Search Posts
Bronwyn is staying hidden. Edér's not but this conversation is going way over his head so he's also keeping his mouth shut. (I would have said something earlier but I disappeared from the boards for a bit due to an unexpected medical emergency. Sorry about that. I'm better now and should be back to a more regular schedule.)
Bronwyn remains invisible while Volgroruth approaches and starts talking to the creature. A 'Hollowed'? Is this what the Widow meant? She shivers. A creature whose soul has shattered beyond repair, one death away from oblivion. Now it feeds on the souls of others. Why? Is it instinctually trying to replenish what it had lost? Edér walks past her with Rahlmaat and she resists the urge to pull him back into her mind. He'd be insulted at the implication that he couldn't take care of himself. He'll be fine. As long as she doesn't Hollow he's safe. Assuming of course the Widow had been telling the truth. For now all she can do is wait.
Bronwyn takes a moment to catch her breath before relaying her findings. "Maybe we're all undead, but this creature's more undead than we are. It's strong too, definitely stronger than me alone but since I'm still conscious probably not stronger than all of us together." "I'm going to get in range to attack. Good luck everyone." She moves forward another twenty feet or so until she's thirty feet away from the creature. Studying it carefully, she readies her bow so that as soon as it notices the others' presence she can strike.
Life happens and that’s okay. I’m glad to hear your grandmother’s doing well, (and certainly understand needing some time to breathe after that sort of ordeal). Bronwyn’s still around and happy to continue :)
Bronwyn quickly whispers what she sees to the rest of the group via the Message spell. "Hurt guy's dead but the undead abomination that killed her is still doing something to her. Stealing her soul maybe?" After Thaos that seemed perfectly plausible. "Even dead I think she might need rescuing." While waiting for a response, (and the rest of the group to catch up), she whispers an incantation under her breath.
Invisibility is great for Bronwyn because it guarantees she can start combat with a Frightening Ambush and (hopefully) start Intimidation cycling. She'll use it any time there's a good chance of a non-trivial combat starting soon if she's got the spell slot available.
"Sounds like we're agreed then. I'll go a bit ahead but try not to get further than thirty feet or so away from the rest of you. That way at least there's a slim chance I'll see whatever it is before it notices us." Bronwyn prepares to move forward then frowns, considering. If I'm sticking closer to everyone... Ya think I can come out again? Maybe. Do you know how? Not a damn clue. "Give me just a minute." Bronwyn thinks back to the last time Edér had been in her mind. She'd been lost and confused and desperate for something, anything familiar. Now she's feeling a little more grounded but she can still recall the sensation. The way she'd focused. It comes easier this time. Something shifts and Edér pops back into existence, a ghostly presence beside her. He looks down at himself. "Still weird as hell." "At least it worked. Now this might be a waste of a spell, but even if we're sticking together I'd still rather be safe than sorry." Bronwyn chants a few syllables and disappears from sight. "Let's go find our clawed guy, hurt guy, and anyone else that might be around."
Bronwyn instinctively crouches down even lower as she relays what she's found to the rest of the group. "Think I've found evidence that our clawed guy and our hurt guy are not the same person. Unless our clawed guy was trying to commit suicide by slashing his arteries open while simultaneously slicing through stone coffins. Blood trail continues leading on ahead." Smart thing to do would be leave. Hurt guy's probably already dead; no sense in joining him. Bronwyn winces. You're not wrong, but I'd prefer to try. A sense of resignation mixed with fondness. You always do. "We've got a few different options here. One, we turn around and leave. Edér thinks that's the smart choice and he's not wrong." Bronwyn slides her bow off her back and makes sure it's ready. "Two, I go invisible and scout even further ahead. Find out exactly what we'd be facing and if anyone's alive to rescue before we decide what to do. A little more dangerous for me but the knowledge we'd gain is potentially worth the risk. Three, we all go further in as a group. No advantage of surprise or foreknowledge, but we'd guarantee we'd all face whatever it is together. Probably other options I'm not thinking of, but right now my vote's option two."
I'm fine with maps. I'm used to Google Slides and Roll20 but am up for anything. While posting I realized the minor flaw with Bronwyn's scouting prowess. Edér has no ranks in Stealth but she can't be more than 50ft away from him without the tether breaking. That's not something she'd have any way of knowing so for now I just had him go back to her consciousness.
"Blood's fresh, by the way. Real fresh. Whoever ran in here is maybe an hour ahead of us at most." Bronwyn keeps her voice low as she looks down the rows of coffins. "Which means there's a good chance whatever left those claw marks is also still around." "Start with the leftmost row?" Edér suggests. "'Less there's a clue right around here to say where our hurt guy went." "Works for me. Let me get us all connected." Bronwyn pulls a copper wire out of her pocket and begins pointing at people. When she speaks next everyone (except Amn) can hear an odd echo. "As long as I don't go more than a couple hundred feet ahead we'll be able to hear each other whispering." There are enough spellcasters in the group that they're probably familiar with the spell, but it's worth explaining just in case. "I usually don't go anywhere near that far; not worth the risk. Just far enough to get a head's up if we're about to walk into any traps or ambushes. Shall we?"
If she gets 50 feet away from the group: Edér, who's been looking more and more uncomfortable as Bronwyn moves forward, suddenly vanishes. At the same time Bronwyn stops short. "Edér?"
Yeah, uh, that felt real weird. Don't think we should get too far apart from each other. ...So you're back in my head? How? Dunno. Just felt like the right thing to do. She feels the mental equivalent of a shrug. Brownyn blinks a few times before whispering to the group. "Looks like Edér needs to stay with me." She gives Straehen a shrug of her own and a look that conveys "what can you do" before continuing onward.
Bronwyn stands on tip-toes to examine the claw marks. "Well that could explain why the door's open. Someone got hurt and ran in here looking for shelter." She lightly taps a finger against the blood, trying to determine whether it's still wet or has had time to dry. As soon as she's done examining the door Bronwyn slips inside. "Once we see what we're dealing with we'll pick a direction and start scouting. Straehen, if you don't mind coming along I'd appreciate the backup."
@GM, I'm happy to have you rolling Perception for trap-finding. I just wanted to double-check and make sure you knew Bronwyn was looking for them.
GM, how do you want to handle checking for traps? Bronwyn's going to be keeping an eye out for them. Should I roll Perception in every post, or will you roll for me when it's necessary? (Her Perception is +28 when locating traps due to trapfinding.)
"I can be fire-resistant, with warning and enough time to cast the proper spell. Fire-proof, no." Bronwyn raises an eyebrow. "Please keep that in mind before casting fireballs in my general direction. I'm not opposed to a sneaking buddy, but can anyone else translate for Amn if you're up front with me? Unfortunately the cantrip I use for communication transmits sound, not meaning." Once everyone else has completed their basic preparations, (she herself has none), she heads for the doors along with everyone else. They look big and heavy; she might need help getting them open. She'll start scouting once they're inside.
I've noticed scouting can be controversial. My thought is Bronwyn can cast Message to communicate with everyone, take 10 on Stealth for a 32, and stay about 60 feet in front of the party. (Close enough to run back in a single round if need be, far enough to potentially see ambushes before the party blunders into them.) She can also cast Invisibility on herself if things look hairy. If that feels too much like splitting the party she can save scouting for special occasions.
Bronwyn tilts her head up to look at the tall structure. "I guess we're not in any rush either. Especially not since time's all weird here. Volgroruth, mind setting me down? Mausoleums usually have undead. Or cultists. Or weird insectoid monsters that are way too big and make you wonder what they normally eat when there aren't random adventurers wandering in." "Or all of the above." "Or that." Once on the ground, Bronwyn briefly mourns the loss of her perch before testing her bowstring. "Combat talk. I like to scout far ahead of everyone else. Once I spot something I tell everyone what it is so we can prepare, then hide behind the armored people while I shoot things full of arrows. What about the rest of you?" Up to this point Bronwyn has been extremely relaxed. They've been walking in open ground where they could see (and hear) things coming from a mile away. Besides so far no enemies have been spotted, only new companions. Mausoleums always have enemies though. Always. At this point she's not certain why anyone bothers building the things except as homes for the aforementioned creatures. "I usually hang out towards the front of the group and keep the bad guys away from people who can't take a hit." Edér looks at his hands again with a rueful grin. "Not sure if I can hit anything like this, but I also don't think I can be hit, so that's a plus. If nothing else I can distract stuff away from the rest of ya."
Bronwyn doesn’t mind exploring, although she’ll get off Vol’s shoulder and head for the back of the group. As far as she’s concerned mausoleums = 100% chance of being attacked by undead, cultists, or both.
"I also prefer allies to enemies." Bronwyn's brow furrows. "Especially if there are that many dangers around." "‘Machinations of the Houses of Limbo’ sounds like politics. I hate politics." Edér's shoulders are slumped, either because of the prospect of politics or because of his inability to pet things. "You and me both."
Edér stares at his hands in genuine horror. ”You’re right. How can I pet anything like this?” It’s the first time he’s seemed upset about his status as a ghost. ”We’ll figure something out. Some ghosts can hit things, right? They must be able to interact with the physical world somehow.” Bronwyn tries to comfort Edér even though her mind is clearly elsewhere. ”My Common is different? I didn’t really think about how we were all able to understand each other despite coming from different worlds. I wonder…” Her accent changes. ”Does it sound any different when I speak Glanfathan? Or is it any closer to the Common you speak Amn?”
For those of you who haven't played Pillars of Eternity, there is a running gag where Edér repeatedly tries to pet anything fuzzy, including orlans (Bronwyn's race). I don't think he'd balk at a sphinx.
"Can you not talk?" Bronwyn looks curiously at Amn. "I'm sorry, I don't know any signs. If we end up spending enough time together I'll try to learn some." Meanwhile Edér is staring at Rahlmaat, eyes wide. "Whoa. Ain't never seen someone like you before. You look fuzzy." Bronwyn slaps her hand over her face. "Edér, don't." "You let me pet you!" "Yes. Once. Because you're pitiful when you beg and I know you well enough to know you don't mean any harm. Not all fuzzy things like to be petted." "Then why are they fuzzy?" Edér turns back to Rahlmaat, eyes pleading. "Can I pet you?" "I swear to the gods..." Bronwyn heaves a very deep sigh. "I'm sorry about him. He's a good old country boy who was raised by wolves." "Don't talk about my mama like that!" "Anyway, Limbo. Heading there. Hopefully not meeting any monsters along the way. Have any of you learned anything about what kind of dangers this world may have? I got kind of distracted and forgot to ask the Weeping Widow about that."
"I'm Bronwyn, originally from Eora." The introduction comes from a small furry woman sitting on the shoulder of a giant. The dark brown hair on her head is braided down the sides of her face, framing large, blue-green eyes with slit pupils like a cat's. "I don't generally bother asking if people are hostile. It's not like anyone's going to say yes." "Eh, you never know. Volgroruth here might've. He seems the type to be honest about that kinda thing." This comes from a tall blond human wearing scale mail and with a sword strapped to one hip. He's partially transparent and has a blue aura surrounding him. "I'm Edér, by the way. Uh, also from Eora. Really weird to have to specify that..."
The upsides of riding on Volgrorth's shoulder: it's comfortable, far less tiring, and gives her a much better view than she's used to having as a small creature who usually hangs out around the back of a group. The downsides: Bronwyn's kind of stuck up here unless she wants to either jump from a very tall perch or cast a spell to fly. (Both of which seem excessive at the moment.) Does she need to get down? If there's going to be a fight yes, but they're hearing voices. Voices implies people, not monsters. People can be talked to. Plus there's five of them now and she doubts anyone not suicidal would try to pick a fight with Volgroruth. She certainly wouldn't want to try it. So unless Volgroruth asks her to get off, (or picks her up and sets her down), she remains comfortably in position and waits. As soon as she sees people she'll wave cheerfully and greet them. "Hello there! Are you newcomers or locals?"
Bronwyn wouldn't recognize either term. Eora doesn't have a hell or heaven and the gods are just ascended ancients. "Demons" aren't really a thing, let alone Kytons.
I'm ready for things to proceed.
Kiya, Bronwyn, and Volgroruth: Bronwyn stiffens when she hears Daisy talk about being a 'present.' "My parents were slaves," she says quietly. "They escaped, but it's not the sort of thing you ever really get over. I'm sorry." She sighs. "I'm also sorry for stumbling straight from one painful topic into another."
She tilts her head back to look at Volgroruth. "Eora's been through a lot of wars recently, over a lot of different things. You'd think people would stop fighting each other when the fate of the entire world is at stake, but no." Her ears droop. "It was very frustrating but that obviously has nothing at all to do with your war. They shouldn't have taken your land from you just because of how you look or who your ancestors were. I'll be honest, I don't like the idea of 'annihilating' anybody, but that's because I'm, well..." "A goody two-shoes bleedin' heart?" Bronwyn glares at Edér who holds up his hands. "What, it's true! Fate of the world at stake and all, and you wouldn't take help from any side just because you couldn't stand the thought of betrayin' all the others." Bronwyn visibly flinches and Edér curses under his breath. "Ah hells Bron, I didn't mean-" "We all just died and have our sore spots." Bronwyn stares at the sun rather than look at anyone. "Kiya, have you had enough of a break?"
Kiya, Bronwyn, and Volgroruth: Bronwyn opens her mouth to respond, then closes it again. It takes her a minute or so to find words. "Annihilated? That sounds...difficult." Don't assume. Just because he looks scary and was fighting people called 'The Fair Folk' doesn't make him the bad guy.
"There ain't any good guys in war." Startled by this seeming response to her thoughts, she glances over at Edér. He's staring off into the distance with a dark look on his face. "Just a whole lotta desperate folks who don't want to die." Uh-oh. Change the topic, change the topic... "Um, we're from a world called Eora. Specifically the Dyrwood region of it. Or more recently the Deadfire Archipelago, which isn't really home but is where we were when we...died..." That's probably not much better. Shut up, I'm trying! "Anyway, how did you and Daisy meet?"
Kiya, Bronwyn, and Volgroruth: "About how long ago were you talking to her?" Bronwyn's brow furrows. "I wonder if she was talking to all of us at the same time, or if she was teleporting around to talk to us individually."
"I just hope she wasn't lyin' to us." Edér laces ethereal fingers behind his head and stares right back at Daisy. "Never thought I'd meet someone smaller than Bronwyn. You're a cute little thing. Are those butterfly wings?" "Edér..." "What, it's a compliment!" "Remember what Hiravias thought of your compliments?" Bronwyn shakes her head. "Don't worry about him. He's..." She couldn't say 'harmless' and be telling the truth. "...Friendly." "The Weeping Widow said I'm a ghost now but I won't go crazy as long as she doesn't." Edér points at Bronwyn. "If that's what you're worried about." An odd look crosses Bronwyn's face, a combination of guilt and relief. "Apparently when we died I kind of dragged him here with me. She said because of that he doesn't have a proper body, but our souls are bound together so he's safe as long as I don't die." "Ain't that what I said?" If Edér minds being a ghost he's hiding it well. "Anyways, since we're all goin' to the same place, want to travel together? Safety in numbers."
I'm still around, just waiting to see if Kiya or Volgroruth have anything to say in response to my last post.
Bronwyn insists she’s three feet tall. She isn’t. So that’s a pretty good representation of their respective sizes as I understand them :D
Kiya, Bronwyn, and Volgroruth: ”Depends on how fast you walk. I’m quicker than I look and can keep up with the average human.” Bronwyn’s lip twitches. ”Which you’re twice as tall as, so that doesn’t mean much. I’m not opposed to perching on your shoulder regardless. Gives me a better vantage point for this.” She hefts her bow back over her shoulder.
”I’d give her piggyback rides sometimes. Not so great for actual fightin’, since I’d want to be up front and she wouldn’t, but great for makin’ sure her keen eyesight wasn’t defeated by waist-high grass.” ”Waist-high on you maybe.” One long ear twitches and Bronwyn turns towards the new arrival(s). ”Hello yourselves. I’m Bronwyn and this is Edér.” (She leaves Volgroruth to introduce himself.) ”Did you also meet a strange woman called the Weeping Widow who was probably a goddess no matter what she said that told you to head towards the city of Limbo?”
Just realized I might have confused things. I posted as Edér because he's who people would see first. So Kiya and Volgroruth, please feel free to open the "Trio?" spoiler.
In-Between: Bronwyn and Edér have long since exhausted their limited supply of travel games that can be played with only two people. "I Spy" runs out quickly when the answer is always "Tombstone," "Statue," or "Sun." As such they're walking along in silence when they hear the footsteps.
Bronwyn looks at Edér. Edér looks at Bronwyn. Without a word spoken they fall into a familiar pattern. First Bronwyn attempts to hide in the shadows of the willow tree, then once she's in place Edér calls out, "Hey, is someone there? I'm friendly if you are."
Bronwyn will keep walking until she sees something (and preferably someone) alive. The graveyard creeps her out and she wants to find people as quickly as possible.
In-Between: "She certainly has a god's flair for the dramatic," Bronwyn comments as the Widow dissolves. "Let's get going."
Maybe in Limbo they'll be able to find a way back home.
In-Between: "Glad to hear I ain't gonna be completely useless," Edér drawls. "Hey, bein' a ghost might actually make things easier. Don't have to worry about the bad guys hitting me if I can't be hit. Means I can focus on keeping them off you." He goes to slap her on the back then thinks better of it.
"I suppose that's one way of looking at it." Trust Edér to find the bright side of every situation. "Thanks again. Weeping Widow, if you ever need help you can ask us." "You'll be able to find us easy enough. We tend to cause a lot of chaos wherever we go. The good kind, I mean. Mostly." Bronwyn's lip twitches. "I doubt she'll have any problem finding us if she wants to." The Weeping Widow might claim to not be a goddess, but Bronwyn suspects she has a lot of the same abilities. Chances are if she ever wants to talk Bronwyn will just find herself staring into space for a few minutes. Waving a final farewell Bronwyn turns towards the pale sun and begins to walk.
In-Between: "A Final Death?!" Bronwyn's eyes are wide and Edér sucks in a sharp breath behind her. The Wheel's destruction might have left souls stuck in the In-Between, but it didn't destroy them. Very few things could, unless you counted the slow decay of entropy.
"Sooo....don't die. Got it." Edér finally says after a long pause. "I would say we're good at that, but there's, uh, evidence to the contrary." Bronwyn can't think about all this right now. She just can't. "Thank you for all your help. I think we'll be going now," she says almost automatically as she turns towards the Pale Sun. She needs a task to focus on right now, and getting to this city the Weeping Widow mentioned is as good a start as any. "We'll talk to you later?" Edér moves in front of her, same as he always does when they're in formation, and Bronwyn claps her hand over her mouth to keep herself quiet. She can see through him. She can see through him. She'd almost forgotten how her hands passed through his. Given they were both dead it hadn't seemed odd at the time. But if they're not both dead, if she's somehow sort of alive again...what does that mean for Edér? "I thought we were headin' out?" Edér looks back and immediately stops walking. "What's wrong?" Bronwyn shakes her head. "I'm sorry. One last question. This 'Hollowing,' it's not, he's not..." She takes a deep breath and tries again. "Is he going to be okay?" Am I going to lose him too?
In-Between: So time doesn't work the same way, space doesn't work the same way, and the sun doesn't work the same way. Bronwyn's far more confused now than she was when she started asking questions. She wishes Aloth were here; maybe he'd be able to make sense of all this.
Except no, she doesn't, because that would mean Aloth was dead. Like her. Like Edér. At least some of her friends are still alive working to make Eora a better place. She should be grateful for that. "Thanks again for your patience. So we just walk? How long will it take us to get there? Is there food, water, and shelter along the way?" She considers for a moment. "Do we even still need those things? I mean...we're already dead. What happens to us if we die again?"
Incidentally in both games I maxed out Edér's Survival skill. I was very, very tempted to max out his Survival in this game as well but ended up putting the points in Perception instead.
In-Between: "If Weeping Widow's what most people call you and you're okay with it then I'll stick to that." Bronwyn has a navigator who insists on being called Worthless Idiot no matter how many times she tries to explain Arkemyr's twisted sense of humor. Weeping Widow is tame by comparison.
Had. Had a navigator. "Sorry to be asking so many questions, but do you know if anyone else from my ship ended up here? We all died at the same time you see." Which is still weird to think about. She doesn't feel dead. "Gotta question of my own too ma'am." She glances backward to see Edér frowning in concentration while making a circling motion with his finger. "You said to get to this city of lost souls or whatever we need to walk towards the sun. But won't that eventually put us right back where we started? Or pretty close? 'Cause the sun moves around, ya know. Don't it?"
In-Between: Bronwyn exchanges a look with Edér. She has no idea whether this (apparently) not-goddess is telling the truth about Eora, but it does make her feel a little better.
It's not going to stop her from trying to get back of course. Even if no one's done it before that doesn't mean they can't be the first. (She needs a task to focus on. Always. If she stands still for too long the weight of her past lives will catch up and crush her. So fragile, the Watcher's mind...) "Thank you," she says to the not-goddess. "I'm Bronwyn by the way, and this is Edér, although I'm guessing you already knew both those things." If only because they're standing in front of a tombstone with her name on it, which is really creepy and something she's trying not to think about. "What's your name?" She looks around the graveyard. "Also, if we're not the only souls who got trapped here, where are the others?" No need to reinvent the Wheel (haha) when surely other people are just as desperate to get back to their homes as she is. Best to talk to them and find out what they've tried first so she knows what doesn't work.
In-Between: Bronwyn stares into pale eyes and tries to put the pieces together. She and Edér died. Now they aren't where they're supposed to be and a strange woman is in front of them speaking in riddles. For the first time since awakening, since before awakening, she feels a sense of familiarity.
"This world, "Limbo," are you one of the gods here?" Bronwyn meets the pale eyes with her own. "Did you bring us here? If so, why? If not, do you know how we can get home? You mentioned the Wheel, so you must know Eora's in trouble right now. I need to help fix that and I can't help if I'm not there."
Help: Bronwyn stares at the sun for a long time. Stars might all look the same to her, but even she can tell that this is not the sun she knows. Edér is quiet as he too stares upward.
Is this what happens to souls now that the Wheel has been broken? Are they all being sent to this strange new world? Will she ever see Eora again? She tears her gaze away from the sun. "Edér, I-" Whatever words she was going to say are lost as she sees someone who most definitely wasn't there before. This person doesn't look alive, but she also doesn't look like any spirit Bronwyn's ever seen. Nor could a normal spirit sneak up on her. But whoever or whatever she is she's crying, and that triggers a near-instinctive response. "Do you need help?" Edér coughs behind her. "Ma'am, we're a little lost. Don't suppose you know where we are?" Right. Figuring out what's going on probably should be their top priority right now. It's a good thing Edér is around, because Bronwyn's always been very, very bad at prioritizing.
Pre-Awakening:
As she drifts towards the pale sun, Bronwyn remembers. The light...is this what souls saw when they looked at me? She can understand now why they were so drawn to her. After so much nothingness, any light is a heaven.
The Wheel has been destroyed. There shouldn't be light anymore, not for any of the dead. She'd failed. So what is she seeing? There's another presence near hers. She remembers the scent of tobacco smoke, the sight of gold hair gleaming in the sun, the feeling of warm arms wrapping around her as they both fell into darkness. Edér? The soul is drifting away from her, back into the emptiness. Please... She reaches out with hands that don't exist. Don't leave me... Somehow she grabs onto the presence, holding onto it as tightly as Edér had once held her. I don't want to be alone. The soul doesn't struggle. She doesn't think it's conscious enough to struggle. Dragging them both towards the pale sun is still the hardest thing she's ever done. But she is Bronwyn Draper, Watcher of Caed Nua, and she has survived too much to give up on life now. Together they fall once again. Bronwyn startles awake with a gasp. "What? Where..." She reaches out with a trembling hand to touch the earth surrounding her. It feels real. Her rapid breaths and even more rapid heartbeat feel real. Is she actually alive again? Had Berath intervened? Could Berath have intervened, with the Wheel destroyed? Uh, Watcher? Can you hear me? "Edér?" She stands up. She can't see him, but maybe if she climbs out of this hole... Wait. She hadn't actually heard him talking. She'd heard him, in her mind, like when the Quiet Five had talked to her. But Edér isn't a cipher. You can? That's, uh, good. Any idea what's goin' on here? "Not a clue. Where are you?" I think I'm inside you? Wait, no, shouldn't have said it like that. Sorry. Uh...not sure how else to say it though. Sure enough, now that she's focusing she can feel Edér's presence in her mind. Which isn't where he's supposed to be. He's supposed to be beside her, the way he has been for years- Something shifts, like using a muscle she never knew she had. She concentrates on it, on her desire to see Edér again. A shimmering haze appears and solidifies into a familiar form. Edér's eyes are wide as he stares first at her, then at his hands, (significantly more bluish than they'd been before), then over his shoulder where part of his body is vanishing into the wall. "Uh. That was...weird. Am I a ghost?" "Maybe?" Bronwyn reaches out for his hand experimentally and isn't surprised when her own passes through. Flashes of memory are returning to her: the pain of drowning while simultaneously being crushed to death by her own ship, the agony of nothingness in the void, a pale sun. "We both died I think, but I feel pretty alive right now. How do you feel?" "Okay? A lot better than I remember feelin'. If this is the ghost life it don't seem too bad so far. Least we're together." Edér cranes his neck to look up at the night sky. "Not sure where we are though. Those stars don't look familiar." She looks up herself. Stars are stars to her, (a statement that would no doubt leave Bekarna sputtering), but she'll take his word for it. "Alright. Let's see if we can get out of here." Despite feeling solid she still half-expects her own body to pass through the wall, but her hands grip onto dirt and she easily pulls herself up. There's someone sobbing nearby. Maybe they'll know what's going on. Even if they don't, anyone crying like that probably needs help.
I went ahead and switched Bronwyn to ABP. Not having to spend on the "Big Six" let me pick up some other fun magical items, (most notably Eyes of the Eagle and a Circlet of Persuasion).
Rahlmaat and Volgroruth, are the two of you using/planning to use Automatic Bonus Progression? It looks like Straehan, Amn, and Kiya are doing so. Currently Bronwyn is not but I could swap her over easily enough. I think with ABP it makes the most sense either for everyone to use it or no one. Otherwise it becomes a bit weird when certain magic items exist for only half the party.
Death Scene: Bronwyn sits in her cabin, head in her hands. The Deadfire isn’t her home anymore, but leaving it in such chaos still feels wrong. Particularly since she is at least partially responsible. Whoever has control of Ukaizo controls the Deadfire, and right now that’s no one. Gods forbid anyone just…give up. Acknowledge that maybe Eora has bigger problems right now than profits and territory and cultural heritages. Or at least put off the fighting until after they find a way to ensure the dead will be reborn. Don’t they realize what’s at stake?!
Apparently not. Now she’s headed to Defiance Bay, hoping maybe the animancers there will have more sense. She should write to Kana too, see if his contacts at the Lore College have any ideas- ”Captain? Need you topside, now.” Rum-Dumb Riggere sounds uncharacteristically sober, which means something is very wrong. Bursting out onto the deck she sees Llendreth beckoning her. Llendreth wastes no time as soon as she’s close enough to hear him. ”The waves ain’t right captain. Something keeps pulling the ship southwards.” “What do you mean, 'something'?” “If I knew what it was I wouldn’t be calling it ‘something’ now would I? It makes no sense. It’s like we’re caught in a powerful current, but there shouldn’t be anything of the sort here. Nothing that would pull us off course like this.” “Reverse course. See if we can back out of it.” “Aye aye captain.” Llendreth spins the wheel while Luca shouts orders to the deckhands. The Defiant smoothly turns and starts going the other direction, but Llendreth is frowning. ”Still being pulled south. Harder now. She’s barely listening to me.” ”LOOKS LIKE ARKEMYR’S STUPID POOL WHEN WORTHLESS IDIOT FORCED TO CLEAN IT.” Bronwyn blinks and turns to look at her navigator. ”What?” ”PUT BUCKET UNDER. PULL PLUG. EMPTY POOL. ARKEMYR HATE DIRTY WATER.” Worthless Idiot rolls his eyes at her as if it’s obvious. From the gasp beside her, maybe it is. ”Oh f~*& me.” Llendreth’s eyes are wide. ”He’s right. It’s a gods-damned whirlpool. But they can’t get this big, how could a whirlpool get this damned big-” ”Leviathan.” Bronwyn isn’t sure who says it first, but the word spreads like wildfire among the crew. The more religious drop to their knees and start praying. To Ondra, to Berath, to anyone who might listen. ”Get us out of this thing Llendreth!” ”You think I ain’t been trying? We don’t have the speed!” The ship is tilting visibly now. Swallowing hard Bronwyn grabs a spyglass and stares at the center of the whirlpool. It might be her imagination but she thinks she sees the flash of a monstrous tooth. Leviathans swallow ships whole. Once you see one, it’s already too late to escape. ”Fire the starboard cannons!” Maybe the legends are exaggerated. Maybe the Defiant can win this. She keeps her spyglass focused on what might be the leviathan while the cannons roar. If they have any effect it’s not noticeable from here. ”Keep firing!” The ship is moving faster and faster. Edér staggers across the deck to stand next to her, lip curling. ”Think the gods are involved? Hell of a coincidence if not.” His words cut through her growing panic. This isn’t the first time they’ve fought a giant sea monster. In fact it’s the third. ”Galawain? Galawain are you doing this?!” She doesn’t expect an answer, but suddenly the world drops away from her. She’s surrounded by the fetid stench of a predator’s breath. ”Watcher.” Galawain tilts his head and studies her. Unlike other times they’d met she doesn’t sense any anger. Just satisfaction. ”You’ve been a good hunter. But every hunter must eventually become prey.” ”What kind of a hunt is this?! How can I fight-” ”You’re not meant to, Watcher. You’ve beaten my servants before, and I bear you no ill will for that. You are clever. However this time I will take no chances. A true hunter uses all of the tools at their disposal. It’s the only way to survive.” He smiles. ”And survive I shall.” Kazuwari. Galawain’s island, with its own cycle of reincarnation completely separate from the Wheel. An insurance he’d kept secret from everyone, even the other gods…until she’d stumbled across it. ”Is that what this is about?! I helped you! I restored your connection-” ”You could break it just as easily. Do not think I have forgotten what lies in your possession.” His smile fades. His eyes grow cold. ”Farewell, Watcher.” ”Wait-” The world dissolves and Bronwyn’’s back on the ship, Edér gripping her arm. He’s hanging onto the rigging with his other hand. The ship’s at a steep enough angle now that they’d both fall off the deck otherwise. A couple of the cannoneers are still firing, although from the looks on their faces they know it’s pointless. Llendreth’s lashed himself to the helm, but most of the rest of the crew have disappeared. Either down below, or…down below. ”Guessing no luck?” Edér’s voice sounds calm. How is he so calm? ”Not really, no.” She blinks away tears. Dying was one thing. Knowing that she was taking her entire crew with her, taking Edér with her…”I’m so sorry.” ”Hey, it’s not your fault. You never asked for any of this.” ”Neither did you.” He manages a smile. ”Uh, actually I did. Give me some credit. I chose to follow you around.” ”If you hadn’t-” ”I’d be number Nineteen. Stop beatin’ yourself up. That’s the bad guys’ job.” Bronwyn looks down at the center of the vortex. The leviathan’s gaping maw is fully visible. Any minute now the Defiant will fall into it. ”I’m still sorry.” ”I’m not. Always figured I’d die alone. Dyin’ with a friend…s’not so bad.” Bronwyn can’t answer. All the words she wants to say stick in her throat. Instead she grips Edér’s shirt with both hands and pulls herself into an awkward hug. He wraps his arm around her and holds on tight. Together they fall into the abyss. As darkness descends, Bronwyn’s last thoughts are: ”Please don't leave me. I don’t want to be alone.”
Wow. I’ll be honest, I really did not expect to be chosen for this game given how many excellent submissions there were. I’m pleased to have been wrong! I’ll create a separate alias for Edér since I do plan to roleplay him a fair amount. I’m also considering swapping a couple of Bronwyn’s spells but otherwise don’t think there are any changes I need to make. Bronwyn’s primary party roles will involve scouting (Perception +19, Stealth and Disable Device +22, the ability to disarm magical traps, plus a phantom who can poke his head through walls) and ranged damage, (she’s definitely not as optimized for damage as some other submissions but should be able to hold her own). Most of her spell list is devoted to buffing. I did originally choose a couple bad touch spells to take advantage of the phantom’s ability to deliver them, but her spell save DCs are low enough that I’m considering swapping them out for more buffs. (Which can also be delivered via phantom if necessary.) Edér will probably spend most of his time incorporeal, intimidating enemies and protecting allies with his Defending Aura. Question for our GM: would you allow Edér to Aid Another in combat while incorporeal? RAW I don’t think he can, since it requires an attack roll and he can’t attack unless in ectoplasmic form. However I think a ghost in your face would be plenty distracting and it would make logical sense for him to be able to help that way. Looking forward to gaming with you all! |
