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Three flasks of fire fly out and the swarm dissipates.
Or maybe it was Brother Tophor's arrow. It may have hit the queen mosquito.
Janira quickly casts a spell to stop her bleeding and restore some of her vitality.
"My thanks Pathfinders. That was quick work. Well done, being eaten by a swarm of mosquitos would have been a terrible way to go."
She has a quick drink from her water skin and then says "But we must head onwards. Time is of the essence."
Time is of the essence, but it almost feels like the woods are conspiring against the pathfinders. Nettles block paths. Old bridges are too rotten to cross. Tree's have fallen on the path. All in all the travel is much slower than Janira was hoping.
Okay, fun RP time, include a survival check, and something amusing that slows your progress. If you get a 15 or higher on the check, then say something about how your character got the group through that challenge. Time to be creative!

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Survival: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (8) - 1 = 7
Eldon looks at the mountains, he looks at the fallen tree, he looks at the mountains, he then looks to Janira, he looks at the bushes in front, he listens to the water moving, he looks back again at the mountains, he looks at his fellow pathfinder companions, then he finally looks back at Janira.
"I have never been here." he solemnly states before continuing "If you don't know the way I suggest we go back to Absalom." The bald draws his book again and sits in the fallen tree reading while the other members of the party decide if they know the way or they have to go back to Absalom for a map.

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Survival: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Evan takes the lead, and notices a large ravine blocking the path ahead. It would take many hours to circle around and find an alternative route, although Evan always supposed he could give Eldon a shove if the human wanted a express ride. Thinking quickly on his feet, Evan's face brightens as he draws his axe, and hacks down a tree, positioning its fall just right for the fallen tree to act as a makeshift bridge for them all to cross.
"TOP THAT" he says proudly.

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"That was certainly bright" smiles Eldon as he stores his book back again in the backpack and starts walking towards the new bridge.
When he arrives in place, the bald makes a little jump lands on the tree with ease. He balance's himself walking swift to the middle, turning then to the party to say "Came'on! Don't be shy!" and continuing to the other side without much troubles.

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Survival: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Crossing the ravine on Evan's makeshift bridge, Tophor points out a clear path through the tangled woods. However, twenty paces in, it becomes apparent that this is not so much a well-worn path, as it is a mucky bog of algae and mud. Up to his knees in green sludge, the half-elf shrugs. "Well, it's still probably better than the briars..."

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That's okay, you had a success, that is the main thing.
Jal stumbles along with the main crew. Lucikly for all Evan seems a natural in this woods. Even a ravine is no match for his sturdy axe.
As the daylight starts to wane, the pathfinders find themselves climbing higher and the trees starting to thin out a little.
The forest opens to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer
cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet
overhead. “Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines,”
Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face. She
pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in
the cliff’s surface. “This is where I saw the gillmen enter.”
As she motions toward the aperture, the surrounding woods
come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen
danger and a large creature crashing through the undergrowth.
The halfling worriedly remarks, “Quick, take cover before
whatever it is spots us!” As if she’d summoned the creature
with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from
the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and
wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with
unbridled anger when it spots the group.
Wisely assessing that a minotaur is beyond her charges’
capabilities, Janira screams, “A minotaur! There’s little chance
we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling
off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your
mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and
join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack
into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur
before turning to lure it away.

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Is this a fight we are railroaded to avoid, or do we fight this thing?

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Eldon just obeys the orders of his superior and slides into the cave. Once inside the darkness he opens the backpack to analyse what is inside.
"Wow! This Janira is brave really."
If needed he casts detect magic to identify the items contained in the bag.
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

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Railroadiness aside, Jal’s got a competitive streak as wide as Avistan, and he’s not about to let Janira rush off to die. From his perspective, either we all run away together or we all stand and fight together.
Jal stares at the development for the briefest of moments before ripping off a string of Varisian curses. He dashes off after the halfling, ”I’m not leaving you, Janira!”
On the run, he slings his shield onto his forearm as he yells back over his shoulder. ”Master Evan … I wanted to hit something with your axe?”
Jal readies his shield (AC now 20), and rushes to keep up with Janira, putting himself between her and the minotaur.

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Evan prefers to fight, but hes smart enough to know two people fighting and two people watching isn't really the most tactical thing to do. So as a group, are we fighting or taking Janira's advice?

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Jal is helping Janira one way or the other ... whether that's running in terror through the forest or fighting this dude off. He's not leaving her to fend for herself against a minotaur alone. I figure we have a much better chance together, and maybe it will be less interested in attacking the full group. I don't know if Eldon's down with this or not.
I realize she told us to run, but Jal's not always the keenest on doing what he's told if there's something more at stake. :)

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Eldon's Grand Lodge faction and so takes very seriously what superiors order to him. Secondly, this is our confirmation, so it is very clear for Eldon this is some kind of 'test' from Janira and he don't wants to fail it, additionally doesn't want to fail the orders of the examinator. So Eldon's already inside the cave indeed.
I cannot imagine stopping in the face of such a threat for a level 1 character to discuss it with the party xD hilarious!

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I'm guessing that's why this is OOC text instead of in-charater. My character gave his in-character decision motivation in a few words as he acted on them. ;-)
And sometimes these kinds of tests aren't pass/fail, but to see what how people respond to extreme circumstances. You should go with what you think Eldon would do ... letting Janira face down a minotaur alone is not inside of what Jal's comfortable with.

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Tophor hesitates for only a breath between Janira's shouts and Jal's actions. Following after his friend, he fires at the minotaur on the run.
MW Longbow: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7 Gah! The rolls!
Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

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Evan grits his teeth, wanting nothing more than to sink his axe into the creatures flesh, but fully aware that half of his team had no stomach for a fight, and that unfortunately with only Jal and himself, they were slightly outmatched. "Jal! Break it off" he growls, still frustrated as he backs towards the cave.

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I'm confused. Only Eldon wants to sit it out. Jal, Evan, and Tophor seem ready to rock and roll.
EDIT: or are you saying that—while your character would want to fight—you as a player don't think it's a good idea?

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..with only Jal and himself, they were slightly outmatched.
What am I, chopped liver?

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I read that as Brother Tophor retreating before firing a parting shot x_x

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Your call, Evan. If you want to stick with the stated actions, Jal can fall back. If you're up for a possible fight against an opponent who is likely too tough for us, I'm down with that, too. :)
Say the word.

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Is Eldon gone gone. If he was here I'd feel more comfortable actually winning this fight, since extra man ---> extra actions but IDK if he wants to fight

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Tophor is definitely up for saving Janira. As for Eldon, surely the carnivorous Gillmen have picked his bones clean by now. TO BATTLE!

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Out of a desire not to split the party, then...
Jal pulls up, torn between abandoning Janira and his confirmation teammates. (So unless the minotaur charges him or Tophor), Jal dives for cover and makes his way back around to the cave entrance.
When he stalks in, he's furious, "Fine, let's move!"
I guess we're waiting for Eldon's Spellcraft results. Then we can proceed inside.

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From the cave entrance the team can see Janira happily skipping through the forest. The large minotaur, normally much faster is having a very hard time keeping up with her.
Within the bag are a lot of items, all carefully labelled.
potion of barkskin, potions of cure light wounds (2),
potion of feather stepAPG, potion of vanishAPG, scroll of
entangle, scroll of gust of wind, scroll of identify, scroll of
mage armor (CL 6), scroll of obscuring mist, wand of burning
hands (CL 3rd, 4 charges), wand of cure light wounds (CL 3rd,
8 charges), acid, alchemist’s fire (2), holy water, smokestick,
tanglefoot bag, thunderstone
The cave is dark, but after a few moments your eyes start to adjust. Further in, there is a faint luminesence, coming from lichen on the walls of the cave.
The cave itself is damp -2 to any athletics checks you make in the cave. There are a large variety of carvings over the walls, many of them obviously sea creatures, but some are less obvious.

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Jal waits for a minute (for any necessary item distribution) then wordlessly takes point, quietly among his way deeper into the caves.
Moving stealthily and carefully, only getting out a light source of lighting conditions drop below what his Low-Light vision can naturally handle.
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

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Remembering the primary mission, Evan grunts and makes a few drawings, attempting to sketch some of the carvings on the walls, before following on behind the "sneaky one".

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Maybe fifty feet futher in, the small team comes to an obstacle...
1d6 ⇒ 6
The passage is broken by a large pit. Streching between the walls, and ten feet futher into the cave.
At the bottom are a number of vicious looking spikes. Also at the bottom is a small bundle of cloth.

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Eldon takes from the bag the scrolls of Gust of wind, identify, Mage armor, the wand of burning hands, the Tanglefoot bag and one Alchemist fire, then he passes the bag to the rest of the party for them to pick their items.
"I think I can make good use of this ones." then to Evan "Oh! You are totally right." Eldon brings his notebook and starts reproducing the drawings and photographing the caves as they move.
When they find the pit, he looks down to the bottom and sees the piece of cloth.
Survival: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (13) - 1 = 12
"Maybe someone can go down there? The pit seems artificial and made at least one year ago. I am not good at climbing, but if you tie a rope around me, I am quite light to move down and up again."
What's the depth of the pit and longitude to jump it?
Eldon casts detect magic to see if there's anything weird with the pit or if the cloth is magic.
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

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That Mage Armor is likely better used on Tophor, as he sees a greater AC benefit.
Know (dungeon): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Jal nods, then sheaths his blade. He pulls the coiled rope from his pack and loops it around the man's waist ... watching him as he does so. (Eldon is now Jal's Studied Target ... it helps him keep track of you, I have no ill intention)
He gives Eldon a chance to test the rope for himself. "Let me know if you need to come up quickly." He looks over at Tophor and Evan. "Tophor, keep an eye out. Evan, keep that axe ready in case this is some kind of trap."
He looks back at Eldon, "If you get down there and want to try climbing out the far side, just let me know. I'll run slack out. Ready when you are."

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Oopse, muffed the cut and paste, the "one year" bit is a DC15, not that it really matters
The pit is around ten feet deep, and the cloth at the bottom is indeed magical.

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"You are right maese Jal, but still I am the one who has to cast the spell from the scroll." says Eldon with a smile in his face.
Eldon let's the man to tie his waist, he then snatches to the pit wall surface and tries to climb down. "I trust you will not let me down once I slide, I am very bad at climbing." he keeps talking as he goes "I am usually good at athletics, but my weak muscles don't do good when climbing arises."
Climb-sliding surface: 1d20 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (20) - 1 - 2 = 17
Without much noticing, Eldon gets to the bottom of the pit. He takes a closer look to the cloth, and places it on his backpack.
He then examines the bottom.
Take 20 for a total 19
After his cautious exploration he makes a signal for Jal to make him up.
"Maybe if you jump first you can make me up from the other side."

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Well, I for one wouldn't mind that Mage Armor boost, and maybe a splash weapon?
Survival: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Playing catch up. I now see that only one survival roll was required.
"Tophor, keep an eye out. Evan, keep that axe ready in case this is some kind of trap."
Tophor nods, watching the tunnels while the others climb down into the pit.

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Eldon climbs down and back up with the aid of a rope. The only real danger at the bottom was half a dozen large spikes. Nastly if you try to jump and land on them for sure, but no risk once you are down there.
The pit is ten feet wide.
So athetics check to jump, would normally be 10, given the -2 for slippery cave, that moves up to a 12

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Jal lowers everyone down into the pit, then strips off his chain shirt ... tossing it and his heavy pack down to his teammates. With only his weapons, shield, and the rope-and-grappling-hook coiled over his shoulder, he tests his footing.
He kisses the tattoo of Calistria on his forearm, "Give me luck."
Acro, DC 12: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10; dang.
A few sliding steps are a dodgy start to his running approach, and while the leap looks promising from below, Jal shorts it ... smacking with a wet-sounding crunch against the lip of the far side.
"You mean b!tch," he whispers hoarsely, but punctuates it with a painful laugh. "I think I cracked a rib."
How much damage is that?
Assuming he's still conscious, Jal pulls out Janira's healing wand, letting the team patch him back up before he doggedly gets back to his task.
This time a Climb from inside, then. ;)
climb (-2 for slipperosity): 1d20 + 7 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 7 - 2 = 23
If that's successful, he lowers the rope to haul the team up one at a time, starting with the dwarf to guard his back.
As he works, he looks to Eldon. "So ... what is the cloth?"

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"You are right maese Jal, but still I am the one who has to cast the spell from the scroll." says Eldon with a smile in his face.
I didn't think Mage Armor was on the magus list. Secondarily (out of curiosity) how are you casting Detrct Magic in armor without spell failure chance as a Kensai?

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1st UMD
2nd At will spell in no time constrained situation
Showing the cloth to Jal "I don't know, it seems my magical aptitudes are still not enough to identify the source of this magic."
UMD use wand: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
UMD use wand: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
UMD use wand: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
UMD use wand: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
Eldon starts playing with Janira's wand until he succeeds at triggering it, healing Jal's wounds.
Cure light wounds: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
After Jal is up, Eldon takes the robe strong with his hands and tries to go up helped by the robe and the wall.
Climb - slippery surface: 1d20 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (15) - 1 - 2 = 12

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I'll wait to continue posting new actions until I get adjudication on my other rolls and stuff. I don't wanna miss something important (and I want to make sure I get Jal patched back up to 100% after that fall). Still, a little discussion never hurt.
"Hmmm," Jal muses, considering the cloth. "Was there anything else down there with it?"
Anything in the pit with the cloth? Or any details about the cloth that will help us figure out what it is?
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

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Once everyone climbs back up, Tophor jots some notes into his journal.
Encountered a large vicious beast outside the cave. Appears to be a minotaur, from the descriptions I've heard. Janira lured him out into the forest, and ordered us to carry on with the mission.
Beware the deep pit about twenty paces in. The damp of the cave makes traversing difficult, at best. Recommend advanced climbing gear for future visits.
Tucking the journal back into his pack, he tosses it to Jal, and jumps across in a running leap.
Acro DC12: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Once Evan makes the climb, I'll head forward with Jal. His stealth is a bit better, but I have a slight edge when it comes to perception.

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Jal scowls at Tophor's effortless jump, but his tone is playful. "Smarmy bastard."
I'd like to see if there's any more info we can get about this cloth before we head in. If we can't get anything else about it, then yah, let's move forward. Let's just both scout ... you can be a few steps behind to hopefully put that bow to good use if we run across something aggressive.
Beware the deep pit about twenty paces in. The damp of the cave makes traversing difficult, at best. Recommend advanced climbing gear for future visits.
Or, ya know, a plank. :D

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Tophor seems taken aback by Jal's comment. His expression softens as he realizes the man is joking. "I'm an orphan, not a bastard..." he says with a grin. "Well, not that I know of, anyway."
"Would you mind?" Tophor adds, indicating the Mage Armor scroll from Janira's pack. "Cailean knows, I could use it, given what happened during the last mission."
Could Jal or Elbon try to use that scroll of Mage Armor on me, before we proceed?

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Eldon looks with interest at Tophor's notes, "Yeah, and note about the spikes! the spikes! This is spiked!"
About the cloth, I rolled a 17 spellcraft so I guess it was just not enough to identify the magical object and thus there is not much more we can do there :/
Eldon follows the group deep into the cave once everybody has jumped or climbed up the pit. He gives one alchemist fire from the bag to Tophor, and tries to cast the mage armor scroll on the monk.
"Abracadabra!" he points to the monk.
UMD CD 26: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
"Kabum!" he signals to the monk.
UMD CD 26: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
"Aurmour!" he places the scroll on the monk's face.
UMD CD 26: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
And the scroll suddenly disappears and a magic field covers the half-elf protecting him. Eldon nods with content happiness.
"Yes, that shall protect you for one quarter of the day."
+4 armor AC during 6 hours! ^_^

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Eldon looks with interest at Tophor's notes, "Yeah, and note about the spikes! the spikes! This is spiked!"
"Abracadabra!" he points to the monk.
"Abracadabra!" he signals to the monk.
"Aurmour!" he places the scroll on the monk face.
And the scroll suddenly disappears and a magic field covers the half-elf protecting him. Eldon nods with content happiness.
"Yes, that shall protect you for one quarter of the day."
"Ah. I didn't realize..." Tophor pulls out his journal to add the notation.
Also, the pit bottom is apparently covered in spik---
The monk's writings are interrupted suddenly, parchment shoved in his face.
"Well, that was.... unorthodox."

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About the cloth, I rolled a 17 spellcraft so I guess it was just not enough to identify the magical object and thus there is not much more we can do there :/
Yah, I just didm’ know if there were any more details about it now that we have it in our hands. What’s it made of? What does it look like? Does it look old? Is it expensive-looking? Does it have anything distinctive on it? There’s a lot we might figure out about it even if we’re not able to determine it’s magical properties.
”Ha!” Jal barks out at Eldon’s unique success. ”Magic … it’ fun and practical.” He watches the interplay between the two. Afterwards, he gets Tohpor’s attention. ”No offense intended about the bastard thing. Hells, I’m fairly certain I qualify for any definition of the word.”

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Well, if there is anything like that in the cloth and the GM has not already told us when getting to the bottom, I would say he is definitely mean >:|
"From where I come they usually abandon bastards at their own luck. Don't you know your father Tophor?" Eldon looks worried and pittyful to the half-elf "I guess growing not being accepted neither by humans nor from elf has done for a tough childhood."

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Ha! I wouldn't say the DM's 'mean', but I'd be surprised if there isn't some kind of additional info we could glean from a closer inspection. :)
At the discussion of human/elf families, Jal takes the opportunity to get his armor and pack back on.
Bluff: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11

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”No offense intended about the bastard thing. Hells, I’m fairly certain I qualify for any definition of the word.”
Tophor's expression softens to calm sincerity. "None taken. I was more concerned that you actually thought I was showing off."
"From where I come they usually abandon bastards at their own luck. Don't you know your father Tophor?" Eldon looks worried and pittyful to the half-elf. "I guess growing not being accepted neither by humans nor from elf has done for a tough childhood."
Tophor's brows furrow in confusion. "My parent's identity is something of a mystery - my mother died when I was very young, before I knew to even ask after my father. The humans who put me to work on the streets were more interested in results, than my parentage. The Brotherhood, of course, is above such things, so my blended heritage has not really been much of an issue..." He glances at Jal abruptly, taking on an apologetic tone. " - though I understand that unfortunately, the same cannot be said for all of blended origin."
Sense Motive vs DC 11: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

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Jal notes Tophor’s expression, ”Hey, don’t look at me, ystävä.”
Using Finnish in Google translate for elven. if someone has a better suggestion, let me know. :)
He finishes cinching his pack’s strap, testing that everything’s securely tied-on. ”I have no complaints about how I was brought up. Kids should be so lucky as to get a ma as great as mine was.” He recoils the rope, then draws his blade once again. While sincere-sounding, the dark edge to his tone intensifies with his every word. ”We done digging up what’s past, yet?”

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Tophor nods to Jal what he hopes is an encouraging smile, and peers down into the pit. retrieves his pack.
Edit - I guess Evan already made the climb. Once everyone is ready...
"Shall we continue?" Pack secure and bow in hand, Tophor moves forward through the gloomy cave, wary of more traps and stepping carefully to muffle the sound of his advance.
Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (12) + 14 = 26
Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

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Its legitimately impossible for Evan to make that leap so I suggest someone chucks a rope for Evan to brace against to climb up (DC 5).
Climb: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Climb: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17