Balzeros of the Narl's page

Balzeros helps look for tracks, but a frown sits on his face all the while. Once tracks for the group have been found, he motions for their attention. "I completely understand why you wish to search for the werewolf, but I cannot join you. My gut tells me that a lost companion is more important. I've been a wanderer of the wilds for almost all my life and my gut is what has kept me alive. Ramita and I will search for Ervenywg while you deal with that menace," he promises. "With her, I'll guide her back to you in the city where I will submit myself for treatment of possible lycanthropy. If you don't wish for a reunion, I'll submit myself after knowing she is safe."

I've been in the process of closing out all of my games as I step away from PbP. Since it is a choice I've made instead of life forcing it upon me, I've had the luxury of working with my GMs closing them out at opportune moments. I think this is one such moment. With Balzeros wanting to search for Ervenywg and just about everyone else for the werewolf, having him split from the party to serve this purpose seems right to me. I'll post to that effect in gameplay, but wanted to let everyone know here.

I've enjoyed playing with y'all and wish y'all the best of luck in life and your games! :)

I hope you recover quickly GM!

I was operating under the assumption that the Werewaif came in through the hole at the base of the tower wall.

Balzeros votes not going until we rest, but I think he is in the minority there. Voting between the lady or the wolf, he votes the lady. He'd rather find friends/companions first.

"The last I'll say on the matter is that I believe it folly to track a pack of Worgs and a Werewolf at night with only two of our group able to see in the dark. They'll see our lights a mile away. Ultimately, I'll do as the I'm bid, but I'd be remiss not to at least make the point," Balzeros concedes.

Pragmatism over friendship, fair enough. Not what I would have chosen, but a sensible choice nonetheless. "Very well, then let's get what little rest we can and track the pack down in the morning? That will give me time to prepare more appropriate spells as well."

Unless something demands his attention, he makes his way back to the web shelter and settles in for the night.

"AH! I see you have found your lost, young girl." Medwyn says indicating Alia with a glance.

LOL!

Somehow not the strangest thing that has happened to him today, Balzeros takes a seat on a log. He's barely let out a sigh when Ramita collides with his head. Clinging to his face, the man does his best to stroke her back and calm her. Muffled, placating coos are just audible and eventually Ramita settles for clutching his shoulder while prodding his face with her antennae.

Balzeros is happy to lead the way back. After some R&R, he could return to the tower and see if he can find our Fey friend again. Not without company, of course!

"Well, let's not spend any more time here than we need to. I don't mean to rush you, Alia, but I suspect with some assistance you can make it back to camp and we can settle in for what's left of the night," Balzeros suggests. Sounds like manacles at night are in my future. I can handle that for a month, especially if our future Baroness is doing it too.

I'm pretty sure she got her teeth into Balzeros too, but there was a lot of biting his way ;)

"I think so. Between her and the Worg, though, it was hard to tell who was actually biting me," Balzeros confesses. "We should take precautions though, and I will submit to any and all for our safety." Wouldn't that be the fly in the milk... Make it out alive, but then turn into one of her anyways!

"Durgan, thank the Divine you've arrived! Alia needs healing! We were waylaid by Worgs and, I'm fairly certain, that Ilvah was a werewolf fighting on their side..." Balzeros explains. "We barely fended them off before kicking the bucket."

With the Werewaif hopefully fleeing, Balzeros falls to his knees and does everything he can to stop the bleeding. "Lord Zokon, while we have the chance!" he pleads.
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Heal (First Aid), DC 15: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
She lives! :D

Balzeros looks at Zokon like a madman, but ultimately does as his Lord bids. Rising, he takes a swing before backing away from the Werewaif. Hold on Alia, if that thing focuses on Zokon, I'll... do what I can.
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Whack vs Yellow: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 221d8 ⇒ 8
Totally provokes!

Balzeros' staff flailing continues to prove ineffectual. With one more mighty swing, his spectral staff strikes at the Worg before dissipating. S#~#. Shiiiiit.

"Erevenywg, can you flee? Warn the others if you can!" They won't find us in time, but at least they can learn of our fate.
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Whack (Prone) vs Grey: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (4) + 3 - 4 = 31d8 ⇒ 1
Spiritual Weapon vs Grey: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 201d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

oddly enough, a lot of fey are chaotic good.

As an aside, if the unfortunate does occur, we could always have zokon marry the stroon. (maybe). hahaha.

Crawling back for the marriage would be quite amusing XD

Not like this! Not like THIS! Fear fills Balzeros' eyes as he wildly flails his staff at the Worg. "BACK! GET AWAY FROM ME!" he shouts, his voice cracking with desperation.
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Whack (Prone) vs Grey: 1d20 + 3 - 4 ⇒ (9) + 3 - 4 = 81d8 ⇒ 1
Spiritual Weapon vs Grey: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 251d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
I believe I've got one more round of Spiritual Weapon left!

"Zokon, listen to me, we need an escape plan quickly!" Balzeros pleads, desperately swinging at the Worg. "There are too many of them!"
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Whack vs Grey: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 3 + 2 = 251d8 ⇒ 7
Confirm?: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 91d8 ⇒ 7
Spiritual Weapon vs Grey: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 251d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
GM, how far away are we? Empathic Link has a range of 1 mile and Ramita is back at camp! What sort of action would it take to emote an emergency to her, assuming we're in range? I suppose Balzeros would make the attempt regardless of range, to be fair!

OH SNAPPLES! WHAT A REVEAL! :O

Balzeros visibly shakes as the bipedal wolf strikes Alia down. "How many block the way? We need to run, now!" he shouts while trying to ward off the first Worg. "If we put some space between us and them, I can slow them down, but we should be outside first!"
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Whack vs Grey: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 3 + 2 = 131d8 ⇒ 2
Spiritual Weapon vs Grey: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 161d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
GM, can Balzeros try a Heal check to know that Alia is dying and not dead? He has an Obscuring Mist, but that doesn't do us much good if there's nowhere to run. He also has Entangle and Thorny Entangle, but, again, outside with an escape route is where we need to be. GM, are the walls in here climbable with Monkey Fish?

With Alia entering the fray and Erevenywg leaving, Balzeros flanks the Worg. "Come at me, you monster!"

He punctuates his words with a crack over the rump with his staff.
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Whack (Flank) vs Grey: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 3 + 2 = 241d8 ⇒ 3
Spiritual Weapon vs Grey: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 111d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

"I've made it worse, hurry!" Balzeros calls as Erevenywg gets thrown to the ground. Getting in close, he tries to harry the Worg with his own staff as the force-staff takes a strike of its own.
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Aid (AC) vs Erevenywg: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Spiritual Weapon vs Grey: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 261d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

GM, last update for the forest said Erevenywg had a readied. Did she do anything last turn?

"Erevenywg, get out! I'll slow it down!" Balzeros says, conjuring a quarterstaff made of force. Wasting no time, it immediately begins to wallop the Worg.
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Spiritual Weapon vs Grey: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 221d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
5ft step, cast!

"Erevenywg, watch out!" Balzeros says as he raises his shield and rushes through a spell before forcing himself forward. Despite his brave words, his hands are shaking. "ZOKON! ALIA! COME QUICKLY! HUGE WORG! EREVENYWG!" he screams. Rushing a Worg, the hell am I thinking?!
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Alia's got those x-ray goggles! :P Barkskin then move.

Son of a b#~$*... Balzeros gets one a spell off, morphing his skin into rigid furrows akin to a tree, and rushes up the stairs as quickly as possible.
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Barkskin, then up the stairs with his move action. It'll be double moves from here on out.

Balzeros of the Narl wrote:

Damn! Rush on to certain death or wait and risk the death of another! Balzeros worries at his walking stick. GAH!

Pulling a rod from his bag, he casts two more spells before carving an arrow pointing to the tower in the dirt and running into it.
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Last use of extend on Shield of Faith, regular Barkskin to bring AC to 24.

Casting the spells would take enough time (assuming he weren't moving up the steps as well) for Alia and Zokon to catch up.

Ok, that works! He's "compromising" between the two choices he set for himself. Unless someone starts wailing in agony, he's going to cast those spells first!

Damn! Rush on to certain death or wait and risk the death of another! Balzeros worries at his walking stick. GAH!

Pulling a rod from his bag, he casts two more spells before carving an arrow pointing to the tower in the dirt and running into it.
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Last use of extend on Shield of Faith, regular Barkskin to bring AC to 24.

Despite being alone, Balzeros moves ahead as fast as he can while maintaining a visual on the tracks.

Balzeros frowns at the tracks in the dirt. That's... not the best sign.

Waiting for the others to catch up before scouting ahead again, he relays his findings. "I won't pretend to know why, but it is quite clear Erevenywg arrived after Ilvah. Both began to move faster as they got going as well. I'll report back again if anything changes."

Balzeros nods. "I'll go on ahead a bit, but not much further. We'll be ok if we manage our lights and remain vigilant," he says before picking up the pace a little.
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Balzeros will scout, but will do his best to still remain within sight of the people he is leading. He does have alight spell active, which I'd imagine would increase the distance ahead he can go while still remaining in view.

"Unless we get lucky, I fear we're going to be traveling in darkness," Balzeros says as he picks up a stick and cause sit to generate light. "I suspect the answer is yes, but do you wish to keep going?"

"Forgive me for intruding," Balzeros says, butting into Alia's request to Zokon, "but tracking is something of a forte for me. If I may?"

"Ramita, please remain at camp and out of sight. Signal to me if something goes awry, would you?"

He mutters a spell and does his best to lead the way, prioritizing Ilvah's trail if he has to choose between the pair.
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Survival (Extended Deadeye's Lore): 1d20 + 16 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 16 + 4 = 33

"Can't imagine Worgs would guess it without us noticing them first!"

No alarm spell here!

Done! Balzeros will web shelter in a tree.

Make it three for 3! ;)

I'm with Durgan, guesstimated amount of days it what will sway Balzeros' preference!

Trouble for the common people? Not good news, I've been too long from my post... Balzeros shakes his head and offers his condolences. "Perhaps something to raise with the right people in court, eh?" he says to the others.

"Please, vigilant shepherd, ease your mind! You're no longer in danger," Balzeros says, hoping to calm the man down a bit. Now this is the sort of man I know how to deal with.

"How many heads did you lose just now?"
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Diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

Balzeros expertly slings another handful of flame at one of the unharmed fleeing Worgs. "That'll give another one of them a reason to stay away!"
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20% Sadness?: 1d100 ⇒ 58
Produce Flame vs Red (Touch): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 231d6 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Same! Bizarre. Cookie eating clearing got me back in though :)

I'll gladly take another turn, GM, but I've already gone! :)

"We're here to help, not attack you!" Balzeros says as he slings another bundle of flame at a Worg.

"Lead the way, Fergus!"
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20% Sadness?: 1d100 ⇒ 78
Produce Flame vs Dark Red (Touch): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 181d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

With Fergus and Durgan charging ahead, Balzeros follows them to the clearing and swings off of his saddle to the ground. "I'll cover you while you finish your spell!" he says, chucking a ball of flame at the fleeing Worg.
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Fast Dismount, DC 20: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
20% Sadness?: 1d100 ⇒ 89 :D
Produce Flame vs Light Green (Touch): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 131d6 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Merry Christmas! :)

Following suit, Balzeros ignites his hand with flame, then urges his horse forward to follow Zokon.
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Cast Extended Produce Flame, then single move with the horse! Next turn, he'll move closer and start burning Worgs!

Balzeros is cool to get going then whenever the others are! He's already playing to his skillset.

If we're splitting, Balzeros should go with the Restov group since he has the nature magic and some face ability! No issues with splitting since we're all going to "safe" places.

"A fortnight? Can't be too urgent then. I say we keep together until we're satisfied with what we can learn from the locals, then head off to Lord Mayor Sellenius," Balzeros suggests. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not resisting the call here, I just figure we finish one task before starting another. I'll get us where we need to go either way."

Balzeros sticks with Durgan, offering a more plant and agricultural perspective to the Abadarian's. I've got to learn from the best! Not just one lesson either, I bet he is just a font of wisdom when it comes to this sort of thing.
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Can't fail to aid gather information!

Balzeros nods as Durgan speaks. That gives me much to think about. Often, farmers of the Stolen Lands are willing to band together and weather the storm if there's a good plan in place. But it seems like nobles are more keen on maintaining or building status than what happens to others. Fair enough. A generalization, to be sure, but if Durgan is still here with that philosophy at the root of his actions, it must have merit!

"Thank you, this is very helpful!" He chuckles uncomfortably. "The wine was more to cope with... everything. That was more a fluke than anything else, but I think your words will help me turn it into more of a habit!"

Without much gold to spend and interested in peacekeeping himself, Balzeros sticks to Durgan. "Durgan, you seem to have a lot of experience with dealing with nobles and the like. Do you have any pointers for me? I've been speaking to common-folk my whole life, but if I'm going to be rubbing elbows with a different kind of people, I can't make a fool of myself or you!"
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Auto aid on Durgan's Diplomacy!

Lol, I love that comic too! If only the weeks would pass by more quickly :P

EDIT: There is no loot to split, right?