Gronder secures his axe in its loop, slings his shield, and climbs down the rope to join the others. On reaching the bottom, he holds his shield again, and draws the axe, but remains where he is for now, so as to let Tesswyn do her sneaky thing.
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Gronder looks down at David's body, frowning. "We should keep everyone out of here for now, until the forge can be fixed. Let's see to his remains when we leave. Maybe it's best if we find some lava and... put him in there? Better than the people who knew him seeing him like this." He looks down at the sword. "If no one wants or needs this, I'll carry it for now. I can show you how to use it, too, if you're interested."
Gronder frowns upon reading the journal. "Bastard's no kin of mine, and any dwarf I know would say the same, I'd bet." He picks up the axe, moving it about slowly to get a feel for the balance. "This is fine craftsmanship, indeed, and I'd be glad to use it. My other axe just melted when I destroyed the eggs, but I'm sure my grandpa would understand." He smiles over at Tesswyn. "Looks like a fine suit of armor, too. Should help keep you on your feet, Tess."
"S%*$e... I do not think these are just statues." His expression of disgust is further compounded at the discovery of the skeleton. He will look for a suitable weapon to replace his axe and then take a look at the journal.
Gronder grabs part of the door. He leans in, and encourages the others. "If we work together, I think we can get it open."
Gronder grunts when he sees the eggs. He looks at Ammon. "Let's get to work, then." (Assume he can reach...) He swings his axe at the eggs, trying to smash them all, if he can.
Gronder looks around at the others. "I will keep looking around. If anyone wants to come along, they are welcome. If not, that's fine." He'll wait a minute to see if there are any takers, and if not, he'll head out.
Gronder stares at the scene before him for a moment, then gives a short, sharp shake of his head. He raises his voice to be heard over the screams. "Everyone, see to any children! They don't need to see this. Try to calm yourselves." He steps forward and tries to position himself between the body and the nearest people. "Please try to huddle up. Stay together. We have to stay together." Should it worry me that this didn't bother me more?
Gronder looks at Kenneth. "We're most of us hungry, and all of us scared, I'd bet. But you still need to get a hold of yourself. Set the example. Be strong for the people around you."
Gronder follows Tesswyn, axe and shield at the ready. "These people have been through enough. Time to end this."
Gronder follows Tesswyn, axe and shield in hand, as much for comfort as anything else. When they reach the crossroads, he looks off to the left room first, but he doesn't see anything unusual.
Gronder returns the hug. "Yeah, you too. Are the others okay? What can I do? Help dig, or... what?" He looks around. "Welcome to my world. Now let's see if we can get everyone back out of it."
Gronder coughs and sputters as he comes to. Still groggy, he slowly sits up, looking around. The memory of what happened comes back to him. "What in all of the hells... Drot! Tess! Charles! Are you alright?" He stands, wobbling a bit. As he looks around, seeing the bodies, and the injured people, he shakes his head as if to clear it. "Right. What can I do?" he calls out.
Gronder was taking an early morning constitutional stroll, enjoying the fresh air and pleasant temperatures that morning. He smiled, hearing the children laugh and play. This is what it's all for. The pain, the fear... we take it on ourselves so that they don't have to.
I am glad I took the time to read the book a bit more closely... turns out all of my attack rolls should have been made with a boon, and I never used 'Catch my Breath' even when hurt... duly noted. :D
Gronder spends much of his time training to hone his skills. He wears his new armor as often as possible, to get used to the weight. I learned a lot down there, now it's just a matter of putting the pieces together. Work the axe and the shield together. Keep an eye out for the others. Footwork. Timing. Distance and interval. When possible, he'll watch Tess and Drot, and offer to spar with either of them if they'd like. He will also approach whomever seems to be in charge in the town and mention his background as a militiaman and warrior, offering to work with the militia, if they have one, or just to help if any emergencies arise. He also seeks out anyone who might have more experience, or any books he can find, to learn more about combatives.
My Month:
Take care, Reg! It's been fun!
All good, and no problem. Family and life always come first. And if it sounded like I was upset by what I posted, sorry, because I am not. I just wanted to clarify that my understanding was correct. It'll be interesting to see how he develops over time, and right now his defense with both armor and shield is 14, which is not at all bad. So no complaints, just wanted to make sure I wasn't mistaking anything. I'll be around on and off over the next few days due to Thanksgiving stuff. For those of you also celebrating, enjoy it. :)
In fact... if I am reading things over correctly, at level 3 (he's probably going to go Fighter) they'll get to increase two different stats by 1 each, and then level 4 he'll get +6 health, then level 5 he'll get Defense 1 and Health +5, then level 6 is more health... finally, level 7 Master paths allow +1 to three stats... Sorry for the spew there... all of this to say that he will not be able to gain the two points of strength he needs to wear chain or scale until level 7, and he'll never be strong enough to wear plate and mail or full plate. If I am wrong about any of that, please do let me know. But it looks correct... which changes how I'll be playing him, since I did originally see him as becoming a tank of sorts. For now, he'll get the Brigandine. :)
Ah, good. I couldn't find that, and I felt like kind of a dumbass. :D
Will do, and thanks! And Tess, imo, that would be bad-ass.
Hm. I seriously underestimated Strength in a desire to make Gronder sort of an everyman who grows into being a warrior... he's two points shy of being able to wear chainmail, even though he can afford it now. So, I'll have him buy a suit of Brigandine, if possible, since he can afford it now. I will adjust him accordingly, but let me know if I need to take it back. :)
Gronder takes a long look at the sky when they emerge. Never thought I'd look up at the sky and feel... relief? He looked around at his teammates... Can I really still call them that, after what we've been through? Comrades? Maybe friends? But I hardly know them, and they hardly know me. Still, I can work to change that, and that feels like the right thing to do. So, friends. ...and offered to help anyone who needed it get to their homes, before heading to his own for some much needed rest. I've changed. Before, it was always, "Yeah, I carry an axe, and I've swung it a few times, and I'd fight if I had to, so I guess I am a warrior." I had no idea what I was talking about. Now... now, I do. Now I've fought, life and death, and not just for myself. I've seen the blood, the pain and fear, and Gods help me, I think I like it. Maybe... this is why the old veterans used to laugh at me for carrying my axe everywhere?
Gronder nods. "Yeah. Sounds about right."
"I agree. The spider is easily dealt with at another time. Let's report back and rest up."
Gronder just grunts as the tongue swipes him. With a guttural growl, he swings his axe back at the dessicated one in front of him.
Gronder ducks the lashing tongue of the thing in front of him and ducks to one side, looking like he'll slash, before swinging back in the other direction.
Gronder takes a swing at the horrid thing that is still near him, but misses by a country mile.
Gronder runs through the door after Tesswyn and Regulus, but he'll go for the two in the other corner.
Gronder steps up near Regulus, weapon and shield at the ready. "Yes. Let's be done. Sooner I never have to hear that laugh again, happier I'll be." He grimaces just thinking about it.
Gronder looks over at Tess. "Want to help me check the door? Two heads are better than one." He inspects the secret door for surprises.
Gronder takes position near the front of the group, with Regulus.
"Yes. After what we've already seen down here, I am not heading back up until it's done." Gronder looks over at Tesswyn. "Alright, then, Tess? I have a sling and some stones I'm not using, if you want 'em. To let you hang back a bit."
Gronder looks around to make sure everyone's ready, then pulls the doors open, stepping back as he does, with his axe at the ready.
Gronder swings again, his axe going wide of the mark.
Gronder gives a feral grin and steps in with a swing of his axe, but misjudges the distance and misses.
Gronder looks around to see if anyone is watching as he begins to lick dried blood off of his arms.
Gronder drains two potions. "Mm, Tess. All we need to do is get things to stop trying to kill us. Easy, right?" He grins. As they open the door, Gronder finds his eyes drawn to the orb.
Gronder ducks the attack, but it throws his balance and his follow-up swing goes wide.
Gronder hears Tesswyn shout, and so he goes right for the construct, axe lashing out. "Your creator's going to feel this!"
Gronder thanks Walt for his help. "I'll take one of those potions, if you don't mind, Tess."
Gronder cries out as the blades slice him again. "Hells! If anyone can offer aid... I need it." he grunts, stumbling back into the room where the bards were, bleeding heavily.
Gronder runs over and chops at the webbing with his axe. Glaring at the spider, he growls, "And you're next!"
Grinning as the last foe falls, Gronder hears Tesswyn shout and turns, running back towards where Walt got dragged off, trying to ignore the pain from his various wounds.
Gronder lets out a shout of pain as the creature stabs him. "By my granny's beard, I'll send you back to hell!" He swings, his axe practically humming as it spins through an arc, the blade burying into the side of the creature.
Gronder growls as the blades slice him, the sound growing into a roar as he moves in alongside Tesswyn, axe lashing out.
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