Search Posts
That sounds great. I definitely want to be a part of that. I'll probably save Aston for another day, though- I'd rather make a new character based on the info from the player's guide. Might go for an oracle; I created a particularly quirky oracle with the Heavens mystery once just for fun. It'd be cool to give that character a proper go.
Aston gives the priestess a charming smile and nods his head as he passes. "We shall return, then. Farewell for now, good priestess." Once clear of the cathedral, Aston leads his companions and Esme to the nearest place where they can grab a drink and a bath- the same place where he was first recruited for this mission. It is a favorite haunt of his, and he has chosen it for a reason. Taking a seat at a table with the rest, he rests his chin on one hand as he considers their next move. "Taicho, Tik'Klik, I appreciate your efforts this night. There is no doubt in my mind that our mission would have failed without your help." He turns to Taicho and nods at him. "I would be honored to work with you again, Taicho; aside from your obvious fighting prowess, you are an intriguing man, and you make me laugh- though I know not whether that is your intention most of the time. I'll be thinking of that monotone 'it has attacked us unwarranted' every time some random ghoulie leaps out of the shadows at me from hereon." He then turns to Tik. "And you, sir, are a mystery among mysteries. Where will you go now, Tik? You aided us, but you are under no obligation to the Church of Pharasma. What is next for you? A great amount of time has passed since you were put into that box. The world has changed. Whatever you choose to do, if you wish it, I will help you." He sighs, feeling surprisingly sentimental, but those happy feelings vanish when his mind turns to Graham. An ugly fate for a strong comrade. Perhaps Graham could have been saved if he had only been more attentive to those pods... Alas. And then there is Esme. Tripe's pet project. She is likely an innocent in all this- and fascinating nonetheless. "Esme, there is someone I would like for you to meet. I have a daughter, you see. The curse of undeath that flows through my veins found its way into her, you see; she has been fascinated by necromancy for many years. It is a part of her as much as it is a part of you and I. She is a good girl; I believe that she will do everything in her power to help you. Kaer Maga is not the worst place in the world to get by for people like us. I cannot promise you that your condition can be cured, but even if that proves to be the case, Abigail and I will make sure that you are comfortable, at least. You are a victim in all of this, and I will not see you suffer if I can help it; kindred spirits, you know?" He rises from his seat. "Taicho, order me a drink. I will be back shortly." He then moves to the door and leaves the establishment. Abigail lives near here; he should be gone only a few minutes, and if anyone knows what to do about Esme, it will be her.
Hmm. I'm fine with leveling Aston down, but I'm also considering making a new character for it. Is there anything the Player's Guide suggests in particular? I know the guides Paizo puts out for their APs usually have stuff like that in there.
Aston sighs. "Sister, fret not. There is no need to worry your pretty little head over this ugly matter. It is now resolved, at least as far as it concerns our Church. If Sister Nerissia is indeed unavailable, then I and my partners will take the opportunity to go and clean ourselves up and return within the hour. Blood has been shed on this night; the taste of it requires a good, strong ale or two to wash down. I am sure that my companions would agree that we have earned it."
Grimly, Aston says: "Three went down, four came up. The Ossuary's lower levels held many surprises for us, good Sister; among them this curious construct. It has proved itself in battle many times over to be a loyal comrade in the battle against evil. Our mission was a success, though we faced many injuries, and..." He wonders whether he should burden this priestess with the news of Graham's ugly fate. Perhaps not. "In any case... please, I wish to speak with Sister Nerissia as soon as possible. Could you summon her, please? We must debrief, and there is a great deal that I have to discuss with her." He sighs. "Although... it might be appropriate to take a quick bath first. I would hate to stink up the chapel after all the sweating our lot has done down there."
Aston gives Esme another reassuring smile as he raises the chime to the door and rings it. "Just remain calm, Esme. Tripe's experiments were twisted, yes. Blasphemous, it is true. But you are no mindless zombie or animated skeleton. Your will to live is proof enough in my mind that you deserve a chance to do just that." He hopes that the Pharasmin clergy will agree. In the past, an exception was made for him; he hopes that this feat could be accomplished just once more. Saving Esme from the cruel hand the fates have dealt her would be a validation of his existence. Only time can tell, as the chime's tone sounds in the dusty chamber...
Aston turns to Esme. "Stick close to me. I will make sure that you are granted safe passage." He retrieves the Chime of Opening from his pack and prepares to use it to open the sealed door.
I can't believe you're able to run four games at once! I'm only running one and playing in three, although I have been thinking about starting up a second one (I really want to run the "Price of Immortality" trilogy). Legendary Planet seems really cool. When does the first part of the AP come out? And how is Wardens of the Reborn Forge, anyway? I picked it up a while back, but haven't really done anything other than skim it. Alkenstar seems like a great setting, but I've heard the adventure itself is kind of meh. Haven't run it, obviously, so I have no idea.
"We'll figure something out, Esme. In the meantime, is there anything that might be of use in your room, over there? Anything important to you that you might wish to bring with you?" He keeps a suspicious eye trained on the skeletons. "I know of no other way out of this place but the way we came; however, if need be, you will be under my protection as an agent of the Church. You were a victim of Tripe's experiments, as much as he fell victim to his own delusions and ambitions. I am just the sort of being the Church of Pharasma would endeavor to destroy, being the spawn of an undead creature myself; and yet, I am standing before you today. I will ensure that you are treated fairly, Esme. To harm you while continuing to employ my skills would be quite hypocritical, and I trust that the Church will understand."
Aston watches quietly as Tik moves Graham's body into the crypt, and then joins him. Lifting his symbol of Pharasma in one hand, he murmurs a prayer for his fallen comrade to hasten his passage through the Boneyard. This grim task completed, he turns back to the pit and Esme on the other side. "We yet live, my lady," he says, and gives a glance at Tik and then down at himself. "Such as it is. Our mission here appears to have been accomplished; Tripe is slain, the mystery of the stolen cadavers solved. I suppose we should hasten to leave this place; I have gathered Tripe's research and shall turn it over to Sister Nerissia upon our return. Please stick with me, Esme; I will ensure your protection. I know not if there is a cure for your affliction, but I do know that what time you have been granted should not be spent hidden away in this place of rot and blasphemy. Have you a manner of crossing that gap safely? If so, we should depart for the surface as quickly as we can; goodness knows there could be still more threats lurking about." There are yet mysteries unsolved here, Aston thinks. Perhaps I should endeavor to return here in the future. Abigail should come along next time. He glances back at the crypt where Graham's body has been interred. Then again... no. Perhaps this place is best left alone.
"Let's finish it off, boys!" Aston shouts, trying not to think about the ill fate that Graham met only moments ago, and backs up Tik's blast of divine energy with one of his own.
Aston stares, slack-jawed, as Tripe's final creation crushes Graham's skull. Just like that, one of his comrades is gone. But if he hesitates, the undead ape might do the same to Taicho. He forces the shock from his system and follows Tik's lead.
Aston smiles at Esme and gives her a reassuring nod, her story filling him with mixed emotions. "I am terribly sorry for everything that has happened to you, and for the sorry fate Tripe found in the end. Obsession is too often the venom that brings down the noblest of hearts..." He considers Esme's condition, and the district of Ankar-Te in Kaer Maga above comes to mind. Undead are accepted as a part of the community there, more or less; however, they are little better than property. A plan begins to hatch in his mind; "Perhaps," he muses to himself, "she might hide out there temporarily... Abigail could watch over her until we could find a more permanent solution... Geb, perhaps? No, no... well, then again..." Before he can form a proper plan, Tik'Klik's fit snatches his attention. He quickly raises his crossbow toward the vat and shoots an uneasy smirk over his shoulder at the woman. "Esme, you must pardon us a moment. It seems our business here may not yet be concluded after all..." An idea strikes him: "My dear, you would not happen to know if there is anything special about this particular experiment of poor Tripe's?"
Aston stares at the woman, struck silent by the situation. The parallels to his own life are startling. Pharasma truly works in mysterious ways, weaving great ironies into the fates of those that serve her whims. He does not know the whole of this woman's story, nor whether her plea for help is genuine. But in her, he sees a mirror of the boy in the cage, the boy that would have either died or grown up to become a monster like his sire had he not been shown a single moment of mercy by a man whose faith dictated that an abomination against the sacred cycle of life and death like him should be destroyed without hesitation. Mercy enabled him to live a real life. It allowed him to experience the best and worst of humanity. It granted him a daughter. Now stands before him a chance to extend that gift to another.
He notes the two skeletons lingering behind the woman. "Guardians, or perhaps jailers?" he wonders aloud. He knows that, should the woman prove disingenuous in her plea, he would be opening himself and his allies to attack. Still... "Madame," he begins in earnest, addressing the woman across the pit, "you clearly recognize me as a servant of the Lady of Graves. You understand the position my Goddess holds regarding those torn between life and death, then. But perhaps you also recognize me for what I am..." He opens his mouth and runs his tongue along his fangs, making them as plainly visible as possible; hopefully, his pallid complexion will complete the image for her. "I know not the full extent of what has been done to you, but you have my sympathies- no, my empathy. I too was once kept in a dark prison, far below the streets of this city. 'Twas a twist of fate that saved me, much like the twist of fate that has brought me to you. Yes, madame, if it is your desire to be free, then I will free you." He sheathes his dagger and extends a hand to her as a gesture. His hopeful smile is genuine, and he inwardly prays that his faith in this woman will not be betrayed. "My name is Aston Saboque. Tell me yours. Tell me how you came to be trapped in this place, and what the heretic Tripe did to you. If you are willing, I will do everything in my power to protect you. I swear this, on this symbol of my faith." He raises his holy symbol into view. "May Pharasma strip from me my powers if I am lying."
Aston ignores Taicho's question for the moment, quietly regarding the figure peeking around the corner past the pit. He raises a hand and smiles unthreateningly. He gestures toward the person to Taicho and Tik'Klik, in case they had not noticed. "Perhaps Tripe was keeping a prisoner...?" he wonders aloud, flashing back to being that small boy locked up in a cage inside his sire's charnel house. He attempts to approach without raising any alarms. "Hello, there. Are you safe? You have my assurance that we come in peace."
Groovy. Sorry to hear about those travel difficulties; best laid plans, and all.
Frustrated that his shot went wide, Aston lets his innate bloodlust overtake him. Fangs flashing, he rushes forward to join Taicho and Graham in the melee, casting aside his trusty crossbow for the time being and ripping free his Pharasmin dagger- what better weapon to spill the heretic's blood than the favored weapon of the deity he had betrayed?
Ignoring the thing within the vat for the moment, Aston continues his approach, stopping once he is within thirty feet of his target. Seeing that Graham has dealt with the other zombie, he knows that now is the time to strike. "Heretic Tripe, you have been judged! You had your chance to surrender- now face your punishment!" And don't imagine for a moment that we will not enjoy this, he thinks, grinning, making a point of baring his fangs as he does so.
He levels his crossbow at Tripe and takes aim.
"Taicho, Graham, flank him! Give him no room to breathe!"
Now, this was how to start a battle! Aston smirks as Taicho unleashes his full potential against the late Mr. Marrow, and Tik'Klik seems to have the lever situation well in hand. He moves around the corner and begins making his way toward the lab, rubbing the silver spiral around his neck as he quietly prays to his goddess.
As his incantation comes to a close, he again heft his crossbow, keeping it trained on Tripe. "Silvennius Tripe," he says, attempting to sound as ominous as he can, "if you wish to repent for your sins against Pharasma, you may do so now. There may still be some tiny inkling of mercy awaiting you upon your impending arrival in the Boneyard."
"Pharasma, aid us as we bring to justice this betrayer who has defiled your teachings," Aston prays quietly as he looks into the room and lays his eyes on Tripe yet again.
As soon as he feels the vengeful power of his goddess wash over him, he raises his crossbow and lowers into a predatory crouch. "Keep those bombs in mind, boys," he whispers to the others. "Divide his attention. If we can keep that lever from being pulled, we do it. Maybe we can wrestle Mr. Marrow's attention away. Ready, gentlemen?"
Aston recoils in disgust at the sight of the carcass... and the callous, heretical manner in which it has been treated. "More of Tripe's work, no doubt," he mutters, covering his mouth with one hand. He moves closer to the corpse and recites a quick prayer for the soul of this desecrated body. "We are close, I'm sure. There are only so many rooms that can be squeezed into this little corner of the Ossuary; our second round with the heretic draws near, so let us exercise caution. Surely he knows that we are coming."
Aston observes quietly, confident that Taicho and Tik'Klik have things well in hand. Lockpicking was never his best skill; instead, he turns his attention to watching the curtains and the floor, cautious of any disturbances in either.
"Well. Shall we carry on, then? Let us check these double doors."
Aston jumps a bit as the ground quivers under the power of Graham's attack. Now that's what I'm talking about, he thinks, immediately reminded of just how formidable Graham can be once he gets that hammer swinging. With one skeleton down, all that remains is to finish off Taicho's new favorite dance partner...
Aston sighs as Taicho once again hurls himself into danger with reckless abandon, seemingly unperturbed by the skeleton's longsword carving across him. "Would you mind terribly being a bit more careful?" Aston says, intending to shout, but seeing Taicho commit to his attack, he can only murmur it quietly under his breath. With that, he moves into range and fires a bolt of divine energy at the skeleton Taicho is attacking.
"More of Tripe's little friends, eh? I'd say this confirms that we're on the right track!" Aston smirks, allowing the divine power of his favorite orison to dance along his fingers as he approaches.
"Seconded, good Taicho," Aston says. "I agree that we will almost certainly find another entrance to his little shop of horrors if we double back and take another branch. He'll know we're coming, but like I said, we're wearing down his resources. Who knows how many of those bombs and potions he has left? If this is to be a war of attrition, I say that we have the advantage." In spite of how badly the first encounter with Tripe had gone, Aston felt confident. His long-rusty skills are feeling much more refined than before, and the power his training as an agent of the church had once afforded him is returning to him. Spells he had once forgotten were springing back to mind. His fighting skills were feeling sharper than they had in decades. He might not have been the warrior Sister Nerissia had assumed him to be when he had first stepped foot into the Ossuary, but he was quickly becoming it.
Probably looking to block this way in, Aston thinks as he hears the dragging sound. No time to worry about that; Aston turns his attention to his fallen comrades. Graham had taken an enormous beating from the zombies and the bombs, and no doubt would require immediate care; Aston begins sifting through the fighter's gear in search of a potion. Can't use my own, he thinks, lamenting his "condition" for a moment.
"We need to regroup," Aston says grimly as he goes about his work. "Tripe is no joke, as inclined as I might be to laugh at him. Those bombs of his are dangerous. However, we've slain his little 'experiments'- at least, those he had with him at the time. Once we have pulled ourselves together, we must strike at him again. He will have had time to prepare himself, of course, but if anything, we may have depleted some of his resources."
Yeah, we're totally still going. Really sorry to hear about what happened to you, man. Hope everything's better now.
I'm all for Shore to Sea, personally. It looks awesome. I actually have the module, but I've never run it or even read it aside from a skim.
I might soon. I have a player that hasn't posted in a while who might have poofed. I'll let you know! Also, I apologize for the delay, but I've been tasked with running an impromptu game tonight for some friends from out of town, so I might need a day.
The cruel necessities of when players drop out... I'm going through that in my own game. I shall level up Aston as soon as possible!
I'm totally on board for further adventures! I'd be happy to play in any of those, as they've all been on my radar (I have a thing for horrah modules, obviously). I also think opening a recruitment once we finish this one is a great idea. As for poor Graham, I fear we must consider him lost. If we level up, we can probably heal up and go in for another round with Tripe/Snipe/Uglyfella. I could pick up a healing spell in that case, methinks.
Desperate to finish off the zombie, and catching a glimpse of Tripe's enormous bulk from the corner of his eye, Aston swings his dagger across the abomination's throat, hoping to cut it down for good. As he fights, he shouts: "Tik! Follow me! Don't let him get a hand on you!"
Seeing Tik'Klik move in to flank with him, and with the zombie's claws just narrowly missing him, Aston sees no option but to enter melee.
"This would be a lovely time to have a proper healer around!" Aston hisses as he slashes at the zombie. "No offense to your efforts, of course, Tik!"
Oh, blast it all! Taicho, too? Seeing the tengu join Graham on the floor, Aston decides he has seen enough. He moves into the doorway, and seeing that the last zombie still looms threateningly over his fallen comrades, casts his spell once more in hopes of isolating Tripe while Tik keeps the heretic occupied.
Blast it, Graham! Your reckless bravery will be the end of you! Aston swears under his breath as the fighter charges into battle and is subsequently struck down for his troubles. Taicho, too, is wounded; "Fall back, Taicho, and heal yourself!" he shouts as he makes his way into the doorway.
With the last remaining zombie in his sights, Aston fires off a bolt of divine energy from his hand, hoping to disrupt the blasphemous energies that keep the thing moving.
Svilennius Tripe! The name certainly rung a bell. This must be the very same man Sister Nerissia had warned him about; she would no doubt be satisfied with the knowledge that her intel had been correct. "Boys, we've found our man," Aston says, giving his holy symbol a quick kiss. Pressing his back to the wall so as to remain unseen, he begins weaving a spell under his breath, a mantra of dedication to his goddess. Tripe's blasphemies had earned him excommunication in the past; today, they would likely earn him his death. Aston steels himself in preparation for facing the madman, a task he would not tackle lightly without the blessing of his Lady of Graves.
Well, perhaps our not-so-friendly neighborhood graverobber and blasphemer really is behind that door, Aston thinks as he hears the voices on the other side. He instinctively raises a finger to his lips and gestures for the others to keep quiet as Taicho moves to the door. As Taicho prepares to open the door, Aston grips his holy symbol of Pharasma and utters a short prayer.
"Oh, joy of joys," Aston grumbles when the bone gate swings closed. "It seems we will not be leaving that way. Let us pray there is another outlet ahead." He scratches at his chin as if expecting there to be some stubble; still none, after more than a century of adulthood. "Taicho, Tik'Klik, Graham- shall we press on? Our not-so-friendly neighborhood grave robber and blasphemer could be near."
Good good! My body is ready.
Work death is indeed tough. Hope everything's going well!
"I really must insist that you fall, abomination!" Aston shouts with some gusto as he fires yet another disrupting ray at the final skeleton.
"Keep it up! It seems to be working!" Aston shoots a confused look toward Graham, wondering if the fighter has been shaken by the sight of the skeletons, then fires off another bolt of energy.
Aston follows Tik'Klik's lead, targeting the nearest remaining skeleton and thrusting his palm forward with a few murmured words of prayer to his Goddess.
"...Right. Well. There seems to be some sort of divine aura about this gate. Tik'Klik, I would advise..." His lips purse as he ponders the next words to come out of his mouth. "...Oh, bother. I fear attempting to disarm the trap or open the gate will set off some dreadful effect. If you wish to risk it, Tik, then go for it; but I, for one, will not call you a coward should you choose not to."
|
