Here, ready, and willing.
Might need a bit of a recap to get back to speed, though.
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I should still be around in January, though by then I'll likely need some sort of refresher course on what's come before and about the side systems. Hoping everyone stays safe 'til then.
Sorry to see you go. Best wishes with the teaching in the current environment--stay safe!
Good to hear from you. I hope you recover fully and can pick your games up again fairly soon. For now, though, rest and recovery seems your best course. Hope your next update is a good one and that you're back to full strength. Take care of yourself 'til then!
Checking back in. You folks were very kind to Capricia early in the campaign, so she's got most of the gear she needs to be fairly successful already, so if anyone needs some extra funds for something, she'd be willing to hand over some gold. If everyone's set, a belt of Dexterity might be nice. Otherwise, maybe she should think about magicking her falcata. I'll check back in before the weekend, but I've got catching up to do in my other games as well.
I’ll be without internet access for a period, so please bot my character during my absence. I applied for assisted-rate access, but the process is taking a while. I’m hoping to be back online in a week or so; if things drag out beyond two weeks, I’ll do my best to find a way to hop online long enough to give an update.
What Sara said. Good luck with your classes.
Sounds good to me. You decide, your capable bodyguard will follow.
En route to Lotheeder, Capricia asks Bimble if he'd like her to purchase a trained pony for him to go with the horses she's planning on purchasing along with her new composite longbow.
Capricia looks up from her work and gives Bimble a smile. "I'm not the farming type, but when you live in an isolated community--like I used to--you learn to pitch in to get things done. Sometimes the few carpenters or masons in town are busy with other projects, so folks learn to do things themselves and chip in where they can." "I still need a bow after the disaster in fighting that manticore," she adds, perhaps to herself. "And some decent riding horses in case we need to visit one of the nearby baronies on short notice...." "Hey Sara! Can you manage this without me for a while? Bimble needs my help making a supplies run to Lotheeder!"
CAPRICIA LEVEL 5 UPDATES 5th level in Swashbuckler
Skills (6: 4 class + 1 Int +1 skilled; +2 Background)
Capricia proves herself to be a relentless worker as well. When she's not sparring with Caspian in the gardens, she's helping Sara work the fields. And even after a long day at work outside, the redhead spends at least a couple of hours before bed each night helping the domovoi fix up the manor house. She seems to have built a quick friendship with the one called Wink, and talks haltingly with the little fellow in a strange language the fey is teaching her while they work (Sylvan). It seem that having lived most of her previous days in an isolated and self-sufficient pirate community taught the young lady the praiseworthy trait of hard work for a common cause.
Capricia lets out a low whistle as the domovoi produce the obviously magical weapon, but she makes no move to claim it, even when the others identify its potent properties. Moving slowly so as to not alarm Wink and the other house spirits, Capricia unsheathes her falcata and lays it on the floor for the fey to examine. "I've trained with such a weapon for my entire adult life, as part of the rondelero discipline," she explains. "While I could probably wield a longsword well enough, I'm at my fighting best when wielding my falcata in one hand and having a buckler strapped to my other arm." To Wink she adds, "What sort of supplies do you need to clean and fix up this place? I'm planning a trip into Stachys for supplies. Oh--and is there any particular type or brand of whisky that you prefer?"
OK, got a few questions about buying gear and other items. Stachys's Base Value is only 100 gp, but according to the Gamemastery Guide, that figure is for magic items. Would a darkwood composite longbow (+1 Str)--worth 533 gp--be available? How about light warhorses? Also, what do we currently have for travel resources? A carriage and horses?
Capricia introduces herself to the house spirits. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she invites Wink to join her for a conference. "Tell me--are there any problems with this wonderful house that you and your fellow spirits have been unable to deal with on your own? Perhaps damage in a high place? Or maybe the presence on the grounds of dangerous creatures like a venomous snake or giant spider?"
Realizing that any verbal wrangling she tries with the little fey will likely end with the words 'or I'll chop you all into little pieces,' Capricia wisely keeps quite during negotiations.
Capricia makes no sudden moves, allowing Caspian and Sara to do most of the talking with the fey-cats. She does think up some unflattering names for the creatures, though, but she keeps them to herself.
When none of her friends chooses to (or is able to) fireball the gathered monsters while they've got the chance, Capricia keeps her distance and tries to fake a smile, hoping the things can't read her initial thoughts. Given another moment, the ex-pirate becomes less hostile but remains suspicious of the three beings. She knows that three cats--especially ones who are acting aloof and somewhat innocent--are often up to no good...and she doubts these three are actual cats!
"I bet you're right," Capricia replies to Bimble's theory regarding the hole. "They probably hide in there like little cowards and only creep out when everyone's asleep." The swordswoman accompanies the gnome on his sweep of the house and basement.
Capricia doesn't seem particularly thrilled about returning to their new home. "What's the plan for dealing with the house spirits? Because my plan involves my falcata, a few beheadings, and some shallow graves out by the flower beds."
"Sounds like an open-and-shut case," Capricia comments to Sara and Caspian. "She even confessed to the crimes."
Capricia joins Sara in the audience, trying to judge the woman's reactions as she's questioned.
Capricia is more or less in agreement with the others' assessments and priorities. "I'd like to check out the pump as well," she adds, her voice lowering at the end. "Might be no big deal, or...it could be something more sinister, like sabotage."
"How about giving them a taste of the flat of my falcata instead of its edge!" Capricia growls. She's not very much in favor of rewarding the creatures' previous bad behavior but listens to her friends' ideas and potential solutions.
"Hmph. I think the little creeps will go right back to their nasty tricks once we're back in the manor." The glint in the redhead's eye hints that her thoughts regarding house spirit are along the lines of the extermination of some unwanted pests.
Capricia places her eggs on top of her toast--a creation she calls "All Eggs on Deck!"--and thoroughly enjoys the meal. In the carriage she turns to Caspian and asks quietly, "No bad dreams?"
Capricia claps and smiles encouragingly when Sara returns after her bit of storytelling. Maybe that's why my forebears relocated to the islands, she reflects in amusement. That bit of levity is followed by a more serious thought: I wonder if that tarrasque thing could swim....
Capricia--in her kitsune garb--returns Bimble's bow with a curtsy. "I'd be honored to be your partner," she answers in the airy tone of a noblewoman. In a quieter but more vivacious voice she adds, "And I'll play as dishonorably as you'd care to match!"
Capricia shakes her head at the notion of eating the manticore; however, she's all for bringing it back as a trophy to show the other nobles what a real hunt is all about.
Capricia's still not sure she buys what Moffis is trying to sell. His lack of thankfulness for his rescue from the mighty manticore still seems off...but perhaps what awaits him at the end of the hunt is unpleasant itself. "So what happens to you when we present you at the end of this 'hunt?'" she asks Ox-Boy.
Moffis's reaction isn't quite what she expected, so the gears in Capricia's head start to turn. "You were supposed to lead us into an ambush by the beast, weren't you?" she accuses. "Who put you up to it--Lord Titus?"
Capricia strides up to the dead beast, falcata at the ready. "My thoughts are similar, but I wonder if we can truly carry the whole of the beast back. Perhaps just its head would suffice?" Glaring at Mofis, she adds, "And I think it wise for you to concede that you've been 'slain' as well and not try something stupid like running off...."
Capricia continues to fume as she waits for the thing to get a little bit lower....
Capricia continues to ready a charge should the manticore descend.
Unable to reach the hovering monster, Capricia readies a charge should the thing descend to slicing-and-dicing range. Readied Charge: for
Capricia pops out from behind a tree, draws her dagger, and hurls it at the blinded beast. for
Knowing that she has only one dagger to use at range against the flying manticore, Capricia doesn't bother flinging it. Instead she stays hidden behind the tree trunk, ready to charge and attack if the beast drops down lower...say to attack Ox-Boy Moffis.
As some of you might know, I don’t have home internet access, walking instead to my local library to use their free wifi. Currently, I have a wifi hotspot on loan. The loan expires today, and while I don’t have to return it until the start of May, as I understand it the hotspot shuts down automatically when your loan period ends. With the library closed “until further notice”—‘til early April at the very least—I may be unable to post for the foreseeable future. If this happens, please bot my PC or have them step “offstage” temporarily if that’s more convenient. Hopefully my hotspot keeps working and there won’t be an interruption in my ability to post…but if it doesn’t, my state’s pretty much in lockdown mode for God knows how long and I have no good posting options. I’m looking into assisted/emergency internet access, but the application process takes some time. I’m hoping I’ll post to games as usual tomorrow, but if I can’t…Stay safe and I’ll get back in touch when I can.
Capricia continues to close on the monster, circling the far end of the pit in the forest floor.
Capricia moves toward the monster, for the first time realizing how weakened her mostly sleepless night had made her. She draws her falcata as she goes.
Capricia shrugs at Caspian's words. "I harbored resentment toward your sister earlier. I thought she'd condemned me to a life of slavery, when now I see that she saved me from the gallows and offered me a second chance. If this dream was from an outside source...it knew my inner thoughts about her."
Capricia looks to Rossana for directions on how to proceed. At least now she understands Purple Finch's surprise when she'd asked the woman to fetch her a bow of some sort for the 'hunt.'
Having eaten eel before back in Little Oppara, Capricia's not put off in the least by the spectacle of skewering her own tasty morsel. She scans the table to see if there'll be some sort of fried potato side dish to go with the eel meat, all the while listening closely to her friends' conversations with Baroness Voinum, hoping to pick up on what makes the woman tick.
Capricia notes that apparently Caspian didn't sleep well, either. After a lot of back-and-forth internal debate, the former pirate decides to risk some further embarrassment and takes Caspian aside. "After the business with the house spirits...well, I've never had such bedtime issue in my entire life. And now I've had two incidents in rapid succession! I had the strangest dream last night...." And Capricia quietly spills the details of her dream to the nobleman (see Dak's spoiler above).
Capricia spears her breakfast, thankful that Count Bartelby seems to be talking only to Rossana and Sara; this way her silence won't seem disrespectful and she won't need to lie to the man. In truth, she wonders if the comment was a gibe made to taunt her.
Seeing that Caspian looks rather ragged as well, she internally debates whether or not to mention her dream to him...but then again, he's the devoted brother of her dream's wicked oppressor. She opts to wait and see what his reply to his brother's comment will be.
"Just a weird dream is all," Capricia confesses, sounding less peeved than when she first awakened. "I don't remember tossing and turning or getting up at all during the night, but I feel like I wrestled a giant octopus all evening." "I should be able to accompany you all on the hunt...if I'm provided with a bow."
Capricia appears out-of-sorts as the friends gather in the morning: Her hair is disheveled and matted with sweat, and her skin is paler than usual. Her eyes have bags under them and dart about suspiciously, a glint of anger in them. She's wearing her hunting outfit, but it already shows some spots where the young woman's sweat has gathered and dampened it. "I don't have a bow for any hunt," she announces petulantly. Turning to Purple Finch she demands, "Can you provide one or have another servant run out and buy me one?"
Capricia's mentally exhausted from the jubilee, but looking back decides she rode out the storm fairly well, all things considered. Like Caspian, she's ready to get some sleep and recover for whatever the next day will bring.
Capricia builds up her courage and finally approaches Caspian's brother, the Baron. She starts the conversation by re-introducing herself as Lady Thorn's bodyguard before bringing up the assassination attempt earlier in the evening. "If milady allows it--and I'm sure she would--perhaps I could do a bit of investigative work into the crime," she begins before slowly turning the conversation toward less grave topics, probing for any weaknesses the man might have.
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