I'm entering a busy period at work that may keep me tied up until February 12 (Super Bowl Sunday). I'll still try to check in and post, but I can't guarantee I'll make a consistent appearance. Please feel free to bot me.
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Just wanted to check in here--hope internet is resolving, DM Dickie!
That's the worst, good luck!
Happy holidays!
Stopping the loot inspection, Caroliss points northward to suggest a direction without letting the tower girl know. "Shall we?"
"It's much better to be publicly lauded then publicly despised," says Caroliss coolly as the Tower Girl remains defiant. She turns and begins concerning herself with observing the room, signaling that she was done chatting.
Caroliss laughs too, and listens for an answer to Ragnar's question.
Caroliss lets Ragnar tie up the poor Tower Girl before walking up and speaking. "Sorry to interrupt your dinner," says Caroliss in a voice suggesting she wasn't that sorry about it. "It's nothing personal. What's the deal with you Tower Girls? Do all of the wererats live separately from the regular girls that are here?" Caroliss wonders if they should continue south or go back and head north.
Caroliss moves up and blocks the exit alongside Anansi. She whispers some words enhanced by magic. "It's hopeless, girl. Yield before your time comes!"
. Caroliss wonders who the statue might be--it certainly looked old. She looks to Krystal to see if the sneaky rogue wanted to creep up to the unsuspecting woman or if they wanted to continue imitating tower girls.
Caroliss quickly clarifies. "No wait--I think we should go south, Krystal, where the solitary boot prints go."
Caroliss explains what she sees. "See how all the rat tracks go north, but there's just one set of boot tracks going south? Bet that's a leader's private quarters. Let's go there." The noblewoman gestures, knowing that it was better to have Krystal or Ragnar lead the way.
Bringing up the rear, Caroliss looks around as she tries to find some clue as to which way to go.
Caroliss nods in agreement, letting Krystal and the party lead onward.
"I kind of like the fact that they're an all-girl gang," notes Caroliss. She follows along too and sees what she sees.
. Caroliss shakes her head. "I know you've got a soft spot for the ladies, but they're not our friends. Not yet." She looks over and speaks to the Tower Girls directly. "There are places where your skills could be of use without breaking the law." Well, mostly, thinks Caroliss. Pathfinders weren't always perfectly law abiding either. "If you want to get back on your feet again, look for us."
"Good call, ladies," says Caroliss as the girls surrender. She helps grab the weapons off the captives. "Saw you were fetching water. Anyone expecting you back soon?"
Caroliss brings up the rear, letting Krystal lead the way. Once the Tower Girls stumble into the rest of the party, she draws and points a crossbow at them, giving a wicked smile. "You'd better surrender now, girls. They'll treat you nice like they treated me, as long as you don't fight." Caroliss still hasn't quite given up the ruse of being a Tower Girl--albeit a traitorous one who's sold them out.
"Let's hope we don't see Terisha," says Caroliss, knowing that at least one of the tower girls doesn't particularly like her. She quickly moves past the girls, hoping to either block their retreat or just move past them. Then looks around.
If the time to strike has arrived, Caroliss will bless Krystal with some luck!
Caroliss looks around in her disguise as soon as she enters the room!
"Give me one second--I might be able to add to the confusion. Don't attack me when I come back." Caroliss retreats down the hallway so that her spellcasting won't be heard, then casts a spell. When she returns, she suddenly looks much more like a Tower Girl! She then follows behind Krystal!
Caroliss gingerly steps over the wire, her legs stretching in an exaggeratedly long stride to avoid contact. She looks around at the ancient murals and strewn bones with some disappointment.
When Krystal mentions her intention to disable a trap, Caroliss prays for Calistria's luck on her.
"You're quite the joker, Ragnar!" says Caroliss, not at all believing him. And undoubtedly overlooking aspects of his Abyssal bloodline that emerge when he's in battle! "Right, let's get us some more ancient relics!"
"Thanks to you, Krystal!" says the delighted noblewoman as she makes it across. "And you too, Ragnar," she adds quickly. "What an adventure!"
Caroliss tries to finish off the climb as Ragnar and Krystal help!
"Seriously, have some respect, Ragnar! Let's just say I'm light enough that a strapping lad like yourself can most certainly help!" The noblewoman starts tying some rope around herself to keep safe, and is about to take Ragnar's offer of aid, she becomes worried as Ambriel resists the climb. "But Ambriel--this is how we're going to recover a piece of the Sihedron! That has to be worth it, right?" She looks up at the climb, then back at Ambriel. "Maybe this is a learning experience? There's learning by books, and then there's learning by doing!" Caroliss decides to demonstrate, hoping to make it look easy.
"Climbing ropes is definitely not part of a noblewoman's skill set!" complains Caroliss as she sees the path forward to the secret door. "Krystal--can you anchor a rope up there to catch me if I fall?"
. Caroliss glances at Krystal and frowns. It seems like she wants to say something, but then she looks back at the Tower Girl. The half-elf wasn't going to mess up Krystal's tough act. So she heads toward the collection of things left by the two Tower Girls. "So climbing is not exactly my strong suit. But it looks like this climbing gear might help. Let's take a look at that secret door."
"Please listen to Krystal--she knows how to play rough." Caroliss gives Krystal a knowing wink.
Fearful that the remaining woman might run away, Caroliss utters a single word. "Approach!"
As the girls come to them, Caroliss gives Ragnar the blessing of Calistria!
I think it might help to talk about where we are in the gameplay thread. It sounds like the girls decided I was Sashan and was just pranking them, so they are ignoring us. And then Krystal rolled a bluff check where, if I understand right, she's pretending to be Sasha and moving past the girls to block "the exit" (although there are two exits, so she'll just have to pick one). So if that works (or even if it doesn't), we should basically roll initiative from here and start fighting the girls? This is my interpretation of what's happening, but happy to roll with whatever the DM thinks would happen.
Caroliss decides that maybe she could convince the two girls to approach an ambush. Praying for the luck of Calistria, she tries calling back, with a lie she hopes would be appealing to thieves. "I think there's more treasure beneath that weird dust downstairs!" She coughs a little like she's inhaled the dust, hoping it'll explain any strangeness with her voice. "It's heavy, though. Come down and help me move it!"
Caroliss returns Krystal's grasp with a squeeze. "It's okay--I was just . . . surprised. We'll have to get our hands dirty if we're going to get out of here safely, right?" She seems to be coming to accept her own statement and returns a faint smile. As the way ahead becomes narrow, the noblewoman waits for Krystal to go, then follows behind.
"Oh dear, that really was a wererat!" says Caroliss in surprise. Her voice betrays some regret about the woman's death. "Strange, have all these Tower Girls cursed themselves with lycanthropy?"
Caroliss calmly joins Anansi in surveying the area, trusting that the more capable fighters had the situation well in hand.
Caroliss also attempts a potshot at the rat!
If it's needed (sounds like it is?), Caroliss casts Light on Ragnar.
"These stupid Tower Girls are looting valuable relics without any understanding!" Caroliss is clearly offended and moves onward eagerly.
Caroliss is definitely suspicious when she sees the yellow powder strewn on the floor. "Anyone recognize this stuff? Is it dangerous?"
Caroliss has meditated below the Guardians ahead of this mission.
She casts Light on herself to see the way forward, and seems ready to head north with Ragnar, wanting to avoid whatever that terrible smell might be. She looks around for danger--or opportunity.
Hope everything is okay, Dorian/Anansi. Best wishes.
"Thanks, Captain Heidmarch. We'll get the next artifact!" Caroliss shrugs when asked about using a boat. "Does it come with oars? If so, we'll let the big man row it, of course!"
Caroliss starts jumping up and down excitedly like a child. The other patrons start glaring at the loud half-elf, and one of them verbally shushes her. "Oh, sorry. Got carried away there. Anyway, I think you'll find that I'm a fast learner!"
Though perhaps not as knowledgeable as the elf Ambriel, Caroliss certainly has an intuition for navigating libraries and proves to be a fast reader. She tries to be as helpful as possible, and she seems genuinely interested in the research. As the day continues, Caroliss broaches a subject. "Ambriel, I've always wanted to learn arcane magic. But I've never had an opportunity to do so. In the world of the human aristocracy, my elven blood makes me a bastard and an outsider, even though it ought to make me MORE qualified to learn magic. Do you think you could teach me a cantrip or two? I know I could do it if I'm given the chance."
. While Ragnar schemes, Caroliss tries to find a library to study what is known about the Crow.
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