Oh, Eigil had some corn dogs. The argument brought down the mood a bit, but after Roark's diplomacy all sides came together and a corn dog meal was enjoyed by all. A sweet crunchy corn outside that would lure anyone into the savory, salty sausage center. A perfect meal all contained nicely on a stick for easy eating. "Tomorrow I'll make some hot n spicy ones!" The Dwarf promises as he crawls into his tent for the night.
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Bella and Fran take the first watch. The air is mostly still and a bit cool but not cold. A light breeze blows through the trees, leaves rustling off and on. Midway through their shift Bella pauses and listens... was that a howl in the distance? The sounds of running through old leaves? As quickly as it came its now gone. Quiet and still once more, except for the sounds of a quick snore. Bella looks over to see Fran's eyes closed and her breathing slowed a bit. A cat nap!
The rest of the evening goes by without event. By morning you all awake refreshed by the sounds of the horses, eager for their morning grain. Arak and Arek tend them, packing up camp and digging out some bundles of rations "No time for a hot breakfast I'm afraid, enjoy!"
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The weather is damp, soon after starting a light drizzle greets you all, soon followed up by a bit of a breeze. The sound of rustling leaves and creaking tree branches echo out of the forest.
"Stop!" Shouts Kisaya, full of fright "Did you hear that? Someone's sobbing in the woods out there.. " She holds her hands up and listens, and listens "I swear I heard it.. must be a trick from the wind I guess, heh." She takes a step closer to Bella as the rest of you listen as well. Nothing. "Ok, let's move on, I'm sorry." She waves at Arak to move the horses along once more.
After the midday meal the caravan starts down a small valley, the road cutting across it. As you round a corner with thick fir trees the horses let out a loud neigh, the front wagon's team rears up in near panic!
"WOAH I SAID Biscuit! Honey!" Arak commands the team, struggling on the reins to keep them from panic.
"The bridge washed out!" Hollers Arek, also keeping a tight grip on the reins.
"You guys are gonna have to figure out how to get us across or around, or something before these horses lose it!" You can see just ahead a gully with the remains of a wooden plank and beam bridge. Any ideas?
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"Sweet. Salty. Quite greasy. And I'm not certain which part of the pig I consumed- Mister Jorgund was evasive on that issue." Bella snaps up from her mirror as the wind howls. Or maybe Miss Rosemont sleeps louder than expected.
I gotta try them out once I finish this part. Lord Lucky owes me some of his charms, but there's a silly rabbit he's trying to catch. It's- it's confusing.
"I'm certain you'll figure it out."
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The next day brings another interesting challenge. "With the planks and the rope, we may be able to fashion a temporary bridge, strong enough to get us across without harm." She motions to the passengers. "Hold this rope, hold this plank. I'll loop the rope across so we can crawl to the opposite side and build the bridge."
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Nicole approaches Roark and says, ”Hey, thanks for joining me to do the watch.” and leaves him.
Seeing Bella is doing a nice work to create a makeshift bridge, she offers some help to make it more sturdier and balanced. ”I want to help, Miss Bella.”
Nicole shows her skills in tying the appropriate knots around the planks and does some measurements of the bridge to see if it will hold the passengers and make them through the other end.
Roark stands around preening his feathers as the Ladies of the outfit show him just how capable they are. Bella does most of the heavy lifting while Fran and Nicole provide the know how. Before long the bridge has been reset and sturdy repairs made.
"Wow, here we were nervous about how to get through. We didn't realize we had a bunch of carpenters along. Great work." The half orc twins coax the horses over the bridge and onward towards Otari.
A few hours later dusk is fast approaching and you again all make camp for the night. As promised Eigil works on cooking up a tantalizing meal of spicy corn dogs for everyone.
"We should arrive in town by midday tomorrow, so long as the weather holds and there's no more issues." Arek estimates, dragging a crate of corn dog supplies from under the lead wagon.
After supper everyone relaxes around a modest campfire, Kisaya speaks up "Tell us, if you care to, what brings you to the city at the center of the world? People travel from all over to reach this place, what are your reasons?" She looks first to Roark, seeing as he looks the most foreign from this land of the group.
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"Squawk! Well, I thought I'd see the world. After I was hatched and after I became an adult, I thought I'd expand my horizons. I studied dance, but there's not much fun in dancing for other tengu, so I left to explore. I discovered that other races stop and stare at a dancing bird, especially when they were trying to rob me on the roads. So I decided to use dance as part of my defense... Not much else to tell, really. I met the other Pathfinders in Absalom and here we are!"
Roark bows and winks at Fran and Mister Midnight.
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"I find solace in dancing, singing, limericks and other fine arts." Bella chimes in. "My sister enjoys the pan flute. Hopefully we can meet her some day." She stares into the campfire, reaches for her pocket mirror but holds herself steady.
"My home in Galt is beautiful. The rain puts you to sleep, the birds awaken you with their singing. The sun radiates warmth and the moon bids you calm." Bella wraps her arms around her knees, finally lowering her guard.
"My father, the Lord... he met his end with a cold iron dagger in his back. My sister and I began an investigation, and my leads brought me in contact with the Pathfinder Society." She looks to Mister Thunderbird and Madames Rosemont and Flames. "They have been quite helpful so far."
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Realizing that she's really the only one left who hasn't shared, Fran looks down at her hands, resting in her lap. She nervously fidgets with a stray thread on her tunic.
"U-um...my family's from Caliphas. And, um, lots of us are...well, normal, I guess you'd say, but some of us are sometimes born with strange powers. Or maybe they're given to us, I'm not really sure," she explains, quietly. "B-But however they happen, there's one thing that's certain - we pay a price. There's always been rumors that we're cursed and I...I think it's true. Lots of Rosemonts have met bad ends over the centuries, mostly in freak accidents but sometimes through even worse ways. Too many to just be a coincidence or bad luck."
Fran finally looks up, her expression serious but determined. "I joined the Pathfinder Society so maybe I could learn more about curses and how they work. And maybe how to fight them. I wanted to try and help."
"But...um, I won't lie, it's nice to get out and see the world a little more, too. And to meet new people," she adds with a small but genuine smile.
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Bella pauses to listen to everyone. Everyone deals with their own struggles.
She turns to Madame Rosemont. "My mother married into her current position. She also married into the Court. Its joys, its intrigue, its betrayal. Many betrayals." She turns back to the campfire. "My father's lineage is full of betrayal, pranks that turn lethal, or flat out rioting." She takes a deep breath before turning back. "I wish you the best of luck in solving your mystery, Madame. My sister and I have our own to solve."
The orcish twins and passengers all sit around the fire, listening intently as the group shares some personal stories. "Sounds like this Pathfinder Society of yours really brings together all sorts. They've always done fair by us, but of course you hear stories on the road of different." One by one everyone heads for bed, leaving the Pathfinder watch as the last pair standing.
Not long into the second watch the wind shifts a bit, quite soon after the fog begins to roll in off the sea. Thick fog, and wet. The air gets heavy and still. Eventually the sun starts to rise, at least you assume so, as the fog brightens up but doesn't break.
Arak is the first to crawl out of bed "Great, can't see the color of my shoes in this fog. Help pack up camp as quick as possible, maybe this stuff will thin out down the road, if not it'll be a long last leg of the trip."
Everyone is busy packing up tents when Fran and Roark hear creaking and light clanking echo off into the fog to the south. Cue incoming ominous battle music and prepare yourselves!
Earlier spoiler you unlocked if you missed it: Dense fog often blankets the road to Otari coming off the Inner Sea, making it hard to see who else may be lurking nearby. Both skeletons and zombies are known to wander these roads of late, rumored to be the angry remains of warriors and sailors, attacking any travelers they come across.
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"Um...he might, if I ask him nicely," Fran answers, a little surprised by the question but in a good way. "And, um, offer a bribe, hehe. He likes bisque, when we can get it...just so you know, I mean," she grins.
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"Oh! Um, something's coming, from the south!" Fran suddenly gasps, bolting up from where she'd been packing her bedroll. "Can you hear it?"
She readies herself, looking anxiously out into the fog...
Before long everyone can indeed hear the sounds of movement coming from the south. The rattle of steel on steel and the trampling of leaves. But all you can still see are the blurry outlines of each other and the nearby stones. Beyond that is the drifting white morass of the fog.
Bella
Fran
Roark
Nicole
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Green
Blue
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Bella shrugs and moves south, into the mist. She keeps one hand raises defensively. "If you won't show yourself, then I shall seek you out."
If Bella still can't see anything:
If Bella can see something:
"The general raised his sword, pointed at the demon in front of him and bellowed Death, or Glory!"
Not one to let death come on their terms, Bella seeks it out herself. As she makes her way through the fog she's confronted by a rail thin frame of bones wearing rusted armor and brandishing a curved steel blade. Beyond that is a large silhouette lurking in the fog (concealed).
Bella moves ahead and through the whisps of fog confronts an armored skeletal humanoid with a scimitar. She challenges the creature, it whips its head in her direction, burning red eyes focused on her. At the edge of her vision, mostly concealed in the fog she can see a large humanoid.
Roark moves up, keeping near Bella, he too sees the green skeletal creature, its eyes fixated on Lady Bella in a not so friendly way. He shakes his tail feathers, preparing for battle!
Fran and Nicole are left alone in camp, surrounded by oppressive fog, knowing their companions moved to the south.
Bella - Panache
Fran
Roark - Panache
Nicole
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Green
Blue
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"Ugh, I hate this fog." she says and quickly moves on the other side of the rock and finds something big concealed in the fog. She then quickly draws a flask of lesser alchemist's fire and thrown it into the direction of the concealed big something.
Hero Point Re-roll:
fire damage + 1 persistent fire damage +1 fire splash damage
She then returns to her previous position.
◆ Stride
◆ Quick Bomber
◆ Stride
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"W-wait, don't leave me alone!" Fran stammers as she hurries after Bella and Roark, moving forward until she can finally make out their shapes again. "H-here, this should help..." she murmurs as she focuses her power on tweaking the threads of fate for Bella. Then she conjures a ghostly shield to protect herself.
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Nicole moves ahead through the fog and tosses a fiery flask at the large blue creature. The fates align and straighten out her throw at the last second, coating the creature in oil that instantly bursts into flames. Fran moves ahead and conjures magics to defend herself and aid Bella.
The green skeletal creature opens its mouth, a silent scream that may have once been a battle cry but now is just anger. It moves to attack Bella, swinging its blade nimbly as it tries to carve her up.
Out of the fog from the east another skeletal figure appears, this one tinged in orange. It locks eyes with Roark and it too tries to carve itself out a drumstick or two.
Finally the large blue brute lumbers slowly ahead and into clear view, stopping just behind green. Its eyes are clouded white and its body bloated and rotting. The smell of burning rancid meat fills the air. It slowly turns its head side to side before swinging its tree sized arm at .
The mighty giant clobbers Roark, the force of the blow pushing him back next to Fran. The flames continue to cook blue but it doesn't seem to care.
Bella 16/21 - Panache - Nudged
Fran
Roark 5/17 - Panache
Nicole
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Green
Blue -8
Orange
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"Here they come!" The armored skeletal figure moves up to Bella and hacks through her armor and draws blood across her arm. She frowns and draws a light hammer. It wasn't as bad as Mister Thunderbird's injuries.
She chooses to keep her guard up.
"The demon raised its glaive, but the Captain would not falter!"
Bella raises her hammer and strikes down at the skeleton, at the same moment Fran's magic flashes in response, directing the weapon to a rusted spot in the creature's armor. The head of the hammer crashes through the armor and wipes out the brittle ribs beneath, felling it in one swing.
Roark finds similar success, bashing the orange skeleton in the face, knocking its mandible clean off, sending it too crumbling to the sod. He retreats back into the fog away from big bad blue.
Bella 16/21 - Panache
Fran
Roark 5/17 - Panache
Nicole
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Blue -8
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Nicole again quickly moves on the other side of the rock. She then quickly draws a flask of lesser alchemist's fire and thrown it into the direction of the concealed big something.
fire damage + 1 persistent fire damage +1 fire splash damage
She then returns to her previous position.
◆ Stride
◆ Quick Bomber
◆ Stride
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"O-oh, it worked!" Fran gasps as she feels her magic tip the odds in Bella's favor and a skeleton falls. Though she can't see it well, she catches sight of something...something large...looming ahead in the fog. She falls back a few paces and mentally reaches out, attempting to also nudge fate for Roark, before conjuring her protective shield once more.
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Nicole repeats her earlier effective tactics, this time her aim isn't so good. The blue brute gets slightly scorched. . Roark remembers he's got a healing potion and digs it out. Fran boosts Roark's fate and prepares for a future beating.
The blue brute stands in front of Bella, clouded, lifeless eyes look in her direction. "Bluuurrgg." A bit of trapped rancid air leaks out of a hole in its stomach. It swings a mighty meat fist down on the woman, snapping her collar bone and cracking some ribs as it sends her flying backwards into a still heap next to Fran. It advances on the only standing foe it can see.
The flames continue to burn.
Bella 0/21 Dying 2? - Panache?
Fran
Roark 5/17 - Panache - Nudged
Nicole
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Blue -10
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Bella wrinkles her nose in confusion. What is this thing? Where did it come from? It smells worse than the one worker at the castle who is covered in offal.
No time to worry about that. Sister dearest is hugging her as they view a grisly sight: their father, motionless, and the dagger sticking out of his back. Tears stream down her face, soaking Khari's fur. We're gonna figure this out, okay sis? We'll figure it out together. Because that's what families do.
Yes, together. Bella gathers her courage. We need to tell Mother... Help me, help me stand up.
Bella's eyes flutter awake for just a moment.
Bella gets knocked for a loop, but somehow makes a miraculous recovery, her bleeding stops and wounds stabilize. Fran abandons twisting the fates on Roark to inject some positive energy into Bella's broken bones, bringing her back to consciousness. Taking no chances, Bella quickly scrambles away from the large brute, leaving her hammer behind. Roark however tempts the fates, darting back into harms way, intent on filleting off a piece of rotting flesh for Mr Midnight. His short sword cuts deep, slicing off a ham the size of three Mr Midnight's in one slash. Nicole smashes another bottle of insta-flame over its head. Her arrow narrowly misses its mark.
Down one butt cheek and still up in flames the brute looks at its three visible targets and just can't keep its eyes off Bella. Must be that nice perfume, or maybe those meticulously plucked eyebrows, who knows. It advances and takes a mighty swing, barely deflecting off her leather studs.
The flames continue to burn.
Bella 6/21 Wounded 1 - Panache
Fran
Roark 5/17
Nicole
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Blue -61