Here is my submission for this :-)
Aldous Preklikin, Summoner (Unchained), CG 'Human', with a Bipedal companion.
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Aldous (CG Half Elf Summoner 2) is a paranoid man, but only slightly more than he should be, for he does harbor (what is to him) a great secret: That Elvish blood flows through his veins. Obsessed with the fact that he is 'different', he does whatever he can to hide the truth from those around him, fearful of what the locals would do if they knew that he wasn't human. Keeping himself apart from the general public has led to an interest in the stars, and what lies between them, culminating in him attracting the attention of a sentience from a far-off, non-Euclidean corner of reality, which has sent a sliver of itself to watch over him, until the time is right...
Sorry for the delay - I am doing night shifts at present, and it is knocking my circadian rhythm for six :-/ I have finally logged in :-)
*waves* still kicking around :-)
? I assume you mean someone else? I did attack a rust monster :-P
Fair enough. I just did not want it to get to the point where people *did* complain... I will post something now :-)
I am still here, and I am monitoring the thread on a regular basis - I was just concerned I was 'hogging' the combat spotlight, so I thought that I would keep a low profile out of combat to make up for it.
Well, he posted in another thread a bit over three hours ago, so it looks like Thod is back :-)
*waves* Still here :-)
Aldous raises an eyebrow as he regards Wren. "I am fairly certain that Stitches is... big enough... to look after himself; however, he can still probably get himself into trouble. I doubt that we would be able to catch-up to him, unless he has stopped for some reason - hopefully, he will have taken refuge at Schloss Caromac..."
When the party finally arrives at Schloss Caromac, whistles when he sees the actual form the 'Castle' takes. "That is an impressive feat of engineering... it must have been truly stupendous before it started falling apart..."
Aldous enters into a trance, summoning forth Hastur!
Aldous' purchases: Starting Gold - 5990.74 Belt of Giant Strength + 2 (4,000)
Ending Gold - 1040.74
"Actually, I am fairly certain that, if he has 'constructed' his guardians, and they are anything like Stitches, their spirits are not involved; typically, the flesh is given a 'life-spark' by chaining the essence of an elemental to it - the souls of the departed have no part to play." He then shrugs. "Although I am not condoning it, it is entirely possible that he has acquired his raw materials through intermediaries, rather than collecting them himself; I can't imagine the 'former ruler' of this County going out grave-robbing... In which case, technically, the worst that he could be charged with is 'interfering with a corpse'... although I suppose 'unnatural acts of wizardry' might work as a legal pretext for 'dealing' with him, too. Then again, he *is* the former ruler - I dare say that he has a lot of money; it is possible that he has obtained his resources perfectly legally, by engaging in a direct trade with the families of the deceased (although I admit that that is unlikely)."
Once Wren's prattling has been interpreted, Aldous grows thoughtful. "Hmmm... Well, he certainly *sounds* like the sort of person who could build something like Stitches... If we go to... 'visit'... him, though, we should be on our guard - if he is that paranoid, he is liable to react poorly to visitors."
If Galadan purchased the Wand using his own funds, that means that each of us gains:
That amount includes the 1000gp reward for helping Stitches that the Judge gave us, and the sale of everything that we have acquired since leaving Ravengro - this is the first time we have had a chance to sell anything since the start of the second book :-/ It does *not* include the 1000gp 'bequest' (less whatever you spent in Ravengro) that the Professor willed to each of us in the first book. So, in Galadan's case (based on what I can see from your profile), he gains the full 4176.52gp. I hope that that helps! :-)
Aldous enjoys the opportunity to do a bit of shopping (using his Hat of Disguise to keep a low profile; it would not do to be recognised as Stitches' Advocate). However, with all of the townsfolk rushing around, spouting fear and hatred, he hardly has the chance to relax. This sort of small-minded fear is exactly the reason I did not want to leave the Observatory... When he returns to the party's place of residence, and is able to compare notes with the others, he nods. "We should probably go and see what we can find out about Stitches' creator, and sooner rather than later, before the mob does..."
No-one claimed any of those three items, so they were sold (unless people wish to object now).
Alright, to make things easier for everyone: Including the reward from the Judge, we *EACH* have 4026.52 gp to spend. Have fun shopping :-) EDIT: That includes the cost of the Wand of CLW (for Galadan), the Restoration (for Kevin), and the two scrolls (Daylight and Darkvision) for Wren.
Aldous breathes a sigh of relief when the 'Not-Guilty' verdict is passed, and Stitches is escorted to the edge of the city. "Shall we go call upon Judge Daramid, now?"
Nodding to Galadan, Aldous rises to address the courtroom. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Court, yesterday we established that there was a connection between Vorgstag and Grine's Chymic Works and Doctor Brada of Karb Isle. Today, we have additional evidence which confirms this link." He motions for Galadan to raises the bottle of bleach. "This vial of bleach was discovered amongst the ruins of Barb Isle. Please note that the label reads: 'Vorgstag and Grine, Chymickal Bleach'."
"Additionally, Karl, the poor man who survived the conflagration, confirms that his Master, Doctor Brada had dealings with the Alchemists."
"Further searching of the ruins turned-up a lock-box. Inside was a series of papers, badly damaged, but fortunately preservable with the aid of magic. It is a collection of blackmail material against Vorgstag and Grine. It seems that Doctor Brada and the alchemists had... dealings with each other; Doctor Brada was supplying bodies and specimens to them. However, it seems they had fallen out over money..."
"Finally, if the court will recall the description of the 'Beast' that was seen at Karb Isle, as given by Karl, they will note that it perfectly matches that of the skin-suit used by Vorgstag to impersonate the Beast in Morast."
"Thus, in summary, I tender the following reconstruction of events, based on the evidence at hand: Doctor Brada and the Alchemists had 'business dealings' when it came to the body trade. However, Doctor Brada wanted more money, and decided to try to blackmail them. Unwilling to let that happen, the Alchemists decided to deal with the problem by killing him, and blaming the attack on the Beast."
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Court, I move that the charges against the Beast be dropped, immediately!"
Aldous nods in satisfaction as Karl confirms his suspicions. I knew that Stitches was not responsible for what happened... "Well, thank-you for your time. We appreciate your help." Once the group decides to move on, Aldous spends his time in the coach deep in concentration, a subtle feeling of... wrongness exuding from him, until there is a sudden pop, and the features of Hastur momentarily overlay those of Aldous, before they blur, and seemingly disappear.
"I don't suppose 'The Beast' looked like this..."
Aldous shivers as he hears the mutterings of the crowd. That does not bode well. Once everyone has gathered with the barrister, he clears his throat, and ventures: "I think we should stake the place out tonight; I overheard someone in the crowd say: "Let's burn the Pharasma one together with the Beast tonight. Maybe the feathered one as well"." He then frowns. "Still, we should continue to gather evidence - we need to visit the site of the arson attack, and try to gather clues..." Turning to the Barrister, he adds: "What additional information can you provide us with? Presumably, since Stitches is being blamed by this, there were survivors? Who were they, and where can we find them?"
Aldous awakes, feeling remarkably refreshed; the events of the past day seeming almost to have been a dream... ...still, there was a faint, niggling memory of pain, which he buried as he joined the others for breakfast. Aldous ate in silence, unable to meet the eyes of his compatriots. What must they think of me? Still, when the time came to present evidence, he managed to smooth down his clothing, doing his best to look decent, respectable, and above all, trustworthy. When the time comes to speak, he rises with alacrity, and begins: "Esteemed justices, and other members of the court, we have additional evidence to prevent on behalf of 'The Beast'. 'The Beast' stands accused of the murders of six children from Hergstag, on the strength of the fact that it came into the village, carrying the body of Ellsa, and apparently 'laughing'. However, what needs to be understood is that 'The Beast' was not laughing, it was in fact crying; but because of the fact that it is a creature formed through magic, it is unable to physically shed tears, and because of the scar tissue around its face, a rictus of pain appears to be a grin."
"Moreover, when we investigated the village, we discovered it to be abandoned by the living, but still inhabited by the unquiet dead - we encountered the spirits of three of the children, who had risen as wraith spawn. Fortunately, we were able to return all three to Pharasma's embrace, but they kept calling out for a 'Brother Swarm'... Now, according to my esteemed colleague, an Inquisitor of Pharasma," Aldous nods to Galadan, "wraith spawn are formed when someone is killed by a fully-fledged wraith, thus, it is reasonable to assume that this 'Brother Swarm' is probably such a creature, and that he is the one who actually killed them; certainly, 'The Beast' could not be responsible - he is clearly a corporeal being, and no wraith."
"Although it is a separate matter, I would urge the Court to allow us, once this trial is completed, to conduct a more thorough search of the village - if the other three children are in a tormented state of undeath, they must be allowed to rest, and this 'Brother Swarm' must be destroyed!"
Aldous pauses, to allow that he has said to sink in. "Additionally, we have come across additional evidence linked with yesterday's proceedings, and potentially linked with those of tomorrow." "You will recall that yesterday, we presented evidence from Morast, which included a face... a face that had been carefully removed for use as a mask. Along with that mask, we discovered a set of surgical tools," (Aldous motions for the tools to be brought forth) "with a unique identifying mark upon them; we were able to trace ownership of the tools to Vorkstag, of 'Vorkstag and Grine's Chymic Works'."
"When we investigated, we discovered that nothing there was as it seemed, and none of the residents were remotely human; the 'guard animal', if you can call it that, was a golem in the shape of a hound, constructed from stitched flesh; the workers were Mongrelmen, and the owners were far from human - according to my colleague," Aldous nods to Andrea, "Grine was a 'Dark Stalker', a Darklands humanoid with the ability to create Darkness in the brightest light, who exploded when we attempted to subdue him. Vorkstag, too, was... less than human... he turned out to be a sadistic Fey creature known as a 'Skin Stealer'; naturally skinless, they are able to disguise themselves as other creatures, by wearing the stolen skins of their victims. Fortunately, we were able to bring him into custody."
"He confessed to being the one to loot the bodies from the cemetery in Morast, and to trying to frame 'The Beast', citing the fact that the bodies there were remarkably well preserved, and that there were people here who would pay handsomely for well-preserved body parts. This trade is quite substantial; investigating the downstairs storage, we discovered a large subterranean chamber, filled with chilled bodies, assorted body parts from exotic creatures, and a ledger, detailing all of their business deals... and one of those regular contacts was a Dr Brada, of Karb Isle, who is connected with tomorrow's proceedings." With a flourish, Aldous produces the ledger.
"Vorkstag's story is further corroborated by the fact that he has scars consistent with a Caiman attack... and a Caiman was the creature identified as the one to 'take down' 'The Beast' in Morast."
"Finally, we have... this. I warn you, it is quite foul." Aldous gestures for two sturdy attendents to man-handle an ominous-looking cabinet into the courtroom. "Inside this cabinet are nearly a score of human skins, used by Vorkstag to impersonate a range of people over the years. Apart from being evidence of truly heinous practices, of more immediate relevence to this trial is that one of those skins is the disguise used to impersonate 'The Beast' in Morast." Aldous strides across the floor of the courtroom, and opens the cabient to reveal the gory contents.
"That is all of the evidence that we have to present today."
Level 5: +1 level of Summoner +6 hp Feat: Weapon Focus (Claw) +1 rank in Diplomacy, Knowledge(Arcana), Knowledge(History), Perception, Spellcraft 'Summon Monster III' (Sp) +1 1st level spell slot, +1 2nd level spell slot +1 2nd level spell known (Lesser Restore Eidolon) Suit:
Dropped Evolutions: Ability Increase (Strength) Gained Evolutions: Improved Natural Armor (+2 NA), Energy Attacks (Fire)
Well, he *does* receive a Fort save to negate, so Andrea might need more than one application ;-)
Still here :-)
My understanding is: We have not rested. We are still level 4. We have not had a chance to shop, as things are a little time-critical right now. We have to go investigate "tomorrow's" trial, and then we can rely on Lesser Restoration to make sure that we are not fatigued.
Assuming we can grab 2 hours of rest, we can find a cleric to cast 'nap stack' on us, to benefit from a full '8 hours' of rest :-) It would only cost around 250gp, total :-D
My recommendation is that Andred uses that Wand of Lesser Restoration to remove the fatigue of everyone who fails the Fort save, but that is just me ;-) @Wren: I think that Thod is saying we can rest *tonight*, *after* we visit Hegstadt.
I will make the point that Aldous, too, can use scrolls, although he will probably only start claiming them once anyone who wants them has scribed them into their 'spellbook', and we have spares. Wands, on the other hand... Thus far, Aldous, to the best of my knowledge, has not claimed any items - he has just taken his share of the gold :-)
@Thod: You did mention that the 'contents of the room' was worth 750gp earlier, but I had wondered whether Grine had anything on him; I asked, because (from a meta-game perspective) I know that when creepers explode, their equipment is not consumed, just them :-P Of course, I will understand if that '750gp' total includes any equipment that he had on him. Also, since Galadan said he was actually going to try and open the chest we found ages ago, is there anything in that? :-)
Noted :-) I will re-organise the 'treasure' page later today, after work.
So there was one in Vorgstag's room, and another in Grine's room?
@Thod: I have no objection to it. Also, just to clarify, but the only things of note in Grine's room were the contents of the chest, correct?
Still in a trance, Aldous calmly, and reverently, removes several items from his backpack: A frayed winding cloth, which he uses to systematically cover both his arms, and upper torso... A musky-smelling fur coat, which he wraps around his shoulders... A featureless silver mask, with which he covers his own face... and finally, a small, battered, and much patched hat. "He comes..." For a moment, which seems to stretch into an eternity, a chill breeze blows around Aldous, the shadows darken, and a faint, maddening whispering echoes around him... ...before his back arches, and his mouth opens in a silent scream!
Thod: Could I get some clarification about how you want the Synthesist 'suit-wearing' to work? I want to know how to run with it, RP-wise :-)
Aldous looks off into the distance, his eyes gradually unfocusing. "H-hastur...?"
ALdous maintains his silence, although he cannot help but note the... chilly... nature of Grine.
Hmmm... Avoiding the sunlight? Is he some sort of Vampire?
"We should be on our guard; Vorkstag and Grine are well-respected merchants. Grine is a peculiar-looking fellow, though gnomes are that way, you know. Moreover, no workers are ever seen going on shift at the chymic works, but the smoke from the chimney never stops. Odd that; I would not be surprised if we encountered a whole heap of zombies when we get inside... We should hit them hard, and fast." Thod: Did you come to a decision about how Aldous' suit will work? You posted in the OOC thread that you needed time to put your ideas to paper, as it were, but that was a while ago... |