Just popping in to keep the thread alive. Carry on. Carry on. =)
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Little things can add up to a surprising amount - they're sneaky like that!
I don't think any of us would mind if you felt the need for a hiatus, Valkur. And I certainly don't want our game to feel like an obligation for you rather than what it should be: fun. Like Thaddeus, I'm happy to wait if you're needing a break =)
Agreed - if things settle and you find yourself wanting to take up the helm once more, Valkur, I'd be happy to resume! But whether that happens or not, thanks for the fun!
"Not the doctor, lock up him!" Bel'Tanis points to Grayst impatiently and turns for the cellar. He stops after one step, his shoulders sagging briefly as he turns back to the brutish aide. His voice softens notably as he locks eyes with the huge man, "Please." As he turns away again, Bel'Tanis rolls his shoulders as his face hardens once more. He explodes through the basement door and rushes down the steps with his falchion drawn and ready.
Hey guys, I'll be away on an annual camping trip this weekend. I'll be leaving mid afternoon on Thursday and won't be back until Sunday night, though I am considering staying an extra day. Anyway, there's no cell reception or internet or anything at the mountain top cabin we'll be staying at, so I'll be offline for the duration of the trip. I have macros saved under Bel'Tanis' profile so if we head down into this basement and there's a necromancer there in need of chopping and my absence is slowing things down, feel free to copy/paste on my behalf =)
Bel'Tanis turns to the large half-ogre with sudden authority in his voice, "Lock him back up in a cell by himself. Now." In the next breath he draws his falchion and looks at the others and whispers harshly, "Stop squabbling! There are worse problems then Grayst down below!" Then, without waiting to see if any of them comply or not, the young aasimar hurries toward the workroom and the stairs down.
"How do we get down below, doctor? Out with it!" Bel'Tanis tries his best to maintain the pressure on the doctor and ignore the worsening situation with Grayst and the others, but it's plain that their bickering amongst themselves is causing his ire to rise even further as light continues to play in the corners of his eyes.
Bel'Tanis' eyes narrow dangerously as he nods in understanding. "Show us. NOW." Though the command is a harsh whisper, there is no compromise in the young aasimar's tone. He shakes his head in disgust, his wavy, dark hair bouncing with the motion. As he waits for the Doctor to hop into action, he casts a glance to the others. There's no question to what Bel'Tanis is thinking, the sudden shift in his expression clearly shows he is spoiling for a fight.
As Thaddues addresses Grayst, Bel'Tanis' indignation gets the better of him as his ire rises with the doctor, "Driven insane? He's hardly even a man any longer! Look at him! What happened to him, doctor? What really happened to him? Is this your doing? So help me if it is..." The thought that someone so traumatized could be taken advantage of spurs Bel'Tanis onward as a faint, telltale light begins to swirl within his eyes.
Bel'Tanis leaps to his feet in alarm as the man is suddenly presented, his shield arm coming up in front of him defensively out of habit. "What's happened to him?!" The young aasimar's voice is a mix of fear, confusion, and suspicion as his gaze bounces from the crazed man to Habe.
Bel'Tanis nods sympathetically as Thaddeus explains the group's purpose. His eyes drift over to the half ogre as he does so and after a few moments of regard the earlier surprise in his face softens into pity.
Bel'Tanis does his best to suppress his surprise at the half-ogre's appearance, and while he keeps his expression flat, his face blanches none the less. "Uhhh- not drop off, no. Talk to someone already here. Can we do that?"
I've always wanted to visit Yellowstone. Sounds like a really fascinating place. Glad you got a chance to walk around even if it wasn't long enough =)
Bel'Tanis stands behind Thaddeus and off to the side, his gaze wandering over the facade of the building and the nearby grounds. A shiver runs down his back involuntarily as the group waits for someone to answer the door.
No sweat Valkur! Hope you enjoyed your time on the glorious road! =)
As the group leaves the garrison behind and begins planning a visit to the sanitarium, Bel'Tanis simply sighs quietly and follows along behind in silence. His brow is furrowed and his eyes downcast at the ground before his feet as he walks along.
Concern rushes across Bel'Tanis face as he realizes to whom Ibor refers, "Do you mean Notick?" The aasimar wheels around to look at the others, "If Notick is involved somehow, I can't imagine it'd be willingly. He may need our help."
"I've been in town barely a month, Ibor. I don't know who or what you're even talking about. Would you be more comfortable speaking to just one of us alone?"
Bel'Tanis' shoulders slump as Vin's angry words echo through the garrison. The young man seems utterly defeated as he follows the others into to meet with Ibor. He seems surprised by the man's stoicism, and after Thaddeus presents his questions Bel'Tanis slowly moves up to the edge of the cell. "Tell us, friend. What did you see?"
An otherworldly chill settles on Bel'Tanis' shoulders and he and the two women proceed to the garrison. He shudders involuntarily and casts a worried glance to Scoria and Midori before plodding onward.
"Sorry to have wasted your time, Father. Thanks for you help." Bel'Tanis offers Zantus a friendly hug then turns and follows the ladies back toward the Barracks. About half way there, the young aasimar notes, "I didn't even know Shayliss had a sister."
Bel'Tanis nods, unsurprised. "Thank you, Father Zantus." He turns to Scoria and Midori then, "Shall we meet the others now or do you guys have any questions about the dagger?"
Bel'Tanis glances from Midori to Scoria then back to Father Zantus, "Well since we're here, would you mind if we looked just to make sure?"
"Father, there have been some... grisly incidents on the outskirts of town and now in the mill. We've been asked to see if there might be some connection with the dagger we recovered from the Chopper's isle."
He accepts the squeeze of his hand and then withdraws it, falling back into the comfortable habit of massaging his left palm with his thumb. "I can if my having been there would have stopped it," Bel'Tanis offers sullenly. "I know I can't be everywhere at once, but I could be at the farm right now instead of wasting time asking questions about a dagger."
Bel'Tanis presses on for the cathedral, offering Thaddeus a curt nod in response to his whispered instruction. After he and Scoria have gotten a fair distance away he confides, "This is a waste of time, Scoria. There weren't any ghouls or ghasts or whatever else kind of undead with the last rash of Chopper killings. Father Zantus and the dagger aren't involved and while we waste time talking to them, whoever's doing this could get away again!" Frustration is plain in his voice, and it's easy to see by his adding 'again' to his last complaint that Nualia still weighs heavily on his mind.
Bel'Tanis shrugs, obviously getting frustrated by the back and forth nature of the discussion. "Fine. Back to town then." He turns and begins heading back to town, an ill feeling churning in his gut.
Bel'Tanis frowns as he turns to Thaddeus. "I disagree. Nualia got away because we gave her a chance to. I don't want to give whatever or whoever did this the same opportunity. I think we should check the farm before whatever trail might be there goes cold."
Bel'Tanis comes up beside Midori and gently puts his hand on her far shoulder. He doesn't fight as she pulls away to begin looking for clues, but a look of obvious concern clouds his face. "I'd like to look at that farm now, if we're all done here."
Bel'Tanis looks aghast at the sheriff's suggestion. Incredulously he blurts, "I was what?!" before his shoulders slump. He seems about to protest further when Scoria comes to his defense, for which he offers her a grateful nod. Eyes downcast, the young aasimar runs his hands back through his thick, black hair as he tries to reign his emotions in and refocus. After a moment, he looks up and after a deep breath adds, "Maybe we should investigate the farmer's.. err, well- farm?" Spoiler: hehe aghast snicker undead puns ftw!
The blood drains from Bel'Tanis' face, "Me?! No! Of- of course not!" He raises his hands in innocence, worry and panic rioting across his face.
Bel'Tanis shakes his head in disbelief, "Two murders? That's... that's horrible!"
"Is it Nualia? Is she back?" Bel'Tanis' initial question of Thaddeus betrays what he's been worried over for the past month. Bel'Tanis excuses himself from the cathedral, grateful for Father Zantus' understanding and permissive nod, and matches Thaddeus' brisk pace on the way to the sawmill.
Bel'Tanis' campaign trait affords him free food and lodging with Ameiko so how would that interact with the cost of living? As for work, Bel'Tanis is content with his position at the Cathedral.
Bel'Tanis looks down in embarrassment, "Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to press. I was just thinking out loud." He eats quietly from then onward and lingers in the common room until most of the patrons have retired for the night. With the room mostly empty, he helps earn his keep by sweeping the floor and wiping down the empty tables before heading up to his own room for the night. He offers Ameiko a bright smile as he goes. Well if we're not dealing with Malfeshnekor tomorrow, we'll be dealing with it soon enough. Maybe once Das finishes with my new sword Ameiko knows someone in town who could invest it with magic straight away.
"How did the Chopper die even? Maybe it was faked? But if so, why leave his precious dagger behind?"
I've never done any kind of upkeep/day-job rolls before but I'm happy to wade into unfamiliar waters if it's something others are interested in doing.
Bel'Tanis nods, accepting that his Shoanti friend knows better and more of these things. He adds, "The others will probably be glad to have the confirmation." As Matthias enters, Bel'Tanis flashes another genuine and broad smile, welcoming the would-be historian to the table. He smiles fades though as he sees the tightness in Matthias' expression. "Everything alright, Matthias? You look... well, unnerved."
I suspect Khrondak's vision will spur us onwards to Skinsaw. Bel'Tanis would have preferred the question 'what will happen to Sandpoint if we leave Malfeshnekor alone', but I supposed our personal harm is reason enough to let imprisoned demons lie. =)
"Uhh- o-ok. Thank you very much." Bel'Tanis stutters a bit through his brief embarassment, then regathers himself and nods. "Two days. Understood." He leaves and makes his way to the chapel and spends the remainder of the day performing his duties for Father Zantus. At the end of the day, he at last retires to the Rusty Dragon and, finding Khrondak at a table in the common room, takes a seat beside the larger Shoanti with a nod and a smile.
"Good morning, but, uhh, please just call me 'Bel'Tanis'. I was wondering if you were taking any comissions presently?" The young aasimar draws Matchstick then and lays it across a workbench. "This worked well enough for cutting through troublesome goblins, but it's too small and light for me. Would you be able to fashion a similar sword, but much bigger- big enough to need both hands to swing?" As he explains his idea, Bel'Tanis' voice slowly grows more and more eager as Das' understanding nods draw more excitement out of him. "I'm also hoping you could make it really sturdy. It would need to be strong enough to handle being invested with magic. And could the crossguard be fashioned to look like waves splashing out from the hilt? And could you etch anything into the blade itself? I was thinking maybe the inside edge could maybe look like fins?" He stops himself suddenly, his cheeks flushing slightly red with embarassment. "I'm sorry, I'm getting carried away. It's just- well, my dad was a fisherman." He looks plaintively up at the blacksmith, unsure how to read the gruff man's expression.
Bel'Tanis raises his hands in defeat at Scoria's words, exhaustion painted clearly on his face. "Alright. Alright. I get it." He turns to leave but stalls to hear Midori's suggestion. In the end though, he simply shrugs with a shake of his head before turning away again and retiring to his room at the Rusty Dragon without preamble. The following morning, as the others split their time between Brodert, the Chopper's isle, and their various duties around town, Bel'Tanis wends his way to the Blacksmith's while doing his level best to avoid any roads or paths he thinks Shayliss or her father might frequent. He enters the smithy tentatively, the sword he'd jokingly named 'Matchstick' (after their fight with Bruthazmus) sheathed and in hand. He waits patiently and without interrupting as Das busies himself with a piece of still-as-yet formless metal.
That (roleplaying it out) sounds great to me. Since we won't be dealing with (presumably) Malfeshnekor immediately, Bel'Tanis can visit Das the following morning after the man's emotions have settled. Did you want to jump forward a particular amount of time afterward (2 weeks? 2 months? x increments of time?) to kick off the next chapter? That dagger can be redeemed?! That sounds like a sweet idea to me too!
"Even if Nualia might have a second key?"
"Presuming it is a demon at all, we could put it down for good so that it's not a threat to anyone ever again. What if leaving it be is more irresponsible?"
Post Shadows/Thistletop
Chopper Island
Updated Khrondak's sheet with the purchases here
--- Bel'Tanis would like to sell the +1 feveriron scimitar (+2,289gp) and comission a +1 falchion (-2,375gp) if at all possible.
Bel'Tanis nods, his face mirroring the worry on Father Zantus'. As the group departs the chapel, the young aasimar looks to the others. "I think I've had my fill for the day. Do you all care to return to Thistletop tomorrow morning and see what might be locked behind that door? I'd like to visit Das in the morning beforehand if we mean to go, perhaps see if he has a bigger sword available." He shrugs at the last, still obviously wrestling with all the emotions the day stirred within him.
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