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I understand, but I will be ready when you're ready to start it up again.
Well, I'm willing to hang around until the internet situation gets better for you, which I understand may a while.
Easy for me... Five rounds of being jounced unconscious on a paladin's shoulder.
Can we bot the DM if his internet access is down? :)
I hope it only wants carrion. Laurie looks to be gone, but we still have Felice and the temporarily silenced Alderman to deal its. Meanwhile, I suppose someone could try talking to the otyugh...
One of these days I may actually be conscious again.
And dreaming. Nightmares of dead dragons, of ruined cities, and of older days... A young boy, huddled against the wall, while crusaders' children mocked his half-breed heritage. One threw a stone... and the crushed finger never healed. An old tree, kept by his mother in her garden, a seedling of lost Sarkoris. A seedling brought from old Sarkoris. It flowered once. Only once, before it died. No one knew how to tend it when Mother died. "Someday we will plant those trees again, and enjoy their fruit," Father had said. The pride of success, of drawing a bow for the hundredth time, and striking the target dead center. Good. Now to do it when demons are filling the air with rain and fire, and your heart is full of fear. But each small success builds to another. Where am I?
Seems reasonable to me.
Balek crumples without a sound...
...and is apparently bleeding from somewhere. See if I try to help a crazy lady aga--
Well, as "all right" as one can be while being trapped in a lightless underground cavern while demons rampage on top...
"Be calm," Balek says, stepping forward and touching Laurine's cheek. "You are yourself, not your hands and not your mouth and most especially not the plaything of demons."
In his other hand, he holds his spear loosely and non-threateningly. Calm the hound; hunt the mad dog. I hope she is not mad.
Follow the wisdom of the wise. Balek nods slowly, following Haruka's advice. "She's right, you know. We have to stick together, or we will all be stuck here. Remember who stands beside you, who fights with you, who has been at your side and helping you." I hope that works.
Balek moves cautiously towards Laurine. Lion first, weeds later. Felice is hurt but not in immediate danger; Gwerm is annoying but not a threat. Laurine -- well, demon influence must be dealt with. And I have no idea what to do. "You are one, Laurine, as each of us is. You don't need more mouths; one is plenty to eat and talk with. Why don't you put the shard down for a bit."
I can try a (short-term) protection from chaos spell if we decide we need to separate her from it. Balek would like to just get rid of the thing -- it can't possibly be a good idea to bring it along, but we probably can't destroy it. But getting into a fight with someone we want to help protect should be a last resort.
Balek has been watching carefully while the others search. Watch always, be wary always, for the night is full of foes. The green light around Laurine draws him like a beacon. That isn't good. He moves toward the altercation, being careful not to seem threatening. He opens his mouth to speak... ...and curses as the rainbow flares across the space, surrounding the girl. Soft answers turn wrath; blows invite blows. "Osei -- No!"
Family matters tying me up this weekend. Will post as I can. Meanwhile assume Balek is keeping watch for any other stuff coming out of the dark.
What he said!
Balek considers helping Haruka, but seeing her clever competence, decides not to interfere. Do what you do best, for the good of all. Do not do what someone else is doing better. Once the creature is obviously dead, and seeing that everyone is still badly wounded, he channels energy again. "Aid us with your strength, Hunter of the Stag, that we may hunt again, and escape our foes, and defend all those who depend on us."
Then he checks to see if Takka is well, or if some other effect has paralyzed him.
See above. Balek probably missed.
This is where we can argue things out a bit in the Discussion topic first, right? :)
Balek will take an attack of opportunity if he gets one, but it looks like he got blindsided by the negotiation/fighting attempts. There is a time for war, and a time for peace. Which one is it today? Meanwhile, he's trying not think of what must be happening above them in Kenabres... If it still gets around to his initiative, he'll attack the demon if it's possible:
If he can't get in range, and the demon is still up, he'll channel energy for . (Yes, it heals the demon, but healing all of us is more important.
Balek waits, edging a little closer to Felicia if he can. He knows it's probably a demon, but is not eager to begin the fight when everyone is so badly wounded. It might not be hungry. Still, he stares intently at it, trying to judge its motives and anticipate its actions.
A lot of us are badly injured right now -- maybe we should try to scare the thing off, or something. Maybe we can talk to it? I mean, if we have to fight it, we have to, but is there a chance that we can talk to it?
Balek is about 35' from the monster. Too far to get there fast. But no human should be pig-demon fodder. Spear in hand, he moves cautiously across the floor, hoping to get close enough to either threaten the monster or protect Felice. "I'm coming, lady!"
Maybe I can finish up on Balek's dream...
Balek joins the search for the living. "I'm here. Anyone need help?"
Balek looks around, struggles to his feet, and tries to find his spear and his bow. Where are we? If no immediate threats present themselves, he will channel energy to at least restore everyone's breath.
I hope the demons above have not cut us off from the gods.
Well, unless something kills me quickly I can channel Erastil's energy to fix everyone up. Maybe.
On, dear, my weak save, twice...
Maybe the earth will be kind to me.
Part of it is that the focus of the game changed from sometimes avoiding combat/traps/whatever to always engaging in it -- and meanwhile other classes (bard and ranger, then the others Doug names) were getting lots of noncombat stuff so the rogue was getting squeezed from both ends. I too would like the rogue to not suck, but some of it involves the types of adventures people are playing.
Balek slaps the Alderman, hard. "Stop panicking! Your job is to lead folk. We have to get to safety, now. You know where any secret passages out are. Where are they?! We will do our duty, but you have to do yours."
To everyone: "That thing has a piece of the Wardstone, corrupted. Time to run, not time to fight."
I won't really start to worry until white gold rings start turning up :)
It can't be the Illearth Stone: there aren't enough coruscating viridian aureoles raving "Don't touch me" and emanating clenched incarnadine flickers from it. ;)
"multiplex of wing and eye" is from Chesterton's 'Lepanto'. The most bombastic battle poem in the English language,and surprisingly effective at soothing cranky babies to sleep.
Hambly and Donaldson: nice combination, have read both lots of times, but find both of them rather dark. Then again, this is a campaign against evil in its darkest hues... I'm going to enjoy playing "spot the reference" with this group, I think. We need to get Felicia and the Alderman under control, and then run for safety. Not sure where it might be, if the Wardstone is broken. Balek grew up here, but doesn't really know much about things outside the local Sarkoran community. Whatever we do, we mustn't split the party. I'm tempted to bless everyone right now, but I may want to save it for a tight moment. Thoughts?
Balek's first reaction is to immediately cast stabilize on the juggler. The living can heal, but not the dead. Before he can finish checking to see if the wounded man is still alive, the *bamfs* of displacing air wash across him, and the stink of brimstone. Demons. Lots of demons. LOTS of powerful demons. His drills in the Crusade for this sort of thing were pretty basic. Perfunctory, actually. Foot soldiers aren't expected to go up against demons powerful enough to teleport. Call for help, mass against them, hold your formation while the heroes and the casters take them down. If you can't do any of that, there are other duties. He grabs his spear up from where it leaned beside the table. "Sir Constance! Theirs to fight the demons!" He spares a glance for the dragon, soaring on the winds of morning, impossibly beautiful and heroic, and for Sir Robert and the Marquis charging beneath her into battle. "Ours to shelter the innocent! Remember what we did when a bigger gang went after Balzar's!". Demons doubtless have keen ears, but I hope they cannot pluck memories so easily. He stares around the square, looking for anything that might be shelter or safety. We need a way of escape, not a hole to die in.
Balek inquires politely, "Might I then ask your courtesy in securing an appointment with the leader of the Andoran delegation?" His face is firm and courteous. "I understand the press of business, but surely salvaging two loyal warriors for the defence of the borders is worthwhile. Each man -- well, person -- may serve, each according to their talents."
Inwardly... Andorans are meddling foreigners who scorn the wisdom of the past, but at least they mean well. It could be worse... like the devil-worshippers. Then his gaze tracks past Sir Robert's attention, over beyond the next table. Oh, Osei. What have you and Haruka got yourselves into now?!
Oh, good. I was hoping to convey an Erastilian voice there. And, no, we don't have a short list of rules -- ten thousand years of oral tradition produces a list of mental tools for different situations, limited only by the capacity of memory to retin them. Something like this.
If you can find a few dozen bottles of it, that might work. ;)
I am discovering as I go that Balek has a rich interior dialogue with himself that is seldom expressed on the surface... probably the result of active repression while growing up during and after the Third Crusade. Getting it drawn out of him... that might be difficult. |