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Working my way through my games, and I apologize for the long delay. As I mentioned last week I am, or was, going through a transition between jobs. The last week and a half have been a mess of me trying to bring everyone up to speed and dealing with the sudden mad rush of shopping and parties for my soon to be born grandson. Well, grandson in the step sense, since this is my wife's son's child. But that still makes me a grandpa at 42 I guess :) Anyway, I decided yesterday that I was going to stick with my current employer, and hopefully things will level out soon. Bear with me, I'm trying to get back into the rhythm for posting from pre-Gencon. Just so much happening all at once has left me in a bit of a chaotic mess. :)
The half-elf babbles slightly to himself as he pulls on Summer's bridle and prepares to mount the horse. How are we going to chase something that only becomes found when it chooses to be? He checks his saddlebags and saddle and bows to the newcomer, "Adakos, a pleasure to meet you Veronica. It sounds like you are about to be caught up in this whirlwind just as I was recently. Hopefully you enjoy a challenge!" Satisfied that everything is in order for travel, but still completely unsure of their destination, the ranger awaits Gromff's return to see if he will end up needing help mounting his steed-on-loan. Turning back to the newly arrived human he asks, "What led you to this place? It seems a strange coincidence that you would present yourself here at just this moment. Divine providence indeed!" As he speaks he continues to be mindful of the bright green snake that has situated itself partially in his sleeve, still not completely certain of its intentions. Although he does take a small amount of joy when its head pokes out and gives the air a taste with its tongue. Snakes, such fascinating creatures.
Looking to the dwarf the half-elf says, "Well, if the legends are true, and the spear wants to be found, we should just happen upon this valley during our travels, no? Seeking the hags might actually be the path to the spear itself in that case."
Hah, ranger envy, I can smell it! :)
Let me know if we can do any type of purchasing here once things settle. I'm needing to resupply on arrows, since that nasty wench flew off with mine. I can craft them if needed, but would obviously take less time if I purchase them. I also need to find a whip and a holy symbol, unless the ring would suffice as one.
Directly after the battle, Adakos leaves the questioning of the prisoners to the group and makes his way out of the encampment, trying desperately to catch up with the fleeing devil that had managed to escape them yet again. After quite some time, he gives up the pursuit, realizing that two legs were no match for a creature with wings. Resigned to sulk about his poor luck of late, the ranger found a flat stone and plopped to the surface, his breathing coming in labored gasps as he attempted to catch his breath from the chase. After a few short moments, the ranger got the feeling he was being watched, but a quick scan of the area revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Secretly he hoped the devil b&@#! would return, but inside he knew better, he was beginning to understand these creatures a bit more, and he knew her return would only be when she once again felt she held an advantage. Moments later he felt something tickle his hand, the one he wore the strange ring on. Looking down he saw a bright green snake had climbed the flat stone and was moving across his splayed open hand. Realizing that any sudden movements might cause the animal to strike, he remained perfectly still, waiting for it to finish its probing and continue on its way. Instead of moving on, it began to curl around his wrist, its tongue flicking repeatedly at the ring the ranger wore. Adakos had a familiar feeling of great calm seep into his bones, much like the previous times he had entered the strange mists, and the feeling brought him a peace he had not known for some time. He felt the sudden urge to find a way to take the fight to the creatures they had been constantly confronted with. He knew that there would be many more fights ahead and something deep inside him was actually comforted by this revelation. For the first time in his life, the half-elf felt the true touch of the divine, and it filled his soul with purpose. He would be the hand of the one who had so obviously chosen this group for the task, or he would die trying. Filled with a newfound resolve, he stood, the small viper still coiled snugly around his hand, and made his way back to the garrison. It was time for action.
Class Taken: Inquisitor
I wanted to take something that would help give Adakos a little purpose, and I felt a tie in to the one likely responsible for the rings as a good way to do that. The archtype itself is pretty much 100% flavor, giving up Judgement for a pet viper to go along with the viper in the visions the party has had. I don't see the viper being anything more than an RP tool, as it has zero combat ability at this level. He will be taking Inquisitor levels going forward, so if we get to that point, Bane will be a nice addition. HP: 7+2 (con)=9
Skills: +1 Acrobatics
Feat: Manyshot Spells: 0 Level - Brand, Guidance, Light, Sift
Domain: Liberation Class Abilities: Monster Lore (Ex): +2 to determine the weakness of monsters
Let's hope this turns out to be a good call. :)
Heads up for everyone. I'm back from GenCon and it was a blast. However, I'm turning in my two weeks notice today at my current employer. They have a habit of immediately cutting access to the network for outgoing IT staff, which means I will likely be out of the loop in the mornings. What this means going forward is until I am settled in my new position and have a better understanding of how much leeway I will have for posting, I will be posting now in the evenings as opposed to the mornings and during the day. I'll be catching up with my PbP games tonight and hopefully will have a bit more info then. Thanks!
I'm going to fiddle with some ideas. I really like the idea of Adakos latching onto the Battleborn ethos in light of what he has seen and experienced so far. He has to have something to cling to for sanity! :) As a side note, I'm going to GenCon next week and will be busy preparing for the games I am running at the convention this weekend and early next week, so starting tomorrow I will probably be very absent from the boards until my return. That would put me at resuming posting on the 3rd. If there is time I will post while at the convention, but I can't promise anything. Just curious, anyone else going?
Question for the GM. Can you outline the specifics of the demigod who is responsible for the rings? I'm considering a dip in a divine class and was tossing around the idea of devoting to him, but obviously there's no information on him for such an effort. Domains, favored weapon, etc?
Sorry I was unavailable yesterday. I'm back this morning. Trying to get the games I am running updated and then I'll make a post. Work needs to cut me some slack! :)
Feeling the arrow sink deeply into his flesh, the half-elf nearly cried out from the pain, the burning projectile hurting far more than he'd care to admit. It does do or die at this point, he had to take the devil down, and quickly. He knew that he couldn't stand and trade blows with her like this for long, so he put everything he had into his shots, releasing them with practiced precision.
The ranger watches as his first shot sails clear of the flying monstrosity, knowing he needed all of his arrows to land. Clenching his jaw defiantly he steels himself for the inevitable.
As the lewd and vivid images flood the ranger's senses his mind recalls that one time, with the barmaid...boy was she flexible. He strays for a moment, wondering why he wound up here, in the armpit of some strange mountain range, surrounded by strangers and fighting for his life against things that simply shouldn't exist. He longed for simpler times, a simpler life, and then the twist of the animated rope brought him back to his senses.
He twists his body against the coiling rope, keeping it from wrapping him up into a neat little half-elf sized devil snack bundle. He quickly kicks the rope off of him and scoots down the line of tents, looking for the sex-starved devil witch. "About that offer sweet cheeks, I don't think you could handle a man like me..."
I think I already killed the ones in the tower, they just were not removed.
Wincing from the conjured ball of flame, the half-elf quickly slaps at the embers on his clothing, trying to keep from catching on fire. Seeing the remaining charfiends well in hand, and watching as the devil woman fluttered back over the wall, Adakos slips into hiding himself, slowly moving between the line of tents in hopes of catching her unaware.
Growling to himself, Adakos mutters a few explicatives at the fleeing wench before turning and putting his bow to use against the threats currently engaged with his companions. The devil-witch could wait, he wasn't about to try chasing down a creature with the power of flight, as it would only be a losing battle. Sighting in one of the barbed devils, the ranger let a series of arrows fly towards his target, determined to ease the pressure of the multiple melee combatants engaged with his companions.
The sudden appearance of the flying devil-wench did not bode well for the group, especially with Roland standing in the open, a perfect target for her arrows. Adakos ducks around the tent line, using it for cover, and suddenly noticing more of the flame-throwing fiends. Not ready to let the feathery b$@%! get away this time, he narrows his eyes and sends a pair of silver arrows in her direction, determined to bring her down. "Roland! Grab some cover man!" he calls out, seeing the deeply buried arrows in the barbarian's torso.
The ranger frowned at the second shot, the arrow zipping off into the horizon beyond the creature.
Run one :)
Seeing the large man employ his earthbreaker to full effectiveness against the wooden palisade, Adakos quickly creeps past the barbarian, through the newly opened hole, and along the line of tents, until he comes to the edge, where he prepares to make an attack from behind the ranks of the demons.
Adakos grins at the barbarian as he puts his own bow to work. While there was definitely a lack of finesse in the larger man's shots, his skill was still more considerable than the half-elf would have originally thought. "You call that a hit? He could do worse with a shaving razor and a hangover!" the elf calls out, taunting the man playfully as he continues to seek targets on the walls. At the sight of the flame throwing devils on the ramparts his grin vanishes, instead replaced by a look of determination as he sets more arrows in flight, targeting the southern fiend.
The half-elf frowns as his last arrow slams into the fortress crenellations and ricochets off high into the air.
Feeling the draw of his bow in his hand, the ranger nods at the request, taking up a suitable position with which to employ his craft. Seeking suitable cover, be it a tree or a dwarf, the half-elf readies for the attack, drawing a bead on the nearest archers in a tower.
Seeing the opening, Adakos nods to the group as he lets his attacks fly towards one of the archers.
The half-elf watches and listens, not commenting on the approach or questions of the newly arrived soldiers, nor on any affiliations or faction membership. As far as he was aware, they were here to kill devils, which was fine by him, and everything else was just politics and scheming, which he would have no part in. Once returned, he retrieves his bow, dropped on the ground during his magically induced state of fear, and moves to the side of his companions. Whatever was to come next, he hoped it included another crack at that hellish flying b%&%@ with the bow, he owed her one.
Following his companions, the half-elf is glad to see the child and the dark skinned man in good shape as they return. The child's reaction to the wizard catches Adakos a bit by surprise. For one as seemingly foul tempered as the woman it was curious that she had an obvious soft spot for the little half-elven girl. Maybe she's not all piss and vinegar after all. Nodding to the barbarian, the ranger says, "Obviously these Silvermane folks are up to no good. So if they captured someone, that someone must be worth saving. I've a bone to pick with that flying wench as well, let's hope she didn't bugger off too far."
The dying light could certainly use another hand, those people are slower than my worst nightmares! Agreed. It saddens me greatly. One of the things I looked for was frequent posting, but it appears my filtering process was lacking.
I've got a couple openings if you are looking for something to play in :)
Adakos casts a smirk at the barbarian, "That devil woman bewitched me, flooded my senses with fear until I was lost within the sensation and fled against my will. I pray you ended her life? Surely she was well within your abilities." he quips back, seeing the statement for what it was. Relaying his findings to the group, he mentions that the two he encountered would lie in wait for only one hour before finding their own way. "Perhaps we should gather them, now that the immediate threat has passed?"
Nodding to the dark-skinned man, Adakos gives a wink to the smaller half-elf and heads back in what be believes to be the direction from whence he came. He moves quickly, hoping that he doesn't arrive to find his companions in shreds at the feet of the horsemen and the vile flying devil.
Try ARK: Survival Evolved, if you need a gaming itch scratched. Its pretty cool.
Smiling at the child the half-elf says, "Well that is something we shall have to remedy, isn't it?"
"Honestly, I do not know. The battle was still raging on when I was ensorcelled by the thrice damned devil. I have faith that things are under control, but no assurances." the man says, worrying about the creature with the wings and arrows, and knowing how something like that might cause a problem for the others. "Perhaps I should head back, see what has transpired. If you wish to remain in hiding I understand of course. Or you could join me for a closer look, but we must make haste if so."
Realizing that the man might not be after his hide after all, Adakos calms a bit, and relaxes even further upon seeing the child for what she is. Surely they were caught up in this fight as well, and just sought safety out here. The ranger lowers his dagger as he ducks into cover, taking the man's advice and getting out of plain sight. "Vedui' ai er, naa lle eithel?" he says to the girl, trying to confirm that she is not being held against her will. Elvish:
"Greetings little one, are you well?" Sizing the man up for a moment and determining from his robes that he's obviously not a soldier in the attacking army, Adakos nods to the man, acknowledging his words. His eyes travel to the talisman where they stop for a moment, pieces falling into place. "My name is Adakos, and I'm with no faction, only one person trying to help. Littledragon, interesting name. We just ran into Bigdragon, hopefully she was not a relation of yours." His composure gathering with each word, the half-elf continues, "We arrived from afar, my companions and I, and saw the people of this place were set upon by a devilish creature and men on horse. We joined in the fight, hoping to turn away the attackers. I had just set upon the flying abomination when she worked her devil trickery on my mind and sent me running to this place. I fear I failed them."
Frustrated at himself and the tricks of the foul flying woman, Adakos gasps for breath as he mutters to himself. Spotting the concealed figures, the ranger does the only thing he can do and draws his dagger, holding it out defensively in front of him. Not sure what to make of someone with ebony skin, he figures both of them for foes, scouts, or the like. "If you want this hide you are going to have to earn it!", he calls to the concealed pair between labored breaths, "Or do you have more tricks like your she-devil friend?" Surprised by his sudden outburst of defiance, the half-elf gulps, ready to accept his fate. If only his feet weren't so wet. Dying with wet feet is not something a man should have to do.
Adakos, suddenly overcome with absolute terror in the face of the devil, drops his bow to the ground and runs away in fear.
The archer, seeing his chance at an opening, levels his bow at the winged monster and fires off several arrows in her direction.
The ranger curses as his first shot rips to the right after it leaves his bow, the fletching catching on the handguard and leaving him with a foul burn on his aiming hand.
Sorry all, experiencing a rough day at the office. Will post as soon as possible, but bot me along if needed.
Plus he's being sneaky! :) Well, if the stealth roll isn't beat by perception that is. But yes, Gromff is correct.
Seeing the arrow steak towards Catcher, Adakos realizes that his target has taken up a new position. Using the cover to his advantage, the ranger moves forward slowly to draw a bead on the attacker, hoping to catch it unaware.
Calling out to the group, Adakos shouts, "The flying one has vanished, be on your guard!" For the moment he continues to scan the skies for signs of the wicked creature, preparing for the worst.
Hoping to use the terrain to his advantage, Adakos ducks under the awning, still keeping an eye on the flying creature as he fires off several arrows in the thing's direction.
Cursing at his failed attacks, the ranger prepares for the inevitable counterattack.
Volley #1:
Volley #2:
Taking in everything the man said, Adakos nodded and began to put together some of the pieces of what he had been missing. So they were looking for harbingers, and with them, the gem associated to them. He felt even more so now that the gems needed to be protected. It was starting to make at least a little bit of sense, but how they were drafted into this quest was still a bit of a mystery. The rings? Were they a part of this somehow? Arriving and seeing human against human, the ranger turns to the group as if unsure of what has transpired. Who were they to side with? His heart told him that those in silver who seemed to be allied with the devils were the cause of this, and they should be wiped out, but he was unsure of where the alliances lie. "This is chaos! And things are looking bad down there. We need to find a defensible position and lend these people aid." he says to the others, ready to put his bow to work.
I'm heading to Origins this week to support Pathfinder Society events there and will be very limited in my posting. I'll try to get up a post in the mornings or at night, but it will be sporadic at best. I'm there from Wednesday to Sunday, so I won't be back in full swing until next week. Just letting everyone know!
Nodding to Miro, Adakos says, "No doubt from what I understand that she is connected to all this. I don't really get what these gems are supposed to do, nor what to expect from those they are linked to, but somehow its all a part of a bigger puzzle. Tossing out one of the pieces would leave the whole unfulfilled." As he speaks he gathers the bundles of blue scale and hide into his pack, it all somehow fitting into the smaller container. "I think the death of her lackey here will either send her into a fit, or cause her to rethink things. But either way, we don't want to be here when she gets back." "As to where to go, you likely know best. I'll bend my bow in service to your cause, but I cannot determine what step is next."
Torn between getting the hell out of the path of a likely very angry dragon-demon-angel-thing and staying by his companion's side, Adakos frets visibly with the current dilemma. The dwarf had obviously chosen to make a stand here, the rest of them be damned. Putting the lives of the group at risk didn't sit well with the half-elf, especially since there seemed little to gain in staying. The cherubs weren't going anywhere, they were surrounded by a town of brainwashed followers, and the dragon was obviously beyond their abilities. This wasn't even the stuff of heroes, it was the stuff of fools. However, there were few other options save running with their tails between their legs. Finally mustering the courage to state his peace, the ranger says, "While I don't know everything you all have went through, and I can barely begin to comprehend this whole fallen angel and and colorful gem thing you have going, I do know one thing; the devils are our enemies. Not the dragon, not the people of this city, and not the multitude of drakes and other creatures creeping around here. Our goal, or at least my own, is to do whatever is needed to end this Hellish scourge laid upon these lands." He turns to the dwarf and says, "We can't do that if we are dead. And if we fall, who will search for the last gem? And the other angels? Who will carry on if our corpses, along with the two gems we have, rot in this cave? There is too much at stake to simply make a stand out of sheer stubbornness. I once heard my father say, the lives of the many outweigh the needs of the few. There are far more lives at stake in this than those beyond that portal, or in this town. And the way I see it, there aren't that many out there fighting to preserve those lives." Speaking only to Gromff, Adakos says, "No one can make you leave, but these gems need to be as far away from that returning beast as possible. We need to get them out of here. That is the only sure thing I know right now."
Adakos raises an eyebrow to Roland, "Just how hungry are you? Burning it will not remove the bones, nor the remaining charred flesh and ash. If that dragon is on its way back we need to become very scarce, very fast."
The half-elf looks up from the nearly finished corpse, the pile of skin and scale beside him ready to be bundled and stored. He gives a thoughtful look to the wizard as he searches his memory for any recollection of such a place as she describes as the scene of a great battle.
As he works, Adakos listens to the conversion, finding himself agreeing with both sides of the brewing argument. He couldn't deny that he'd like to see the children returned to their homes, but part of him felt that there was something much bigger brewing and that they were all caught up in its boil. The one thing he did know was that there was a decision to be made, and right now the group was not able to make it as a whole, their motivations and morals divided. "One thing might be able to be proven. Has anyone asked one of the little cherubs to come through the portal with them? See what happens when they reach the other side perhaps?" he said, having no other thought worth pitting himself against the dwarf or barbarian on. "Of course, there's a risk involved, but maybe one of them who wants to return home would be willing to try?"
I will be enjoying myself at the lake this weekend so my posting will be limited. I expect to be able to post in the mornings at least, and will still be checking the boards.
Thinking to himself as he goes about the busy task of collecting the skin...I wonder what dragon would taste like...
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