Here on and off. It's been an interesting couple of weeks on my end.
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"I speak the languages of air and earth, devils and demons," says Byarsh as he idly flips through a few of the books within reach. "Languages of the highest heavens and deepest caverns, tongues of madness and the wilds...words of the wyrms and their desert foes on my home plane. These things I speak."
Byarsh glances at Jerrie. "That, or names of those who behaved heroically in life. Several planes are said to be the final resting places of the dead, and perhaps this just serves as a way of guiding them to the proper destination."
"שם נכתב גבוה על הקיר. תסתכל ותראה בעצמך. אני מתכווןלראות איפה האדון של המקום הזה מוביל אותנו" Infernal:
"The name was written higher on the wall. Look and see for yourself. I intend to see where the master of this place is leading us."
Byarsh looks down to the drow and begins floating back to the ground. "אני יודע את השם הזהב מהקירות של המקום הזה. זה בולטת צבעו." Infernal:
"I know the golden name from the walls of this place. It stands out for its color." As his feet alight on the ground, he shakes out a sleeve and dislodges a small, multi-hued serpent that begins floating slow orbits around the tiefling's body. The master imparts a few nonsensical words to the creature, and the latter begins ascending in lazy circles to inspect more of the walls. "I am ready to see more of this place," he announces.
"I do speak the Planar tongue, and these words are names," Byarsh says while floating and scanning the walls in the vicinity. "I do not recognize them, but I suspect these written in gold are of particular importance. They are like trophies on a wall. Do the names Xor'xel Zer'lam or Caius von Tywyn mean anything to you?" If there are no others immediately visible he floats back down.
"The names can be read, but I do not recognize these few. Keep an eye out for whoever is approaching. There is more to read." Byarsh lowers his hands and begins to rise up higher to read the other gold name he saw.
Holding up a hand to acknowledge goblinoids that are jostling for attention, Byarsh concentrates on the golden name.
I usually start with past tense but shift to present the moment I start interacting with others. I'm having an instance of deja-vu in that regard, Akasha, and I respectfully acknowledge that I think we discussed and resolved that matter once before. I'm sure things will sort themselves out in a couple of days.
While I'm enjoying the actions so far (any bets on who silences the goblin?), my head is spinning from different characters' actions being dictated in three different tenses. Might we settle on one?
If this is not the first time, it comes to pass as no other time has. What time is it, I wonder. With a stiffness he cannot recall having before, Byarsh levers himself and rearranges the amulet that has grown quite cold in this environment. He double-checks his pulse and looks for signs of warmth. Circulation only recently started... or restarted? Sparing a wince for the strange singing, he investigates his surroundings with only a glance at others rousing from their stone slabs.
Good to see you again. Byarsh begins reading names as best he can, focusing first on golden names before moving on to silver.
Temporal abnormalities in the initiative tracker sound good to me.
I rather liked the second option, Wazoo. I can imagine the goblin catching fire and taking 1d6+2 damage while shouting "oh no! Not again!"
Alright, I believe this new addition to the backstory will fit in a bit better. I'll have to think about how death by supernatural aging works for a trait. Byarsh's exact time-line is vague, but I can certainly see him having plane-hopped up until a rather recent death. 4 languages to choose, then I'm good to go. ----- Though you may see him as Chaotic Neutral (or a conniving liar - I can't tell which), Byarsh is likely to be the second most "Good" character in the party. It certainly surprised me when I started playing him.
Questions for you, Caleth:
- In regards to the items, I would like to keep the glass lamellar armor and amulet of eldritch might from the first campaign. I'm not sure what the pricing is on these two items, but we might want to adjust their abilities to put them in the 4-6k range. For the armor, I would make it +1 or +2. For the amulet...who knows? - For the third item, I suspect I'll grab a metamagic rod of extend spell (lesser). Another option would be a divination tool (masterwork soothsaying equipment), perhaps with an enchantment such as +5 to related checks. - Regarding languages, would you prefer I hold onto the Bronze Age languages, or should I pick them fresh? - Some hit points:
- As an update to his backstory, I am assuming that Byarsh eventually met divine representatives. His ultimate decision was that the gods were not worthy of replacing the existing traditions, but in turn Byarsh felt compelled to explore the earlier traditions further so as to better defend his philosophies. This dimensional exploration - sometimes on temporally inconsistent planes - has led to some bizarre twists. First, Byarsh has discovered that the spirits he knew from his home world would be classified as "outsiders" elsewhere - philosophical paragons with home dimensions far different from their adopted lands. Drøm has also changed. The ever-changing energies of the Astral Plane warped his essence and left him as the serpentine quintessence of creation, chaos, and creativity. He now guides Byarsh to explore deeper into the planar fabric to unravel the secrets therein.
Everything else is updated.
As much as I would enjoy playing around with the stronger races options, I think I'll have to stick with Byarsh; he has too much left unsaid. I'll update his profile more tonight to get him in full swing for that 7th level of witch.
I still live, and I will be responding to Samaerew's mention of a sage a little later today.
Byarsh approaches and pockets the pieces of dragonbone for later experimentation. As he overhears talk about foreigners, he remains silent. Welcome, yet different.
Sounds great. I can see how the past tense plays into the introduction now.
Camthi: Dutch
That covers the main ones spoken in the party. I can dig up the master list in a bit. One stylistic point - you might want to work in present tense, as it will mesh better with the other narrative styles in the group.
Dawn sees Byarsh using the dwarven dagger to scavenge pieces of dragonbone. He is distracted sufficiently not to notice the encroaching individuals until an ice-blue raven alights near him and pulls at his toes. He bags the slivers he has and peers in the direction of the conversation.
Dream: Byarsh watches the creature dissipate, then he strides over to the spectral skeleton of the dragon and gathers a few wisps in his hands. He then tries to mould them into whatever shape they might take, adding additional wisps until he can hold little more.
If you only leave me scraps to work with Umbral Walker, then I shall use those scraps for my own designs. He then walks back to where he "woke up," sinks back down, and returns to sleep.
Ah, those would be the ranger and the barbarian.
DM Caleth did allow some use of 3.5 material and a bit of dabbling in homebrew material, so I wouldn't dismiss the roc and eagle shaman just yet. I'm intrigued to see where the other two character concepts can go, too.
To the best of my knowledge, these are the keys themes being explored by each character: Samaerew (paladin): Freedom from draconic tyranny, reverence of the ancestors Tama (bard): The unifying power of language, history as expressed in song Timmon (summoner): The elements with special interest in Earth Byarsh (witch): Reclaiming past glory, speaking for spirits who have no voice, wariness of the upstart gods
Dream: The former human staggers a bit under mixed vocalization and telepathic missive. He does his best to look the face of the void in...the eyes, and responds.
"Are you the One True God? What makes this One True God worthy of respect beyond the power it wields? A rock may kill an aurochs if thrown well, but the feat does not make the rock a noble weapon or an artifact worthy of praise."
The witch (me) was initially conceived as a foil to non-Southern religion and spiritualism, but over time he has developed into the spiritual adviser for the whole party. I would second Caleth's and Samaerew's concern about adding a second heavy spiritualist/diviner into the group. Byarsh is very wary of the new gods, and he is unlikely to embrace them. Instead, he feels that the group can accomplish its goals by staying true to each member's own traditions; everyone has learned to respect Samaerew's ethnic history following our first dungeon crawl, and the most fun I've had with this campaign was learning to appreciate another character's ancient beliefs and using them to tie the group together as we faced unknown challenges. A foil to Byarsh's fairly anti-divine stance could work well, but I can also see it creating a schism within the group. Like others said, it could go really well or really poorly. Because druidic tradition is probably tied to an older world culture, I suspect Byarsh would be perfectly happy to incorporate such beliefs into the group's growing spiritual melange. From a balance point, a monk would be a nice addition. We don't have much in the way of party mobility beyond the reach of Timmon's summoning spells. The hexcrafter magus would fit in fairly well, as Byarsh errs more on the side of buffing hexes instead of debuffing. To me it's important to make sure the enjoyable party dynamic is maintained and our memes/tropes don't overlap too much. On a related note, I'm looking forward to meeting some NPCs so that Tama can have some time in the spotlight.
Dream: Byarsh gazes upon this shadowy figure who can hide in darkness despite the seer's night vision. Curious, intrigued, and above all else desirous of the ready power this creature wields, Byarsh approaches and bows.
"Umbral Walker, who strides eternally fearless of the dragons' might, I see you and your vision for the future. Even so, there are parts incomprehensible to me. What is your desire, and how may I contribute?"
Our present area seems rather partial to Sharrim, though I believe we're entering an area where Marduk is prevalent. I would recommend knowing at least two languages, as communication has been an issue at times. Despite some of these barriers, we've had a good time with the language system. As the language of one of the more centrally-located people, Camthi is not a bad option.
Byarsh snorts in response to Tama's musings as the sage pulls his head out of the tent for a quick glance around. "Ik vermoed dat de natuur een draak vreest zelfs in de dood. Voor mij is dat is het signaal genoeg dat enkele wezens zouden storen ons waren we hier rusten. Deze tent is ongestoord, ondanks het overlijden van haar voormalige bewoner, en droegen hem naar een geschikte begraafplaats zou meer dan moeten we proberen in de duisternis. Te roepen licht zou alleen maar aan te kondigen dat we de rest van de vallei. Ja, laten we hier rusten." Camthi: "I suspect that nature fears a dragon even in death. To me that is signal enough that few creatures would disturb us were we to rest here. This tent is undisturbed despite the death of its former occupant, and carrying him to a suitable burial site would be more than we should attempt in the darkness. Calling up light would simply announce us to the rest of the valley. Yes, let us rest here."
Although he is not well-versed in the draconic anatomy, Byarsh performs an examination of the dragon's corpse to get some idea of what type it was and how long ago it may have died.
Shaking his head, Byarsh looks up from the rivulets of water and old blood. He picks up his staff again and uses it to point upwards. "Yol aşağı Sutekh doğrudan rehberlik olmadan korkunç tehditler ve belirli bir azap sahibidir. Bir gün oraya geri dönmek için neden var, ama için şimdi güneş çağrıları." Sharrim:
"The way down holds dire threats and certain doom without the direct guidance of the Sutekh. One day we may have cause to return there, but for now the sun calls." "De trap af wonen verschrikkelijke bedreigingen die niet kan verwerken zonder de steun. Misschien kunnen we nog een dag terug te keren. Naar boven voor nu, ik zeg." Camthi: "Down the stairs live terrible threats that cannot handle without aid. Perhaps we might return another day. Upwards for now, I say."
Byarsh peers in and makes room for others to do so.
Awestruck, he looks at his armor and then at the party. "Burası eski. Birinci Erkekler daha büyük olduğunu ve bu yüzden de zırh giymek. Ben şimdi efsane bir madde olarak malzeme farkındayız. Onun gerçek amacı konusunda diyorum, ama, çok yönlü bir yapı malzemesi olarak hizmet gibi görünüyor. Bu kan lekeleri gibi eski." Sharrim:
"This place is old. It is older than the First Men, and so too is the armor I wear. I now recognize the material as a substance of legend. Regarding its exact purpose I cannot say, but it seems to serve as a versatile building material. It is old like these bloodstains." He stands in silent contemplation for a moment, his eyes flicking between the narrow path up and the broad stairs down. "Het is duidelijker geworden voor mij dat er geheimen en uitvindingen van de eerste mensen binnen deze catacomben en de ruimte daarbuiten. Als de draken zijn een dergelijke bedreiging, lijkt het beste om meer tools proberen af te wenden ondergang van deze wereld. Aan de andere kant zou ik geen bezwaar tegen het zien van het licht een keer meer." Camthi:
"It has become clearer to me that there are secrets and inventions of the earliest folk within these catacombs and the space beyond. If the dragons are such a threat, it seems best to seek more tools to stave off destruction from this world. On the other hand, I would not object to seeing the light once more." After unshouldering his waterskin, Byarsh steps over to the bloodstains on the descending stairs. He takes a swig and then splashes a little on the nearby wall. "Ruhları burada çok uzun süre susuz gitti.
Sharrim:
"The spirits here have gone thirsty too long.
"Today I share our bounty so that they might share their wisdom." With that, he stoops down to dribble water over the dried blood. As it trickles over the stains, he watches to see what patterns might form as the liquid absorbs some of the red pigment.
His staff also glowing, Byarsh taps the radiant end against the door.
Byarsh puts a hand on Timmon's shoulder and calls out "Daha fazla güç! Sadece fişekleri bu grev!" [/spoiler=Sharrim]"More force! It only flares when it strikes!"[/spoiler]
Well, I'm not entirely clear what symbols the First Men used, so... Byarsh tries pressing the amulet against the wall - at first close to the moon symbol. He then tries touching his armor (the glassiness could be moon-like) to the wall in the same way.
Byarsh fishes his amulet out from under his new armor.
Byarsh tries to recollect exactly how Tama said what he said. "Kapı kendine özgü bir dili vardır ve bu dil Birinci Erkekler. Görünüşe göre Tama büyülü kristal üst kattaki bir dil öğrendi. Kapı dünyanın foundationare ustaları, güneş ve ayın bir teklif var diyor. O zamandan beri, biz onlara teklif kime teklifleri ışık ve adam merak oldu." Sharrim:
"The door has a language of its own, and that language is of the First Men. Apparently Tama learned of the language from the magical crystal upstairs. The door says that the masters of the world's foundationare to have an offering from the sun and moon. Since then, the man has been wondering about if the offerings are light and to whom we should offer them." Peering at the symbols with no greater understanding than before, the glass-clad seer turns back to the others. "Ay ve güneş ışığı, hem evet, ama bu yüzden güneş personel yukarıdaki oda bize verilen geliyor. Belki de benim zırh veya benim muska ay temsil etmektedir. Ben kapıyı kendisi daha ışık almak için kimse düşünebilir. Aslında, belki de Batu ikisini de tutmak gerekir. O ... O ... Dünyanın kendisi kemiklerin inşa edilmiştir! "De maan en de zon beide licht geven, ja, maar dat doet de zonne-medewerkers die aan ons van de kamers boven. Misschien is mijn pantser of mijn amulet zijn naar de maan te vertegenwoordigen. Ik kan me niemand anders om hun licht dan de deur zelf te ontvangen. Eigenlijk, misschien Batu moeten houden ze allebei. Hij ... ze ... het is opgebouwd uit de botten van de aarde zelf!" Sharrim, then Camthi: "The moon and sun both give light, yes, but so does the solar staff granted to us from the rooms above. Perhaps my armor or my amulet are to represent the moon. I can think of nobody else to receive their light than the door itself. Actually, perhaps Batu should hold them both. He...she...it is built of the bones of the Earth itself!"
Byarsh passes a hand over these new images. "Burada üç ... müzik aletleri? Orada bir ev ve bir güneş ve ayın altındaki. Bu ortalama bir şey herkes için mi?" Sharrim: "Here are three...musical instruments? There's a house, and a sun and moon are on the bottom. Does these mean anything to anybody?"
Byarsh is quick to move to the other half of the tablet. From there he motions for Timmon - or perhaps Batu - to bring over the top half.
Byarsh straps on the armor and joins the rest of the group as they peer into the cave creepers' lair.
"Uzak bu pasajda yanmış duvarları vardır, ama bir şey daha var. Birisi veya bir şey bizi izliyor. Bir dünyayı keşfetmek için ruhu projeleri zaman, ruhu geçerken fark edilebilir. Geçenlerde böyle bir ruh, bize yakın olduğunu fark." Sharrim:
"There are burnt walls farther down this passage, but there is something more. Someone or something is watching us. When one projects his spirit to explore the world, the spirit's passing can be noticed. I recently noticed that such a spirit was near us." With that, Byarsh prepares to move into the lair and check for anything the cave creepers might have collected over the years.
Byarsh handles one of the lamellar greaves and spares looks for his companions and the tunnel. "En iyi şekilde anlarım, mimarlık, Tama ile ilgili doğru. Samaerew, bu ataları önceye tüneller yürüyüş işaret ediyor olabilir, bu zırh ... çok eski ... ya da çok yeni. Ayrıca catacombs inşa edildikten sonra, biz sadece burada tünelli gönderdi olanlar gibi yaratıklar olabilir. Her iki şekilde de, şimdi First Men bilinen olmayabilir koyu bir yolu yürümek. Biz en önde kötü şeyler için hazır olacaktır." Sharrim:
"As best I can tell, you are correct about the architecture, Tama. Samaerew, this may signal that we walk tunnels that predate your ancestors; this armor is...very old... or very new. It may also be that creatures such as the ones we just dispatched tunneled here after the catacombs were built. Either way, we now walk a darker path that the First Men may not have known. We would best be ready for worse things ahead." Drøm hops about and flips a piece of armor over several times. Chattering and whistling in Auran, he awkwardly uses his beak to try fitting a piece of armor onto Byarsh's arm. Caressing the cuirass, Byarsh muses "Benekli henüz bir kar-lekeledi dağ geçmiş acele hava gibi şeffaf.
Sharrim:
"Speckled yet transparent like the air rushing past a snow-flecked mountain. "Flexible and weightless as an ancestor's embrace. "A crystalline resonance such that the spirits might still hear my call. "I would shroud myself in this armor in our quest for the open skies." He casts Detect Magic, curious as to what it might perceive.
Stepping to his left (5' to G4), Byarsh easily spots the creature as it tries to hide in the gloomy recess. Pointing straight at it, he calls out "Orada! Bu karanlığın içinde gizler! Işık getir!" Sharrim:
"There! It hides in the darkness! Bring light!" With that, he taps Samaerew's shoulder. The detritus stirs around the man's feet, and a motes of dust trace the path of a ward that spirals upwards to envelop the warrior. "Ataları üzerinden izlemek." Sharrim:
"The ancestors watch over you"
Using the bit of light to his advantage, Byarsh meets the eyes of the weaker second creature. Their psyches clash momentarily, but the twisted troglodyte is forced to give ground and reconsider its assault.
Stepping to his left (E8) to get a better view, Byarsh opens his mouth to unleash a silent scream that assaults the bizarre attacker.
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