"No, I expect you to win; just don't kill your opponent."
Watching the back and forth, at Briar's comment about the scene in front of them, Artur said "I'm sure that's what it is, but I don't like to go into any situation without something resembling a plan."
As they approach the many orced village, Tharivol pulls out his Helm of Comprehend Languages and slides it on his head.
"Would you two keep it down, I'm trying to listen to their conversation." Tharivol taps his helm with his finger that Artur and Nyd remembers that he carries. "Let's keep my understanding of their language to ourselves."
"Would you two keep it down, I'm trying to listen to their conversation." Tharivol taps his helm with his finger that Artur and Nyd remembers that he carries. "Let's keep my understanding of their language to ourselves."
OOC: Tharivol hears the 'bigger guard' say things like the following to Orshok:
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What the f%+* are you doing?
Who died and made you leader?
Why did you bring the weaker races here?
Do you think you're better than me?
What else have you told them?
What part of 'investigate and report back' did you not understand?
-------
Feel free to share this with the group if you wish.
Also note that most orcs these days speak goblin but a few 'deep-swamp' tribes still cling to their original Orcish tongue, which I don't think anyone of you speaks.
Question?
Game on!
Having been victim of a silver tongue and black heart combination recently, Veratash acknowledged the Orshok's words. "I'm sure you will let us know of the ones you are aware of?", he said jokingly.
Veratash felt empathy towards Orshok and said "I can only imagine what it would be like to see my homeland threatened like this", thinking of Adar and his family. "Since we're traveling for a long time, would you care to tell us how the orcs came to be so prone to working the mines and not being with their tribes?", he asked.
Veratash noticed the discussion between the orcs and also between the ones in his group. He stayed silent. Being the most urgent matter, he tried to measure the tribe orc guard to notice what kind of unconscious message he was relaying with his body language.
Then, he looked at the ones in his group and relayed the same message to all of them psychically. "Guys, no need to discuss things in front of them. If we want to talk in silence, make this motion to me so I can see it." and made a distinct motion with his hand towards his head, then continued "I can set up a mind link for us to talk, even though I can only make it with one of you at a time. We just need to be able to look at each other."
"Heh heh. Evidently, Orshok was only supposed to 'watch,' too."
"He's being challenged for bringing us here. Let's see how he responds. If he's too weak, we could be in trouble. I can take the lead to talk our way out." Tharivol shares.
Veratash replied to Tharivol "Are we sure we want to disrupt their customs?"
OOC: Tomorrow I'm going on a trip with my fiancee and we'll be back next Sunday. I may end up failing to post. Just a heads up
”If their customs involve killing us, then yes. I plan to disrupt.” Tharivol replies to the kid.
Nyd nods to Tharivol. "I would prefer not to engage in combat with potential allies. We have far too few as it stands. Perhaps a noisy distraction to head off any disruption might be warranted?"
Artur says "If it looks like they're willing to talk, we talk. If not, I have a plan in place for that too. Let's just see how this plays out for now."
"I was born in Cyre, but I have been living the past few years in Sharn. I'm not sure I have a home, to be honest."
"That seems fair. I'll allow my companion to explain more fully, as I am not as gifted with speech as he is." Artur then gestures to Tharivol with a you're up look on his face.
"I'm a veteran of the 'so-called' Last War. I know both madness and have no fear about giving up my life to protect others." Artur taps his left eye to make his point.
"As you can see, my friends and I were caught up in this, and we surely didn't start this fight, but I don't believe in leaving a fight unfinished, and I never take the bad guy back to town to stand justice, because I'm old enough to know what happens when you take the bad guy back to town to stand justice."
Briar listened and nodded.
"Eldeen Reaches, but what the cityfolk would call 'no fixed abode', I have several huts where I can lay my head but no formal home as such."
She gestured at the mangroves
"Alike yet so different, it's moving in a way I was not expecting. You have a beautiful home Orshok."
Briar kept quiet, knowing Tharivol would tell their tale with the appropriate level of interest for his audience.
Briar calmly faced Batul
"I am a Gatekeeper, and more than that, was born to this. "
Bony ridges and armored carapace plates shivered under the barbarian's forearm.
"I am walking dead, death to the mad ones again and again until my destiny catches up with me, and I can fight no more."
She gestures at the others
"We have all seen the twisted ones first hand, a pact of sorts was made to help fight against the corrupted ones. I am proud to fight with them. I trust them."
She inclined her head at the ancient orc
"But what of you and your visions, your portents? Are they always the same?"
Veratash saw everyone talk of themselves and decided that Orshok must be a very charismatic guy. He contributed "I come from Adar, a region in another continent, far to the east." He seemed sad to talk about his homeland. "It is embarrassing to talk about my presence here", he chuckled but continued "I have been gifted with psychic powers but always had trouble keeping the required focus to use them properly. You see, that is very shameful for a kalashtar, since our whole society is built on meditation and enlightenment. After hearing that an Eberron Dragonshard could help me focus, I joined with two other kalashtar scholars who wished to study it in being deceived by a man who called himself Dah'mir. We were captured and experimented on."
Veratash took some time to remember he still needed to find his friends. "After escaping, I ran into them and we've been helping each other to get to the bottom of this. Later we met Briar and Zdravko who have a better idea of how big the problem is, but so far we're very much in the dark about what the workings at hand are." He hoped Orshok would empathize with them.
Veratash looked at Batul and said "Oh, the story is very good, you'll want to crack some kegs open." as he also waited for Tharivol to masterfully tell the story. Again.
Veratash wished he was as certain as the others. He said "There are people who might get hurt if I do nothing. So far I'm not sure if I have a choice but help."
Nyd cautiously drops his hood back. "I am a warfroged, and we were created without a home, just a Master we were supposed to serve until death."
"I have heard that others of my kind flock to the banner of a so called, 'Lord of Blades' but I feel that he wishes to control the fates of the Warforged as completely as our makers did--and do. I would not rebind myself after choosing my own freedom, so for now seek to prevent what my former 'masters' though was right."
"As I said, I was not born, I was created. And like all of my kind I was created to be a weapon, a disposable one. The end of the War did not stop their plans, it only delayed them.
"While the Last War did not touch these swamps as such, people such as myself believes that the current ending is just temporary. When the War resumes, Corruption will once again tempt those who wish for a quick road to power. I am here to learn. To learn how to put a hole into their raft and deny them access to your greatest enemy."
"And if I have to rebuild that knowledge from scratch, or even build new people to take up the cause..." Nyd shrugs, "Well. I have time."
Kicking himself for opening himself up to the elemental galleon captain, Tharivol doesn't share his home of Sharn. Although, he was a bit surprised that the kid revealed more information to this young orc than he had to the companions when they were grilling him. He wonders what else is unsaid.
"My companions are too kind. They are usually never shy to share their opinions and story. For my part, I've written two ballads that share some of our story together. Please allow me to play them. Then, my companions can fill in the gaps." Tharivol offers while unslinging his lute case and dramatically removing it with a flourish.
"This first piece is how we first came together." He explains while fine tuning the instrument. Then, he plays the Battle of the Standing Stones.
and
"This second piece is how we first came to meet Orshok." This untitled one starts with following the orc kid to meeting up with Orshok after the retreat.
and
The dragonmarked elf stays quiet, because his initial answer would be, no bloody way. He likes his life.
Briar frowned
"No. 'Handing us over' will not go well. We would not go quietly."
She shook her head
"We can simply be on our way elsewhere, Fat Tusk need feature no more in our story if it fears the association"
"Sharp?"
The woman clenched her jaw.
She nodded to herself.
"We are to run a gauntlet it seems, our skills and fortune against whatever this tribe deems as destiny binding. I suggest you prepare yourselves for a trial, by skill or combat"
Veratash, completely ignorant of any orc customs, listened attentively to Tharivol's translation. He was completely abashed until Zdravko started talking and he understood what it was. Maybe this is a shortcut to Dah'mir after all, he thought to himself, but kept the thought quiet and allowed the others to discuss with the orcs.
He heard Briar and said "Well, that sounds scary. But it seems the orcs will require us to do that in order to trust us. This Krepis fellow sounds like one we should beware, though. He might have allied with the Dragon Below already."
OOC: where is this info from? MoE?
OOC: My bad. What is MoE?
OOC: somebody please make that knowledge check. I can't build up tension for something you don't know about! :)
Game on!
"Prepare ourselves for what? It would help to know what we're meant to prepare for."
Nyd remains quite. He doesn't have anything he feels he can add, so he will wait and see.
OOC1: OK, someone who has time and inclination to write about 'Jhegesh Dol' can automatically make the check. Yes, I'm nice that way. :)
OOC2: I like to check in on players every once in a while... How's everyone doing? Is the game still interesting? You've noticed by now that I take over PCs to convey mood and information. I took over Artur and Tharivol during the last turn in:
Artur looked at Tharivol. “What’s Jhegesh Dol?” he asked quickly.
“I don’t know,” said the elf. “But the words sound like Orc. A dol is just a place, a structure or even a stretch of marsh. Jhegesh …” He shook his head. “There’s a word like it, though: jegez.”
“What does that mean?”
“Sharp.”
Neither Artur nor Tharivol write any of it.
I try to make sure it's nothing serious and would not go against the PC's personality but sometimes I may step on someone's toes so you all need to let me know if that occurs.
FYI, we're probably about 20% into the campaign but some things already have changed (pesky players! :)) so we'll see how long it takes to complete the game.
Any other comments?
OOC: well, considering that 3.5 cure potions were worth 50gp, same as cure potions in 5e, would make a 150 gp item at about the power level of an 'uncommon minor item'. So I'm inclined to limit them. Sorry. :(
However, if you want to spend a ki point, we can fluff it and allow you to substitute stunning strike and impose another 'condition' on an enemy.
Were you thinking of using the bloodspikes to augment your own prowess or just hinder enemies?
OOC: I'm going to let this turn run one more day so someone can bring up the info on Jhegesh Dol and you guys can react and prepare for this 'test'.
To make things clear, the Fat Tusk tribe will pledge their support in both finding and attacking this Dah'mir if you 'survive' Jhegesh Dol.
Questions?
Game on!
Briar's brow furrowed and she absentmindedly placed a hand on Liti as she thought, sharp-nailed hands kneading the muscular neck of the weasel. Liti tensed, ducking under and slinking away.
"You know the name is familiar to me, I recall a story told to me by Tam Tam in actual fact."
"She told us Jhegesh Dol was the supposed name of a Daelkyr stronghold, the master of which was called the 'Master of Sharpness'. He was rumored killed some seven thousand years ago."
She glanced around to ensure everyone was listening
"How much of this is legend and how much folktale I do not know, but I will relate this snipet in case it is true. Orc tribes and Dragonshard prospectors find many things deep in the Shadow Marches, sometimes they've talked of ghostly Daelkyr citadels that appear one day and are gone the next, sometimes in ruins, sometimes with stones as shiny and slick as the first day they were cut."
She shrugged
"They say that they've even heard ghosts, and more. That sometimes they hear the daelkyr themselves, shivering, chattering, trapped inside their castles and waiting for an opportunity to find a chink in the armor of whatever binding they are under."
She stared in to the distance, trying to recall anything else of use but unable to remember anything more concrete.
Veratash found the tale told by Briar somewhat amusing and didn't believe much of it. He suppressed his laughter, however, and said "Sounds simple enough", unintentionally sounding condescending.
OOC: what do you mean by 'my class feature doesn't work on the campaign's main enemies'?
Anything above 50 gp becomes an 'uncommon minor item' and if you get expendable of those then why shouldn't the other PCs as well?
However, as stated above, use your proficiency to make a 'Defiling: Defiling bloodspikes are the only kind currently made that are intended to be used on the enemy. Those effected must make a Fortitude save, DC 12, or be nauseated for 1 round' but just use a ki point to activate it. You're basically swapping out your stunned condition for another condition (poisoned?).
Heck, knowing I will get some good fluff from you, I'll even let you use something like blind or deaf.
Thoughts?
Game on!
Artur was quiet on the boat ride, contemplating everything that had happened since his desire to visit an old friend a couple of months ago.
Has it really been that long? Artur thought to himself.
As night settled in Artur pulled his goggles over his face to be able to see and looked around at the swamp.
I don't see what the appeal is in living in a place that stinks. Artur decided before settling down to sleep.
It was a trait he had picked up as a soldier: sleep when you can.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jostled awake by the boat's lack of movement, Artur secured his magnetic pack on his back and then strapped on his weapon before climbing out of the boat and moving to stand with the assembled group.
As Briar moved forward Artur followed. As the fortess willed itself into view, Artur moved towards the nearest space of cover and gestured for the group to follow him. Once assembled, Artur said "Okay, so we have two options: one, we can try to sneak or fight our way through a Daelkyr fortress, or two, we can circle the outside of the fortress and then make a beeline towards the other tree."
Artur paused for a moment to make sure everyone was following, before continuing with "Personally, I vote for option b. He said nothing about having to go into the fortress, just that we have to get to the other tree."
"We're not in Sharn anymore? Are we now? Who said that this would be simple?" The dragonmarked minstrel asked rhetorical questions to hide his absolute fear of where Artur had led him.
"Who said I want them to fight with us? they just have knowledge we need that they've refused to give us. Really, all I want from them is knowledge and maybe a guide to take us to their camp. I don't really want to drag any group of people into our problems more than necessary to get to where we need to be."
"Thank you brother Batul"
"Whilst a good exploit Artur, I fear it is against the spirit of the task set for us. It would e strength or perseverence, courage rather than cunning to be tested."
"Perhaps it is but illusion and we can walk righ through. If not it will be along night, prepare yourselves."
She began moving off, wading through the ankle deep water towards the fortress.
"I am afraid I have to respectfully disagree Artur. While I too am reluctant to get others involved in our problems, I suspect in this case we have gotten involved in other's problems. Additional force multipliers are always useful, even if they just--what was the phrase? 'Hold our cloaks.'"
Nyd gestures at the fortress. "In addition, there is much to learn from how the enemy builds. This is an opportunity we should not pass, though all due precautions should be taken, of course."
And with that Nyd casts Mage Armor on himself, and raising his Arcane Ward. He also carefully unpacks his lantern and hangs it on his belt, while at the same time lowering his goggles over his eyes.
"And besides, the odds of us not being watch at this point are--low at the very best."
"And I would have to disagree Nyd; I don't want to see these people's lives uprooted for something they have little-to-no stake in; further, more bodies add more noise. Not just sound, but also signs of passage and the need to feed a large group. This, of course, precludes the fact that they have their own way of doing things, and that can only lead to a logistical nightmare where we get pulled into doing things their way as opposed to our own."
Artur shrugged and looked directly at Briar before continuing "plus, and I mean no offense here, I don't trust them. At least one of their clan has upfront offered to turn us over to the people we're hunting, and I would be surprised if there weren't more who shared that sentiment. Even if their leader seems reasonable, there is little to stop those that want to turn us over from acting on their own."
Artur shook his head and said "There's too much riding on our dealing with this situation to allow an outside influence with shaky ties to be involved."
OOC: for what it's worth, I think you're playing your monk quite well. I'm even taking notes for my future monks. :)
I think I've said this already but one of the high points of 5e is the overall balance of all the classes.
This is not like PF1 where you HAD to have certain feats (barbarian with power attack) and/or equipment (all magus with scimitars) to make sure your class remained relevant.
The above couple with my focus on story makes me want to even out the playing field even more so all PCs have a chance to shine.
Questions?
Game on!
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PS1: the lack of response to my little 'poll' makes me think that everyone is still interested in the game as it's currently being played.
PS2; we'll assume that Veratash is having a great time with his fiancee and has ditched us. Now's a good time to make him go first in the marching order. :)