Life is what it is. In the last two weeks my daughter has had a sinus infection, then a respiratory one. She recovered from it just in time for my wife to get a stomach bug.
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Pulling out her knife, Andelis quickly cuts the strands into even lengths, and places them in her bag.
Andelis examines the sticky strands, running them over her fingers and pulling them taut.
"These might be useful for reinforcing armor." she says to the others.
Andelis carefully analyzes the small orbs, frowning thoughtfully as she does so.
At last, she nods her head and says to the others "These seem to resemble some sort of spider eggs, although what species I couldn't say. Strange."
Andelis grimaces as Isen's head explodes in a cloud of gore. With a quick word of magic and a flick of her wrists, any dirt or blood on her outfit magically peels off and falls on the ground. With a smile, she nods at Karlak, adding her praise to the praise of the others. "That was excellent timing. Who knows what would have happened if Isen's worm had been able to act?" Looking over at Lemnis and Mama Cas with a questioning look she asks "What kind of questions do you think we should ask Oleg? And do you think we should try and inspect the worm-thing inside Isen?"
As Isen's throat swells up Andelis let's out a yelp as she tries to dodge to the side, and then unleashes a bolt at Isen.
Andelis notices Isen's throat turning bright red. She shouts out "Look at his throat! Be careful!" she takes a step back, leveling her crossbow at him, waiting to see what he does.
"A worm that manifests physical changes in your body? Intriguing. Did it change your mind in any way as well?" Andelis asks.
Andelis approaches Isen curiously. "What are you? Where did you come from? Are there more of you here?"
As her senses return to her, Andelis looks around the fort to see that the others have the situation in hand. Both Svetlana and Isen lie on the ground, clearly defeated. With a sigh of relief, she chuckles morosely. "Here I was, worried about what to do with my crossbow, and I never had the chance to shoot it in the first place." Andelis lets out a tiny yelp as Gideon "transforms" into Svetlana, but her curiosity gets the better of her. "What a curious device. Impressive, and useful I am sure. I hope your ploy works. I would certainly like to know what the devil is going on."
Andelis can feel the blood pounding in her ears as her vision blurs. She tries to force her mind through the chaos and regain control of herself, but every time she control slips away from her.
Andelis let's out yelp of surprise that turns to a cry of pain as the Isen thing attacks her.
If Save Fails:
Andelis panicks as her muscles lock up and her crossbow clatters on the ground from her numb fingers If Save Succeeds: Andelis recoils in disgust as she takes a step back and attempts to fire a crossbow bolt point blank into Isen's chest.
Andelis smiled at both Karlak and Mama Cas. "Thank you both. I'm afraid I don't know much about fighting." As Karlak makes his greetings, Andelis nods her head and offers her hand for a handshake. "I am pleased to make your official acquaintance Karlak. I am Andelis, Andelis Rovena."
Andelis continues to rock nervously from side to side, oblivious to the intruders.
Andelis stands next to Karlak, nervously patting the haft of her crossbow as some of the others sneak off into the night. She smiles weakly at Karlak, who seems more at home with the idea of getting into a fight. "If we get in a fight, who should I target with my crossbow first, Isen or Svetlana?" she asks him.
"Prestidigitation might do the trick." Andelis says. "We might end up biting off more than we can chew if she isn't human though."
Once Isen appears to ask if they want food or water Andelis responds by saying. "Yes. I would like food and water. Also, if you could bring a bucket of water, I would appreciate it" Once the food and water comes, Andelis eats and drinks her fill, and then takes the bucket of water to a corner where she hangs up a blanket to hide behind. With a quick pass of her hands and says "μαγεία τέχνασμα"
Draconic:
Magic Trick As she finishes her spell, the water glows for a second, and then steam begins to rise from it. With a contented sigh she takes off her clothes, and using a clean rag begins to sponge bath herself. It’s not the best solution, but it is better than nothing she thinks to herself. After she finished her impromptu bath, she settled down for bed. Her sleep was interrupted as Gideon came in and woke them all up She shuddered at his description of Olaf, and nodded in agreement at Mama Cas’s interpretation of the situation. ”She may be more than meets the eye. There may well be more than a human face behind that mask.” She said grimly.
"Mama Cas is right. Svetlana's body language was off. Her speech was far too rehearsed. Nor do her actions make sense for someone who isn't suffering a contagious illness." Andelis said. Then she shuddered as she continued. "Worst of all, they don't have baths."
Andelis' eyes wrinkle a little bit as she listens to Svetlana speak, and then she begins to write in her journal. "Oleg's case is an oddity. She treats him as if he were contagious, and even wears a mask of some sort. Yet battle veterans seldom suffer from contagious diseases. She might be lying. The tone of her voice could certainly support this possibility." Andelis puts up her journal and makes a mental note to share her thoughts with her companions once they are away from present company. "A night in the bunkhouse would be lovely compared to the wilds. We shall certainly have plenty of those to come. Would you, perchance, have baths available as well?" She asks.
"Is there anyone in the area who would know about the bandits and why their activities have gone down? Perhaps a retired or reformes bandit, or someone who does business with them?" Andelis asks. "Obviously, clemency wouls be offered to anyone who could help us."
Andelis shudders slightly at Mac's words and shakes her head ruefully. "Where water fails, magic will have to suffice."
Andelis looks around the fort curiously as the others begin speaking to the man. She notices Gideon's decision not to immediately mention their charter and mission, and Szemyan's assumptions and treatment of the fellow greeting them. She decides to quickly make a note in her journal before speaking herself. Our first stop is Oleg's trading post, which appears to be a re-purposed border fort. This could certainly be an excellent location for a base camp, especially if the ballistae are operational. A side note, Gideon seems to possess some wisdom, although his choice to never reveal his face is a bit disconcerting. It is clear that Szemyan has never been outside of a major city. Nor does he understand how to treat frontier folk. Looking up from her notes, she smiles down at the man before her. "Oleg, I presume? Well met. What news of the Narlmarches? And, you wouldn't happen to have a bathhouse, by chance?
Andelis nods in Szemyan's direction. "I agree. Even if Oleg doesn't know what is going on, he probably knows who will."
Straight to Oleg's works for me too.
Looking over her notes one last time, Andelis rises from her chair and stretches slightly. "I suppose it would not hurt to consider what supplies we might need? Foodstuffs and water, as well as a mule or two to carry them might not be amiss. Particularly if we find somewhere to set up a base camp. Speaking of which, my dear Lord Magister, do you have any suggestions on a good place in the Greenlands to start?"
Andelis shakes her head as she looks at the crystal sphere. "Slime is common enough in the Great Beyond, particularly the Abyss, Abbadon, or the Hells, but Darkness and Cold aren't common elements of those realms." She says matter of factly. "Whatever this is, may well be beyond my expertise. Whether this is from the Great Beyond or not, if it is not of this world it is certainly worth researching."
"The bandits are thinning out? Well that is interesting." Andelis murmured quietly as she opened the book on her lap and began to write in it. Master always said that the bandits were as thick as thieves in the Greenbelt. He had to pay them an exorbitant amount of money to be able to operate freely without being harassed. Whatever has shifted may be worth cataloging. Remembering the task at hand, she thought back over the magister's words. . With an appraising look, she addressed the magister "Bandits don't just stop for no reason, obviously. I wager you have some guess as to why that is the case here, or I'm a goblin. Anything you share with us now would improve our chances of success by a fair amount.
Andelis stood quietly in the corner as she opened her journal and began to write furiously. I appear to be surrounded by a motley assortment of fellows, some clearly more intelligent than others. She chuckled wryly to herself as she paused to push her reading glasses back into place. I'm not sure what my old mentor would have thought of our chances at succeeding where others have failed in the stolen lands. I find myself strangely comforted by their presence, however. It may not be logical, but I believe we may actually have a chance at doing what none other has been able to successfully do. At any rate, only time will tell. Andelis closed her journal and looked at the young man standing next to her. She coughed delicately in her throat and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're still here? Don't you have classwork to do or something? Go home. I've got this." Turning with a smile, she walked up to the others gathered and introduced herself. "Greetings friends, my name is Andelis Rovena, a disciple of the late scholar Tomias Ambrosius. I have studied both the art of conjuration, as well as the history of the stolen lands under his tutelage for the last decade. I am pleased to make your acquaintance." |