Cedric Thistlewyne's page

Cedric, not likely considered 'cool' by anyone's standards, stands and watches the explosion with a rapidly-shifting mixture of emotions. First comes the excitement and adrenaline of a job executed well. Then comes the fright and surprise at just how big and hot the fireball turns out to be. Then comes the shock and horror on behalf of those caught in the blast and the aftermath.

The thing that snaps him out of it is the realization that this was only step one, and there's yet more work to do. He can worry about ethics when there isn't an army trying to kill him and his community. He turns and takes off after Thorek, hustling and panting in his armor.

At Boudra's signal, Cedric casts spark to light and set off the unattended satchel charges of alchemist's fire.

Cedric tenses as things come to the tipping point. He readies the spark cantrip in his mind, in case it helps.

Cedric hustles up along with Thorek. I have none, he signs.

Cedric will plan to hang back with Thorek. He's also not stealthy at all, especially not while wearing his armor. He keeps the sound burst ready in his mind in case he needs to cover his allies from range.

"Let's get this show on the road," says Cedric, nodding.

Since we have a good idea of where the camp is in relation to everything else, Cedric will wait until we're about half an hour before go time, then cast shield other on Thorek since it lasts for 3 hours.

Cedric joins in the effort to make the cavern look lived-in.

Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

"I see no way this carefully laid plan can possibly fail," says Cedric without any hint of irony, or indeed any knowledge of the normally-sarcastic usage of that phrase.

When it comes to the nitty gritty of planning an ambush, Cedric isn't much help. He's more of a big-picture kinda guy, so he lets the others plan as they see fit. With everything else seemingly resolved until then, he spends what time they aren't scouting continuing to minister to the needs of the camp.

Sorry I've kind of disappeared for a bit, there. Getting down to the last days of buying a house, and that's been eating a lot of my time lately. Should be back to normal by the end of next week.

Cedric looks horrified at the idea of simply torching the provisions. On the other hand, he's also horrified at the clarity of a trail trying to bring horses and a cart back to their hideout might create. Neither one is a good option. He tries to wrack his brain for a third alternative.

He can't come up with one.

"I think it's probably worth the risk to bring the whole cart and its load back with us. We can do our best to disguise the trail and hope that there's enough time between when this group goes missing and when they search for it that the elements help us in that regard.

"Furthermore, if we resolve ourselves to attack the camp immediately, say tomorrow or the next day, they may be preoccupied by that enough fora missing caravan might be lower priority for just long enough that the trail gets hidden by time as well. Also in our favor, the camp may be less well defended without this group and will surely be more heavily defended the longer we wait once they notice this caravan has been taken." He takes a deep breath.

"It's a much larger risk than we've taken thus far, but we can't afford to be timid. If we don't start making big moves, they'll be simply able to search until they find us and they have the overall advantage in numbers."

Cedric shrinks back down to his regular size, feeling more than a little embarrassed by the last showing. Resolved to be more stable this time, the tip of his tongue pokes out in concentration as he edges closer to the last remaining conscious hobgoblin and thrusts with his spear, aiming for the center of mass and not trying to do anything too fancy.

Longspear Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Cedric, now all alone on the ridge, wishes he had another sound burst prepared. It's a bit awkward with him being up here and all of the enemies being down below. He takes a deep breath, steps up and over the edge and flails his arm and his spear to try to keep himself from going heads over tails all the way down.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 1 - 3 ⇒ (18) + 1 - 3 = 16

Upon reaching the bottom, he dusts himself off and then starts breathing again once he realizes he was holding his breath. He grows in size and then thrusts his spear at the hobgoblin with the alchemist's fire, intending to put it down with prejudice before it can set his friends on fire. It goes a lot better in his head, though.

Longspear Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
Enlarged Damage: 2d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (2, 4) + 3 + 1 = 10

Cedric sees the rough shape that the bugbear is in, and wants to put it down. But he also doesn't want to ignore the more active threat right in front of him. It's a tough question of priorities for a moment, then he remembers that he prepared a sound burst for this encounter and this is the perfect time to use it. He steps back and invokes the power of Erastil to bombard both of his foes with intense sound.

grey radius on map
Sonic Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 7
plus DC 14 Fortitude save, targets are stunned on failure

Cedric grimaces at the arrow, and doesn't want to let the bugbear keep peppering him. He tromps his way closer to the foe, also bringing him into closer tactical positioning with Thorek. Then he thrusts forward with his spear. He considers growing in size, which he's come to think of as his signature move, but thinks that might be better to avoid until there are less of them to target him at once.

Longspear Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

After what happened last time they ambushed Ironfangs, and with the surprisingly close bugbear practically breathing down his neck, this time Cedric starts things off with a defensive buff to himself instead of the offensive buff he used last time. Thankful to Bree for alerting him to the danger, he invokes a quick prayer to Ol' Deadeye for protection, feels his skin begin to thicken and roughen, and then gets ready to threaten as many enemies as he can with the reach of his spear.

casting barkskin on myself

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

Cedric can't see anything else, but makes note of the signed warning. He tightens his grip on the spear and readies himself for things to start happening quickly, invoking a mental prayer to Erastil for guidance and success on this mission.

Cedric is impressed by how well the others have set up a game plan for this ambush, and worries that the best he can hope for is to try not to get in the way and give up the plan too early.

Stealth: 1d20 + 1 - 3 ⇒ (14) + 1 - 3 = 12

Sounds like a great plan to me!

"Yes, that did go well," Cedric agrees, shrinking back down to his normal size. "Before we celebrate, however, I think we should try to follow their tracks back for a few miles and eliminate them as we go, then stage an ambush site somewhere else along their trail, and perhaps leave evidence that suggests that they were eliminated by some other type of creatures, if possible, so that the Ironfangs don't learn anything by investigating the loss of this patrol. Do we have anyone else, besides the Trogs, that we think we can blame this on? We don't want them to come looking for the Trogs, here. If they send an envoy to follow up we should play like the sacrifices never arrived. Perhaps the Rangers? It's something they would likely be doing anyway. Maybe Aubrin can help us make a symbol or patch or two that got 'accidentally' left behind during the 'rescue' of the civilians."

As the discussion progresses, Cedric gathers everyone that was hurt together close and channels energy to help heal everyone a bit at once.

Channel Positive to heal: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 4) = 7

Cedric strides forward and, through the grace of Erastil, grows to immense size, the better to wield his spear. If that in turn continues to make him a primary target, then so be it. He knows he can handle his own wounds pretty well. He wades into the very middle of the fracas, and then thrusts downwards at one of the hobgoblins not currently threatened by the others. Attack Yellow

magic, enlarged Longspear Attack: 1d20 + 4 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 1 + 1 = 10
Damage: 2d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (1, 5) + 3 + 1 = 10

AC is reduced by 2 until the start of my next turn.

"Urrghh," Cedric grunts. Between the arrow to the thigh and the axe to the shoulder, he's in pretty rough shape pretty quickly. But at least the good news is that, since he's taken the brunt of the offense so far, he's in excellent position to completely negate it. He steps back away from the axe-wielding hobgoblin and sacrifices his prepare shield other spell for a cure moderate wounds on himself.

Cure Moderate Wounds: 2d8 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (7, 5) + 3 + 2 = 17

All things considered, this is going pretty well. As soon as things start to go toward their inevitable conclusion, Cedric casts magic weapon on his spear and breaks from the cover of the cave to join his comrades in the conclusion of this grisly transaction.

"I'm of the impression that the simplest solution is to sack the tower, either by stealth or speed, and then use the bottleneck to outlast the Ironfangs as they try to take it back," suggests Cedric. "Personally, I favor speed as I'm not very good at stealth, but there is magic that can help with that, I suppose. I wouldn't exactly call myself a tactician, though, so if someone has a better plan I would very much like to hear it."

Cedric is saddened by the way things turned out with this meeting. But if he keeps his word, and Cedric believes that he will, then at least unnecessary bloodshed can be avoided. He decides, however, to keep any questions about the rangers unasked. Just in case he does report them, he won't have much information to give as to their purpose.

"I'd say you've got a deal, Yorc," he says as he stands and offers a hand to shake on it. "I wish we had met under better circumstances, and I hope that someday we might still do so."

Cedric sighs. "I don't suppose we could just not do this?" he asks. "I have to believe that you aren't happy with the Ironfangs seizing control of these woods, Yorc. You don't have to put up with this. You wouldn't be the first one to switch sides with us. We can still be allies, if you would prefer the side of good to the heinous behavior of the hobgoblins."

As part of showing his seriousness, he maintains his seated position, offering a display of calmness and confidence.

diplomacy?: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Without missing a beat, Cedric puts on a genial smile and grasps his mentor's holy symbol from around his neck. "If it's alright with everyone, I'd like to say a little prayer of thanks to bless this meal and the friendship it might lead to." Not waiting for assent or dissent, he utters a short invocation to Erastil, and finishes by casting purify food and drink on all the food and drink being produced.

As a heads-up, I'm going to be traveling to visit family starting tonight and continuing through January 5th. I'll have internet and try to check in when I can, but family is unpredictable so I may disappear for a few days at a time. I don't intend to let it get to the point where I need to be botted, but if I'm holding things up, please do.

"I think we'd be happy to share a meal with you," Cedric says, leaning his longspear against a handy tree and taking a cross-legged position. "To be perfectly honest, we had heard that there was a centaur in these woods and were actively seeking you out." His tone starts cheery but becomes a bit more grim as he goes on. "We've all been marked by this Ironfang Invasion, I'm afraid, and have collectively decided that there's safety in numbers. We hoped someone such as yourself would be interested in being our friend. Such things are hard to come by these days, I'm afraid."

Roll Credits :P

And I can give you a hand, Cedric adds, more or less. I think that as long as we can get back before the enemy brings us prisoners, we should be okay. And the people here will have Caladra and Aubrin to look after them while we are left. The information this horse-man might have is worth the risk of exposure, I think.

Survival Aid Other: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

I agree, such a person could make for a great ally, says Cedric in stilted, deliberate sign language. His tongue pokes through the corner of his mouth as he concentrates on getting the gestures right. He or she is probably as threatened by the Ironfangs as we are, and might be on good terms with the Rangers, too. I definitely think it's an avenue worth pursuing.

Loyalty Check: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

During the agonizingly slow wait to find out how many hostages they will be "gifted," Cedric continues to do his best to provide a stable foundation for their burgeoning settlement. Counseling, ministry, and just trying to always look like he knows what he's doing and has a plan, all go a long way toward giving others the confidence they need to believe, deep down, that there's hope for the future.

Assuming that success means we get the bonus skill rank, I'm gonna put mine into linguistics and finally actually learn sign language!

"Did anyone else see the animal-pen-looking place? It didn't have a gate on it, but it looked like the ground was bloody." He scratches at his hairline. "I'm not sure what to make of that. Either the animals are very well trained, or there might be some internal trouble in the camp that we can maybe capitalize on. If they're already distracted this would be the perfect time to take them. I think we can probably do it if we hit the watchtower first and hard and then use the high ground to our advantage. What do you guys think?"

Before making the trek to the overlook, Cedric will cast Shield Other on Thorek and then the freshly prepared Muffled Sound on the party.

"I don't like this clearing much," he whispers. "Can anyone tell how many Ironfangs we're dealing with?"

Cedric doesn't really fancy traipsing through those thorns, and worries somewhat about making straight for the natural choke point. "If we give that patrol a 15 minute head start," he whispers, "I can fill one of my open spell slots with a spell that makes us quieter while we follow them to the high ground from which to survey the camp and see what we're dealing with."

For reference, the spell I'm talking about is Muffle Sound

Survival (Aid): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

-3 ACP
Stealth: 1d20 + 1 - 3 ⇒ (15) + 1 - 3 = 13

Cedric is pretty good at helping to keep the trail from getting lost, but not very good at being quiet about it thanks to his armor.

Cedric watches the signed conversation and kicks himself for not yet taking the time to properly learn the method of communicating. Now that they are more settled, he means to actually get around to it as soon as possible.

"That was some brilliant improvisation," Cedric says, a little awed, once the hammering in his chest dies down a little bit. "If they actually bring us some of our kin as "sacrifices" then that's fewer that we have to worry about rescuing or accidentally harming. When you first said it, I was horrified, but whoa. Really good thinking, Lily. Thank you for handling that so well."

Cedric, heart thundering so much he suspects that alone might give them away, sees the plan Lily is enacting, and gives her a thumbs-up to go ahead and give it her best shot.

Meanwhile he starts quietly praying to Erastil, hoping for any lucky advantage to help them help themselves protect their community.

I guess I'd go with Commandant?

Cedric spends the intervening time splitting time between his role supervising the high-level organizational decisions, helping to acquire food for the settlement, and providing emotional support and grief counseling to their band of survivors.

As a follower of Ol' Deadeye, the stability and growth of this community is his top priority.

"That would be extremely helpful, I think," Cedric says. "Even if they are there, we might get lucky and find some indication about the locations of the other two or something. Thanks for the offer."

He looks at the others. "I'm really at a loss for what to do in the mean time, though."

"Certainly doesn't hurt to try," Cedric agrees. "I feel really awful for the poor thing. I'm not very good with animals though. Edran would be good at this, but that's a bad idea for so many reasons. Whoever wants to give it a go, give it your best shot. Then, one way or the other, we should probably move on and keep looking for signs of the Rangers as we go back to base."

"I had that thought, too, but unfortunately I don't know how to do that. Yet. If we had a scroll I could probably use it, but the odds of stumbling upon that sort of magic seems slim." Cedric sighs. "I think the best thing we can do is take a different path back to base than we took to get here. We might get lucky on the way. Otherwise, we'll ask Aubrin. And, if that yields nothing, then we may need to set a different goal for the time being."

"I haven't got any better ideas," Cedric admits. "I didn't have any other ideas on how to find the Rangers besides asking Kelloch if he knew. If only I knew how to ask him anyway." He shrugs, then a baffled expression crosses his face. He opens his mouth, closes it abruptly, then opens again, frowning.

"Possibly a stupid question, but has any of us asked Aubrin about tricks for finding the Rangers? I don't think I have, but that seems like a plausible option."

"Damn," Cedric says, thoroughly dismayed by the discovery, to the point that he almost doesn't even notice the grazing arrow wound through the distraction. This is one more in a series of bitter discoveries since the Ironfangs decided to go marching.

He raises his mentor's holy symbol and channels energy to put their foe to rest.

Channel to harm undead: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 3) = 9 DC 12 for half

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

Cedric puts hand to his ear. "It sounds like trouble inside, and perhaps a large cat yowling nearby. Everybody should stay alert. Would someone sneaky please creep up and see what that ruckus inside is for? We'll be ready to come to your aid and watch out for kitty." Just after asking, he prepares for a probable confrontation by casting shield other on Thorek.

"I think we probably should. Where there's one trap found, there's probably many other that we don't see." Careful to avoid the trap they know about, and with spear ready in case the shouting catches the attention of the apparent big cat, he gets closer and tries to make contact.

"Kelloch?" he shouts. "Are you in there? We're a group that escaped Phaendar after the Ironfang hobgoblins sacked it. We'd very much like talk to you, and possibly work together if you're willing. These woods are crawling with those gray menaces, but there's strength in numbers and we could really use your expertise." Message sent, he waits, hopeful for a response and ready in case that response is unfriendly.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

"We were following a game trail that we supposed would lead us to Kelloch when we discovered the tracks from the Ironfang scouts," Cedric suggests. "If we go back that way we can possibly find it again, and we can also check to see if there are any signs that their camp has been discovered by their fellows. I have no idea how to even begin looking for the Rangers. Maybe Kelloch would know their habits better if we locate him first?"

Cedric considers Cyrioul's offer of equipment. His first instinct is to argue that even as a sometimes-frontliner by necessity, there's still others who can make better use of it themselves. But then he realizes that most of the things which these items protect against are problems he can use Erastil's blessings to help with, but not if he himself succumbs to their effects first. So realizing, he allows himself to accept the offered aegis and cloak.

Upon seeing the relative shortness of the magic spear, his interest in the weapon wanes. He likes the advantage of his spear's reach, especially when compounded with his ability to further increase it when he grows.

Adding the aegis of recovery and cloak of resistance Cyrioul offered to my sheet. Thanks!

Is the magic spear a regular spear or a longspear with reach?

"I don't see why not," Cedric says, feeling deeply relieved by the fact that it's a possibly friendly encounter. "What sorts of things do you sell? I think we have some pretty good stuff to trade, if you're interested in barter, but we also have some gold as well. I'm Cedric, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet someone that doesn't attack on sight for a change."