Thank you for the offer - feel free to bot Cas! His profile should contain all necessary info.
Search Posts
Hi all, I can only apologize for my recent absence. Unfortunately it doesn't appear that my RL schedule is going to become any less hectic in the near future, which means I won't be able to uphold my commitment to 1/day posting, or even anything close to that. I enjoy participating in this game, but at this point all I'd be doing is holding up play, which I don't think is fair to everyone else. Regretfully I feel that my withdrawing from the campaign is the best option for all : ( It's been obvious to me from the start that a considerable amount of thought and effort goes into this game both in Dain's GMing and all of your playing, and it's been a pleasure to be a part of that.
Cas gasps as Red's power yanks him back to wide-eyed consciousness. For a moment all he can see is her face - bronze skin and black eyes framed by a nimbus of stars - then she is gone, replaced by Patenemheb's bearded mien, the panicked bleating of camels, and the pain of his wounds. "Is it dead?" he asks, his eyes now darting this way and that in search of the monster that felled him as he pulls himself to his feet. His hands aimlessly search over his belt, chest, and back until his mind catches up with them and realizes - the dagger is gone!
Thanks for bringing Cas back, Red! The way I figure it Cas was at -6 hp (-5 from the ghul's attacks, then 1 bleed damage on the round Pat dragged him away, with Pat stopping the bleeding the following round with his Heal check.) I'll get a post up sometime today :)
Good to see that Cas still lives! :)
Maybe Patenenheb can pull you back from the fray and provide some healing to stabilise you at the very least, Cas? If Cas still lives, absolutely! The concern is that AC 16 means the ghul successfully confirmed it's Claw 1 critical for an additional 8 damage (8 - 1 DR + 1 fire), thus reducing him to a fatal -14 hit points.
I don't mean to be a buzzkill, but if we're being generous and saying that Cas wears his armor whenever it won't incur heat penalties, his AC with fighting defensively is still only 16, not 18. (I already added in the +3 dodge bonus to the AC 15 in his stat line header.) I fear this may make the lad from Lamu the first official player casualty of Xoth :| If so, I'd be happy to create a new PC and join back in :)
I'm liking Cas's attitude to fighting. Patenemheb is a little warier, but his opinion might improve once he sees some results. Emboldened by possessing a supernatural weapon, Cas is trying out a proactive, head-on approach to facing supernatural enemies. If it results in getting murdelized (as it did last time sans magic weapon), he'll probably try alternate methods in the future. OOC I agreed to take the magic undead bane dagger, and I feel it would be a real dick move to have done so and then not use it when we're faced with an undead enemy ;)
I think this is the most tactically complex round of actions I've taken in a game in a long while.
"Sefu, wait upon me!" Cas bides his time, waiting seemingly endless moments until after Samir makes his attacks, then lashes out with his magical dagger from a reserved, defensive stance. Once his own attack is complete he tumbles around the creature - doing his best not to give the undead horror an opening for attack - to be opposite Sefu and to help draw the ghul's attention away from the bodyguard's own offensive.
Why us?! Caslav stares as his comrades barrage the monster with arrows and swordstrokes to little effect. It has risen from the rotten earth to feed upon the living... He looks down to the dagger in his hand. Like Ikhtanabu Xul. He shivers, remembering how that dead priest's touch had drained him, an effect he had only just recovered from. Am I cursed to find such creatures, and them me? He gulps as he realizes what he's about to do. Rushing past Ala’Ihys he stands between the archer and the ghul, it's stench filling his nostrils and turning his stomach. Visions of the creature rending him limb from limb immediately flash through his head. If I'm to do this, I must be sure it dies before it has a chance to retaliate... Weaving the knife through the air at head level, Cas tries to distract the creature's eyes to gain an advantage once it's attention is properly misplaced. "Bjoern! Strike the undead thing swiftly, it will require many heavy blows to pierce its otherworldly carcass! Farrokh, advance and flank the creature, facing Bjoern! It may veil itself from sight!" His eyes dart guiltily to his comrades. Of course... more targets for it couldn't hurt... "Surround it, so it cannot escape through such trickery!" he blurts out. I am a cowardly wretch. * [dice=Bluff / Surround it to "prevent escape"]1d20 + 12[/dice]
Caslav jolts awake from his bedroll beside the fire as shouts and roars fill the camp. Scrambling to his feet, he stares wide-eyed at the monstrous creature charging into their midst as his hand digs beneath his shirt to retrieve his concealed dagger.
Hi all! I should be able to have a post up in the next few hours.
Btw everyone - thanks for playing along IC with Cas's various ruses :) If ever his bluffing starts to feel an impediment/counter productive to enjoying the game let me know and I'll scale it back.
I hope your situation works out okay, Ariarh.
Caslav looks worried as Patenemheb and Bjoern discuss the wounded man's words. They can't seriously be considering an attempt to find these Desert Wolves, can they? "Surely our duty is to see Yetara safely to his destination, not to endanger him by chasing after someone else's troubles?"
”What did you find Caslav?” "Tracks, but they are muddled. It seems some came and went mounted and others on foot. I'm unsure even which may have been left by the attackers and which by survivors, if there were any." He wipes his brow with the back of his hand. "I can glean only that the attackers most likely came from the southeast; beyond that I fear the winds have had too much time to sweep away the meaning from the prints." "You said that there was a staff within the possessions - I myself am not of the people of Yar-Ammon and I do not know much of such things... But I am curious on this item, though it may be a mere nothing..." Caslav shrugs and looks sidelong at Sefu as he speaks. "If you want to inspect it, simply ask for it; no one is keeping it from you." *
*
Caslav slowly dismounts and kneels, when the stop is called, hanging his head as cold sweat drips from his face. After a minute he stands and assists in setting up their camp. Looking over the rescued man, he assists whomever is tending him by performing simple, minor tasks such as preparing compresses and the like.
Hi everybody. For the next few weeks my work/life balance is going to be very out of whack from the norm, and my posting will most likely be spotty and/or brief. I apologize for the disruption, and please feel free to bot me whenever necessary. My hope is that by the end of June I'll regain some equilibrium and be back to my regularly scheduled posting.
While the others search through what remains of the caravan, Caslav investigates the sands around the perimeter of the site for any tracks the perpetrators or survivors of the massacre may have left.
Bookworm? Library? What does this fool think I am, some- Realization dawns on Caslav. Linguist. Right! ”Come on, Caslav we’ll make a Wildman of you yet.” He nods. "I'm sure you will." * Back with the others, Cas speaks up. "Those of us with sharp eyes should go in the lead, lest any tracks be destroyed." A sheepish look comes over his face. "I'll lead my mount on foot; if something spooks it, I'm as likely to fall off as I am to ride it to safety."
Now familiar with the hazards of desert travel, Caslav removes his reinforced tunic before setting out in the sands. Feeling much recuperated, he rides up front with Ala’Ihys, though not too close to the man - after all, better to cover more ground and less conversation!
Feeling drained by mid-day, he nonetheless accompanies Ala’Ihys and Samir in investigating the carrion birds.
Why me? Caslav does his best to ignore Daniya, but can't help sneaking a look at her from time to time. "You see that? She has one man in her thrall and I don't think you want to be another Caslav. She is as dangerous as she is beautiful." "Not in her thrall enough to keep him from cutting me in two! I think she must want me dead to behave like this in front of him." Caslav stops chewing as a thought strikes him. Or she wants him to be distracted by me instead of focusing his attention elsewhere... What happens once he realizes he's been tricked? What if he thinks I was in on whatever she's up to? He shoots the young Lamuran woman a worried look. She really is going to get me killed.
Caslav opens his mouth but has no words, stunned by the young woman's attentions. As she walks away his eyes meet Sefu's and he wilts under the large man's gaze. This girl's going to get me killed! He hands his and Daniya's camels off to Ala’Ihys then waits several minutes before entering the tavern. Once inside he declines the smoke of the poppy and the fortune-reading, glumly eating his food and doing his best to steer clear of Daniya and her bodyguard.
Apologies for the missed days this week, work and home has been unexpectedly busy. On the upside I should have the time to post over this weekend.
”You were so helpful to me when those ruffians assailed us. Would you help me get down from my camel?” Caslav's eyebrows raise in surprise. "Uhh... Yes? Yes. Of course." He dismounts his own camel, then moves to assist the young woman, taking her hand. Despite the heat of the day, his own hand is clammy. "Careful now..."
"It's bad enough we had to kill a dozen Zorabi to survive the trip through pass - now we have to pay a king's ransom to get out the other side?" Caslav whines.
Earlier, after the battle:
At the gates, Caslav sits patiently on his camel. Perhaps they'd be more favorably inclined if they knew of our victory against those Ghezath-employed Zorabi? If we do not tell of it, we'd best hold those coins very close indeed!
Tairin's request brings Caslav out of his thoughts and he hurries to provide what assistance he can in setting up camp. Later in the evening, when Yetara, Daniya, and Sefu are reliably out of earshot, he quietly brings up his thoughts with his companions. "If Yetara plans to offer the girl as sacrifice to Yot-Kamoth, why is bringing her all the way to Zul-Bazzir to do it? And why only him, and not an entire retinue of cultists? I think that either the spiderlings are trying to secretly start a sect abroad, or Yetara and Daniya are fleeing the power of Yot-Kamoth. "But which is it? Not an easy topic to broach!"
During the day's ride west, Caslav keeps turning the archer's words over in his mind. 'She's our witch.' If he knew what I was, this man would see me controlled rather than destroyed. Which would be worse? He tried to keep himself from distraction as he now rode at the head of the caravan, looking for signs of both danger and resources. Upon stopping to make camp he sets up his bedroll near the fire as usual, then sits upon it and stays out of everyone else's way unless asked to assist them. This Yetara seems typical of Lamra's elite - arrogant and callous. Daniya seems... The young man squirms uncomfortably as his mind strays towards distasteful territory. Seems like an insufferable brat! Still, if he intends to offer her as sacrifice to Yot-Kamoth, we must stop him. Strange, though, that they would take her out of Lamu all the way to Zul-Bazzir to do such a thing, and under the care of but a single priest. His eyes turn towards the grey-robed Lamuran as the man impatiently awaits the assembly of his tent. What are you up to, Yetara?
”Well, Caslav, you look no worse for wear.” "Lucky for me those bandits couldn't aim around camels," the young Lamuran replies, "and that I didn't elect to ride in the wagon." "Lysander has abandoned us, then?" he asks, mildly incredulous.
Sleep deprivation = very bad. I suffered auditory hallucinations after pulling back-to-back 10 hour shifts at two different jobs over a weekend and getting 0 sleep for 46 hours. It was extremely disconcerting. I didn't even feel tired anymore, but I was basically unable to focus my mind on anything for longer than 5 seconds and had lost all objectivity on my condition. Thankfully a co-worker who lived walking distance away convinced me that trying to drive home was a really bad idea and I slept at their place, otherwise I probably would've driven myself into either a building or a gorge. Get sleep. It seems your RL schedule is very chaotic; if you're away from the boards longer than normal we'll assume it's because you're taking care of yourself, not because you're abandoning the game!
I suppose that even if he didn’t you can ask him to repeat it. Unfortunately it won’t do you much good; had he translated more precisely what he heard (or if he could use the right Knowledge Checks) then you might have found a clue. As it is, his assessment of what is said is generally accurate, but not precise enough to warrant an appropriate check. Yeah, if party members want word-for-word translations of Yetara's and Daniya's Lamuran dialogues they're going to have to request it of Caslav. He's providing summaries of what they say, which I think is the natural thing for someone to do. Cas only has Knowledge (dungeoneering), so unless folks are dropping hints about mutant aberrations or subterranean ecosystems he's probably not going to pick up on them :)
As he works alongside She Who Knows to recover supplies from the buried wagon, he glances at their employer's repast and shrugs. The less attention he pays to me the better! He winces as his hands touch something wet and warm, and he reluctantly turns his gaze back to his work. With a resigned sigh of disgust he tosses the severed arm of one of the slaves to the side and resumes his scavenging.
"Thank you Caslav. That does not sound like the woman who spoke so assertively to me does it? Something very odd is going on." "Do folk in Yar-Ammon not act differently when their betters aren't around?"
Once he's sure Yetara and Daniya are out of earshot, Caslav translates for Red. "Yetara admonished the girl for participating in the battle, and ordered her to stay clear of any fighting if we are attacked again. She agreed to obey his wishes." He squirms slightly under Red's healing touch, but does not refuse her aid. "When we're ready to set out, I'll assist with scouting and foraging - I think I'm getting the hang of riding these beasts." That said, he assists in disentangling the camels from the wagon wreckage and salvaging what resources they can.
At least I didn't hit Bjoern... He turns his attention to the unfortunate bandit Sefu faces, and once again lends Red's power to his aim.
Caslav suppresses a shiver as Red claims power over him. He attempts to aim around Bjoern's bulk to send an arrow into the bandit the northman faced. If I hit the Tharagian I'm a dead man... Taking a step forward he gulps, closes his eyes, and wills whatever influence Red wields to guide his arrow...
"Yes!" Caslav exclaims as the bandit fighting Samir is felled. He looks down the ravine and sees Red headed his way. "Red, the girl may be hurt," he says worriedly as he knocks an arrow and moves past her in the direction she came, loosing an arrow at the bandit raining stones down on Bjoern. He winces as it flies far off mark and nocks another.
I was reading the footstomp/weapon strike as basically flavor text for the somatic component; for Caslav I was actually picturing that he would speak the verbal component to the ground while placing his hand against it, and the 'ripple of power' would more resemble the wake of a creature burrowing beneath the surface away from him towards his target. In any event, I think even casting the spell as-is could be done while climbing, assuming we count the wall as 'the ground.' I believe an unarmed strike counts as a weapon, and per the Climb skill "You need both hands free to climb, but you may cling to a wall with one hand while you cast a spell or take some other action that requires only one hand." The spell doesn't require that you use enough force to actually deal damage to the ground, as the effect is purely magical.
By the time I climb this wall Samir will be long dead. Caslav readies the bow again as he moves back into the canyon, but this time he ducks under the camel and attempts to hide behind it's bulk, hoping to stay hidden from the raging bandit above. If he thinks I'm still down there trying to climb the wall, maybe he won't see my next arrow coming. Keeping himself low and his bow horizontal to the ground, he peeks up across the camel's back and sends an arrow into the vicious melee between Samir and the bandit...
But if you get 20 feet up off the ground and stomp, won't that just mean that it will shake the wall you're holding onto? I'm not sure how that would work, but I'm open to possibilities as I know you can attack/cast spells while clinging to a wall... I see what you're saying - the spell could target creatures on the wall, but won't carry the effect across changes in plane, i.e. from the wall to the ground of the ledge above. It won't go around corners, so to speak. That seems like a fair ruling to me.
...In other words, consider the height of the cliff to be equal to the distance you want the shock of the stomp to travel - if it's able to travel so far (via height) then yes; but in this case, no. I'm sorry, I should've phrased my question more generically - I didn't mean to ask if Cas could cast it up the wall from where he was standing, rather to ask if you would allow the possibility of the spell being used up a wall to a ledge above at all. As I understand your response, it can be cast up a wall so long as all other spell requirements are met (range, able to target creature). So my plan is to try to get Cas 20 feet up the canyon wall underneath one of the enemies, thus putting him within range (30 feet) to target the enemy above him. This is assuming that the bandit will be visible (and thus able to be targeted) from Cas's position climbing up the canyon wall. If this isn't the case, hopefully Cas will notice that fact from his current position at the base of the wall...
Cas hastily squeezes his head and one shoulder through the bow as he pushes past a camel to the canyon wall below Samir and the bandits. He then tries to climb, but the awkwardly hanging bow and upset dromedary prove too distracting.
Dain, I'm with everyone else - do whatever you need to do to be well! I'll never fault anyone for stepping back from a game to handle RL issues, especially when they have the courtesy to post notice of it. When you're feeling better, I have a question: Would you allow Cas to use the thunderstomp spell up the canyon wall on a target standing on the ledge above? The spell keeps specifying the caster and target must be in contact with the floor or ground, but I don't know if that's to purposely exclude using it vertically or if they just didn't think of that situation.
"Samir!" Caslav tries to aim into the swordsman's melee, but can't anticipate the movements of the Nabastissean and the two bandits. I'm as likely to kill Samir as I am an enemy - I cannot help him! Looking down the canyon he sees Yetara directing his magic and Sefu near to gaining the ledge. "Sefu! Yetara! These men seek to crush Daniya - help Samir defeat them!" He then looses an arrow down the length of the ravine at the bandit covered in spiders. Covered in spiders...
The wool has been lifted from my eyes! I've been totally confused this whole time by the 2 "enemies" directly "above" Daniya, who I now realize are the dead slaves.
I think Red's cackle ability is more akin to incomprehensible whispers from beyond the Void than it is a specific language.
"Thanks!" Caslav grabs the quiver and bow from the ground, slinging the former over his shoulder and giving the latter a quick test pull on it's string. He then nocks an arrow and begins studying targets.
Am a bit shocked. Just got sacked from work. In my holiday. That is rough. Really, really rough. I also hope you'll be okay until you get back on your feet. |