Anca Covanu's page

After much thought I have decided to withdraw Anca from this game. I realize that the boards have been having issues, but only two GM posts in two weeks this early on in the campaign, in my experience, does not bode well for the longevity of the campaign.

Good luck all! Even though I am withdrawing, I do hope that this game recovers and that you all have a fruitful experience.

Happy gaming.

Anca's lax demeanor hardens as she swallows her biscuit and sets down her mug of ale. She stands up, attempting to appear ready to help, but in reality she was preparing to act if the man began causing trouble.

Diplomacy assist: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

"Boar's different from pig believe it or not. The meat's leaner and darker red than pork, tastes sweeter and nuttier than one would expect because of their diet. Pain in the ass to cook, at least in my first caravan growing up. Have to smoke it low and slow to make sure it doesn't dry out. When it's done right... you'd swear you were eating like a king."

Anca barely saves herself from a spit take. She picks up a biscuit and takes a bite, crumbs tumbling from her mouth as she speaks, "You think just because I've got a few scars and drink like I fish that I haven't had roast boar? Boy, you've got a lot to learn." She downs the rest of her mug in a single quaff and signals for Ameiko or Bethana for a refill.

...if there's something uniting these Goblins it has to be taken care of quickly. The damn things multiply like rats."

She gestures to Sabina with her half-eaten biscuit, "Yes, before this hunt gets underway, I think it's in our best interest to bring that up with Hemlock. He'll probably have some input on the matter. If nothing else, we might be able to smash up a few more gobbies. Either way that's good for the town."

Bogan gave a chuckle as he choked down some of his meal. "You could say I have an affinity for dirty work and know how to make an animal listen to me if I try hard enough. My father was the real hunting expert though. Taught me a bit, but I mostly learned though experience and failure. I can still remember mum yabbering my ear off about ruining some of the good meat from my first couple of hunts."

Anca nods along with Bogan, "Ah, so you've experience with it then? Good. I haven't been hunting, but I have been hunted." She gestures to the wicked scar on the side of her face, "But I'll spare you the details on that one." She says with a wink and a laugh.

Bluff: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 lol.

Anca was in no rush to wake up the next morning. The festival, and no doubt the attack, had left her weary and exhausted. When she did finally pull herself out of her slumber, she took the time to clean her armor and polish her starknives. She performed a few simple stretches before heading down to the common room. She gives her neck a good crack before sitting down next to the big man she'd met the day before.

Signalling for a plate of food, she leans over to her new companion, "So a boar hunt, is it Bogan? I'm not much of a hunter myself, but you seem like the outdoorsy type. That is, when you're not stuffing your face." She elbows him in the arm as she takes a long pull from her breakfast ale.

I'm assuming we're all sitting relatively close to one another. To be honest, I don't remember who has been introduced, so some handwaving may be in order here.

She looks to the others seated around the table, most of whom helped out in the battles against the goblins. "Hello all, nice to meet you. I'm Anca." She raises her glass to those whom she hasn't been introduced.

Ready when you are, GM.

Anca snorted at the feisty humanoid's joke and raised her goblet in approval. She eased back into her chair, unwinding with the others while listening to the ulfen man's epic. She surveyed the room and attempted to catch bits of conversation, wondering how the residents and visitors alike were coping with the day's events.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

"I do wonder where we go from here?" she asked no one in particular, an air of introspection to her words. Boar hunting with that jittery fool, unfortunately. She sighed inwardly.

Are we anticipating a roleplay scene at RDI or are we expediting at this point?

Anca had been listening along without much to add until that last question posed by Bogan. She pulls her scarf away from her mouth for a moment, "You saw exactly what they're getting out of this. Mischief. In my experience, goblins are very simple creatures. They take pleasure in the frustration of others. But this attack seemed to be coordinated. The goblins didn't just charge down the main road and loot everything not nailed down and run. No, they attacked with some strategy, at specific points." A bead of sweat dripped off the tip of her nose to fall into the dirt. The goblins may have been small, but their armor was bulky and heavy. She removed her bandana completely and wiped her face, "It seems that I may be staying in Sandpoint longer than I had planned. I'm not leaving until we get to the bottom of all this. I do wonder, if this was a coordinated effort, how the farms in the hinterlands are faring? Maybe something to look into."

Anca will also pause en route and help Bogan and Ven with the bodies. She pulled her headband down to cover her nose and mouth as she struggled to retain the contents of her stomach. If it wasn't the gore, it was the smell.

Aiding Ven on Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 Fail.

Anca eyes Bogan and considers his request, "Hmmm, well I've already got a room at the Rusty Dragon... But I guess a little change of scenery couldn't hurt." She shakes some of the road dust out of her cloak, and does a quick personal inventory to ensure she wasn't missing anything, "And if you plan on doing the Hagfish Challenge or whatever it is, that I would certainly love to see. Please, lead the way." She gestures for Bogan to proceed and takes up a quick stride beside him.

Anca doesn't have anything else to add to this particular bit of roleplay, so if you are waiting on her feel free to move things along.

Anca frowns as she watches Aldern mourn the loss of his pet. We all experience loss in some form or another... She brings a hand to her face, lightly touching the jagged scar running down her cheek. A long moment passes before her mind's eye returns to the present.

Anca brightens visibly at the mention of a hunt. Some sort of recreation would do wonders after they finish sorting out this mess. "A bit of sport would do wonders for the soul." She simply adds, since all of the important questions had already been asked by the other fighters.

Anca heaved a sigh of relief as her divine might faded into the ether. After giving the freshly slain goblin commando a wide berth she rushes to retrieve her starknives. After securing them to her belt she lets out an unexpected guffaw at Bogan's impromptu song. With a smirk and a shake of her head she surveys the immediate area, taking in all the damage the goblin raid had caused.

After a few moments, she joins the others in questioning the lucky survivor. "Well met, Aldern. I am Anca Covanu of Nybor, in town for the festival like so many others. What a horrible time for an attack - I can only imagine the death toll. Thank Desna we were so lucky." She grasps her pendant in a quick prayer to Lady Luck. "Care to tell us what you saw? After we care for the injured, finding out the reasoning behind this attack should be our top priority." She follows the nobleman's response very carefully, watching his mannerisms and paying close attention to his choice of words. Who knows who could've had a hand in this...

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

I can't access the map while at work, but I don't want to hold the game up. Adjust Anca's actions as needed if necessary.

Seeing the nobleman free and clear, Anca shifts her focus to the mounted leader. Eyeing the spooked goblin dog, She takes a few measured steps forward, drawing yet another starknife. With a grunt she hurls it towards the commando, hoping to put him down before he has a chance to flee.

Thrown starknife: 1d20 + 5 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 5 + 2 + 1 = 15
Damage: 1d6 + 4 + 2 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 9

Move 20' and throw starknife at commando. Extra +1 to atk from PBS. Extra +1/+1 to dmg from painful stare and PBS.

+2 deflection bonus to AC and +2 luck bonus to attack/damage. 8 rounds remaining.

Yeah, that was the first thing I tried and it didn't work. Maybe the touchpad was messing things up. I'll try again on my desktop.

Anca's token is not on the map and I can't seem to figure out how to add it myself.

Heeding Bogan's words and rushing south just behind Ven, Anca stops and launches a starknife at the goblin harrowing the cowering nobleman.

Thrown starknife: 1d20 + 5 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 2 - 2 = 8
Damage: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Move 20' and throw starknife at Green. -2 range increment penalty to attack.

+2 deflection bonus to AC and +2 luck bonus to attack/damage. 9 rounds remaining.

Probably never for Anca. She uses Cha for atk/dmg and already has a strong Will save. I'd rather not give up a -1 AC for a few extra HPs.

Anca will respond if someone addresses her directly, but by her posture you get the sense that she is ready to move on.

Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10

Before we join the fight at Northgate, Anca will buff herself with Shield of Faith and Divine Favor.

+2 deflection bonus to AC and +2 luck bonus to attack/damage for 1 minute.

She will also once again grasp her butterfly pendant and whisper a quick blessing to Desna, touching Bogan gently on the arm to grant him lucky presence.

After Anca recovers from her odd bit of laughter she quickly sobers up. She surveys the other combatants with a level gaze, "If you all are done joking around," She makes a listening sound but holding her cupped hand up to her ear, "It sounds to me like there are more of these menaces clogging the streets. Innocent lives might be at stake."

She quickly jogs over to pick up her tossed starknife then returns. "You all fought well, I'll give you that, but how about we save the friendly chit-chat for later and go run these goblins out of town?"

She waited to gauge everyone's interest, but you could tell by her demeanor that she wanted to be off to the next fight.

Will save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

As Anca charged up behind Bogan about to enter the fight, she stopped short. All of a sudden the idea of goblins invading this quiet coastal town where nothing ever happened seemed extremely ironic and hilarious to her. At first the giggles set in, but they quickly turned to guffaws as she bent over at the waist cackling madly. Struggling to draw breath, tears streaked up her face, darkening her bandana.

Shaking off the effects of the nothern man's call to battle, Anca grits her teeth as she swiftly races after Bogan to meet the new wave of goblins. "You got it, shield-man!" She yells as she speeds after the fighter.

Not accepting rage, double move.

Alright, obviously some of us are lost in this turn order business, so let's just hit the reset button with this new wave of gobbies and go from there. Life is short, no need to waste time hashing out the details.

Anca moves up to the cart and whips another starknife at the remaining goblin.

Thrown starknife at Blue: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 5 + 1 = 18
Damage: 1d6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 1 = 7

Yep, exactly. It's just a way to smooth things out so that the entire party isn't stuck waiting for one player.

Another method which saves quite a bit of time when combat breaks out is the GM rolling initiative for everyone. Now, yes this does take the roll out of the hands of the player, but compare these scenarios:

GM makes post about combat breaking out and asks everyone to roll initiative. Over a day or so everyone pipes in with their initiative rolls. GM sums up the order and tells us who is up. Players begin posting in block intitiative order.

OR

GM makes post about combat breaking out and rolls everyone's initiative and tells us who is up. Players begin posting in block intitiative order.

This method isn't quite as prominent as block initiatives, but in my experience it also saves a ton of time.

Just some food for thought. Combat grinding the game to a halt is a large factor in causing games to collapse on these boards so, in my opinion, any steps taken to streamline it are very much welcome. ;)

Well, the first round we also acted out of order, so I figured it wasn't an issue.

In pbp format the general rule for initiative is acting in blocks. For example two creatures go, then three party members are up and they can post in any order, then another creature, then the last two party members in any order.

If you expect players to post exactly in initiative order, expect combat to take an extremely long time. The block method is just a way to move things along.

Weekends are always unpredictable at best. I don't really believe in setting rules like this since they very rarely are put into use. Just expect weekends to be shower than weekdays and plan accordingly

Who acted out of turn?

Keeping her distance from the unpredictable mischief-makers, Anca stopped short on her charge and whipped her starknife through the air at the screaming goblin atop the barrel.

Thrown starknife at Green: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 5 + 1 = 20
Damage: 1d6 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 1 = 8

She let out a cry of triumph as the starknife found it's mark and pulled another one from her belt.

Extra +1s are for PBS.

Anca wasted no time in setting to action, "Take cover everyone!' she shouted to the townspeople. "Those of you who can fight, to arms!" She rushed north towards the green menace, drawing one of her starknives as she did so.

Double move and draw weapon.

Anca winces as her bag slaps into the back of Jubrayl's head, but she quickly composes herself, "Ummm, he did it." She says as she tilts her head in Bogan's direction.

She watches Bogan's bag sail into the hole and lets out a flapping breath between her lips, "Just my luck. Desna's favor seems to have eluded me this day..." She makes a fake pouty face which quickly dissipates as she grabs another bag.

She is lining up another throw to redeem herself when Father Zantus speaks up. She holds to hear the good Father's words. And then he stops short as a scream and barking rings out. "Wh-What's going on?"

Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18

Smiling at the woman, Anca nods. She gives Bogan a friendly wave, summoning him up to the tent. With a sharp eye and a measured aim she tosses her sack at the furthest basket with the smallest hole, hoping to impress right out of the gate.

Ranged attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

LOL!

Anca doesn't move until Jubrayl is completely gone into the mass of people moving down the street.

She moves up to the grumbling vendor, talking to her in a calming voice, "Calmează-ți dorința și spune-mi ce sa întâmplat."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Jubrayl stopped. He looked over the new arrival before smirking. "Well well... the little lady has big friends."

He raised his hands defensively, never loosing his smarmy look. "Very well. I don't want any trouble. If you don't want me to have the same fun as everyone else at the festival, who I am to object?"

Anca sqaures up with Jubrayl, showing no signs of backing down, "If having fun means harassing every woman with the poor misfortune of looking in your general direction, then yes, that is exactly what I-" she looks at Bogan, "-What we want. Now, I may not be from Sandpoint, but I don't think the other festival-goers want to see a brawl right here in the middle of the celebration. Now, if you'll excuse us, my friend and I have a game to play." She picks up one of the seed bags and tosses it lightly in the air, catching it with one hand.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Anca waits patiently for Jubrayl's next move.

Anca whispers to Bogan, "Watch my back, this could get ugly and I know Jubrayl over there usually has his cronies close by." She touches Bogan on the shoulder while grasping her butterfly holy symbol, whispering a quick prayer to Desna.

At 1st level, you can touch an ally and grant it a lucky presence. The target of this luck can call upon it to roll any one ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check twice and take the better result. The decision to use this ability must be made before the roll is made. Once used, or once 1 minute passes, the effect ends.

Anca saunters up to the tent, a mocking smile on her face. Shaking her head, she interrupts the argument, "Ah Jubrayl, your charms failing to woo yet another honest woman? I believe it is time to make yourself scarce."

She turns to the flustered vendor, "Have no fear, madam, the vengeance of Desna has just arrived." Anca's scarred face turns from mocking to threatening as she stands her ground, waiting for Jubrayl's next move.

Intimidate: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11 Bah!

Anca takes a good hard look at Jubrayl, reading his body langauge as well as trying to detect any hint of deception in his words.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

I'll put up a more detailed post once I get the results of the roll.

Bogan smiled and chuckled at the invitation cheerfully. "Spend time with a pretty nice sheila? Only a dipstick would turn that offer down." He reached his arm back and patted one of the javelins he had back there, showing that his throwing arm wasn't bad either. "What's your name?"

"Anca. Anca Covanu." She offers a wrist-grasping greeting to Bogan, "And yours? I don't believe I've seen you in any of my trips to Sandpoint. Are you just in town for the festival?"

Meandering through the streets making idle conversation, Anca is about to lead Bogan along to the sack toss booth when she notices none other than Jubrayl making a scene with the vendor. She stops short, grabbing Bogan by the arm, "Hold for just a second," and listens in on the shouting match...

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Ditto for me. Glad someone addressed it. I have zero interest in that type of play as well.

"Hope you don't mind me askin' miss , but.. is there any reason you wanted to join the Father and I's discussion later? Not retracting my earlier decision. I'm just curious is all."

Anca smiled, "Ah, I just figured we could kill two birds with one stone, ya know? I didn't mean anything by it. If you truly want some alone time with the Father, I'll gladly give you your space. Plus," she eyed Bogan up and down, "I make a point of keeping powerful friends, and you certainly seem like you can handle yourself." Anca's scar seems to stand out a bit, indicative that she too has seen her share of hardships.

"Now that that business is settled, how about a game or two? I wouldn't mind testing my throwing skills..." She gestures down to the handful of starknives tethered to her belt. "Join me?"

Ok, so I lied about the games. But hopefully this is the last time!

So I've got a fun little story about this part of the adventure. The first time I was an actual player for RotRL (my very first experience with the AP I was the GM) was through a random group I found on Roll20. My GM told us he wanted to expand upon the carnival games a bit. Great, I thought, that sounds like a lot of fun.

Boy was I wrong. We spent the first six 4-hour long sessions playing carnival games. Yes, you read that right. 24 hours of carnival games. But I stuck with it and if that's not a sign of dedication, hell, I don't know what is.

So I hope you all don't mind if Anca conveniently "opts out" of the gaming portion of the festival.

:)

Anca warms visibly as the Father speaks of his relationship with Desna, "Ah, yes, the Tender of Dreams has a place for us all in her heavens, however long it may take for us to get there." She grasps her butterfly token as well, placing a gentle hand on Zantus' shoulder, "Father Tobyn's memory shall not fade as long as this cathedral stands as a beacon to his memory. I shall take the time tonight to sit and ponder in the eastern shrine so that I may lend my guidance to his journey."

Anca seizes the moment to speak up, "Would you mind if I join you? I also have much to discuss with Father Zantus." She flashes a grin and bats her eyelashes at Bogan then turns to Father Zantus, " This cathedral seems quite magnificent. I take it Desna has a place within it's walls?"

Diplomacy to butt in on the one-on-one: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

Did you say you're from Nybor? Where's that? Are there any ruins there as well?"[/b]

"Ah, Nybor is a large village to the east, nestled against the southern tip of Ember Lake and the Sanos Forest. It's not where I'm from originally, but it is where I call home." She considers for a moment, "Ruins? Hmm, none that I'm aware of. Gnomes, we have a lot of gnomes." She says with a shrug and a sheepish grin.

Haha, no it's fine TCD. I have trouble formatting one quote correctly and you're doing six a post. It's impressive.

As Anca waited her turn a voice piped in just over her shoulder. With a start she turns to greet the spunky short-haired woman, "Oh, hello! My, you're quite forthcoming aren't you, ehm... Sabina was it? No, this is not my first time in Sandpoint, I escort a few caravans here throughout the year from Nybor. I'm just here to pay my respects to the Father, same as you. Although I believe this man beat us both to the punch." She gestures to Bogan.

"So where do you hail from, Sabina? Some far-off exotic location perhaps?"

Jubrayl looked at the pile of gold before looking back to his cards. After a few back and forths, he chuckled and layed down his cards. "Well, looks like you've got the better of me once again, Miss Covanu. And to the winner go the spoils. Don't spend those 5 gold all in one place. Unless you're planning to stop by the Fatman's Feedbag again."

I'll add the 5 gold to Anca's profile!

Anca chuckled as she leaned in a raked in her pot with both hands. She considered Jubrayl's offer for a moment, "Hmmm, not likely I'm afraid. I'm more of a Red Dragon Inn kinda girl. Those fried boar buns have captured a woman's heart, you see?" She let out a hearty laugh at that, which only increased when she saw the distaste on Jubrayl's face.

Her laughter stopped short as Father Zantus took the stage. As she leaned in, the silver butterfly hanging from a fine chain around her neck caught the suns rays and sparkled. "Oh, I've got to go speak with Father Zantus. You take care now Jubrayl, hopefully your dashing charms will work on some other unfortunate vixen. Ta-ta!" Stuffing the coins into a pouch she hurried over to the stage.

Unfortunately, some towering hulk of a man wearing the biggest shield she'd ever seen beat her to the punch. She stepped up beside him and crossed her arms over her chest, snagging a quick glance at the man's face. He seemed like the type of guy who could eat an entire tray of meat pies all the while fending off an ogre with a bar stool. She gave him a wide berth.

I'm going to have to turn up the contrast on my laptop, all these quotes are making my eyes cross. Your quote game is strong TCD.

The quality of posts so far has been exceptional, keep it up. I like how the separate interactions have their own bit of flavor. I think this will be a fun group.

Hopefully it's not too long before we start smashing some gobbies!

Jubrayl chuckled. "Forgive me, Miss Covanu. Just having a little fun. I assure you I've no interest in starting my own line-up of ceramic hats any time soon. Though with the coin I got from you in our last game, I think I could probably finance a line if you wanted to start one." As he spoke, his own grin spread across his face.

[dice=Bluff]1d20+13 Tie goes to the player; he's bluffing.

Anca raises one eyebrow at that, "Hmmm, I don't seem to recall that. If you were bluffing as poorly as you are now, then surely you left the table with your tail between your legs?" She smiles as she re-raises, tossing a handful of shining coins into the now sizable pot.

She perks up momentarily as she hears mention of the origins of the cathedral, but she quickly rolls her eyes as Cyrdrak panders to the audience with his easy jokes. "Just get on with it," she mutters under her breath.

Anca gives the man a hard eye, "Come now Jubrayl, I may only come to Sandpoint a few times a year, but surely you remember me from the last time you pulled this shtick. I believe we left off with a creamy deluge of bisque running down your face? I gotta tell ya, I'm surprised that ceramic bowl hat didn't take off as the next hot fashion craze..." She gives him her best $hit-eating grin.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16 If she senses that he is bluffing, she will re-raise, otherwise she will simply call.

Her taunt quickly changes to a somber mood as she bows her head in a moment of remembrance.

Anca leans against a wagon, examining a worn piece of parchment, Hides to Lars and thread and feathers to Verna. Yep, that’s everything. Satisfied, she folds up the list and stuffs it in her pouch.

With a stretch and a jaw-cracking yawn she wanders into the square. After scanning the crowd she finds what she is looking for: a game of cards. She pulls up a chair and antes up with a thick coin. She surveys her hand with a purposefully blank expression and lends an ear to Kendra and the forthcoming speeches, eager to hear about the new cathedral.