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Aroha takes a close look at the sketch, studying the diagrams intently.
Nigh immediately, she notices that the planets are orbiting in the wrong direction. "Odd," she thinks, "perhaps Baltaram simply isn't very familiar with astronomy." She then looks closer, further scrutinizing the sketch.
"Ehemm, there is something wrong. The planets are going in the wrong direction. Maybe you should fix that." "And the device only works with magic. It would be useless." he adds.
Aroha nods in agreement concerning the planets, but further investigates the sketch and the display to make sure she understands it.
Aroha agrees that the device simply shouldn't work. Although rudimentary, her knowledge of simple mechanisms leaves her to intuit that the pieces on the sketch simply shouldn't work together. "Perhaps Severus is right about it being magic, especially considering the squirrel earlier." She looks back to the display and then to the sketch once more.
"Well, that's odd. I'm sure your sketch is accurate to the material--you seem quite proficient--but the mechanisms don't seem to add up. Perhaps..." Aroha then begins wondering over to the display, giving an aloof head-turn back towards the gnome, "Thank you, by the way."
Upon investigating the display, she confirms that the device could not possibly function mechanically. "Just like before, it's all held up with magic."
Aroha returns to Severus, whispering to him "I think this Baltaram fellow is some kind of magician. You're right about this exhibit, and I'm near sure the squirrel in the sculpture gallery was frozen instead of stuffed."
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The small gnome laughs so hard at Aroha and Severus' conclusions she bumps a display, nearly knocking it to the floor. She apologizes profusely, drawing a great deal of attention, and continues laughing quietly to herself for much of the evening.
After an evening of interacting with the artists, art critics, and other socialites, you follow the crowd into the main hall, where Asrennia is preparing. "Thank you all so much for attending this wonderful event! I have to say I think my favorite piece of this evening would have to be Magnimar Bushytail." It is followed by a round of applause. She starts with several rounds of terrible jokes and descriptions of some of the winners from the minor galleries.
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Maximas will mingle with crowd by telling jokes.
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. Waka, Waka, Waka. and waits for tomatoes to get thrown at him.
What is blue and light? Light blue. Waka, waka, waka
He does talk about how great the displays are after badly trying to get the group to warm up to his jokes.
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Shrinking away from the crowd, the Old Crow at Mountain's Top recedes into a sea of art critics, causing him to vex with much irritation, an expression that displays itself on the inside of his body, and only physically manifested as a stiffening of limb - focusing all of his conscious energy on simply breathing, the bodily function whose autonomicity has been suddenly revoked in what appears to be a spasm of mild agoraphobia!
"Zounds! Might I cross through this parallel complex like a liberated transversal!" he thinks to himself, and somehow finding Maximas once more, places his arm on his shoulder, waiting for the excitement to pass.
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Like the morning dew clung to the top of a curved leaf outstretched and exposed before the rising sun, Old Crow at Mountain's Top evaporates with abject horror by recoiling into himself as Maximas calls him to come forward - leaving his body, he observes with a distorted sense of time from above the stillness and pallid color now creeping across his flesh and feathers - the latter poofing to increase the volume of the space he takes up! - trapped in inaction and unable to speak.
"Zounds! Perhaps I can scale a dilation that reduces me to a one-dimensional point in space" his thinking is wishful and wistful as his mind remains fully alive in stark contrast with the rest of his body!
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Maximas looks over at Old crow, surprised for a second and then thinks he understands. He talks only to Old Crow away from the NPCs and any PC that wants to ease-drop. Parrot like creature he thinks to himself Repeat after me. I'm curious about the paintings. They are unusual but great. Some don't make sense but they are well done. Anyway, nice to meet you, my name is Old Crow.
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You circle through the crowd and begin working them over as Maximas joins Asrennia in telling terrible jokes, though between Aroha and Costolian the crowd begins to suspect Baltaram's exhibits more and more.
Asrennia speaks up as she clears her throat. "Before announcing the winners from the four main exhibits, it seems we have a bit of commentary? Please let us all know your thoughts." She waits for you to do so as all eyes turn to your group.
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Rising to the the occasion armed with curious non-sequitor! "By my calculations..." he produces his Compass and Protractor, lifting them into plain view "...the four positions of the exhibits, all with stress points as has been already pointed out, do not neatly adhere to the Classical Arrangement that if a straight line falling on two straight lines makes the interior angles on the same side of it taken together less than two right angles, then the two straight lines, if produced indefinitely, meet on that side on which the sum of angles is less than two right angles" assuming perhaps falsely that his assertion falls onto hearing ears, he pauses here to let it "sink in", before elaborating "There is a Strange Energy afoot - throwing out the Conventions of a Safe Geometry - and I will get to the bottom of it!"
He looks at Maximas, and nods!
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Asrennia gasps in shock, covers her mouth, adding a bit of drama and flair to the evening. The crowd follows her lead, looking around in shock with each new revelation about Baltaram—who is nowhere to be seen.
Asrennia rushes to investigate a few of the accusation herself and quickly returns. "It seems Baltaram has been shamming and deceiving us all! Search for him and let's make him answer for his accusations." Asrennia waves her hand.
A loud voice sounds from the back of the room and Baltaram along with three bodyguards wielding saps come walking forward as the crowd quickly parts ways leaving Baltaram facing you, his accusers in the center of the room. "You dare to challenge my honor in front of everyone?" He sputters as his face turns beet red. He moves to attack!
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Shanti
Bodyguard (Red)
Bodyguard (Green)
Bodyguard (Yellow)
Aroha
Old Crow
Costolian
Severus
Baltaram
Maximas
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Shanti hangs back as the bodyguards push forward with their saps. One of the men frown as he swipes the heavy sap at Maximas and Old Crow as the third seems to defend Baltaram.
Maximas gets a solid bruise as he blocks the blow with his forearm.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Shanti
Bodyguard (Red)
Bodyguard (Green)
Bodyguard (Yellow)
➤ Aroha
➤ Old Crow
➤ Costolian
➤ Severus
Baltaram
Maximas
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A little tumble and the surprisingly limber old bird evades the worst of the blows - he barrels his wing into his attacker with a surprising reversal, trying to knock him northeasterly...
◆) Shove (>NE)
◆◆) Crushing Ground
...seeing his foe teeter, Old Crow at Mountain's Top steadies himself with a low stance, widening his feet and dropping his already-groundward center of gravity even deeper, gesturing with his staff a series of concentric circles, each circumventing the last, their tracing energized by a yellow blaze of power accompanied by a bass hum - as if the ground itself could speak slowly and with a methodical gutteral chant - for indeed it does, a quaking ripple shooting orthogonally from the point at which the largest and most recent circles strikes tangent the ground, straight towards the same assailant - opening the floor around his feet to clamp upward and swallow his legs!
Range: 60 feet
Duration: 1 round
Critical Success: The target is unaffected.
Success: The target takes half damage.
Failure: The target takes full damage, is flat-footed, and takes a –10-foot circumstance penalty to Speed.
Critical Failure: The target takes double damage and is flat-footed and immobilized. It can attempt to Escape against your spell DC. If it doesn't Escape, the target takes an additional 2d6 bludgeoning damage when the spell ends.
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Seeing Maximas get struck by the Red Sap, Aroha moves around the pillar and quickly closes the gap between them, hoping to body-block further damage.
Then, having closed the distance, she raises her shield so as to not leave any openings in close up combat.
Finally, hoping to prevent further assault from the Red Sap, Aroha thrusts her rapier at the assialiant in an effort to disarm.
◆
◆ Hero Point:
Critical Success You knock the item out of the target's grasp. It falls to the ground in the target's space.
Success You weaken your target's grasp on the item. Until the start of that creature's turn, attempts to Disarm the target of that item gain a +2 circumstance bonus, and the target takes a –2 circumstance penalty to attacks with the item or other checks requiring a firm grasp on the item.
Critical Failure You lose your balance and become flat-footed until the start of your next turn.
Rapier Disarm Trait You can use this weapon to Disarm with the Athletics skill even if you don't have a free hand. This uses the weapon's reach (if different from your own) and adds the weapon's item bonus to attack rolls (if any) as an item bonus to the Athletics check. If you critically fail a check to Disarm using the weapon, you can drop the weapon to take the effects of a failure instead of a critical failure. On a critical success, you still need a free hand if you want to take the item.
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"You dare to challenge my honor in front of everyone?" He sputters as his face turns beet red. He moves to attack!
"I was unaware that you had any to challenge!" Costolian retorts, he gestures and releases a bolt of lightning that seems to originate from his tattoos.
The Varisian man then draws his blade.
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Aroha places herself into a better position to help protect others from harm. With a swift flick of her wrist Aroha loosens the grip on the bodyguards grip.
Old Crow spreads his wings far and wide as be barrels into the bodyguard. The bodyguard begins to teeter slightly but manages to hold his own ground as he shoves back.
The bodyguard barely even notices as the quaking ground ripples beneath his feet. The crowd gasps as Costolian sends a mighty spark between the pair.
The bodyguard gets singed as he shakes feeling back into his free hand. "That hurt!" Baltaram raises a journal that absorbs some of the blow as it creates a small hole in the middle of it.
Severus makes a quick gesture as magical missiles streak through teh air and pop into the bodyguard's chest.
Baltaram circles around and tosses his journal at Costolian, "You ruined my work!" he then tosses a feeble punch at Old Crow.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Shanti
Bodyguard (Red)
Bodyguard (Green)
Bodyguard (Yellow)
Aroha
Old Crow
Costolian
Severus
Baltaram
➤ Maximas
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Maximas draws his katana and swiftly slashes it across the bodyguards chest as Shanti smacks another of the bodyguards around a bit.
The bodyguards move closer to protect Baltaram as the other two defend themselves against Shanti and Aroha.
Aroha feels the sting of the sap against her cheek as she sees stars for a moment.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Shanti
Bodyguard (Red)
Bodyguard (Green)
Bodyguard (Yellow)
➤ Aroha
➤ Old Crow
➤ Costolian
➤ Severus
Baltaram
Maximas
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As the stars clear from Aroha's eyes, she grits her teeth. Although she had her shield, she had not anticipated that it would be needed at such swift notice. Quickly, she unleashes two strikes on her assailant making sure to avoid vital areas, but not stopping between slashes: Even if they had started the attack, Aroha doesn't want to risk killing anyone unless absolutely necessary.
◆
◆
Having heard him yelling, Aroha keeps watch of Baltaram from the corner of her eye, waiting for him to act before continuing.
Although she could heal herself, Aroha glances at her allies, wanting to protect them. "Alright," she thinks. "I'll just pay closer attention. Keep the shield at the ready."
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Squaking in frustration as the bodyguard overpowers and outdodges his efforts, Old Crow at Mountain's Top applies new tools to the problem. Regripping his staff, he closes his eyes and centers his breathing, balancing his physical and metaphysical body in combined effort, achieving a moment's relaxation in the chaos of the brawl.
Then a sudden movement!
Striking his staff upon the ground like a tuning fork, he breaks his concentration, recites a few obscure axioms of a strange maths, and imbues the implement with a steady reverberation, whereby instead of growing in external size, there is an expansion of internal energy, a concussive force emanating outward only a couple millimeters, projected forth from a plane tucked into a hidden physical dimension.
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Aroha's rapier swats across the bodyguards neck as she spins back and smashes the hilt into his nose, knocking the man unconscious. Old Crow smacks his staff into the ground where magic rings throughout the staff expanding it out.
Costolian feints Baltaram as he strikes a long gash across the nobleman's arm.
Several bits of stone from Old Crow breaking the floor fling up into Baltaram's chi and the back of the bodyguard. "You besmirch my honor and now try to outright kill me in front of witnesses. Someone call the guards!" He looks around, realizing noone in the crowd moves immediately and strikes out in anger at Costolian.
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Maximas slashes his Katana across the broad space in the bodyguard's back. The man falls to the ground where he begins to groan in pain as he falls unconscious.
With another bodyguard down he is able to shift his focus and grievously injures the remaining bodyguard.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Shanti
Bodyguard (Yellow)
Aroha
Old Crow
Costolian
Severus
Baltaram
Maximas
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Seeing the conflict draw to a close, Aroha sheathes her rapier and moves closer to the rest of the group with her shield still in hand.
She then takes a quick glance at the bodyguard to her side. Although she cannot risk to assess him directly in the heat of battle, she looks for any glaring signs of potentially lethal injuries. "Even though they did attack us first, they're still people, not monsters," she thinks. "And they could be good for information if Baltaram won't speak."
Having assessed the bodyguard as well as she can for the time being, Aroha faces back toward Baltaram and the rest of the group.
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Old Crow at Mountain's Top, having no real quarrel other than with a bodyguard who has already been knocked out, brings his tuning staff down somewhat gently, letting the vibration do the work - dashing into a quick flanking position with Costolian, before dashing right out to stay out of Shanti's way.
◆) Step (into flank)
◆) Strike
◆) Step (out of flank)
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Several of you descend upon Baltaram as Aroha assesses the wounded. They all still seem alive, though barely. Old crow brings his tuning fork down and knocks the crazed Baltaram out with the end of it. A large purple bruise begins to form on the side of his head.
Dr. Rolph and Penelette Weaverish come forward to stabilize the fallen. Looking them over he gives a quick sigh in relief. "They are alive."
Asrennia plays up the fight as “Well, I think that is the end of the show this evening.” She glares at you until you make yourselves scarce.
One way or another, Baltaram’s reputation is ruined, and word quickly spreads that Trinsky is welcome in to Asrennia’s social circle once more.
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Scarce indeed - nobody has to tell the Old Crow twice that his company is no longer wanted. The vibrations in his tuning staff slowly decrease in frequency as, by equivalent proportion, the primal magic inside of it slowly wanes; within less than a moment, it once more achieves a stillness, falling completely to rest.
Back out in the open air, he spreads his arms and legs to stretch, expanding every digit, taking back up as much space as his squat but light-weight body can muster, liberated from the smelly crowds inside the art salon. Seeing a worm upon the ground, a reflexive jerk plucks it into his beak, and with two bites, facing his open throat to the sky to recruit gravity, he gulps it down with nary a thought.
And shoves off to go look for another tree...