Vorelloex takes the greens from the 'nice Desna lady' and puts them in the pot he found inside of the shack, after pouring some rainwater into it.
"Hey lady, did you perchance buy any meat then? 'Cuz if not, these horses look even better..."
He flashes her a playfully antagonistic smile.
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"Thank you, Calistra, for spending your own coin on food for all of us." Calistra says, over her shoulder. "Why, you're welcome, Vorelloex. It is the least I can do for my companions as we set off on a dangerous quest together."
Calistra shakes her head and begins digging behind a tree. No need for the boys to see the ladies peeing.
"Someone start on the stew with the veggies I bought, please?" Calistria calls out as she heads over with a borrowed spade to dig the latrine.
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Hailey wishes the necromancer would come by, too, mainly because she's dying to 'hex' somebody and the party members just don't qualify anymore.
She instead approaches Calistria and sits beside her, watching her and looking inscrutable.
"I volunteer to take first watch again, so that I can have my concentration sleep. Besides, I like watching the . . . stars, stars at night. Stars.
"So, Calistria, since I have every intention of preparing Identify as my domain spell again, what spells do you want to prepare, and which do you think I should? Or should I just hold mine in reserve to k . . . teach and help our enemies . . .
And vaporize them, Hailey thinks to herself, but prudently doesn't speak it.
"We have a whole roster of excellent choices, my dear. I can pick Bane, or Cause Fear, or Command, or Curse Water, or Deathwatch, which is one of my personal favorites, or Detect Evil, or Detect Undead, or Divine Favor, or Doom, or Endure Elements, or Entropic Shield, or Hide from Undead, or Magic Stone, or Magic Weapon, or Obscuring Mist, or Protection from Good, or Sanctuary, or Shield of Faith, or even Summon Monster Level 1."
Hailey then turns to the rest of the group.
"The rest of you may also have a say, I suppose. Do any of those spells sound like good ideas to you? If not, I'm content to keep my spells in reserve for hexing people."
Garekk steps forward and offers the meat out of his rations. This should hold us over!
"Oh, lucky lucky! Put it in there quick, before the broth is lost to carrot stench!"
Vorel stews it up, and feels like he's atop the Tusks again; prime of life. Friends, food, and the promise of fight on the horizon.
As the stew thickens and the meats brown, he sips a ladel for himself, nabbing a bit of meat before crying
"Come 'n get it before it's gone!!"
Vorelloex pays no heed to talk of magics... He has ever only interacted with them sparcely, smashing skulls into fragments before their mouths have had chance to finish their whispering incantations... ...the Tusk mountains are a rough place.
Calistria glances up at Hailey for a moment, before she returns to digging out the latrine.
"You should focus on spell involving the undead or magic in general." Calistria says. "I'll ask Desna for spells that will heal or help our allies. I'll also ask her for the ability to make holy water."
She pauses, then asks.
"You really catalog things like that? I normally just pray Desna gives me the spells I need to face a specific task. I don't have a listing of them."
Rois shudders slightly as the clerics discus magic, beh...spells. I know they are useful...But it is so damn creepy. Jeesh.
He leans over to Vorel and whispers, if I ever cast a spell or summon anything unatural, I've gone mad. Kill me. Please.
He hands Rois a bowl of stew as he beckons back briefly:
"Same for I, friend. Especially if i become one of those canker shamblers..."
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As the party arrives at Voryn's camp, Swift unloads most of the things on the cart and handles the horses. He takes hold of the reins and starts to lead them away, when he hears mention of having the horses as snacks. The horses snorted, almost as if they understood what the barbarian was planning.
"Now now, no one will be eating you. I swear upon my honor and the name of my house... Of what little value it still holds."
He grimaces at the thought.
"Do you two have names? No, I didn't think so. Perhaps we can find good ones, suitable for heroic steeds such as yourselves. You first, errr, Shadowfax? No, that one doesn't suit a horse. Epona? No, that's too masculine. To me you look like a female. I won't bother actually looking at it's undercarriage, that would be indecent of me. How about,... Lady Argentia! Now that is something totally original, never heard of before! You will birth many great stallions, lead armies into battle! E-... What, are you jealous, Bucephalus? Am I giving Lady Argentia too much attention?"
Swift scratches Bucephalus' ears, much to the horse's content.
"Look at me, talking to horses. I must be going crazy. Running after ghost stories of undead, joining seemingly random people, journeying with people who practice magic. Magic! Of all the things, it had to be magic. I get the feeling that little one has a bit more darkness to her than she lets on. But she reminds me so much of Ari..."
The monk shakes his head like a wet dog, trying to rid himself of these nasty thoughts. Once the horses are tethered where they can graze, Swift joins the rest of the party, ready to eat his fill.
"I've had enough bad experiences with dark magic, lads. I would not hesitate to end you should you pose a threat to the rest of us." he says, totally serious, oblivious to how bad it sounds.
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Garekk is off to the side watching the stars glitter as the clerics talk of spells and the boys talk of thier fears. Searching within himself, he truly cannot find any rancor for the topic.. or indeed, for any of his new friends. These last two years have been so long... should this work out to be a more permanent setting, I shall thank the gods every day for granting an end to my lonliness Garekk calls over to Vorell and Sir Royce. "I do not understand your fears. Magic is a tool, as is a hammer or sword. Why do you fear a tool? We must all act as our nature directs, and just because I am not a smith does not mean I should fear his hammer. They cast spells. As long as the spells are not at me, we shall get alongood very well. Should their aim turn, then it is the action that is evil, not the tool."
"it is not that i fear magic. I have known many top use their power for good. It is just they the spellcasters I knew were always...aloof. As if they had some wisdom that they only understood. And that unsettled me. I do not wish understand that power."
Calistria returns, her face a little smudged from the digging. She sets the shovel down and then takes her place around the fire.
"Well, I suppose I do cast spells but I'm not a wizard, Sir Grave." Calistria holds up her hands to the fire to warm them. She inhales the air, smelling the stew cooking. "I'm a cleric. I serve Desna and only have magic due to her grace and wisdom."
"In Ustalav, the only way to stay alive is to be suspicious of everyone. Old habits die hard. It is a habit I would rather not lose. We have come to trust one another, but you can never be too wary..."
"Your right Calistria. I suppose I have been in Ustalav for too long and the people's fears have rubbed off on me. Forgive me. Please, let me help you." Rois goes over and picks up an extra shovel to help dig the trench.
"What exactly is it we are looking for?"
The night passes without incident. You awake to find everything covered in a fine layer of frost.
The night passes without incident. You awake to find everything covered in a fine layer of frost.
When the sun rizes, Rois gets up and begins to investigate the graves, wondering how challenging it will be to dig through frozen dirt...
The night passes without incident. You awake to find everything covered in a fine layer of frost.
When the sun rizes, Rois gets up and begins to investigate the graves, wondering how challenging it will be to dig through frozen dirt...
[dice=Perception]1d20+5
The night passes without incident. You awake to find everything covered in a fine layer of frost.
When the sun rizes, Rois gets up and begins to investigate the graves, wondering how challenging it will be to dig through frozen dirt...
[dice=Perception]1d20+5
Sorry...I can't read. Rois instead walks around the camp, tending to the horses, his mule, and making sure that everything is secure.
Swift wakes up shortly after Rois, and starts doing some meditative yoga.
"Rois, why don't you join me? A refreshed body coupled with a calm mind make for a good adventurer. We need to be in top shape for the dangers ahead."
Swift starts getting into the complex poses, seemingly stretching beyond the limits of the human body.
'''0 level''': Guidance, Light, Resistance
'''1st Level''': Sanctuary, Shield of Faith
'''Domain Spell''': Truestrike
When Calistria wakes, she first makes sure her mule is well fed. Once that is done, she attends to her morning devotions, dancing about the hunter's shack in greeting of the sun and the day despite the chill.
Rois begins to reject the monk's offer, but then thinks better of it, Perhaps this can be a learning moment. A chance for me to learn about my fellow soldiers. Despite my time in Lastwall, I have never been part of an army. This companionship is new to me. Iomedae was a soldier and she knew those whom she fought with well...maybe I should do the same
Rois walks over to Swift and sits down by him. "Alight Swift. But, I do not know how. You must guide me. What do I do?"
Calistria does not stop dancing but does brush her hand along Garekk's shoulder as she passes him.
"I'm not just dancing, Garekk. I'm offering devotion to my goddess. Unless you'd rather I not have her magic for today?"
"Garrek, no need for haste. Come, join us as well. It will not take long. Now, Sir Rois, clear your mind of all worldy worries. Take deep breaths, in,.... out,.... Now, take your leg and place it over your head. Like so. Now stretch your body into the other direction, extending your arm."
Swift gracefully takes the difficult pose.
"This meditation is much more than a body relaxant. When I went through hard times, meditation let me find inner peace by letting go of my worldy problems. For a short time at least. I would not be walking amongst you all if I let in to my sorrows. It is my hopes I can transmit these skills to others as well, so that they may learn to cope with their hardships."
"Like...like...this?" Rois says as he tries to get his leg behind his head. He falls backwards with a crunch as his head hits a small rock. "Yaaa! That hurt. How many years did it take you to master this?"
"Good morning everybody." Voryn greets the party as he gets out of the small wooden building's door.
"It's a cold day huh? The frost has fallen early." He tugs his cloak tight and looks around. "There's coffee on the kettle inside, if anyone else wants."
"I've been meditating for 17 years now, give or take. Perhaps that wasn't the easiest pose to start you off with... Hm... I can show you some easy beginner friendly poses."
Swift spends some time showing Rois easy stretching poses, progressively getting more complex. Once he is satisfied that Rois is starting to master the art, he completes the morning ritual with a quick snack and a small cup of coffee. He gives a friendly nod to Voryn.
Rois stand, stretches, then follows Swift to take a cup of caff. He turns to Voryn, "I have not heard of the Lake of Sorrows. What kind of place is it?"
Rois stand, stretches, then follows Swift to take a cup of caff. He turns to Voryn, "I have not heard of the Lake of Sorrows. What kind of place is it?"
[dice=Know Local]1d20+4
You arrive at the glimmering caves mid morning. As you approach you realize that there is a skeleton outside the entrance of the cave. It doesn't look human it looks more like this. It doesn't appear to have noticed you.
"I'm afraid I don't." Calistria says as she comes to sit down in front of the fire so she can have a bit of bread and coffee before the trip. "I'm new to the area."
"Yes, does anyone know of this place?"
[Dice=Knowledge Local] 1d20
"The Lake of Sorrows is just a lake. But like many things in Ustalav it has a dark past. During the Whispering Tyrant's rise to power, many people were drowned by his followers in the lake. This is why it is called the Lake of Sorrows. Many claim it is haunted, or cursed or both. All that I know is that it's great for fishing."
______________________________________BACK TO THE PRESENT______________________________________________
"Look!" Voryn whispers loudly. "It's a skeleton bear!" He pulls out his sword and looks at the others. "It must be guarding the entrance to the grotto. Let's kill it quick and silently."
You arrive at the glimmering caves mid morning. As you approach you realize that there is a skeleton outside the entrance of the cave. It doesn't look human it looks more like this. It doesn't appear to have noticed you.
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Hailey prepares her spells for the day in prayer, which for a cleric of Nethys is more about asking for him to grace them with knowledge and power that they never had before.
She keeps her tongue to herself, though she notices the frost. It pleases her.
"Winter is hard on fools," Hailey says. "It develops wisdom for those who can learn. The cold tests the endurance, builds your strength. I welcome the winter's approach."
She says nothing else to the rest of the party, keeping herself quiet on purpose until they come to the cave.
"Death for one means life for another," Hailey remarks as she sees the beast's bones. "I wonder who died so that baby could be born."
She looks at the bones, but carefully and from a distance. putting herself between Swift and Garekk.
"Would it reassure you if I cast Detect Undead now? Personally, I'd like to be a good bit closer, for this cave is just within the border of the range of the charm. And personally, I suggest two scouts. If someone would carry me, I'd like to be in on the team."
[dice=Know Religion]1d20+4
That would be a Yes to Sir Rois' question.
Calistria stops. The cart and the mule and horse have been left further away so they don't spook should combat begin. She stares at the skeleton beast.
"Just a skeleton? Or an actual undead?" Calistria whispers. "Hailey?"
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[dice=Know Religion]1d20+4That would be a Yes to Sir Rois' question.