I would love to continue. However in combat...
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Adra starts chanting the words and completing the motions for a spell, trying to keep herself out of the guards and Acastus's line of sight.
Kvinn tries to silently move in closer.
Adra tries to get a good look at the guard on Acastus...
After a moment alone, Adra once again takes the appearance of the old biddy she had used earlier when seeking out the rest of her team. She then starts to flow out with the rest of the crowd leaving the show... Passing thriving shop after bustling restaurant, Adra works herself into a fury. Here people were living comfortable lives largely built on the back bones of slaves; slaves much like her grandchildren and some of the worst offenders were the major houses, like the leader they were following. She would love to capture the man alive, but, as much as she hated to admit it, him dying was just as appealing... Lost in thought, Adra starts quickly as the three guards peel off, and silently sighs in relief as they ignore her. However, her distress mounts once again as they approach her companions, but there was little she could do with out blowing her cover. Little, but hope Kvinn could help lead them to wherever the ambush took place and try keep her emotions in check; she was almost as bad as the owl today.
Which means we are close enough to be "together," I would think... Adra shall also defer to Urgosh's expertise.
Thanks for waiting for us... Really I think the best option we have is to strike in a non-crowded place as they head back to the mansion/house/creepy-psi-crystal-building. Urgosh should know the route and a good place to ambush. Adra is a fairly good controller and could try keeping many of the extra guards busy or tied up. The question is how do we get there first... and if they have been reading our thoughts we are screwed anyways, if we act or not. It's a fantastic opportunity but I'm afraid the plaza might be too crowded and that the other houses are likely to help. Adra would also like to limit the amount of, I guess you could call them civilian, casualties.
Losing it wouldn't be too much of a problem. Losing our cover might be problematic... Are there any places we could ambush the target and guards? If need be I am sure three of us could go ahead and have Bloodwing, invisible, bring Rebnesk and Gidgey if we need to keep the crowd distracted. If desperate need Adra can distract, read: Enthrall, but she wouldn't help with the ambush...
"Maybe not into... Is from the crowd possible?"
"You can use the mare, but she is our get away and is extremely recalcitrant... She's almost worse than Kvinn, as a far as being a stubborn pain. If you like I can readily entangle everyone and make it hard for them to move much less escape. I can even call down some lightning to clear the plaza if you'd like..." Adra replies during one of her "spells" that doesn't require a verbal component...
As Adra occasionally catches glimpses of uniforms she tries to remember what they represented... ... luckily the houses haven't changed too much since she the last time she had traded with the city decades upon decades ago.
Saved for later...: Knowledge skills are her bread and butter; but, I don't want to take over both rolls when others can accomplish it as well.
See ya Monday then. :D Have a nice relaxing weekend.
Spending hours in tree form always amde Adra’s joints ache, so she slowly heads back to the wagon, stopping along the way to buy a bag of candies. Adra makes sure that the performance area is set up correctly. The fold down side of the wagon is pulled out and the curtains closed. She ensures the cauldron she has is set up in the middle of the stage. After that she sets up a barrier a good 30-40 yeards from the stage. She then informs Shokal to collect 2 copper a head or a silver a family for anyone wanting to stand, or sit, within the barrier. Anyone else is free to stay outside it, though donations are appriciated. With most of the set up done she proceeds to head to the wagon with her mirror and makeup. After an almost excessively long time she exits the wagon looking like an almost caricature of a dwarf. When no one is looking she lets Kvinn fly off and hide herself. When ready everyone is ready, she starts the show with a bang. She pulls a little bead from her many layered outfit and tosses it into the cauldron. With a word the cauldron bursts into flame and Adra approaches from the shadows. "Welcome, one and all, welcome to Amelia's Mysteries of the World. Tonight we start with a death defying performance by the one and only Bird Master. From a young age this boy has been avle to communicate with birds, sometimes even taming them. But tonight we have a treat, an untamed Roc from the barbarian lands to the east. Enjoy!" With this she bows and lets Rebnesk take the stage. During his act she pulls out a wand and tries to get the blasted thing working.
After Rebnesk finishes his performance, Adra give the command word to her campfire bead and the stage and the audience is plunged into darkness. "According to the ancient shamans the world at it's inception was a cold and dark place, populated with many spirits. The spirits only knew of the cold and the dark and soon despaired. All but one spirit that is. She decided to re-imagine herself as a spririt of light." With this Adra releases a spray of little light motes, almost resembling cheap fireworks. "This spirit soon encouraged many, and even inspired her consort to join her, becoming the spirit of heat. This made Light so enamored she burned even brighter." Adra releases a large ball of light that hovers over the stage for a few seconds before disappearing. "The transformations of both Heat and Light soon inspired others to follow in their steps, becoming the many things we see and know today. With each change Light and Heat became more and more powerful until the two became the sun." Finishing this part of her show Adra pulls out a series of balls. She shakes each one, in turn, vigorously, while chanting something. Each ball slowly starts to glow an almost chemical orange, she sets them down to light the stage. "The spirits soon found forms and shapes that they were happy with and settled down, but things shortly became stagnant and lonely. Petitioned to do something about this, the Sun, in their wisdom, decided to create new spirits, spirits that would move and change through a limited time span before joining their brethren in a more permanent form. They created animals and insects, plants and birds, and even a few sentient creatures. At first these spirits were able to take a form as they chose and this lead to all variety of shapes and sizes. This lead to too much variety and confusion, and the Sun soon decreed that all new spirits must fit set standards and so the animal and plant and sentient creatures soon settled. However, occasionally a spirit is born which defies these and chooses her own form.We have one such with us tonight." Adra hoots softly and down from her hiding space Kvinn slowly, and presumptuously, lands on Adra's outstretched arm. Adra then hands the bird half of the bag of candies she bought earlier and has the owl fly close to the crowd, dropping candies as she goes. After her moment in the spot light Adra has Kvinn stay on stage, almost acting as an assistant, for the next part of the performance. Adra pulls on stage a tall box with a side cut out and a curtain installed instead. She shows the inside of the box to the audience confirming it is clear. She states, "If one knows how they can even supposedly still cause the spirits to act and move. For this I will need a volunteer..."
From the audience she picks one member with their hand raised. With a flick of the wrist he disappears with a slight gust and the curtain attached to the box trembles. Kvinn pulls back the curtain to expose the lucky, or unlucky, audience member. Adra gives him or her a piece of candy and lets them get back to the audience. For the rest of her show she performs little harmless acts, using spells like color spray or polymorph familiar, and always giving the participants a piece of candy for their troubles. At the end of the show she gets down of the stage, and, with Rebnesk, hopefully still atop Bloodwing, invites the members to come greet the birds.
"Sounds like a workable plan... Shokal as long as you help set up and take down, we can pass you off as hired muscle. So during the show... maybe mingle with the crowd and see if you can gather information? Or try timing how long it takes to get back to the wagon from our target's house? As for you, Rebnesk, can you tweak your act to have a Convocation-esque spinn to it? It would tie in well with Amelia's 'Shaman' act... Otherwise it sounds llike a good show."
"We brought them, but won't be able to use any of them, except Littlewing, until nightfall, when we can hopefully get them out without being seen... I don't believe we were followed, but we can't be certain..." with this Adra gives directions back to the wagon the birds were hiding in, and hopefully to a quite space to talk in more detail...
Group 2: Adra also heads back to the wagon and if possible tries to use her Heaven’s Leap hex (move an ally within 30, 30 feet) to put Littlewing into the sky 30 feet above the wagon. If he is still possibly too obvious that way, she lets Rebnesk use his teleport. Afterwards she feeds the other animals.
Sorry, I've been somewhat busy with work and trying to put in job applications (and mostly procrastinating with them...) I'll try posting more regularly.
Group 2: "Oh? There was a group of kenticists here, so close to home? They almost never come here. Must be troublesome." Adra continues, then starts slowly looking around. "Hmmm..... I could have sworn.... Looks like I forgot my bag... Well thank you young man, but I need to head home." With this the old woman turns away from the building and heads back to the alley she came from. Stretching out of her stopped over position, Adra reports about the kineticits and the state of the building, finishing with, "So it looks like the rest of our group had trouble earlier. We have to get in there. Why did Urgosh have to take Gidgey? We could use his help here. Oh well, ideas on how to get in there? Dress as guards, use the birds, or just brute force our way through an alley entrance?"
Group 2: "It's unsafe? Oh my, thank-you young man. You know there used to be the nicest import company here when I was younger and I'd just hate to see the building go... Is something wrong with it? Don't tell me your demolishing it?"
Group 2: Adra moves Kvinn into the back of the wagon and lets her free from the cage. She then impresses on her the importance of staying in the vehicle. After removing the fake shackles from Bloodwing and letting Littlewing free in the wagon as well, she Leaves the wagon unlocked but closed. Folowing Rebnesk's lead she too tries to hide from the guards sight...
"Should be the place, though I don't think it should be in shambles like this... I'll be right back," she states as she adjusts her head shawl and twists her sleeves, taking on the appearance of a tottering old woman in a faded sundress and a wide-brimmed hat.
"Oh, what's this? What happened here? I didn't hear anything last night or this morning..."
Group 2:
Group 2:
Group 2: "No, no the pleasure is all mine, Sir Al'thar. We are humbled to meet a representative of the great House Maoril. However, we, sadly, must be moving along; this old body doesn't prepare for shows as quickly as it used to. Though, before we run affowl of more rules, are they any limitations on where we can perform or park our wagons?" During this time Adra tries to remember any pertinent information about House Maoril.
Group 2: Shocked a little over Rebnesk’s banality, Adra only takes two hundred of the coins and gives him back the rest. She then adds her own and counts one more time to make certain. She slowly lumbers out of the back and hands the bag of money to the goblin. "You have yourself a deal. We'll try putting on a show every night we're here, assuming my back doesn't give out, again." She gladly accepts the passes and, hands them out to her group, whom she also introduces. "We never did introductions, I'm Amelia," she gestures to Shokal and then Rebnesk, "and here we have Shoren, our manual laborer, and Red, he doesn't speak much but he's a wiz with birds. And you are?"
Group 2: With this news Adra looks hopeful, "I'll have to ask my helper's but that sounds acceptable." The old crone slowly climbs down from the carriage and gatehrs everyone in the back. "Anyone have and extra hundred gold? I've about two hundred in backup funds... or should we counter offer?"
Group 2: Adra gives the short man a shocked stare before blustering, "But... But that's more than we'd earn in a week here." She slowly moves into a more neutral, calculated tone of voice, continuing, "There's no way we could pay that... We might be able to scrounge together 300 golden sovereigns, but even that's going to leave us hurting."
2nd group: As Adra moves the caravan out, she adjusts her headscarf and takes the image of a stunted, old human crone. She stops the wagon a mile or two out of town, to let everyone get prepared and go to the bathroom. She ensures that the animals look as if they are 'contained,' Bloodwing on his fake ball and chain, Kvinn in her cage, and Littlewing retrained with a leather thong. As the group enters the city, Adra glances about and note the changes that have taken place in the last fifty years or so since her caravan had traded with the city and it's people. She leads the wagon up to the blue skinned goblin. "Oh, thank-you for the welcome. We can have our show ready by this evening... A permit? When did you start those? We'd love a temporary permit."
Don't have any concerns about who leaves first but maybe an hour or two between groups at a minimum. If Urgosh and Co. are going to leave first, maybe overnight as the wagon might move fast enough to catch up otherwise.
Having secured everything in the wagon but the birds, Adra enjoys watching the group. Her horses were pains in the rear to control and being chased arround by Bloodwing might show them how pleasent life as a wagon horse could be. Although, for this adventure they'd likely be next to impossible to control with the bird in the wagon. Before the bird settles in completely Adra gives the kobold a shackle with a chain attached to put on the large bird to make it look as though he is restrained. As soon as everyone in the group is ready, she gets the somewhat skittish horses moving.
Adra had always taken pride in her determination and will, but after a week of being torn apart, made to relive memories she wiuld rather forget and occasionally losing her self-identity, she was not so sure about anything. But spending time each night grieving with Kvinn, she slowly started to hole up the most tender parts of her psyche and even resist some of the less subtle attempts on her mind. After spending a whole day in the tent staring down the telepath and not buckling more than once, she was positively elated by the end. Feeding the ravenous owl with the group, Adra adds the the conversation, "If you're taking Gidgey and Aargus, Urgosh, then I'll gladly take Rebnesk and Shokal, if he'd like. I have all the things needed for a 'Magic show,' plenty of room in the wagon for Bloodwing and Littlewing, and a plausible explanation for them. If you'd like to come with me, an 'old woman' could always use some stagehands..."
Okay, good to know.
Does telepathy work with intelligent animals? If so could Kvinn have undergone the same training? Also how difficult would it be for Adra to try the containment ritual herself? Finally, is there anyway (or time) she could have spent developing an herbal or alchemical mixture to suppress telepathy or knock someone out? I'd be willing to devote a week of training (and some or all of the save bonus) to work on this. If we decide to kidnap I'd like some options.
Ignoring the spurned bird on her shoulder, Adra nods at Aargus’s words.
"However a live hostage is a powerful bargaining tool, we don't have to keep him here, and I am positive we have herbs that, if not able to supress telepathy, would be able to keep him unconscious. Also, if handled correctly we may be able to glean information from him as well. Finally, a kidnapping is a great show of ppwer and makes us look less harsh.
With a glance, Adra moves the centaur from one side of the tent to the other. "I can teleport people but only short distances, once per day, and places I can see." After this she pulls off her head scarf flourishes it around until it resumes its hat shape and color and then plops it back on her head. After a moment she speaks up again. "I take it, sir, that kidnapping would be preferable to assassination?"
"After infiltrating, or at least ensuring our target is in a set a location, a night mission might work... but how would we get you into tbe city, Aargus? Outside of being invisible, that is."
When Rebnesk has finished presenting himself, Adra adds "He may not act it, but Rebnesk is quite capable on Bloodwing. And there should be one more 'round here." She then calls Kvinn off of an obviously uncomfortable Gidgey before heading after Urgosh for drinks. After Aargus rides up, Adra starts berating the centaur, "'Bout time you got here Aargus, I told you we needed to stay close... nearly missed introductions, you did!" With Gidgey's question Adra stops in her tracks, takes a few seconds and then slowly rounds on the little goblin. She gives him a hard stare with her slightly reddened eyes, before softly continuing, "To find what's left of my family, or get revenge for them." At about this time, Rebnesk takes alight of his bird, and Adra's demeanor changes back to it's usual joking, half-serious self. "See, I told you he's capable." she states pointing at the 'changed' kobold. "So who is buying an old woman's drinks tonight? heh?... Adra spends the few days bartering around camp for some useful items. She ends up scrounging up a pearl, a bag, an amulet, and a few other mundane items. When called into the tent Adra quickly stands at attention, finally having met someone in this camp with probably more life experience. With the introduction of the cattle, Adra starts pulling out a whip and animal harness from her small bag but quickly stuffs it back in and mumbles something about 'no-good trickster goblins.' "I don't have any questions right now... sir?" Given the way she stumbles over the last word, it is obvious Adra has next to no experience with the word.
Adra's eyes widen a little at the disappearance of Kvinn, after a second they narrow again. "That will be quite handy."
Midday is not exactly Kvinn's best time of day. She explains in Dwarven. But thank-you for the welcome none the less.
From behind the large ogre steps a diminutive old dwarf, carrying a bird nearly half her size. She is dressed in a plain cloak over what looks like hundreds of little fetishes and baubles, whereas her bird bears markings that look like the night sky. Just an old village shaman here, but don't rhink for a second I can't keep up with you. I've a few tricks up my sleeves." With this her owl flies off and settles among the trees.
Perception DC 17:
Well that was a low roll wasn't it? Anyways:
The owl after a moment or two moves from the trees and behind Gidgey. Meanwhile Adra pulls her shawl down over her face and concentrates for a second before taking the appearance of a stooped old human woman.
After a moment to adjust her things the woman continues in Aeonian Common, "The name's Adra, and she," Adra points at her owl, now sitting behind Gidgey, "is Kvinn, Lady if you would prefer." Kvinn just sits, preening herself.
Fine with either option...
Of the major changes at 3rd level for the slayer:
Some of the talents have changed (deadly aim now has a fourth level requirement, foil scrutiny is not spell specific, terrain mastery uses the rogue version) but most of these seem to have little effect on our game. (Combat trick is still a viable option)
Sorry I haven't had a moment to compare them yet... I'll be home this evening and should have time.
I had prepared the owl to be able to stand on his own (fantastic stealth; better AC and movement than Adra and ability to move deliver harmless touch spells and move out again...) Though I may hold off on using her to attack...
Just noticed that the two hexes I took (Healing and Heaven's leap) are both supernatural, meaning I won't have to fight through spell resistance to heal or move people. Sorry about the double post but this was just exciting...
Got my copy of the Advanced Class Guide yesterday and it looks like a few things have changed, mostly the spell list, access to another hex and a balancing of the spirit abilities. I am updating Adra now.
I have been looking forward to this for a while now... and, seeing how we are being grafted onto the campaign, I modified Adra's back story some (and did some editing. Isn't it horrible how something you felt was acceptable can feel tacky a few days later?). To completely avoid a wall of text I pulled only the more pertinent bits (her reason for trying to join, how she got captured, and what she did from there.) Her full back ground is in her profile. (Though you don't have to read it, it's probably worse than I think...) Reason for joining/captivity:
Adra and Kvinn, her familiar, were on their annual visit Adra’s husband’s grave, when slavers assaulted their caravan. The sting operation out right killed many of the adults and took most of the children as slaves. When Adra came back from her retreat, she came back to ash, blood, and dust where once had been wood, smiles, and cheer. She gathered from the survivors her children were likely dead and her grandchildren slaves. With this she found a new focus, she would find and rescue her family by joining the Army of the Faithful. Adra lead the remnants of her village back to Caravan. She then tried to enlist in the war effort. However, she was flatly denied a posting due to her age. In a huff, she decided would find her children on her own. This worked about as well as expected; shortly before crossing into Aeonian territory she crossed the path of a slaving group, was discovered, and taken slave. Captivity: The slavers locked Adra in a cage, commandeered her wagon, and locked away most of her things. She immediately started cajoling the sprits in her manacles, but, like most metals, they were stubborn and took a very long view of things. Kvinn, her familiar, escaped being captured, and would regularly visit at night and help the woman prepare some spells that allowed her and her fellow captives to at least eat well. Finally, after weeks of brow-beating, Adra was able to convince the spirits of the manacles to open. From there it was Rebnesk’s, Aargus’s and Shokal’s party.
Wouldn't 'ave been much of a village shaman if I couldn't 'eal people, now would I? Also I don't 'ave a clue what you mean by "'appy sticks" but I do 'ave a few wands. Yes Shamans do get heal spells, they even have the option to take on a day to day basis a channel ability. Also she has a wand o cure light wounds. |