. They will break Balentyne for us."
"And then, sir?"
"And then, if they succeed... they will have proven their worth as allies. Subject always to the Cardinal's instructions, as ever." There is, once again, a hint of amusement in Sakkarot's voice. "We don't betray all our allies, Wolf! Just the ones that deserve it."
"Yes, sir."
"All right. Keep a watch over them tonight, then. I don't want any hot-headed fool getting ideas about picking a fight with the humans."
"Yes, sir."
"And if Miss Raisa wanders off with them... check in and keep an eye on things. I don't want anyone getting hurt."
M DEAD KILLED BY DMDM Lore Warden 2/Arcane Duelist 3
Stats:
HP 4/45; AC 20(25 w def/CE)/16(21)/14; CMD 19; Init +5; Perception +4; Fort +7 (8 vs Poison), Ref +9, Will +3; Fire Res 1; BP 10/12; Spells Lvl 1 3/4 Initiative +5
Interesting...indeed. I will craft a message to the others.
Too much business earlier, tell me about yourself, how you came to be here, your friends.
Male Human Oracle (FC) 15 Init: +8 Perc: +0 AC:24/14/20 F:+13 R:+14 W:+15 HP:124/124 Freedom of movement, Resist Cold/30, Air Walk 30'
I had planned on discussing it with the group later...I figured I might have better luck when we were all together. Next level it won't be an issue.
Do any of you understand the phrase Caannn, taaak, aaaalll, lllaaaaaaaahh.
It might be part of a shorter word stretched out. I heard it issued from the mouth of the sacrifice?
It wasn't as amusing as I thought to be honest. I guess what I was hoping to learn will have to wait.
Well, I guess it starts with the cult. They were trying to breach the walls of reality to let in the Old Powers from Beyond, right? You know, robes, daggers, blasphemous rituals conducted at the dark of the moon... the usual.
Well, one of those blasphemous rituals was me! Well, baby me. See, they were trying to cross human blood with something from Outside, to produce a child who would be able to open the doors to let the Old Ones back into the world. And I'd be, you know, this half-human monster child with all kinds of weird powers.
Except I wasn't. I was just an ordinary baby. They were pretty disapppointed, and a lot of them wanted to just sacrifice me back to the Old Ones, but they decided to keep me around in hopes I'd turn into a monster at some point.
Well, twelve years later, I still hadn't done anything unusual. And the Servants of the All-Devouring had been on the run a lot of that time... they'd just be getting going and then, you know, the paladins would bust in and start chopping them down. So a lot of them were saying, just sacrifice the girl, break her down for spell components, she's useless. I think the only reason they kept me around was, they needed a servant -- someone to mop up after rituals, sew the robes when they get torn, type of thing. So, they didn't sacrifice me, but, really, life kinda sucked.
And then a week after my twelfth birthday, I went to bed and my chest was all aching and hurting. And I thought, here we go, I'm finally gonna get boobs. I didn't know if that would make my life better or worse, but anyway it would be different. So I fell asleep thinking that. And when I woke up... I had a band of seven unblinking, golden eyes growing out of my chest.
Oh, man, were they excited! They thought, oh, it's finally happening! We got our monster-child! After all those years of sweeping and scrubbing, suddenly everyone was nice to me.
Well, the eyes went away after a few days but then I grew these long tentacles on my wrists. They shriveled up after a while, but by that time I had developed a three-foot prehensile tongue, ciliated orifices all over my arms, and the ability to spit acid. After that... well, you get the idea.
Somewhere in there, I started getting my period. And then I started developing sorcerous powers. Like, I'd want something, and then suddenly I'd just know that with a particular gesture I could get it? They came on really fast, too. By my thirteenth birthday I could turn invisible, and by the time I was fourteen... well, at that point the cultists started being scared of me.
And by that point, I didn't care. It was so confusing! Every few days there'd be something new. Missing limbs. Extra limbs. Multifaceted eyes growing out of my shoulders. Writhing tendrils. Vibrating, translucent, fluid-filled tissue sacs. Weird, acidic secretions. I hear some girls get problems with zits? I had an attack of eyes that lasted two months. All these little golden eyes, growing all over my face and neck.
And the mood swings! You can't imagine. Like, I would see a cute boy, and I'd start to think, he's cute, maybe we could be friends, and then maybe after a while we'd kiss, and cuddle, and he'd hold me and tell me I was beautiful, and he'd totally be my boyfriend... and then I'd start thinking, no, I'm worthless, I'm a sick disgusting freak and nobody will ever care about me, I should just cut myself with knives until I die... and then I'd look at him again and think, no, the real answer here is to grab him and clamp my limbs around him so he can't move and chew off the top of his head and just eat his brains! Just snarfle down on all that hot greasy brainy goodness! Snort! Slurp! Brains!
It was really confusing.
Meanwhile, the cultists were confused too. Some thought they should worship me. Others were annoyed because I wasn't monstrous enough. Some others thought my destiny was to be the mother of a glorious new race of quasi-human hybrids... well. Anyway, they ended up having a huge fight, and finally one group took me and ran away across the sea to Talingarde. Which was pretty stupid, right? Run away to the land of the goody-goods and hide there. I guess they thought nobody would think to look for them? Anyway, they went to the far west, to a town on the border, and they infiltrated a local temple and they settled down for a while. But then, sure enough, in came the heroic knights, blah blah blah. Good thing I was out sick that day. Well, "sick", my whole face had become one long red tapering tentacle-proboscis kind of a thing. I knew it would pass but, you know, I just wasn't feeling social. So all the cultists got slaughtered or captured while I was in bed with a hot compress, waiting for my face to grow back.
So there I was, alone in Farholde, with no friends or family or, well, anything. I couldn't show my face out of doors because I didn't have a face, and even after that got better, half the time I'd have these mutations that would make it impossible for me to appear in public. I managed to survive for a while by skulking and crawling around, turning invisible and clinging to walls and stealing food. But it was a miserable existence. And so lonely! And I knew I'd get caught pretty soon, and killed...
And then the Cardinal came. I don't know how he found me, but who cares? He did. And he gave me this. [She lifts up the heavy holy symbol of Asmodeus.] This... stabilizes me. No more mutations! Oh, it dampens my sorcerous powers a bit too. That's not so great. But no more tentacles! I wake up every morning with the same number of eyes and limbs! Thank you, Cardinal! You're the best!
So after a while he sent me here and ever since then I've been part of the Fourth. The bugbears were a little standoffish at first but after a while they came around. Because they really respect Sakkarot. And also, if you're nice to people, usually they'll be nice to you, you know? And the ones who aren't nice, well, it helps if you have the power to make someone die spasming in terror while tearing out his own eyeballs.
Anyway, that's my story! I hope it wasn't too much of a downer! So [she squeezes your arm] what are we doing now?
M DEAD KILLED BY DMDM Lore Warden 2/Arcane Duelist 3
Stats:
HP 4/45; AC 20(25 w def/CE)/16(21)/14; CMD 19; Init +5; Perception +4; Fort +7 (8 vs Poison), Ref +9, Will +3; Fire Res 1; BP 10/12; Spells Lvl 1 3/4 Initiative +5
M DEAD KILLED BY DMDM Lore Warden 2/Arcane Duelist 3
Stats:
HP 4/45; AC 20(25 w def/CE)/16(21)/14; CMD 19; Init +5; Perception +4; Fort +7 (8 vs Poison), Ref +9, Will +3; Fire Res 1; BP 10/12; Spells Lvl 1 3/4 Initiative +5
Huh. You know I bet my friend who is off with the goblins and you could have quite the conversation about the otherside. Do the other knot members treat you well? Enver I think his name is seems a bit...off. I thought we could seek out some music and dance a bit. Care to learn?
M DEAD KILLED BY DMDM Lore Warden 2/Arcane Duelist 3
Stats:
HP 4/45; AC 20(25 w def/CE)/16(21)/14; CMD 19; Init +5; Perception +4; Fort +7 (8 vs Poison), Ref +9, Will +3; Fire Res 1; BP 10/12; Spells Lvl 1 3/4 Initiative +5
Okay, looks like another PC is moving into choose your own adventure territory. So, please select one of the following options.
A. Raisa seems nice and all but she's young, naive, and very poorly socialized. I don't think I should take advantage of her.
Spoiler:
Dude. You're Evil, you're a former slave trader, and you're a charming, self-centered cad. Unless you're going to argue that Raisa's story has struck some deeply buried, previously undetectable vein of protective kindness? Because otherwise, try again.
B. Didn't the Wolf say something about making sure that nobody gets hurt? That gives me pause. I'm paused.
Spoiler:
Some girls have fathers and brothers watching out for them. Others have bugbear generals with thousands of monsters and disturbingly alert half-orcs. If you upset, alarm or hurt their sorceress, how do you think they'll respond?
It's okay to be cautious. You may attempt to divert the evening into dancing lessons and light conversation. Make a Diplomacy roll.
C. There were certain aspects of Raisa's personal history that I found a little disturbing.
Spoiler:
This is totally legitimate. Raisa's history is indeed unusual. Phrases like "ciliated orifices" and "greasy, brainy goodness" are a bit off-putting, no lie. Also, it seems clear that Raisa herself commands some pretty serious magical energies. That bit about dying in terror while clawing your eyes out? Not exactly the stuff of erotic reveries. Who knows what kind of weird, gruesome powers she has access to? If you upset, alarm or hurt her, Sakkarot may be the least of your worries.
It makes perfect sense to tread lightly here. You may attempt to divert the evening into pleasantries and persiflage. Make a Diplomacy roll.
D. I acknowledge that this is probably a somewhat questionable idea but it's consistent with my character and also, you know, it's been a long sea voyage and Wisdom is my dump stat. I hit that.
M DEAD KILLED BY DMDM Lore Warden 2/Arcane Duelist 3
Stats:
HP 4/45; AC 20(25 w def/CE)/16(21)/14; CMD 19; Init +5; Perception +4; Fort +7 (8 vs Poison), Ref +9, Will +3; Fire Res 1; BP 10/12; Spells Lvl 1 3/4 Initiative +5
on a scale of 1 to 10 how cute is she while imdrunk
M DEAD KILLED BY DMDM Lore Warden 2/Arcane Duelist 3
Stats:
HP 4/45; AC 20(25 w def/CE)/16(21)/14; CMD 19; Init +5; Perception +4; Fort +7 (8 vs Poison), Ref +9, Will +3; Fire Res 1; BP 10/12; Spells Lvl 1 3/4 Initiative +5
if she is a 6 or above once xen i s drunk. Then Xen is geared up for a mistake or twelve. Then door D:
1d20 ⇒ 13there is a dance called the horizontal tango...
if less then it will be one of the other doors. I assume that since she is sorceress like then she prob is decent looking
Female Aasimar Wizard 6 (HP 53/53; AC 18/18/15; CMD 16 Fort +5; Ref +7 Will +8; Init +3; Perception +11; Darkvision 60 ft)
Xenfal wrote:
on a scale of 1 to 10 how cute is she while imdrunk
I have to play catch up and read 14 posts above but if DM gives a good physical description of Raisa I will find a match and post a possible real world look alike.
Female Aasimar Wizard 6 (HP 53/53; AC 18/18/15; CMD 16 Fort +5; Ref +7 Will +8; Init +3; Perception +11; Darkvision 60 ft)
Cуровую was going to be part of the walk about with Xen and inormation gathering disguised as 'polite social interaction' with Raisa but it looks like Xen has this well in hand, she will give Xen some glowing accolades before they part ways ... But keep watch on the duo from afar.
If and when they part ways, Cуровую will reunite with Xen to compare notes, and most likely not shake his naughty hand.
Cуровую will cast Message and Invisibility on Xen before he departs, then cast Invisibility on herself and keep in contact with Xen as she searches the camp for things of interest. If not the necromancer's spellbooks surely he has other items of use.
Male Human Oracle (FC) 15 Init: +8 Perc: +0 AC:24/14/20 F:+13 R:+14 W:+15 HP:124/124 Freedom of movement, Resist Cold/30, Air Walk 30'
Dren stands alone in the dark at the crest of a hill, quietly watching the Goblin/Bugbear armies chaotic activities in the night. The humanoids do as much in the night as they do during the day.
There is much on his mind. The failure to contact the voices weighs heavily on him. He looks down at his blood encrusted hands, the voices try to sooth him with their chatter. He angrily shuts them out, silencing them for the moment. Each day he slowly gains more control over them.
His mind shifts to the end game. He stares up into the sky, yearning for the stars, hoping something will fill the void he feel within himself. He sighs, knowing he will walk this path until it is done, wherever it leads...even if it consumes him.
Little sleep will come this night he knows, maybe a game? To bad Bref is gone. The little cretin was suicidal, but at least he was entertaining. Maybe he should go and search out the others...or perhaps torment some Goblins...maybe the others.
Dren goes sneaking around looking for the others...and possibly looking for trouble...
