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Balik resumes a regular round of evening supper at the inn, exchanging news and plans with her comrades, and spending much of the night on the wing, communing with the local birds, gathering the goings on through the local regions (from the perspective of birds-eye interest). In the mornings she returns to the inn, and snatches several hours rest.
hrmm.. now I'm really thinking... magic tattoos for beast shapes, or elemental shapes, or plant shapes, or dragon shapes. I've currently got families of tattoos dancing in my brain - one-offs, wild shape/shapeshift driven ones, ones that in some way simulate the feat 'aspect of the beast'. Drat - doing some concrete research, it seems that there's a proliferation of specific mechanics: wild shape, skinwalkers, ranger shapechanging archetype, lycanthropy, and shapechanger subtype. I'll bet there are others specific to racial type. <sigh> Another circumstance where no one noticed they were proliferating variations of mechanic and interaction of mechanics. The attempt to consolidate the effects on the 'xyz shape' spells are positive, but then folks got 'fluffy', and stopped writing magic items, class abilities, and feats to tie back to core mechanics. <double sigh>
On the trip to the city, Balik has two things nagging at her - issues she'd like to resolve both for her friends, and for her own peace of mind. She spends much of the four days attempting to troubleshoot Sixth's continued fungal infection - taking small samples from him, hunting down herbs and berries and other medicinal items, feeding samples and proposed cures to occasional squirrels or raccoon (slaying and burning them afterwards - wouldn't want to cultivate the fungus). During her morning devotions, she will also pray for a spell like 'remove disease', but effective against growing fungus, rather than diseases such as gangrene or syphilis.
hoped-for-effects:
This is an attempt to use the skills heal and knowledge(nature) to get a handle on Sixth's affliction.
The prayer is an attempt to leverage the manner in which druids/clerics acquire their spells (divine grace) to guide to an appropriate spell, such as 'diminish plant', in the event that Balik herself isn't clever enough to come to it. In addition to her to-ing and fro-ing trying to cure rampant fungal infection, Balik is ruminating in the back of her mind how to help Kyomi access additional forms - something similar to a pelt of the beast some of her shoanti tribesman had revered for their connection to Shoanti totem spirits. She considers whether it might be feasible to embody such a connection in a tattoo, rather than a beast pelt, and how it might connect to Kyomi's Kitsune heritage. Over the several days, Balik takes some time to inspect Kyomi using various divination spells - undoubtedly making Kyomi uncomfortable. To any inquiry, Balik simply responds, "I haven't found the bat in you yet."
intended outcome:
Balik will be taking 'craft magical tattoo' sometime Real Soon Now. Please consider this some advance research for a magical tattoo (well.. category of..) extending the scope of shapechange-ey abilities to encompass an additional form. Writeup to follow sometime around 7th level. :) Finally, every morning and evening, Balik takes several moments, gathers together Finnigin and the oxen. "Finnigin, will you step out with me to tend to these animal needs?" Balik takes the oxen out to pasture, provides them some grooming and delousing, and walks with Finnigin gathering some tender and delectable fresh greens for the oxen.
Early in the morning, Balik rises before the dawn and makes her devotions. Shortly before dawn, she wakes Sixth (cautiously, poking him with a stick), and says, "Here, let me purge those spores." [ooc]casting 'remove disease' Then Balik takes a few moments, searching the area for any spoor or tracks of medium ungulates (deer, elk), or boar.
Today's spells:: 3rd (2/day)— 2nd (3/day)—flaming sphere (DC 16), bull's strength, blindness/deafness (DC 16), binding earth (DC 16) 1st (4/day)—entangle (DC 15), obscuring mist, cure light wounds (x2), 0 (at will)—purify food and drink (DC 14), know direction, detect magic, guidance
Seeing Byron's attempts to consolidate material out of the wagons, "I'm betting I can work us up some sort of draft animal for that. I can summon some for short shifts, but I can also go hunting around and maybe get us some boars or wild donkeys, at least until we can find somewhere that will sell us some better-trained draft animals. Stopgaps-are-us! It seems an shame to abandon the lovely carts. And if we're off to find a town with a temple, we shouldn't have to stop-gap for long." "Oh, and Sixth - I'll fix that lung thing up for you first thing tomorrow."
"Well for me, if Alex and the Avorals were any indication, Rovagug doesn't seem to have much respect for the way of things." she pokes one of the piles of nasty slime with a stick, then shakes off the stick. "And the birds don't like what he does to things. So I think we should go kick his ass. Maybe a little creative disembowelment too. Or at least poke him in the eye. I'll have to think about that. But I guess there's time to think about that." "And hey - if the other puppet-folks are like this Alex, I'm betting they'll have stuff. Granted Alex's stuff was other Avorals, but maybe the next one will have a," Balik sort of waves her hands, indicating big stuff, or big piles of stuff, "...a big.. I mean lots of... wives?"
Balik is torn between the excellent point of an avoral carrying a contagion, and quelling that contagion among her compatriots. Ultimately tribal loyalty and dictates of capability, drive her to continue treating her comrades and fending off the insidious influence of the spores. Balik grinds her teeth as the fleeing avoral gains distance and time.
Balik brings a cup and pot of tea from the fire toward the Avorals. As she walks, she carefully pours out a cup of tea. "I believe your Alex here may have a teapot with some very strong contents. If you're not already aware of it, you might want to take some measure to detain him, at least for the moment." More musingly, "Of course, if you are already aware of it, this could be a very unpleasant conversation." She reaches up to hand Alex a cup of tea. "Alex, you have been disturbing the birds for leagues in all directions. They find you... altered. I can't imagine your compatriots here aren't at least as perceptive as the birds. But strangely, I find myself depending on that fact." Seeing Alex hesitating to take the tea cup, Balik presses the cup into his hand, and wraps his/its fingers around the cup. She takes the opportunity of the fleeting contact to dim Alex's vision.
Balik hastily moves away from Alex, holding the pot of tea as an improvised (and very hot) melee weapon.
---- "We have a fire, if you would like some tea. If the storm delays you, perhaps we can dally and exchange some tales of the road." After a brief moment for reaction, Balik goes to the wagon to retrieve teapot and some form of tea for brewing.
still here - a bit distracted since friday (band dad stuffs..). as stated earlier, ensuring I'm keeping up with the games I'm running. also back at work with gov't, so some of the other things I was doing have piled together. Ddicated catching-up at the moment :) On a positive note, the Parkview High School Marching Band did excellently at their competition this weekend - 2nd place and in increase of over 10 points in their score (72 -> 84)! Go Band!
Addressing Seinal, "If you have some skill in determining the effects of draughts and potions, that would be helpful. I'm far from an authority." Speaking more broadly, "Anyone up for a big-people-sized crossbow? Looks like a nice one, if oversized." Balik gives Finnigin a peck on the cheek, "No one's impugning your honor, dear Finnigin. Just trying to keep it from killing you is all. It appears you've inspired Byron - so I'd say you've done a good day's work."
<wail> Don't break the map!! :) BTW, I lifted the background image directly out of the module with reader's snapshot tool. I know some folks doing much fancier stuff, but it was quick and dirty, and gets the job done. If anyone wants some tips, give me a shout and I'll walk you through. i'm about to do some additional maps for the 2 games i'm running.
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