Calliope the Doppelganger's page

Calliope watches Ritmush explain what he remembers about the things the man Victor told them.

I believe the man we met in Fort Horizon, his name was Victor, told us the name of the woman he worked for was It'Dupree. And he mentioned something about how she ruled a city on the west coast of the eastern ring, a city called Du'Orbna. She sent this man Victor to find a special object, and it turned out we were travelling with it the whole time. But then he said he couldn't just take it with him when he left. Said something about how the object was very dangerous and could not be transported through magic. It was all very confusing at the time.

Outside Bing’s Bells and Whistles…

I have no idea what shape to take, Calliope whispers to Portia.

I hope the people here don’t get excited by the form I have now.

Then as Unbolath speaks to some strangers on the street, and Ritmush heads into the small tavern, Portia sees Issabelle land on the roof, and settle down into a dark corner of the eves, and Calliope notices at least two strange looking humans, and then smiles toward Portia and says, Well, I guess I don’t have much to worry about after all, right?

Well, are we going to head into that town or not?

Calliope looks at K'vin, and tries to smile. The lizard man returns her gaze with a stern look and a shake of his head.

He addresses the girl

Who are you? I've never seen you here before. What is going on here?

Calliope shifts into her normal form for an instant and then shifts back. She then tries to adopt a cold uninterested look, and takes a step out of the door to look around, saying over her shoulder,

Just your friendly neighborhood shape shifter, shift'n my shape

Patrol: 1d6 ⇒ 1

Calliope seems frozen for a moment

Disguise: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (15) + 29 = 44

Perception: 1d20 - 5 ⇒ (3) - 5 = -2

Staying perfectly still, Calliope whispers back to Unbolath, by the door

The wall patrol is right above the stable coming our way. I know they saw me, but they aren't acting like they care. We should wait for them to turn around, or do something to distract them before they get suspicious.

Good idea, Callipope says, and shifts again into her Lizard man form, then heads back up the stairs.

Eeek!, sorry Calliope squeals when she turns back and sees the blood and the dead lizardman guard on the floor.

get that other one, get him!

She runs back and tries to hit the prone lizard with her mace

melee Attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

Her mace strikes the guard square on the back

Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Alright, as far as I can tell they'll swing back around, go south on that wall, then go east on the south wall, and they just keep going back and forth that pattern. We wait here, until they pass over the top of the stable, and then we rush the doors. If we're lucky, we'll get through before they notice us. Their view from there will not be good. I'll go first and if the door is unlocked I'll open it, but if it's locked, I'll wave, like this, and that means everyone rush the door and throw your shoulder at it. We probably only have one short at this.

Calliope waits a few moments, and then darts up the five or six steps onto the porch. You hear the door open, and looking up over the rail, you see Calliope, in her lizard-man form, waving for the rest of you to follow.

Calliope leans against the wall, always looking up and keeping quiet. Soon, you all hear the heavy foot falls of the patrol above you, and as soon as they pass to the north, Calliope, points, and mouth the word,

Go!

Moving quick, but not fast, she keeps her arms stiff at her side and tries to stay low

Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

do you all follow her as she runs toward the opposite wall of the compound?

Alright, but, Calliope points across the dimly lit courtyard, he said the prisoners were being held below ground, and that we could get to them through that building over there. I'm, well, I'm sort of scared of going underground in a place like this. What if we get trapped down there. What if there's, like, a cadillion guards underground. I guess, we can give it a try, but let's wait a little while, when the patrol crosses over the top of us on their way back to Drespor's tower, we'll make a run for the far wall, and head for those doors there.

Do we head up the stairs and try to reach the wooden tower from the top of the wall, or head straight there from here. The patrol should have their backs to us for a while.

Uh, um, probably not. I mean I can try, but that's harder to do than you think. My nature can make me sound like him, but his way of talking is something else. Let's just hope I don't have to talk to anyone. Why, did you have some other plan in mind?

Don’t forget, my armor is a family heirloom, very special. I just need to get a look at a guard’s uniform, and well, a guard I suppose, to be able to look exactly like one of them. You know, I could change to look like this guy Calliope points at the stable master, and wearing your goggles, take a stroll out into whatever is beyond that door, get a good look at a guard, and viola, I'll have that problem solved. Of course, I'll need a big hat to hide the goggles, I can't change them, just my armor.

What's going on up there?

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Say, isn't that the same fabric pattern that Kethinna was wearing?

Does anybody know where we are going?

WellCalliope shrugsI think so, now anyway, but I think someone kidnapped this Kethinna woman, and with Thikka missing, that sort of makes it suspicious

This looks bad, Ritmush, are you sure this is the right place? I’m starting to think that a lot of the people in this part of the world are a bit more dangerous and on the edge than I first thought. Every time I turn around it seems someone is trying to do something bad to someone else, back on the coast, in Fort Horizon, here in this village. I mean sure, this land is the worst, not enough trees, and nothing beautiful to look at, but come on, is it so really all that bad. Who is this person again, and do we even know why somebody would want to kick her door in? Did she piss off those miners last night or something stupid like that? Wait…

A sudden realization comes over Calliope, and she stops dead in her tracks as her eyes grow large with understanding

It’s sometimes hard to follow what you are talking about, ‘Mush, but you said this person was a rat folk, like Thikka, and I just realized Thikka’s gone. She’s not with us, and I didn’t see her leave with Unbolath and Portia. Yesterday Thikka out down a couple of those dwarven thugs working for this guy named Drespor, and they got away. Maybe they though Thikka was this woman, and they came hear to get their revenge, figured they got it wrong and then came after the other rat folk in the village. Oh, man or man, this is getting heavy, like, real heavy.

I think we should go get that lantern you are so concerned about,Calliope smiles. Then when you are done fretting about that, we should all go see Timothy, alright? So, anyone know where this Kethinna person lives?

Oh, pretty, can I have this one? she asks Ritmush

Wait, Unbolath! Will you be back before night? Do you have any idea how long it will take you to find those cows?

While waiting for the next course of action, Calliope looks around at the others, and notices she is dressed and formed inappropriately for the current activities, and glancing all around to be sure no one other than the group is in sight, she transforms into a new shape. The new shape is a Dwarven sized female, with a strong athletic body.

You know, if I am going to be much help to you guys, I probably need to buy something useful like a sword or a crossbow or something.

Okay, everyone, I guess were following him for now.

I’m beginning to think that old man we met when we came into town is in on this mess. I remember he mentioned something about the town not having a sheriff, which it obviously has, and he was real keen on getting us to Henderson right away. I think we need to pay him a visit

I can't believe that there are people here who see me as an ally and not a monster

I'm all in. Where to first?

Calliope signs the contract.

Well, finding the cow and bull shouldn't be too hard. I'll join up with the rest of you, you know, in the hopes that maybe we can promise to keep each other's secrets. I could use a friend or two in this place. How about the Fort Horizon Free Company as a name for our intrepid little band?

Sounds exciting, shall we go. Hey Ritmush, Droka, do you want to join us in a meal?

Hey, how did everything work out with that company pair? Say, Miss Ellie, that was a lot of fun. Wish I could tell you we were staying in town longer, but right now, I don’t know the plans. We just rolled into town a while ago. Probably need to find some place to sleep the night, then in the morning we’ll be headed back to Fort Horizon, I suppose.

Well, what do you think? the girl notices Ritmush leaving and calls after him, Say, Kobold Boy, it would really help us out a lot, if you could throw a few coins on the stage as soon as we start, that’ll encourage the others, I hope. Don’t be a stranger.

Calliope is dresses in a full dance hall girl get up, complete with tight lace bodice, full hope skirt, in green and blue, a white lace shirt, and long black lace gloves. Even her boots are magnificent, tall, over the knee, black leather affairs with high spiked heels.

Say, Droka, I’m not the best dancer in the world. Do you thing my figure is ample enough to keep their attention, even if I don’t dance well, cause if you think I need to adjust, just tell me what needs to be larger and what needs to be smaller. I sort already know what the human men like, met plenty of them in places I’ve lived before.

to Droka

Say, why don’t we go check out that saloon over there. You can play and sing, and I’ll dance as she speaks her form changes right before Droka’s eyes and she becomes more voluptuous, her hair gets thicker and darker, and her face becomes softer, lips fuller, eyes wider.I bet between the two of us we could make a little bit of money while we wait to see what these friends of yours are going to do next. Unless you need to be there when they go over that contract the dwarf woman was talking about.

Droka finds himself being shadowed by Calliope, who asks him

What’s your story, handsome?

My "gender" has nothing to do with what I do with my "parts", dangerous, dangerous subject, people things.

Calliope, who continues to walk with the group as it makes its way along the ravine, saddles up next to Ritmush and tells him with a sideways whisper, Nope, no siree, I’m no lycanthrope, but don’t let anybody tell you otherwise, them were-cows are real. Best friend I ever hand was a wyf-wolf, one of them opposite types, you know protective, and kind, not all macho terror claws and bite your throat, though with the were-cows it’s more like you need to keep your corn locked up

Well, a doppelganger is a kind of person, I suppose, like a Dwarf, or an Elf, or a Halfling. We’re just people trying to live our lives just like everyone else. Oh, sure, we have some strange behaviors, most of it is born out of fear, but we’re not all murderous sociopaths, a few, not all, most, a lot, okay yes a lot.

Shapechanger is a derogatory term, to my kind, but hey, no offense, I understand where that is coming from, She says to Rolandor

Quickly turning to speak to Unbolath, the woman seems to be doing her best to keep up with all the questions, Mostly I get by by begging, and for a while I worked as a dock hand and tavern bouncer at this small fishing village just south of the city on the coast, you know the one the Halflings call New Normanland. I don’t have any significant experience with a trade, but I’m pretty good with ropes. The village was called Rocky Point, or something like that.

The woman approaches Valind with a sweet smile, and holds out her hand, Hello, Valind, I heard them use your name before, in fact I think I got everybody’s names already. You can call me Miss Cow, or Cowie, or Callie, or Calliope, whatever suits you, just don’t call me late for supper, you know what I mean. And speaking of that are we gonna be stopping for a meal soon, I’m sort of sick of eating hay. She offers to shake Valind’s hand and if he takes her hand, she pulls him in close for a warm and friendly hug.

Whoa, big fella, Calliope says toward Sithundan when she observes smoke coming from his ears, Better rein that kind of thing in, though as people go, I got to say this group is very tolerant of different folk.

Arrow, what?Calliope turns her head and examines her backside. What the snickety? Never even felt that. Oh, no Mr. Valind, I am wearing armor. It’s very expensive, and quiet special, it was a gift from my mother when I left the home at sixteen. I can blend into just about any sort of shape, and the armor blends with me. Momma said it was a family heirloom, worth a fortune she used to say, not so good for protection, not the best armor there is, but the family secret of its special property makes it special to me. And just to clear this up, no I am not from another world or plane or whatever it is those elves were trying to explain. I was born in Aeromnia, came here eight years ago with my parents. They let me leave home at sixteen, that was two years ago, and they went back to the mother country, as it were, left me to find my fortune here. Said something about not fitting in with the rest of their kind, and you know I should have understood then what they were talking about. But, hey some lessons you just got to learn the hard way.

The cow then begins to transform right before everyone’s eyes into a human woman standing about four feet eleven inches tall, she is dressed in expensive armor made from what appears to be a combination of Splint, Chain, and Leather armor. She has no weapons. Her hair is brown, shoulder length, and combed neatly back away from her face and tucked behind her ears. She has a child like appearance, though she is a full figured woman. An arrow is stuck in one of the plates of her armor

Now, don’t go all nutsy cuckoo on me, alright the woman says to Thikka, holding out one hand palm toward the witch. I wasn’t trying to hurt anybody. Okay, okay, everybody can just calm down, relax, please, gob-droket just calm down. Okay, okay, let’s just keep walking and I’ll explain. My name is Calliope, and I am not, obviously a cow, and I’m not exactly a human fighter either, but I know this shape and I hoped it would not get me attacked immediately. Look, stop gawking already. I’m not from around here. Hehe, I’m not actually from around anywhere anymore. You see, I’m a doppelganger, if you know what that is, but not the kind you might have heard of, or well, maybe that kind, but honest to snack time I don’t want to hurt anybody. I was living in this big city, see, and I wasn’t bothering anybody, until I made a mistake and accidentally, accidently mind you, exposed another, well a couple of other of my kind who your kind sort of thought were up to no good, and then wham bam thank you manticore, I got shipped off to fort horizon. I’d been living there for a while, mostly as the cow, which this is sort of funny, but one day I took on the form of a cow and nobody in that fort recognized they had an extra cow, that’s hilarious if you ask me. Then I got pulled into this supply a couple of cows to Mystic Valley and I thought, what the heck, why not. I figured it’s got to be better than that fort, right, right? So, look, I’ll go along with you guys to Mystic Valley, you tell them that there was always only one cow, you know, whatever, sort of, and we go our separate ways, no hard feelings, and I swear I will not hurt anyone in this Mystic Valley place. I’m only looking to find my way back to the coast, anywhere not in that city mind you, and get on a boat out of here as soon as I can.