Aurelio Grulios's page

Aurelio stood at the balcony off his office in a tower of the Korradath, smiling as he looked out over the city.

An old man now, he still stood straight despite the many scars he'd collected.

The one on his back, the result of dragon claws raking across him twenty years ago, ached when the sun came up. That had been a good fight, but the scar always ached when it was going to rain.

His knees were too old for him to pray to Serenrae properly at sunrise, leastwise not without getting help from an aide which was hardly dignified for a Duxotar. So he stood in his office and watched the sunrise and his city as the morning patrols rolled through the city as his own form of devotion.

Another glorious day in the semi-free city of Westcrown.

He'd quietly argued for independence for years, but the city's nobility was still unwilling to declare a rebellion against the Chelaxians.

With the Worldwound closed the crusaders who'd turned south triumphant over their victory against the Abyss had put incredible pressure against the other forces of otherworldly evil on Golarion.

The Asmodeans' grip on Cheliax was more tenuous each day. No greater proof was the bronze dome of the Temple of Serenrae to the west and the bells ringing as the clerics called the faithful to prayer.

He turned to his desk and began reviewing the reports of his durotasi, majors, captains and lieutenants. He'd had to keep a closer eye on paperwork than he would have liked but it was a small price to pay for the most peaceful city on the Inner Sea.

Six burglaries in the Rego Pena in the last two months. Time to talk to the the Order of the Rack, they hate letting my men in their precious district since we broke up the last book burning and they're dropping the spear.

The paperwork lasted until the rest of his headquarters staff arrived as the sun climbed in the sky and thunder began to echo from the bay.

Get in here you worthless layabouts! The day is half over and there's too much to do for you to stand around chatting over morning tea.

His staff walked in smiling. They'd have to sleep here overnight to beat him to the office and he'd had a habit of "tripping" over any dottari foolish enough to try that.

There's a rise in thefts in the city of late, mostly of portable objects from high end estates and businesses. Which means there's probably some fools trying to start another thieves guild in the city...

He began laying out the strategy for finding and stopping the thieves. His tools had changed, laws and dottari instead of his trusted shield and kukri; he was too old to battle monsters or criminals in the streets, but his tactics remained the same: close with his opponents and hammer them until they gave up or died.

A good tactic, a good life. His grandchildren kept trying to get him to retire to the family estates but frankly he couldn't give up the fight.

Who, he thought, would ever want to stop having this much fun?

Aurelio slaps Daniel on the shoulder once he separates from Andrea and smiles at him.

I'm sorry to hear we won't be able to work together making the city a better place.

Should the Worldwound ever close however, and you still feel the need to serve elsewhere write to me. I happen to know a king who is always searching for good officers.

Thanks for the late invite to the game, I'm happy to have been the Winston Zedmore of this PbP.

They want me to head the civil police? This is the worst idea since...actually I'm not sure this has been a worse idea.

Aurelio smiles with evident pride.

It will be my honor to help maintain the peace of the city, General.

Aurelio looks around to see if any of the dottari are on the ship or nearby docks to begin bringing order to the city.

Ulthen is going to kill me.

He smiles as sets about his new duties.

Aurelio Grulios of the House Grulios, here to speak with General Vourne on the status of Westcrown.

His big problem Aurelio was his noble house back the wrong side during the power struggle that put Thrune on the throne.

An entirely unfortunate event sadly outside of his control that rightfully cost the less-informed members of his family their lives (I suppose) that he in no way supports, nor holds against the beneficent House of Thrune.

I guess Euphemia doesn't have any contacts that can really add to the meeting at the ship. Tiny was killed and her brother is a shady arena owner.

Shady arena owner? I think you mean a leading merchant of Westcrown's thriving entertainment industry and pillar of the community whose exhibitions provide demonstrations of Asmodean and Thrunish precepts of rule by the fittest.

It's not him I'm worried about, it's the kingdom behind him!

Aurelio will go to his mother and the rest of the nobles he has and start getting them prepped on singing the praises of the forces of order already existing in the city.

Sorry I couldn't summarize more in chat, but I don't think "Went here and butchered traitorous knights, went here and butchered thugs, went there and fought a devil" was all that compelling, and I only got the condensed version of the previous outings.

Aurelio goes into a summary of the events that his companions have gone through in the past year, as well as his contributions from the last few days.

In short, General, my companions and I have helped the nobility, the Order of the Rack and the dottari spoil the plot of this Council of Thieves to seize the city in the name of Mammon.

He nudges the devil's head with his boot carelessly.

Apparently this Council thought they could steal the city from House Thrune and Asmodeus and then fool you into thinking they had restored order.

Aurelio snorts in derision as if the idea of a bunch of thieves pulling the wool over the eyes of a soldier.

Fair enough, I suppose I can try to talk to him soldier to soldier.

Aurelio will motion to his family and the other nobles to stop looking like guilty children caught filching a cookie and walk up to walk up to the general and stand as parade-ground perfect as he's capable of in his injured state.

He'll drop the devil's head at his feet while giving Vourne a Lastwall-style salute.

General Vourne! I am Aurelio Grulios, of the House of Grulios.

Probably Gerard, generals typically frown on being murdered.

More importantly we have to get the nobility together to make sure the Chelaxian fleet doesn't impose martial law.

I think you gave me 5 or 10 points for being a nobleman, so either 20 or 25.

Barely.

Aurelio takes an his kukri firmly in two hands and chops down, severing the devil's head.

He looks over at Daniel while holding the dripping thing.

I don't suppose you have a pike to go with that sword by chance?

I had that thought as well!

Aurelio staggers from the hit the barbed devil gives him and then straightens back up.

As hit attacks slam home he shouts at the devil.

I
Damage (Shield): 2d6 + 22 ⇒ (5, 4) + 22 = 31
have had
Damage (Shield): 2d6 + 22 ⇒ (5, 4) + 22 = 31
enough
Damage (Shield): 2d6 + 22 ⇒ (6, 3) + 22 = 31
out of
Damage (Kukri): 1d4 + 15 ⇒ (1) + 15 = 16
you!
Damage (Two Weapon Rend): 1d10 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

99 damage from that attack combo after DR.

Heavens to Betsy, I spend some time with family on a holiday and y'all go full throttle. Does Aurelio still have fly active?

Aurelio groans as the magical healing courses through him, fast knitting wounds that should have left him spiraling down to death.

I'm going to chop that devil into tiny bits and use its corpse to fertilize my lawn.

Yep, but no crits with the shield, unless the oil splattered my kukri too :) 67 takes into affect DR of 10 by the way.

I edited my "can't post yet" post a few minutes after Baldwin put up his "NP" post in case it was missed.

Stealth edits, always fun.

Aurelio steps up to B5 and smiles at the devil.

Remember me?

Attack (Shield): 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (2) + 24 = 26
Attack (Shield): 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (14) + 24 = 38 Blessings of Fervor Attack
Attack (Kukri): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (1) + 20 = 21 I'm rolling too many dang ones.
Attack (Shield): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (19) + 19 = 38
Attack (Kukri): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (19) + 16 = 35
Attack (Shield): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27

Attack (Kukri, Confirm Critical): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (19) + 19 = 38
Dexterity: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

Damage (Shield): 2d6 + 22 ⇒ (3, 6) + 22 = 31
Damage (Shield): 2d6 + 22 ⇒ (4, 6) + 22 = 32
Damage (Kukri, Critical Confirmed): 1d4 + 15 ⇒ (1) + 15 = 161d4 + 15 ⇒ (2) + 15 = 17
Damage (Two Weapon Rend): 1d10 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11

That's 67 damage on 3 hits since bless takes effect in RD 6. FYI, Andrea let me know I'd missed the bonus healing from the potions, so I'm back at 92 health.

The devil rolled 3 6's!

Well if we all die, then Emily can lead the army from Andorian when she grows up and invade Cheliax to put down Thrune once and for all.

Time for Ultimate Campaign!

That would both be great fun and a huge headache.

Aurelio will drink another potion.

Potion of Cure Serious Wounds: 3d8 ⇒ (4, 1, 2) = 7

Woo! Totally worth it!

Ha! Nice try, Aurelio's got a charisma of 8 almost solely on the fact that he looks like Stephen Hawking after a prize-fight with Mike Tyson.

Your concern is touching.

Aurelio will shout that the devil is best engaged at long range and try to retreat to C5. He'll retrieve several Cure Serious Wounds potions from his handy haversack and drink the first as soon as possible.

Cure Serious Wounds Potion: 3d8 ⇒ (7, 7, 5) = 19

Well there is a lot of give and take in tabletop, so it's really house ruled on any controversies. The important thing is to keep it consistent.

If one of us was using Vital Strike/Spring Attack it'd be fair for the baddies to do it too. But since we're not I'll take the 26 HP back!

Aurelio you can recoup the 26 HP from the second claw attack. Paizo appears to have nerfed vital strike. It doesn't make sense why a creature that has two claw strikes would vital strike especially when with such a high attack roll, but there's no reason to lose time over it.

Most nerfs are from angry players getting killed too quickly :D

But if I'd known we'd run into so many barbed devils I'd have made one of those archer paladins!

Then shouldn't it be 72 HP with the initial attack of 18 damage?

I missed the sixth attack that hit but you inflict damage on yourself form it's barbed defenses.

[dice=barbed defenses]1d8+8

I shows 76 damage? The sixth "attack" is a critical confirmation, there shouldn't be a separate damage from confirming a critical should there? Also that means I've done 132 damage to the barbed devil.

Aurelio grits his teeth at the fear washing over him.

Not this time.

He lashes out with his weapons again.

Attack (Shield): 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (15) + 24 = 39
Attack (Kukri): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (5) + 20 = 25
Attack (Shield): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (3) + 19 = 22
Attack (Kukri): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (18) + 16 = 34
Attack (Shield): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (19) + 14 = 33

Attack (Kukri): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (17) + 16 = 33

Damage (Shield): 2d6 + 22 ⇒ (5, 4) + 22 = 31
Damage (Kukri): 1d4 + 15 ⇒ (2) + 15 = 17
Damage (Kukri): 1d4 + 15 ⇒ (1) + 15 = 16
Damage (Shield): 2d6 + 22 ⇒ (4, 5) + 22 = 31
Damage (Two Weapon Rend): 1d10 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

Probable damage 114?

Aurelio's a simple guy: find baddie, kill baddie, find next baddie.

Gotta do what comes naturally.

I'm out to dinner for a bit so if you need to DMPC me.

Dexterity: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
Will: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (19) + 15 = 34 Ah, Bravery. You do come in handy.

Advance to G, 9

Aurelio grins at the barbed devil.

You? You I recognize.

Attack (Shield): 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (1) + 24 = 25
Attack (Kukri): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (18) + 20 = 38
Reflex: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21

Attack (Kukri, Confirm Critical): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (11) + 20 = 31

Damage (Kukri, Critical): 1d4 + 15 ⇒ (3) + 15 = 181d4 + 15 ⇒ (1) + 15 = 16

Aurelio's charge slams into the barb devil, but his shield is almost jarred from his grasp. His kukri more than makes up for it, slamming into the devil hard.

If 31 hits, 34 damage, otherwise 18. Stupid 1's

Euphemia di Nereis wrote:

That's a good question. Euphemia needs to get a spell of intelligence buffing if she's going to keep doing this. Or ant haul.

I'm more concerned on the number of people at one time you can carry. I'm sure Daniel and Aurelio weigh more than Gerard.

Hey you try marching up and down a city in full plate without getting hungry.

226.5 - 185 for Aurelio, 25 for the platemail armor, 7.5 for the shield, 2 for kukri, 2 for cestuses and then 5 for the handy haversack and everything else.

Ooo, a villain that sits in the dark and whispers melodramatic threats. Never heard of one of those before, no sir.

Any other original observations? How our efforts are doomed to fail, we can't grasp your grand scheme perhaps? Maybe something about how we should just surrender to the inevitable?

Aurelio bangs his kukri against his shield in contempt.

I stood in a shield wall with a dagger and a shield made out of a wagon bench while an orc horde charged at me when I was fourteen, you overgrown cliche. You think some words from the dark are going to scare me you've got another thing coming.

It took 5 years for book 4 and another 6 for book 5 (the books were supposedly the same book that he split because of length issues). I wouldn't hold my breath and I imagine the series will diverge from the books soon because 4 and 5 were both, well, awful.

He's killed off too many characters and sort of painted himself into a corner in my opinion; he's said was supposed to have a seven year time jump that would allow him to move forward but he didn't do it after all and there's only so much he can do with the way things sit.

Works for me.

Aurelio will turn and attack the other captain at C7

Attack (Shield): 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (5) + 24 = 29
Attack (Kukri): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (11) + 20 = 31
Attack (Shield): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (9) + 19 = 28
Attack (Kukri): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (20) + 16 = 36
Attack (Shield): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34

Attack (Kukri - Confirm Critical): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (18) + 16 = 34
Attack (Shield - Confirm Critical): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (2) + 14 = 16

Damage (Shield): 2d6 + 22 ⇒ (5, 1) + 22 = 28
Damage (Kukri): 1d4 + 15 ⇒ (3) + 15 = 18
Damage (Shield): 2d6 + 22 ⇒ (6, 1) + 22 = 29
Damage (Kukri): 1d4 + 15 ⇒ (4) + 15 = 19
Damage (Kukri - Critical): 1d4 + 15 ⇒ (4) + 15 = 19
Damage (Shield): 2d6 + 22 ⇒ (4, 6) + 22 = 32
Damage (Two Weapon Rend): 1d10 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Pretty sure everything hits (except for the shield critical confirmation) so 159 damage?

Aurelio will move up and attack the goon at C6.

Attack (Shield): 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (18) + 24 = 42
Attack (Kukri): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (15) + 20 = 35

Damage (Shield): 2d6 + 22 ⇒ (1, 6) + 22 = 29
Damage (Kukri): 1d4 + 15 ⇒ (1) + 15 = 16
Damage (Two Weapon Rend): 1d10 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Well, with all fairness Aurelio is almost the same when he gets a full attack.

With power attack, if every attack hits (which they don't, true) the minimum damage is 114, the maximum with all crits is 311.

I don't forsee ever maxing all the rolls possible just based on Paizo's dice algorithm, but most NPC's at this level don't have more than 100 hp at most, and if you can put 300+ damage on even CR 20 NPC in a single full attack you'd probably still kill it.

Granted there's something dissatisfying of seeing a one-hit kill on a major NPC or PC but to me there isn't that large a difference.

Aurelio watches the angel, for that's what he thought of the Hound as, beheaded by the giant, headless rider and sighed.

Ulthen, when I get back I'm going to hit you so hard you'll barely be able to remember you're out of diapers.

That or haunt your lying soul for eternity. I wonder if headless ghosts can leave their head places as pranks?

Someone please tell me there's a way to kill that thing from long range?

Annnnd alive again. Go-go weekend emergencies. 75 posts of setup and an angel decapitation later I'm ready to bash heads again.

Aurelio attempts to help persuade the cleric.

You speak of order as if it was an end in and of itself. What of civilization, of people bettering each other and themselves?

Soon or late any veneer of order, law, civility are stripped and chaos reigns.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

Aurelio stands there trying not to berate the Abadaran cleric. Anyone who upheld order only for order's sake was a fool in his book.

The dead are perfectly orderly, lying there in their neat rows as they're buried. Doesn't mean you should go around egging on murderers just to promote peace and quiet.