Almost 6 weeks now with nothing - feeling less hopeful
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That's a fair bit of time to go silent - I hope all is well.
Allandír nods, a rare smile crossing his battered face as Dax takes his advice and decides to retaliate obliquely at the nobleman, rather than cause a scene here and now. "That seems like a sensible course of action." "Bandits are fine by me. I might feel guilty shooting a centaur." She MIGHT be joking. Daxiana's remark - and possible joke - is timed just as he takes a sip of mead, which he promptly splutters on unceremoniously. Giving the unblushing noblewoman a reproving look - you know what you did - he turns his attention to the halfling with ink-stained fingers who has been watching all the proceedings but saying very little herself.
"Did you travel far to get here this evening?"
"Say Allandir, you seem to be a pretty knowledgeable fellow. Any idea who those guys are?" Brand asks not quietly gesturing at the mercs with a turkey leg. "Hmmm..." The elf purses his thin lips for a moment as he looks in the direction Brand has indicated.
"Those gentlemen in armour are, I believe, known as the Iron Wraiths: an experienced band of mercenaries who make a show of never removing their armor in public. There is some, ah, speculation that they are really wraiths underneath - although given that wraiths are, by their nature, incorporeal, I doubt they could meaningfully interact with the armour. Although stranger things have been known." His eyes narrow as he moves on. "As for the, ah, so-called gentleman berating the servants, I believe I recognise him - if only by reputation - as Baron Hannis Drelev. He is one of those skilled political creatures who fancies that their own status depends on diminishing those beneath them." His voice drips with disdain. "As I understand it, he considers himself something of a bravo with the sword, although I would not be able to judge that." He gives Dax a cautionary look. "As offensive as you find his conduct, and believe me I share your opinion, I would think twice before building to any, ah, confrontation." At the talk of centaurs, his curiosity is picqued and his mood visibly improves. "Ah, I shall be sorry to miss out on that expedition. I think we will, alas, see little more than bandits in our part of the Green Belt." He listens to Dax's plans with a mixture of amusement and respect: human ambition, their capacity to plan and build dreams out of the merest nothing, is something he both admires and sees the pitfalls of. They lead such brief lives, but they flicker so *brightly!* The fact that the mightiest nations in this part of the world are almost exclusively human-led is not lost on him.
Sorry everyone, I derailed my train of thought on Saturday. I wanted to get some posts up before I left to go visit my daughter in college for the weekend but, unfortunately, I ran out of time. WHAT?! You put your family above your duties as GM?! What kind of monster are you? ;)
Sorry for brief absence - I've started running a game of my own and it took a while to set up. The influence system looks interesting and I'm glad it allows for knowledge rolls and not simply social skills, of which my wizard has very few!
The elf gives a lopsided smile, having used the time to recover his composure. "Count me as one who likes to be able to go back to a soft bed and a warm bath after spending time outdoors at one with nature. Of course, nature and civilisation need not be, ah, mutually exclusive. Back in Kyonin, for instance..." He trails off. I didn't say 'back home' or 'back where I'm from' - that's interesting. He shakes his head, although the hood probably means that the movement is less visible. "Either way, dispersing bandits and creating something that good people can be a part of sounds like a worthwhile cause."
Not trusting himself to speak right away, Allandír gives a quick nod and raises his glass in reply to Dax. Some moments pass before he is ready to resume conversation. "I would not have taken you for a Medvyed from your words or clothing - you strike me as, ah, more at home away from court." One corner of his mouth turns up in a smile. "That was intended as a compliment, although it may not present itself as one."
Eh, it works for me. It's not as though Golarion has internet - and Dax has already shown how little interest she has in noble affairs and general gossip. Seems perfectly believable. (apologies for the near-incineration bit; not that he has the power to do that right now, but still. It's a touchy subject for him)
Nobody here knows or cares about your past, is that right? There is a moment - just a fraction of a fraction of a second, not measurable by any instrument that Golarion has the technology to manufacture - when Allandír's eyes narrow as he reaches in vain for the power he once wielded in order to incinerate Daxiana where she sits. The possibility that this might be some sort of sick joke with the specific purpose of getting under his skin, dissolves as he sees the frank innocence with which the ranger asked her questions; and the tension dissipates even before anyone watching could even truly know it was there. (Dax sees it though; oh, yes. A ranger knows the difference between predator and prey. Even if the look is gone so suddenly she might question, after the fact, if it was real.) She doesn't know. Her own cousin, and they never told her. The elf draws in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "To your first point, now that you have met me: exactly how capable do you think I would be of, ah, 'seducing' your cousin Elinor?" The metaphorical air-quotes around the word are tinged with a sardonic bitterness. "As to your question..." He gives her a look of pity, knowing that he is the bearer of bad tidings. "I would be a poor husband indeed to be here, seeking death on some, ah, madcap errand in the Stolen Lands, if she were still alive, would I not?" He lets his words sink in.
A proud look escapes but she has the good grace to smile as she explains "Tracking, Exploring, Hunting, or shooting at Poachers who don't know how to responsibly TO hunt is a weekend for me. Mind you've been known to let the last go now and then, but recently? Had this idiot killing a doe, a pregnant doe at that." Allandír replies with a one-shouldered shrug. "If poachers trespassed on the lands of Kyonin, they would be fortunate indeed merely to be, ah, shot at. And I can see that a ranger would indeed be an asset in the Stolen Lands, which as I understand it are a trackless, mostly-unmapped wilderness." "My fine elf, you need another mead, or perhaps your first one." He looks about for one of the servers. "Hey, serving boy, we need a strong mead for my friend over here. Make it snappy." Then, turning back to Allandir he offers a hand, "Brand, just Brand, what do you go by my friend? And why the long face?" Allandír gives a small nod of acknowledgement and a wry smile. "One of the difficulties in a longer lifespan is the greater accumulation of sorrows - but you are right, my troubles are my own and no excuse for being poor company." Nobody here knows or cares about your past. Enjoy the moment. He accepts the drink from the server and raises his glass in thanks to Brand. Mead, being sweet, is infinitely preferable to the elf's palate than the beer that so many humans seem to insist on poisoning themselves with. "A toast, then? Let us say to, ah, new beginnings and a fresh start. I am Allandír Dinúvriel and I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Just Brand. And you as well, Iolandra." He nods at the follower of the Green Faith in greeting, before returning his attention to the ranger. "I'm afraid I missed your name when you introduced yourself earlier."
Allandír smiles in reply, his face lighting up in good humour for the first time in a long while. "It is that. So, you are a forester then? Woodcraft is not my, ah, specialty but the forests of Brevoy are quite something." And if civil war comes to this land, the Gronzi Forest will burn. The madness of the Abyss is not confined to the Worldwound. His smile drops as abruptly as it appeared.
That's true - I think he missed it, Elven hearing is good but it's a very crowded hall. More fun that way :)
The pale elf, swathed in black robes, looks exactly as out of place at this gathering as he feels. If not for the urging of his long-time friend Halvar Brandt, he wouldn't even be here; but the ageing veteran gave him a very pointed pep-talk ("She was always going to predecease you, boy. Going to spend the next century moping, or are you going to live?") Why exactly *do* I let him call me boy? Allandír muses idly to himself as he offers his hand to be crushed by Maegar Varn's muscular hand-shake. He nods politely at Varn, but doesn't offer his name in return. "Thank you for your welcome." He can tell that Varn has many other people to talk to, so he doesn't linger. Jamandi Aldori's speech has his full attention as he weighs up what is being said - and what is most pointedly not being said. Fascinating. A bold move, to stabilise the southern border by proxy - committing minimal resources, preserving them for a fight with the ruling house of Brevoy, if it comes to it... while having plausible deniability. But is it plausible enough? Such a move is bound to provoke a response from the Dragonscale Throne, surely? He recalls one of the proverbs of his people: Do not meddle in the affairs of humans, for they are not all that subtle. On the other hand... what, exactly, does he have left to lose? There are two gravestones in a churchyard in this country, one for his wife and one for their child, and sometimes Allandír feels that he buried himself there too. He gives a brief, almost imperceptible shake of his head to dismiss those thoughts as best he can. He quickly finds a spare seat among the others, and does his best not to look too conspicuously out of place; which is a challenge, given that he is an elf who wears his two centuries of wear and tear not in the least bit lightly. The Worldwound will do that to a soul, and the flesh carrying it. ""Was anyone else here expecting a fine meal with a side order of politics? The latter caught me off guard." The battered elf raises one eyebrow. "Did it truly? Brevoy being what it is at present, that is the only part of the evening that I was expecting. So yes, this promises to be an, ah, interesting evening, judging from the assembly here."
I didn't take the time to peruse everyone's backgrounds. Could we all have met working protection for a caravan and then stayed on together as a mercenary company? Then upon hearing of the Stolen Lands offer we show up to make a go at it? Or would you prefer to have something more elaborate? In terms of having met, Allandír is unlikely to have crossed paths with any of you - although Dax is a Medvyed so she would definitely be aware of Allandír's name, although she may not be aware that he belongs to it (so to speak). Is Dax wearing obvious Medvyed colours to this event? If so, Allandír is likely to be very cautious around her.
That's actually completely in keeping with Dax's whole "I just can't be doing with all this" vibe you have going :) So, Allandír's 19-point build is as follows: Str 9 (-1)
I also (facepalm) forgot to buy a spell-component pouch so I have rectified that.
I'm travelling at the moment with the holidays - I've read the posts and will try and get something up tonight.
So pleased to be selected, thank you - great news to wake up to! (I'm on UK time) Looking forward to gaming with you all.
I think you missed someone off the Arcane list... Wandering Wastrel - Allandír Dinúvriel, Elf Wizard (conjuration) I have no idea where Vigilante and Alchemist sit in the Martial/Skills/Arcane divide, so I'm going to let Grumbaki add in Rosc - Demius Magnar, Human Alchemist (clone master) and Calabanian - Sawn/Saizu, Half-Elf Vigilante
This is Wandering Wastrel’s submission, an elf wizard. The concept is a deliberate rejection of the Tolkienesque love affair with elves: immortal, all-knowing, fair-spoken, beautiful, wise, etc. etc. etc. Allandír is none of these things but he does live up to the other Tolkienesque trope of “looks foul but feels fair.” I’ve added some key NPCs and a goal or two – if you think the whole ‘divided loyalties’ thing between Brevoy and Kyonin is over-complicated, I can easily remove it without significantly changing the character; please let me know. I’ve also added in an NPC who fled to the Stolen Lands – again, if you think that’s over-complicating things, it can easily be removed. I’ve given him a couple of scrolls at full price. If you will allow self-crafting, it would save up some money but I haven’t assumed you are OK with that.
I believe it is no longer the 23rd of April in any time zone, so now we all just wait trepidatiously - good luck everyone! Some great characters for the DM to choose from, I don't envy the task of selecting only three.
Hi all Due to ongoing work (I had 2/3 of my team reassigned to other matters last week), I don't now have time to post regularly here. I'm going to keep running the games where I'm DM but I think I need to drop the games I'm playing in: it isn't fair to you guys (especially the DM) to have to keep waiting on me. I'm sorry to do this, but I don't see how it works otherwise.
Allandír draws his bow back. "Shall we move away from the pillar? We can draw the drakes back with us and reduce the number of things we have to deal with at once." Staying safely out of range of the pillar and the drakes both (he hopes!), he sights the closest drake and fires at it.
He fires one further shot for good measure.
Allandír raises an eyebrow at the parting words. "...or his wonderful hair." But he is glad things didn't devolve into violence. He takes a look at the pillar. "Very well, shall we?"
Allandír loftily ignores Pril's remarks about the hair - for now - although he makes a mental note to bring the subject up again when they're alone (his fingers have long since worked out where the gnome is most ticklish). He sighs inwardly as the human reveals the typical short-sightedness and avarice of their race. But those alone are not reasons for hostility. "Ten gold apiece you say?" He does his best to feign interest, and hopes the others will play along. "Indeed there are more, in the lands of the Ekujae elves." He points toward the elven homeland, and well away from where any of the actual pillars can be found. "We will carry this one for you while you go in search of the others." Hopefully the Ekujae will detain him peacefully. If not, well... no really great loss.
Thanks, all! Nice to be back and posting again.
The tall elf has seen much in his time, but he goggles slightly at the appearance of this stranger, before resuming his more usual carefully neutral expression. He looks to one of his more talkative companions to open a dialogue with the man.
So. That was moderately unpleasant. Apologies for absence. Reading through what I've missed and catching up now, will post when I can.
Allandír gives a slight smile. "Ah, there we have it: the truth, as elusive a creature as any I have hunted." Lacking much in the way of diplomatic skills, he looks to the others to step in while he watches the man carefully to try and gauge his intentions.
Allandír sighs and says loudly in Taldan (loud enough for the man to hear) "Well, we'll just have to shoot him. Better safe than sorry." He doesn't draw back his bow - yet. If the man responds, it's clear that he understands; in which case, the fact that he's pretending not to is suspicious.
Allandir keeps firing at the enemy spellcaster.
Allandír looks with satisfaction at the dead creature. Elven:
"Do not meddle in the affairs of Elves, for an arrow through the eye can often offend." Once up and about, he gently looks after Pril until her eyesight recovers.
The tall elf keeps a wary eye on the foes. Letting Pril tackle the boggards, he focuses on the priest.
??? EDIT: Just realised we went to level 6 at some point and I didn't notice. Fixing now. EDIT II. Fixed. Haven't picked a class feat or skill feat, but they're all pretty meh anyway.
Lying bloodied and cut to ribbons on the ground, the elf dreams of happier times. Pril:
"I want there to be a connection between us." Allandír moves forward while Pril is speaking, and he has the manners to let her finish her speech before kissing her, gently but with considerable attention to detail. He pulls back, panting slightly - Pril wasn't kidding when she said she has more stamina than he does - and looks her her with a smile. "I want the same thing. I'm just not good with words. Now will you PLEASE. STOP. TALKING."
Hi, all - RL is giving me a bit of a kicking at the moment. I will get some posts up this evening/tomorrow with a view to resuming normal service thereafter. Sorry for any delays, thanks for bearing with me.
Pril: Allandír raises an eyebrow. "I have always found words to be, ah, overrated. Put your trust in actions. I am here. Let that be your answer."
Allandír can take a hint, especially when it's dropped with the subtlety of an anvil. He bathes, before joining Pril in her quarters.
Sorry, busy with other things. Posting now :)
"You could have stopped me, you know." "True," Allandír acknowledges with a smile. "But it was more fun this way." Pril glances up at her companion before looking at Nketiah. "I've been told that some questions are inappropriate." Allandír shakes his head. "Say rather, ah, inappropriately timed than inappropriate full stop. But I am glad we have all moved beyond our initial interactions."
Allandír gives the gnome's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Not to worry. They say that humility is good for the soul, and humiliation is, ah, close to humility, isn't it?" He pauses for a moment in thought. "Or is that only in the dictionary?" When Nketiah spends what is really an awful lot of words to ask for their help, he nods. "Do you have any maps of the region? We are strangers here so whatever help you can give is appreciated."
Allandír raises an eyebrow, but doesn't stop the gnome. It's not as if he has any better stories to tell.
Pril: Allandír gives a gentle smile: "Whatever helps you feel most comfortable."
Pril: This time, Allandír really does smile. "No, I think I'll keep that in reserve for as and when you really do piss off someone we need." His green eyes sparkle. "Anyway, two days in the rain is nothing. I once spent most of a week in the mud at the side of the road, waiting for a goblin patrol to come by. Do you know how difficult it is to keep a bowstring dry in a week of nothing but rain?" He holds out a hand to her. "Now, shall we go and find out what these tree-dwellers use for beds? That's something I'm curious about."
Pril: A slight smile threatens to tug at the corners of the tall elf's mouth. "Not a disappointment. Exasperating, yes. Confounding, yes again in equal measure. But if I made you think that, then I am sorry. I was concerned that you had potentially alienated someone who had the power to refuse us entry to this place - leaving us alone and with no option but to trek through the hostile jungle, back to the aiduara. Fortunately that didn't happen, but the prospect of it was, ah, unwelcome. Hence my glare."
He pauses, trying to find some sort of compromise, a way forward. "Is the joy in the asking of questions, or in getting answers? Because I would suggest that if you can discipline your curiosity into asking the right questions at the right time, you will find you get more answers than you have so far." His lips twitch again. "You're a monk, after all. Discipline shouldn't be too foreign a concept."
Pril, Take II: A soft cough alerts Pril to the fact she is not alone. Clad in dark colours, Allandír conceals easily. "It is certainly true that, ah, I and my people do not always, let us say, appreciate the direct approach. But - to be fair - are you so very different? When we first met, you were very clear that there were things you weren't ready to discuss. It was many months before you were ready to tell me about your Halflà lover." He looks at her. "Which is fine. But... others might also want that same space. What on Golarion possessed you to ask about Nketiah's arm without taking the time to get to know her? Or to talk to Akosa as though you'd known him for years instead of hours?" He looks away from her. "I am not saying that my, ah, cautious reserve is always a good thing. I admire your open and spontaneous approach to life. I have much to learn from you, if... you are still willing. But I hope you are willing to accept the idea that if you've had a bad reaction from several different people, then maybe you're the one that got it wrong?"
???? Looks like the forums have crapped out again. I'll retype and repost shortly (how do you keep a gnome in suspense?)
With a soft sigh, Allandír commits himself to a cause which he will almost certainly end up regretting. The first step of course is to try and determine whether Nketiah's assessment of the situation is accurate: do they really have some strength of feeling for one another? He watches the two of them as they converse, trying to get a read on their expressions and their body language.
The tall elf raises one eyebrow as Pril pledges her support for Nketiah's endeavour, giving the half-elf a 'be careful what you wish for' look: "Well, if you wanted a blunt instrument, you've certainly got one!"
Allandír almost chokes on his wine, and spends several seconds coughing and spluttering as he tries to find a polite way of saying Are you f***ing kidding me?! "Ah... I certainly wish you all the best with that, ah, endeavour, but you will almost certainly fare better in your efforts without my aid. I have not been so successful in that area of my own life-" his green eyes flick almost imperceptibly towards Pril "-that I can intervene in someone else's."
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