SR's - Great Southern Isles (PbP) (Inactive)

Game Master stormraven

Jofram looks at the minute construct warily. "Uh - thanks, Ushari.

Ummm...yeah OK. Seeing as how Ushari cannot fail the Sense Motive roll...+10 modifier and all that...

Ushari sees the uncomfortable look in Jofram's eyes and guesses as to the cause. She gives the ranger a serious look and says quietyly to him, "I know you are uneasy around constructs, which I can understand considering what we just fought. But Skitter is not like that, he...he is devoted to me, and I have a special attachment to him. It is hard to explain...but I can tell you the Grey Lady granted him sentience as a gift to assist and to comfort me."

She walks over and picks up Skitter, who clicks in appreciation of the gesture. Her mind travels back to one of her memories when she was working on the musical box-turned-helper. "Plus, he is the only memento from my father, the only link I have to him. So, if you still do not trust him, I do understand that, but you are also saying you do not trust me as well."

"Yes, but all of those little legs..." Jofram grimaces and holds up his hands like claws, waggling his fingers at Ushari. "...those creepy little legs! It's like some sort of metal bug, that thinks. It's terribly unnatural."

You get the impression that Jofram is exaggerating his unease with Skitter, and while he's still not a great fan of non-organic 'life,' he appears to be making some sort of joke.

Straehan watches the exchange with interest but offers no opinion. Everyone has their quirks. He approaches Jofram afterward and speaks with him quietly.

"Thanks for the help with trying to disarm that trap. It helped quite a bit, though I botched the job." He leans a bit closer.

Sense Motive 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

Stealth 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19.

Ha!... now if only Jayse spoke Elven. : kicks dirt :

Jayse overhears the whispered elven conversation as he drifts off to sleep, too lost in the transition between thought and dream to pay it much mind.

Ushari catches the hint of amusement in Jofram's voice and smiles, "Look at it this way, he is really good at scratching the REALLY hard to reach spots on your back. Best damned back scratcher ever created!" She laughs girlishly.

Perception 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29

Ushari overhears the conversation, but wisely chooses to ignore it, at least for now.

Stealth 1d20 + 13.

Ha!... now if only Jayse spoke Elven. : kicks dirt :

Jayse overhears the whispered elven conversation as he drifts off to sleep, too lost in the transition between thought and dream to pay it much mind.

Wow... bear with me.. my brain isn't awake yet. You called for a Sense Motive, I responded with my Perception modifier, but labeled it as Stealth... nice.

Either way, Jayse is generally unaware of what is going on, despite possibly having heard the conversation.

As Skitter twitches nearby, Jofram suppresses a shudder and whispers back to Straehan in Elvish, eying the gnome curiously.

Perception 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15

Ushari surpresses a yawn, and gives Jofram a tired nod. "Well, you be careful Jofram. I will see you in the morning."

Wouldn't Ushari's original successful roll count toward the DC for the entire conversation, instead of rolling line-by-line?

No worries, Jayse. I've done some... uh... 'interesting' posts myself.

Straehan raises an amused eyebrow.

Some time over night, clouds roll in. The morning breaks cold and windy with the threat of rain. You quickly eat and hike onward.

All day long, the women grow more animated and talkative even while climbing the steep hills and stumbling down the gorges. They talk of hearth and home, knowing their journey is almost at an end. Porter and Jax are diligent, watching for dangers, but even they have a bit more spring to their step.

The ocean's brine strikes Jofram's nose and he senses they are closing on the village. As the shadows steal in long strands across the forest, you crest the final hill and smell smoke rising from the village fires among the trees below and see the bay and wrecked pirate ship in the distance. With unbridled enthusiasm, the women cheer and race down the hill to their families.

Jax and Porter remain with your group, watching the women and girls rush off. Jax turns to you and smiles. "Nice work, folks. Thank you for rescuing them. We couldn't have done it ourselves."

MISSION COMPLETE
XP: 17,797 of 23,000 (6th)

Jayse nods as he watches the women head home, "I'm glad we were able to bring home those that we could… sorry about the ones we lost."

"It could have been much worse. None of them would have made it out of that crypt or away from those pirates probably."

Ushari gazes off at the sight of the women, "Yes, it was a good trip. We discovered much about ourselves.”

Jax and Porter head down the trail at a measured walk, missing Ushari's cryptic comment.

Straehan nudges the ranger with his elbow and points to a small but elegant boat waiting on the shore. "That's our boat - the Mako. Our general plan was to head up the coast to the largest city on the island. It's called Orfallen. We plan to investigate a few things there. That sound good to you?"

Ushari's words only serve to darken's Jayse's mood, but his brooding is interrupted by Straehan's comment to Jofram.

"Yep. Ushari's our captain now, i guess." He pitches his voice low so it doesn't carry to the retreating Jax and Porter. "We're hoping Orfallen will hold some answers for us. Though I'm guessing the question of the name of our ship is somewhat answered. I'd be surprised if a ship by that particular name is on any logs."

"That's our boat - the Mako. Our general plan was to head up the coast to the largest city on the island. It's called Orfallen. We plan to investigate a few things there. That sound good to you?"

"I know of know other place I would go - I'm content to remain with you, and help... her with her mission."

"... or at least find out more about it."

"Yes, Jayse. That would be a worthy goal as well. Still, we should talk more of it later when we are underway." She looks at the dinner fire and her stomach rumbles noisily. "I think it is time to eat, don't you?"

The mention of Naladoria brings a dark look across the gnome's face. It is remarkably similar to the look he had after speaking with Fin the night before. "As for helping her, we may be facing some hard choices there. We don't know what the 'carrot' is but I have an inkling about 'the stick'. But dinner first sounds good."

Jayse shrugs, "Sounds good." Though in fact he seemed to have lost his appetite altogether.

You enter the village and, as expected, are swarmed with well-wishers and thankful locals. You receive the best seats by the fire and more food and pats than you could wish for. Long into the evening, every aspect of your adventures (as well as the ordeals of the women) are thoroughly recounted and dissected. There are, of course, many sad faces for the lost girls... but far more people are happy that their loved ones have been returned safely.

It is a village of tents but your group is given the one building, the main mining office, to sleep in as a measure of the town's gratitude. Jax and Porter, by dint of their involvement in your adventures, are treated as local celebrities and not a few women appraise them with fresh eyes.

Eventually, even the most steadfast locals go to their beds and the evening becomes quiet. Straehan grabs a stick and starts poking at the fire.

Chat if you wish or whatnot, otherwise I'll hit the FF button.

Jayse spends a good amount of time talking up Jax and Porter, actually using them in place of his own exploits. Bluff 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27.

"So then, without warning, Findelgwing - that elf woman you met earlier - just up and rushes the giants. We were all stunned. Luckily, Jax here," and Jayse pats the man on the back emphatically - giving him a sly wink, "wouldnt' let her go in alone. He rushes in and basically splits this great two-headed bloke from neck to navel. It was crazy. And that's not even touching on what Porter did to that nasty undead underground." Through it all, his plate and cup remain full and untouched.

Several women stare goggle-eyed at Jayse's 'recollection' of events. Clearly they haven't appreciated Porter or Jax enough... and both men being bachelors, well...

SM: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

The gleam in his eye says Straehan likes this new game.

He creates an impressive fan of flames to draw attention and then understates it, "I'm a fair hand at wizardry but I've never seen a man parry a lightning bolt before from a hideous floating undead creature. I'm still not sure how Porter did that."

Bluff 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

Ushari listens to the yarn spun by Jayse and Straehan, while carefully hiding the smile on her face in the most efficient way possible; by stuffing her face in a most unladylike manner. She sees Jayse leave his plate untouched, and wonders if he is not feeling well. Heal 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (13) + 12 = 25 After glancing at him from the corner of her eye, she can only conclude he is fasting intentionally.

After the others have departs for slumber, she turns to Straehan and asks quietly ”Do you have any thoughts on what happened to us back at the beach?”

Straehan pokes at the fire and tries to articulate a difficult concept.

"At the beach? No. I think that was what it was. I'm more concerned about what happened to Fin. Things finally started making some sense after we talked with her. And I feel that my understanding and skills sort of reached a new level after that. Fin's didn't from what she said to me last night... which I guess is understandable since she was frozen. But AFTER you guys slagged the golem, Fin did reach a new awareness of her abilities."

"But her progress seems slower than ours. It seems her sorcerer skills didn't improve."

"It seems that, out of favor with her, Fin is 'normal' again."

I'm assuming we're alone here...

Jayse sits, letting the concept stew in his mind. "So do you think the same rules apply to us? If we stop working in her favor, will she stop accelerating our growth?"

Ushari nods in agreement. "I think that this is the carrot you referred to earlier, Strae."

Yeah, you guys are alone.

"I'm guessing she could do it. What's the phrase? The Gods giveth and the Gods taketh away. The odd thing is - she never made that threat, even after you and I were pretty openly skeptical of helping out. Hell, I said something about not having a dog in this fight. You'd think if she wanted to compel us to help, she would have mentioned it."

Ushari nods in agreement. "I think that this is the carrot you referred to earlier, Strae."

The gnome laughs. "I'd call this a pretty big STICK."

Jayse looks at Straehan dubiously, "Are you suggesting she doesn't know or doesn't control the accelerated growth? If that's the case, is she really the one who's responsible for it at all?"

"I'm still not sure what she wants of us. If we are to travel these Isles, and rescue kidnapped maidens in return for these powers, I'd say we are making out like bandits. Were she to ask something more sinister of us, well - until that time comes, or I find something more compelling to do, this works for me." Seeing confusion in his companions' eyes, Jofram addresses his change of heart. "I was suspicious, and truthfully, I still am. But even for a weakened deity, she is obviously powerful enough to do more than ask us to serve her. And these supposed aboleths asked nothing, and took all. I cannot be completely sure of what we are told, but memories or no, I will decide for myself which actions are acceptable, and which not. Yes, she's using us, and has admitted as much. Beyond that, we can talk ourselves in circles, trying to understand the minds of the ascended."

Jayse looks at Straehan dubiously, "Are you suggesting she doesn't know or doesn't control the accelerated growth? If that's the case, is she really the one who's responsible for it at all?"

"No, I think she knows and controls it. What I find interesting is that when we failed to volunteer to help her, she didn't immediately say 'Do it or else'. I mean the woman has been waiting for thousands of years to 'get back in the game'. I know gods are supposed to be patient but you'd think she'd be chomping at the bit."

"Beyond that, we can talk ourselves in circles, trying to understand the minds of the ascended."

The gnome mocks looking affronted, "HEY! What do you have against circles?! Personally, I'm a fan of all sorts of geometric shapes."

Straehan laughs, "Your points are all well taken, Jofram... but I'm a thinker and I like to ponder all the angles in the hopes of making some sense of things."

Ushari thinks for a moment and shrugs, ”Well, if we want to continue to enjoy our blessings then we need to continue to serve her. As long as we do not actively abandon our allegiance, then she will give us time to accomplish our goals first. It depends on how much we value these gifts, I suppose.”

"And as long as these gifts do not become more important to us than our morals and values, then I see no problem. If they ever do, then I will re-examine my decision."

"She hasn't asked us to do much for her... yet. So, if serving her means I get rewarded for doing what I'm inclined to do anyways - I'm happy to do it. Like Jofram, though, I'll wait to see what she asks us to do next." Straehan tosses his scorched stick on the fire, a vague look of concern on his face.

"And as long as these gifts do not become more important to us than our morals and values, then I see no problem."

Dark gnomish eyes meet sparkling half-elven ones. "That's the fulcrum of the issue, isn't it? So, what do your values say about reinstating an exiled god?" It is clear that Straehan is asking that question of them all, himself included.

"Values." Jayse says the word and you can see his mind working furiously at its meaning and implications. "Loyalty. Succeeding… purpose. You ever have someone ask you a question, and you know that question should have a profound, personal or obvious answer, but for you the question is nearly meaningless?"

He seems to shift topics, "So the gods give power to men." his blue eyes flick briefly to Ushari, "Or women. But apparently men give power to gods. So who's really in control? She has the power to make me greater, and yet she can't even seem to be relevant without me. 'Round and 'round we go, eh? So what is a god, then? Just a neighbor with access to greater toys? You know the one… the one who everyone on the block jockeys for his favor so he'll let you come to dinner and eat his amazing food and ride his fine-bred horses the likes of which you could never attain on your own. Except here the great neighbor comes in the night offering to let you eat his food and ride his horse exclusively in exchange for telling all the the others on the block why he's so important."

He seems to realize he's still talking out loud and looks slightly embarrassed, "Sorry… apparently I'm in a philosophical mood. I guess in the practical sense I agree with Jofram. Until she asks something I'm unwilling to give or proves she's working to some end I'm unwilling to accept, I'm not inclined to deny her help. If that's not good enough for her, then she may have made a mistake in choosing me. I guess time will tell; though - interestingly enough - since she claims to be able to see into the future, maybe time has already told." He smiles weakly, not knowing if this line of whimsical thought will actually be welcomed.

Ushari stares at Jayse, clearly surprised by what he has said. ”That is a…fascinating way of looking at things... She unexpectedly chuckles, ”…and quite accurate, I might add.” She stretches her body out, clearly tired from the day’s feast. ”I am with you all on this, and I must say although my deity has not spoken to me on this one way or another. Perhaps in time, he will make his will known to me. Until then, I say we continue on our current path.”

"I suppose the danger is greatest for you, Ushari. We must only consult our conscience. You face the possibility of becoming conflicted between to divine powers. I hope your god does not decide to take exception. I would imagine it could prove an uncomfortable position for any mortal."

"Yes, it could be, but perhaps he would also defend me against her as well. That is another way of looking at this, Jofram."

The gnome watches the fire and launches off on a tangent. "Over the last several weeks, I've often wondered who, if anyone, that other me worshipped. Nothing in his/my journal even mentions the gods."

He sits quietly for a moment then breaks from that avenue of thought, "I don't see any good reason to support the divine status quo. Are these current pack of gods any better than all the defunct ones? Who knows. All I know is she has given me a second chance of some sort, even if she didn't intend it. And I've gotten some other sizable advantages as well. It can't be a bad ace up the sleeve to have a minor deity that owes us a favor or two for helping her out."

WOOT! 3k posts - check the OOC.

Jayse smiles, "Ha! Always finding the angle, huh, Straehan? Well, you're probably right; i just don't like signing a deal when I can't read the fine print. But I'm hoping we'll figure all that out before we get ourselves into something we can't get out of."

He sits idly for a few moments, finally looking up with a smile, "Well, I only have a few friends in this world, but I'm glad I have the ones I have. We seem to be able to squeeze ourselves out of the scrapes we get ourselves into so far." He looks over at Jofram, "And it sounds like - at least for the time being - you're stuck with us. Though it could be worse…" He looks back to where the villagers are heaping praise upon Jax and Porter, "You could be stuck in some back-water mining village with nowhere to go. Although those two seem to be enjoying it right now."

Ushari reflects for a moment on what Jayse said about friendship. One thing she was certain of, Despair’s Daughter had few, if any friends. A chance to form a lasting friendship with others was certainly more valuable than any riches or power. For while such things were rare, true friendship was even scarcer.

She smiles easily at Jayse, ”You are right, Jayse. While being fawned over by several handsome men does sound…appealing, I would not trade the things I now have for all the treasure and power in the Isles."

Jayse smiles, "Ha! Always finding the angle, huh, Straehan? Well, you're probably right; I just don't like signing a deal when I can't read the fine print. But I'm hoping we'll figure all that out before we get ourselves into something we can't get out of."

Straehan does his best to look meek and helpless, though the feral gleam in his eye is out of place. "Well, it's such a big scary world and I'm just a little gnome, Jayse. I need all the advantages I can get." He sits up and laughs, "Bet your ass, I'm playing the angles! First, it is in my nature to do so. Second, I'm worried about the fine print as much as you. This deal has too many 'unknowns' for my comfort. Isolde was right - we've got to be cautious when dealing with powers at this level. We might score big but we could also get stomped flat... and my rugged good looks would just be wasted if crushed under the foot of some pissed off deity."

"You are right, Jayse. While being fawned over by several handsome men does sound...appealing, I would not trade the things I now have for all the treasure and power in the Isles."

Straehan tsks at her and winks. "Children these days... no ambition. Why not shoot to have it all? Friends, power, AND fawning admirers? If we're going to over-reach ourselves, might as well go for the moon." He chuckles and rubs his hands on his knees. "On that note, all, I'm to bed. Sleep well... except you Jayse. I hope there are rocks under your blanket. Don't think that 'stumpy legs' comment escaped my notice." The gnome grins, gets up, and heads to the shack.

If you guys want to chat more, go for it. Otherwise, I will FF.