Reign of Winter (group two) (Inactive)

Game Master Whack-a-Rogue

Percy makes a face. Pitiful. You should kill her just to show Greg how second rate she is!
It may be disturbing to realize that Percy is completely serious...

We’re used to it.

Good point. You probably are. :)

Yea, I'm at peace with it.

The rusalka sighs. "I would if I could, but she's with Grigori, and killing her would make him angry. Besides, I don't know how to get to where they went. Some sort of ritual with lightning and magic and stuff."

I'm pretty good at magic. Maybe I could help you figure it out! Percy offers.

"What is so special about this Grigori. He is old and smells of goats. You should find yourself someone younger, stronger... with softer fur yes yes."

He began running the back of his paw like hand over his head. He couldnt help himself it seemed but to desire the powerful fey.

"Maybe we kill them both?"

Now, now. Let's not be hasty. This is about the floosey.
bluff for secret message: she might actually like greg guys!: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (13) + 21 = 34

"Don't be ridiculous," the rusalka scoffs at Hobbes. "Grigori would turn you inside-out before you could life a finger against him. His magic is ... intoxicating."

You want magic? Accept no substitute for the First World! Percy utters a few syllables and makes a gesture. Swirling, multicolor smoke comes pouring from her mouth, ears and eyes to surround the Fae.
Casting Hallucinogenic Smoke, then
2d3 + 2d100 ⇒ (2, 3) + (14, 8) = 27 using my primal wizard ability, I forgo the spellcraft check to provoke a primal magic event, rolled above.
List 3, number 8: summons target's mother, dead or alive.

The smoke swirls around the fae, then leaves her and starts to form into a future standing in front of her...

o_O

I was hoping to get that result for Gregori. That would cause all kinds of fun with the module! ;D

Dayum..

*slow blink*
I'm ... going to need another day or so to figure out how to respond.
*stumbles away muttering something about 'not getting paid enough'*

Rusalka SR Check DC 23: 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 13 + 2 = 31

As it turns out, Rusalkas aren't born - they're sculpted from mud and river water. In addition, as fey, they're functionally immortal and reincarnate when they die. That means I have a lot of leeway to play.... ;-)

Percy's smoke swirls around the rusalka, and you hear the sound of a babbling brook. A new voice begins to sing in a long-forgotten tongue. The smoke ripples before coalescing into the shape of an enormous water serpent with blue scales. The rusalka immediately bows deeply before diving into her fountain. The newcomer hardly deigns to look at you as you hear a voice enter your minds. <"You are requesting the soul of one of my creations. Is this truly what you desire?"

An affirmative answer grants you Soul of the Rusalka. This comes with several benefits - but also permanently alters your appearance and personality. Once gained, Soul of the Rusalka can only be taken away via a wish or miracle.

This decision can be made individually.

Neverhome’s eyes widen before narrowing at the massive serpent when it appears, something about it’s appearance triggering various Atavistic parts of his brain as his mouth starts to move without thinking.

@Neverhome: The serpent sniffs the air. "You smell of the Firstborn."

Neverhome tilts his head.

@Neverhome: An image enters your mind. <"Him. You stink of him ... and the Crone.">

Magnificent watery one, your offer is magnanimous, but too much for a small thing such as I.
Instead, if it is good in your sight, allow us to carry a fraction of your power forward in our effort to restore The Crone to her former position. I have been tasked with this by The Twin, as such an affront cannot be allowed to stand in general. I am sure you already know of this or you would not have some to us.
Instead of granting me and my companions the overwhelming power of a Rusalka Soul, bestow upon us some blessing as you deem fitting and in keeping with our abilities so, as Imbrex has marked me as granted me a tiny grain of magical prowess, we may collectively carry your mark forward to the restoration of The Crone.
diplomacy: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (18) + 22 = 40

Not paying attention to Percy as she talked Neverhome continued on.

A disheartened look glazed over the Berzerker’s face.

The serpent inclines its head slightly. "It will be so."

Anyone who accepts this second offer gets THIS TATTOO in a prominent location on their body. As long as it's displayed, you gain a 30ft Swim speed and can breathe underwater.

@Neverhome: <"One ruled by fear. Fear of loss. Fear of failure. And fear of the beast lurking inside that hungers to be released. You have a blended soul, and with that comes with immense power - but not without great cost. But you already know all this, as that is what you are. What you do not yet realize, though, is how irrelevant your question is. The real question, Lyosha Neverhome, is what do you want to be?">

The effects of Percy's magic are wearing off, and as they do, the serpent fades away. Perhaps it was simply a smoke-infused hallucination. Or perhaps not....

Neverhome stares at the serpent.

The effects of Percy's magic are wearing off, and as they do, the serpent fades away. Perhaps it was simply a smoke-infused hallucination. Or perhaps not....

Neverhome sighs as the serpent disappears. ”Very well then, Ded.”

Neverhome will accept the second offer.

Hobbes will also take the second offer. Somewhere on his arm or his hand.

Sigrun remains silent, observing the discussions with creatures of spectacular power. Though she does not understand the words, she can feel Lyosha's reaction to whatever it is the serpent tells him. With a nod she accepts the offer, whatever his fate was, she shared it. She would stand beside him, to witness his dominion over the power inside him that he secretly feared.

As the serpent begins to vanish, she looks down at the serpentine tattoo that begins to appear on her outer thigh. Walking over to Lyosha, she slips her arms around him. "You okay love?"

Sigrun will also accept the second offer

Intently watching the azure ouroboros appear on the back of his left hand and wandering what all reactions and consequences would come because of it Sigrun caught him by surprise when she walked up and embraced him. Smiling he raises his right hand up to gently cup her face as he leans his head against hers. ”Da? Just lots to think about. Great Serpent is... my Dedushka... he showed me who my father is, massive obsidian serpent with golden eyes and mouth full of poison.”

He’s silent for a moment before chuckling. ”Definitely Marzanna’s type.”

"Your mother is.......an interesting woman." the redhead replies with a chuckle of her own.

That that’s what Sigrun zeroed in on causes Neverhome to snort before he cranes his face around to kiss his love on her forehead. ”One way to describe her, Da.”

Percy's mark appears around her eye and accentuates her gift from Imbrex.
Well, that went well! she chirps.

Neverhome nods. ”Thank you, Percy.”

"Yea, a little weird but good." Hobbes replies as he examines the new mark on his hand.

He blinked at all the others and their strange new marks. He had seen marks like that on non furred folk before he found them interesting yet strange. He preferend body decor that you can remove later when you no longer like it than something permanent. He blinked a moment looking at mule the strange pattern appearing on the great horses chest.

"Really Mule? accepting strange things from stranger creatures... I thought you were trained better."

Percy glows at the praise. Thanks guys! I liked that much better than fighting. Let's move on, ya?

The rusalka doesn't return, so you go back to your original objective: the house near the pool of water. Inside, you find a long parlor stretching almost the entire length of the house, filled with chairs trimmed in red velvet. Its walls are crowded with bookshelves holding esoteric tomes. Curtains are drawn lightly over the windows to keep out the intrusion of sunlight.

Inside is a sight that makes Alexei and Anastasia beam with delight: seated upon a cushioned divan is Grigori, apparently waiting for you. In his hands, he fiddles with a finely-constructed matryoshka doll as if trying to unlock the secrets of its opening. As you enter, he calmly gestures for you to take a seat. "I have what you want. You may take it without violence, and you may leave."

How conveniently opposite our first meeting. Percy says warily.
sense motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

"What's the catch, ugly?"

Sigrun simply quietly observes the man, waiting for any sign of danger.

"Why must you be so suspicious?" Grigori chuckles. "You're no threat to me, and I've already taken what I needed from this trifle. There's no reason for us to be enemies. In fact, you can even leave the children with me. They know me, after all."

Does Percy detect any lying? Or does Hobbes?

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 18 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 18 + 2 = 29

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23

Sense motive aid: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

80% packed, so I can take a quick break to update. I'll try to post one more time before the internet turns off on Saturday, but no promises.

Grigori's offer to give you the doll and take the children off your hands appears sincere. He also doesn't appear to consider you any real threat to him and his plans.

perception on the doll: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (6) + 16 = 22
cast detect magic and then spellcraft on the same: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (11) + 17 = 28

Last post before the computer stuff gets packed. Not sure when the next update will be, but getting the internet set up is high on the move-in priorities list. If the delay looks like it'll take longer than a week, I'll text Choon and/or Rysky.

@Percy: You detect strong conjuration magic on one of the bookshelves and strong illusion magic from Grigori.

You'll understand if I make sure... Percy picks up a plate, casts a spell on it, and Frisbees it at Gregori.
if you want a touch attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

Casting Anti-magic Field on the plate (and is being sure to stand outside of the radius of the spell she just cast). Let's see how brave he is without his magic. :)

I have returned! XD Despite my detailed explanation of the problem and my troubleshooting having narrowed down the cause to two possible hardware issues, the repair shop took a full week to diagnose and repair a broken CPU fan - then tried to sell me a "cleaning of my temporary files" and their custom antivirus software. Methinks I picked the wrong repair shop. Everything's working now, though, and KatsuneSage and I are mostly unpacked, so let's get this show back on the road!
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And like any good Chaos Mage, Percy keeps the craziness coming. Although in this case, it's not necessarily a good thing.... *evil grin*

Percy casts her spell, and the first thing you notice is the Huge three-headed dragon standing where Anastasia's brother used to be. This sudden mass expansion pushes all of you against the bookcases lining the walls of the room and sends Percy's plate off-target. As it flies across the room, the spell effect reaches Grigori ... who *winks* out of existence - dropping the doll onto the floor. It shatters, releasing four ghosts: three girls ... and Alexei?!? All are covered in blood and have multiple holes in their bodies, as if small pieces of metal had pierced them.

Behind you, Alexei (the living one, not the ghost) clears his throat. <"Well, this is awkward....">

I'll pause here for a moment in case anyone wants to respond. It also gives me a little time to make a map. XD Dialogue and free actions only, please.