My daughter is in the hospital. Posting will be scant for two weeks.
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Bendalis takes one last look at the village, then follows the group.
The air felt strange, but the earth seems normal enough outside the town. Tracks are a good thought.
A camp and a heavy watch I think. I need enough sleep to clear the mind, as do others, but I could take first watch easily enough. Among the trees sounds safest, or up them. Bendalis eyes the trees thoughtfully.
Bendalis fingers her bow, nervously running her fingers along the fletching of her quivered arrows, counting. Not my favorite thing this darkness. As hailey's light spell seems unaffected, she enchants an arrow. First with her mark, then with a light spell of her own. She keeps the arrow held within her cloak, ready to fire.
Something is amiss here. Is there another way in? I'd rather not leave this till morning, but we may have little choice in the matter if we cannot find a way past the gate without breaking it down.
Hailey, bendalis's starting book was L1: Burning Hands, Enlarge Person, Feather Fall, Floating Disk, Grease, Prot: Evil, Silent Image
To the keep then. At a minimum, we'll have a real estate discussion when we return. Hopefully we'll have better news of the cult as well.
Bendalis looks at the body in disgust. Well, he's clearly let himself go. Time to chop him up and set him ablaze. The safest course and also the most respectful. Unmarked graves seem an unwise choice in these worried times.
After completing her copying, bendalis checks her bowstrings, then makes ready to leave.
That seems practical. I do not know if it is wise. Still, better to preserve knowledge than hoard it. Let us look for a quiet place to scribe. Being interrupted would be troubling. Bendalis reluctantly agrees.
Anything special you want us to do about hailey/bendalis sharing spellbooks browman?
I've been hijacked for family duties this weekend, so my posting may suffer. Checking in on the phone as we drive to the beach.
Bendalis tucks the extra arrows away. "They're not much, but we can hunt with them if we must."
Yeah I was mostly staying sidelined because I wasn't there. Well done team.
Bendalis speaks calmly, her voice neutral in tone, her words damning. I can attest that the crows rose, and spoke, and fell. I helped bury them myself. As for the rest, I've had little reason to doubt the priestess. She's been forthright. You, sir, on the other hand, appear to be ill-schooled in logic, which is quite worrying for a self-professed student of the arcane. To whit, You ask your accuser to prove a negative which any first year logician will tell you is unprovable. To demand it implies one of two things. Either you argue in bad faith, which seems likely, or you were ignorant of this principle. If you argue in bad faith, you prove your guilt, and little more need be said about it. Let us assign that possibility some probability, and move along to the alternative and what it tells us of your character. We assume then that you were ignorant of foundational math. If as you say you have studied the sciences, you must have skipped foundational studies in math in favor of pursuing other, perhaps darker, arts. Your choice to eschew the more traditional scholarship does you no favors, for it forces us to question what other areas of study you might have ignored. Did you discard religious and philosophical study as unnecessarily restrictive? Did you ignore the knowledge of geography and thus the potential consequences of an experiment upon your neighbors? Did you decide that as math was too theoretical, you need not study it's practical application to engineering, thus allowing for ill formed laboratory structures? In short, your demonstrable disregard for logic calls into question your very competence to pursue those self-same arcane sciences which you protest are your peaceful study. This would leave your pursuit is dangerously ungrounded in the natural world which you hope to affect. You must understand the nature of a thing, before you seek to manipulate it with arcane energies. So in this interpretation, you are merely a dangerous practitioner with no rudder to guide you, no restraint, no connection to the scholarship you claim to have. To argue from authority, you must first have that authority. So here again we must assign some probability, and it seems to me the lesser of the two potentials. Even with some uncertainty in our evaluation, the first interpretation, that you argue in bad faith out of some sense of fear seems most likely. In short, you strike me as a desperate man caught against the cold haft of justice by the church of Nethys, and grinding against the rule of law as administered here by the Baron. She seems bored, and returns to her reading of a simple text on geological formation of shale.
Hmm. Where did you say this fortress was? We'll want to be sure we have sufficient rations and water for the trip and make any repairs to your wagon that might be needed. Prayer to nethys or shelyn might suffice for refilling our stores, but we should still be certain we are provisioned properly to begin with.
Some reflection is always wise, and breaking fast allows time for it. In less unpleasant tidings I meant to ask permission to view your gardens in the morning, the parts I can see by moonlight hint at vastness and someone's love of flowers.
Interesting. We might want to arrive before the initiation in that case. Handling the problems as they arrive is likely safer than interrupting their gathering once it begins. Bendalis muses.
Bendalis's eyes widen at the disfigurement, and she glances around as the others accede. It is your land, and your justice. Perhaps he will repent. She speaks quietly, her voice tightly controlled. Branding and amputation. They don't have spellweavers here then. No wonder hailey is so circumspect about Nethys if this is how they ensure wizards don't practice. I'm glad I didn't stay in that town.
A nice spectrum of responses, A++ party-mates.
To my people he would be tried for the abuse of magic. If the claims of his accusers could be proven and he showed remorse he would be stripped of his power and exiled. We feel the life of atonement he might live would help redeem some of the evil he has caused. If instead he was without reason or remorse we would execute him to spare him suffering, as we would hunt a rabid bear or purge a demon. Dangers without conscience are not worth preserving simply because they wear the shape of a man, and no man should be forced to be a demon. Bendalis smiles sadly. I cannot say how much my input offers, for he is not one of my people, and his life flickers out even now in what seems a small time to me. You must choose your own fates, and I suspect his as well.
Browman is still active as of this thursday so I'm guessing it's just his phone being unable to post derailed him. Hopefully RL sorts itself, and in the meantime we can be patient. Worst case we have to recruit a GM?
Bendalis inclines her head tactfully. Charmed. I admit I do not recognize your house sir, but I am myself newly come to Ustalav. I would hear of your travels, and perhaps more of yourself Sir Count. Although I admit we bring grave tidings and a man for the Baron's justice. She shrugs apologetically. Duty before entertainment, I fear. Our companions have caught a murderer.
Truly. Bendalis listens with a smile on her lips. As Hailey winds down, she comments.
Ah, gardens. I had wondered. Perhaps the baron will allow us to view the grounds in the morning, when the light is better. Bendalis smiles fondly out the window, then glances at the table and setting. Still, for now the intricate dances are indoors. She pauses a moment beside her chair, then seats herself.
Bendalis keeps quiet, allowing the familiar faces to take the lead with the human guards and attendant. I wonder if they would be so welcoming if we were here alone? At least we've arrived with good companions, and this wretch deserves a trial. Murder in pursuit of magic, ugh. What do they teach these barbarians? This land is full of strangeness.
Of course. Assuming he'll see us. It's not dark enough yet that he'll have locked up, and turning over the incompetent's apprentice before his master can concoct something more meaningful than birds is probably for the best. Bendalis looks north along the road to the manor, judging the shadows fall.
Thank you hailey. Did you want any components from the beast, or perhaps to join me in documenting it's anatomy? I have an extra scalpel. Bendalis grins teasingly, continuing her wander towards the other beast.
Ow. Some help please. Bendalis drops her bow, drawing her sword and slicing at the beast in front of her.
Nevermind, I think I got it. Filthy creatures, now I have to clean, ugh, everything. At least we'll eat well. She shudders delicately, shoulders her bow, and then wipes her blade on the corpse. I'll need to retrieve my arrowhead, and we should check and be sure there are no pups. It would be cruel to leave them alone, even if their parents picked the wrong meal.
Attack with sword 18-20/x2:
Attack with bow 20/x3:
Bendalis smiles as the shot sinks home, then startles as the second beast rushes forward before falling into an easy rhythm. I'll try to draw it's attention, you should have an opening at it's flanks.
I think you'll need to flush them, or we'll be at this all day off and on. Silly beasts seem to think the horses are for eating. If you can scare them out, I can put down at least one of them and we can go back to our idyllic travels through this scenic land. She grins wryly, and waits for a clear shot.
Our bows, I should say.
Not too far for my bow, however.
Bendalis lazily fires an arrow in the direction of the beasts, and smiles as it flies through the air. That probably hits whatever those are. Be ready.
Well, dinner appears to have arrived. Some kind of beast.
Bendalis moves smoothly, keeping her weapon down and her gaze general, but gestures to the others that they're being followed.
Bendalis sits on the side of the wagon, talking comfortably with hailey. I still think coercion is a danger, when you merge your thoughts to affect the change you're completely open to them, but you make a good point about the dead being indifferent to morality. It is the caster's intent that matters there. I suppose most of the people drawn to answers beyond life are a little mad, but that's unkind. We are all mad in our own way I think. Still, to me the wonders of magic lie in the creation of new things... She gestures to the trees around them, trailing off as she spots something.
Knowledge Check if Relevant:
Thank you. We'll just go then. Bendalis keeps her bow close at hand as the wagon moves out. Once they're away from town she sighs and rests against the side. Tense. How did you come across the klutz here anyways?
She gestures to the crowd in the distance then at her companions, standing easily atop the wagon. They answer to their gods before mortal authority, and they feel that duty as keenly. The townsfolk will understand if you tell them you protected them by seeing us off. Go have a drink, and try to calm those idiots holding scythes like they're poleaxes down before they hurt themselves. You have enough trouble without this...
She kicks the unconscious warlock. Offal causing more.
I was wondering why his master didn't dispose of him, as he did these. She gestures to the burning birds. Still, it's the sort of question that answers itself, given time. Taking him to the court is a simple matter, and we should have no difficulty. She doesn't seem as confident as her tone suggests, glancing at the necromancer. Hopefully your master cuts his losses here. You do want to cooperate, I'm sure. The alternatives are really quite unfortunate and would only further inconvenience your master. Why, compared to his likely response to your failure, the baron's mercy must seem a blessing. Eventually, if hailey has no luck finding a sack, bendalis rearranges her gear to provide one. It is unfortunately pink and frilly.
Yes, I'm a fan of Hailey. Debuffer/blaster is an interesting role, and it fits her nicely. I did mean to ask if you were going into theurge at some point or if the cleric start was just a dip for (very nice) things like channeling. My next few levels are going to be wizard to try and qualify for Eldritch Knight by 7. Incidentally if you want to avoid patching up the rabble. Remember False Life is Necromancy, and strictly superior to CLW for any number of reasons not least of which is the delicious flavor. The image of hailey keeping a bit of enemy A around as ectoplasm so he gets punched in the face One Last Time seems believable, and it even feels like a joke she might pull on any of the boys. Here! Wear this totally not a flesh sack made from heart tissue, it will keep you safe! Yes it's going to burst when you get hit, better it than you! You can wash up afterwards. No, I don't have one that's cleaner, that wouldn't work at all. Anyways, she's fantastic.
Spells tagged [Evil] are actually evil. Everything else is not. Channeling Negative Energy isn't evil. It's entropic, but entropy is not evil. Prior to 3rd edition Cure Light Wounds was a necromancy spell. There's plenty of room for non-evil necromancy, and I think that's the point Hailey (and to a lesser extent) bendalis are interested in exploring.
I can read your profile =p I'm not confused just posting from Bendalis' point of view, and being oblique about it because as far as Bendalis is concerned ustalav natives are, well, paranoid and bugnuts enough about magic that the thought of an actual witch probably sets their hands itching for torches. Nervous thought to an elf wizard.
I'd offer you one of mine but tying his head up with components or tools would probably reduce the captured-apprentice-necromancer's life expectancy... She trails off, tilting her head. Upon reflection, why is he still alive? The birds aren't. She pauses, then pastes a smile on her lips. Well, no matter. It's past time to be on the road. I assume you wouldn't mind some company?
She nods graciously at Hailey. Charmed. Hexing is a bit provincial in kyonin and rarely taught at a high level. We do study the theory of it though, or perhaps you meant enchantments and the like? She doesn't look like any witch I've ever seen, still the locals are remarkably paranoid, perhaps she's simply cautious. Greetings to you as well, young one. She inclines her head towards Alice, then turns as garrek returns with the wood then marches off to the man in the stocks to interrogate him. Well done, and cleanly so. Still, there is garbage to take out, is there not? Where did you find such a lazy apprentice that he manages to be confined in stocks of all things? She looks at Hailey curiously, as if sharing a joke. Didn't he take the time to memorize anything? I'll have to remember to memorize something myself, that stock looks painful and, ugh, well used.
This sucks, good luck.
Another three bit necromancer spouting threats? Really? What is it with this place and the sloppy use of magic. Why, a simple message would have served. Or even a summon. Leaving the birds to die after their message has been delivered is unprofessional, and unsanitary. Bendalis begins shoveling the crows into a pile. Don't just stand there looking at them, someone help me set these on fire. She points at Grint. You! You look like you're a sturdy enough workman, go fetch some wood. Seeing hailey she smiles widely. dice Kn:
Thank Shelyn, there's always a priest when you need one, and even a follower of Nethys if I don't mistake that symbol. Fortunate indeed. Would you mind saying a small prayer for these. She gestures at the now piled crows. Even if their waste shows the lack of talent of their summoner, they died for magic's sake, and we should at least give them that much respect before we incinerate them.
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