Please don't - that was definitely not my intention - I just figured you had far more claim on the game than I did, so was happy to step away :-)
After all, I joined the group in the first place mostly because Bluedove invited me.
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In that case, I will step out of the game. Have fun, Noral :-)
Sorry, I did not notice that this game had come off hiatus.
Charles raises an eyebrow in reply. "Would you perchance be obliquely referring to Professor Mangvhune? Assorted public unpleasantness aside, I heard that he was interested in subjects connected to maintaining a sense of self beyond death. The view from up on Temple Hill being what it is, and all..."
A somewhat bitter taste still in his mouth, Charles moves to spend some time with the proprietoress of the inn.
After ensuring the halfling's life has been saved, a conflicted expression crosses Charles' face, but he keeps his mouth shut.
Charles lets out a weary sigh. "Needs must, I suppose. Drowning is far from a pleasant way to go, and they do look like children... I would not be able to sleep soundly..." He then pats his lizard companion. "Rebecca, I would be most grateful if you could retrieve that halfling." The compsognathus lashes its tail in irritation, but nonetheless leaps into the river to retrieve Leora.
Glad to hear the computer issues are sorted :-)
All good! IT issues happen.
Just to be clear, I am still monitoring this thread; Charles finds the current mission somewhat distasteful, so he is being a little stand-offish.
Well, Charles had already gone back to bed when she made the reveal, so...
Charles eyebrows raise. "Given only his skin was down their, and the rest of him was... absent... *someone* must have known about it... but I won't ask any more." He then bows politely to her, and goes back to bed.
"Actually, it was a (?flayed) skin, not a skeleton," Charles notes helpfully. "Glad to see you are doing better!"
Charles readily identifies the rod. Charles attempts to be as diplomatic as possible. "Dear Loredana, we have dealt with the Shredskin in the basement. That said, it *would* have been helpful to know about the monster beneath our feet before this..." (If she opens the door, he will show the pendant it dropped as proof.)
Charles holds until Fellzir has had a chance to tap Giuliano with that held healing charge, then shoots!
Charles chases after it, and fire another arrow.
"That's Obscuring Mist - it's non-toxic, but it blocks your line of sight." With a sigh of annoyance, Charles moves in, and shoots from extreme close range.
Charles sighs. "Fellzir, this thing was probably locked down here precisely *because* she did not want to deal with it. I knew a warlock who felt the same way about the refuse from his experiments on channeling demonic spirits into pigs..."
"Well, *someone* certainly bears a grudge..." Charles makes a mental note to extract some form of reward from Loredana, even as he fires a pair of arrows.
Charles moves around for a clear line of fire, and shoots!
"Never heard of them, but I'll take your word for it." Charles calmly draws and fires an arrow from point-blank range.
"It is plausible, however," Charles notes dryly.
Charles frowns. "Agreed. If they were truly friends, especially if one of them was a priest, you would think that he would have respected piety and loyalty, even if he himself did not support the deity in question." He then carefully inspects the gem.
"Ah! A Fire Elemental Gem." A thought then occurs to him. "Can you describe the human who stole the hammer? It would help us to track them down..."
Charles glances around to make sure no-one else is watching, then flexes to reveal the mark. I trust that is sufficient proof?
Charles smiles knowingly. "Of course! I would be delighted. There all sorts of ways that cunning tools can be used... and hidden..."
Charles leaps back.
"It is *acting* like a small fire elemental, but there is something... off... about it..."
Picking up on a few things, Charles does his best capitalise upon his knowledge, quietly leaning in to whisper: "That is a nice hair ornament you have there - both practical, and functional. I myself find that having the right tool at hand, regardless of the situation, tends to make a job go more smoothly. My belt buckle performs much the same service, as do one or two items I have worked into the lining of my clothes."
Charles inclines his head politely. "A professional never reveals *all* of the tools at his disposal. However, I can say that whilst I am a decent archer, and would certainly help in the event of a home invasion, my real skill is in tightening security. Thanks to my magic, I have no need for sleep, and I can ensure the place is locked tighter than a steel drum."
"'Twas simply a matter of being in the right place, at the right time." Charles, deciding to play his designated role to the hilt, lays it on thick for Loredana, serving her food, and making sure her cup is never empty for long (regardless of what her beverage of choice is).
Charles wakes early, and makes sure that his new clothes and costume jewelry are in immaculate condition. This is a battle like any other; the field of combat is just a little different to the ones that I am used to. When Loredana comes to inform him that it is time to go, he nods, a serious expression on his face. "I will do my best to acquit myself well." A sparkle then enters his eyes. "If things go well enough, we might even be able to give a certain cleric an untold degree of anguish for his 'unrequited love'..." Just before arriving at the manor, Charles will cast several spells, and drink a few concoctions.
Cracked Dark Blue Rhomboid Ioun Stone for me, too! In terms of the 1000gp... If we are doing social combat, I should stock up on stuff for that, considering I am... less than useless... at base. Scroll of Cultural Adaptation (-25) + Scribed (-10)
That turns my -1 on Diplomacy to +8+1d6 for a bit. In terms of your recommendations, I am happy to go along with them - I will be equally bad at any of them, and getting 'stimmed up' for a 'date' seems appropriate for this game (although I admit, having someone brazenly say to me 'you know what, you should work hard to try and impress me' does make me chuckle a little) :-P
Charles nods. "The rumors about the smithy had already attracted our attention. Looking into them seems like a wise (and potentially profitable) idea."
--At The Inn-- Charles gestures to the trio. "We had a spot of good fortune today, and paying it forward is never a bad idea. Would you care to share a meal with us, and pay us back be sharing news?" There is no such thing as a free meal, but if they happen to think there is, I won't complain...
"I will also note that, like most bone-based undead, it is most vulnerable to bludgeoning attacks, and is immune to cold-based ones." Taking his own advice, he then starts firing blunt arrows at it.
Charles' lizard companion then stalks forward, and tries to bite the beast!
"I have heard a rumor that the soul of Tychus Groat, the former town blacksmith, has returned as a devil after being murdered by his best friend - the current governor Oppian Nevilindor. It might be worth checking out the smithy he supposedly haunts..." Charles' voice trails off when the creature puts in an appearance.
"That is a centianima - a vicious undead beast created by a spellcaster with a grudge against nature." Cursing, Charles draws his bow.
Heh. I just had a thought - could our resident crafter make a bunch of Plaguebringer's masks for us (at 1000gp to craft each, we could easily afford them now)? It could become a group 'calling card' of sorts, whilst also masking our alignments before we hit 5th level ;-) The other (relatively cheap) alternative that I can find (and doesn't require recurrent sentient sacrifices) is the Ring of Mind Shielding, but at 8k a pop, that is a way off yet...
Charles is, admittedly, slightly weirded-out by the collection of severed monster heads as trophies, but he tries not to let it show. Most of the populace probably don't care too much about who runs things, and are probably just trying to keep their heads down and get on with their lives. Those that have actively thrown their lot in with the terrorists, though, will get what is coming to them. He then turns to Loredana. "Is there a tailor that you would recommend? If we are going to eventually introduce ourselves to the 'ruling council', I dare say I should have an appropriate suit made."
Once decisions have been made, Charles spends some time quietly walking the streets, listening for interesting titbits of gossip.
Charles shrugs. "Well, I *do* owe a favor or two to the Lord of the First Vault, so I suppose I could act as a financial consultant, in a pinch..."
The human male called Charles stands when he is introduced, clicks his heels together, and bows. The clothes he chooses to wear are a simple explorer's outfit of leather and hard-wearing cotton, but his weaponry is top-notch: a heavy darkwood bow, and a wide variety of exceptionally well-crafted arrows of various metals, their fletching colour-coded to make it easier to determine which one is being drawn. "Greetings. As was mentioned, my name is Charles Beecroft. As for what I can contribute, I can deal with traps and locks, am a decent shot with the bow, and have skill in matters arcane." A cat-sized lizard with mottled green and brown scales, which somehow manages to look remarkably cute, then hops up onto the table, and chirps adorably. "That is my familiar, Rebecca. I should warn you, although she looks cute, when she is angered, she can be quite feisty." He then frowns. "We have both lost dearly to the 'Glorious Reclamation', and I am eager to see them pay for that, with interest." Charles then takes to one knee. "It is only proper to offer our loyalty to the rightful ruler of Cheliax, Her Infernal Magestrix."
"Well, at least he isn't a complete idiot, then..." Charles' nose wrinkles slightly at the eau de cologne of the latest arrival, but he diplomatically keeps his mouth shut, knowing that allies can be strange bedfellows at times. Sounds like that one might have already sold his soul. I hope he at least managed to get a good price for it... Still, even Iomedae and Asmodeus have worked together (relatively) amicably when the need has arisen. If only their foolish mortal followers showed a tenth as much sense!
Charles shrugs. "Just as the sins of the father should not be inflicted upon the son, so should the son many times removed not rest upon the laurels of their ancestor. That said, removing someone who has been doing solid work for the city simply because their politics are inconvenient seems wasteful." He then frowns. "Throwing away the board simply results in anarchy, and refusing to play is utterly petulant behavior. If possible, I definitely intend to roll the dice myself..."
Charles winces slightly, feeling both conflicted guilt, indignation, and distaste for what he overhears. Simply replacing order with disorder is so... unsightly. Back at the dinner table, he ponders how much to share. "I have heard rumours that a blade, supposedly wielded by Ioemdae Herself, has been discovered... and that the discoverers fought like rats in a burning cage over whom should have the chance to wield it." There is no need to mention the origins of those responsible. They have turned their backs on the Order, and their names and existences deserve to be struck from the official record, and this world...
Charles does not have much in the way of an appetite, but he forces himself to eat, grimly consuming food without any obvious relish. I need to keep my body in decent shape, if I am to have any hope of making them pay. Distracted by his thoughts, he is only half-listening to what his host has to say, but manages to dredge-up something halfway serviceable. "There are many who have undoubtedly been caught-up in the heady fervor of what is going on, trading bread today for the promise of better bread tomorrow, or following the honeyed tongues of those who promise much..." Of course, knowing what the Nidalese are like, I could hazard a guess that other factors might have come into play...
Not one for delicately dripping poison in the ears of others, or charming the birds out of the trees, for that matter, Charles keeps his ears pricked for the word on the street...
Looks like this combat will take a bit yet, so let's figure out a book 2 prequel for our new friends too. Want to defend the Inn from some rioters? Start some in character RP? Let me know and I'll set it up! I would definitely be up for that - taking on some 'righteous rioters' and a bit of RPing would be nice ;-)
Greetings!
Noted. Most of Charles' gold has been spent on mundane items or his weapon/ammunition, though! ;-)
Alright, here is my submission: Charles Beecroft, LE Human Ranger(Trapper) 1 / Wizard (Spirit Binder) 3 Background:
Charles... is not a happy young man.
Born into one of the innumerable minor noble families in Egorian, Charles was not exactly raised in the lap of luxury, but his parents saw to it that he and his siblings were well-educated, and when he demonstrated an affinity for magic, they pulled some strings and managed to gain him admittance to the Egorian Academy. Admittedly, towards the bottom of the social rankings there, but he managed to claw his way up the academic rankings, eventually graduating towards the top of the class, behind the 'upper noble' students who were guaranteed the top positions solely by there rank. Thereafter, he found employment as a jobbing conjuror, working as a companion/guard for nobles on inter-city transports. After all, it gave him the opportunity to build connections, and that is always important. Unfortunately, in his early 30's, his world came crashing down around him. It was a matter of public record that Charles' family had had a strong connection to the Order of the Godclaw for many generations; his own uncle was a proud member, and Charles' younger sister Rebecca followed in his foot-steps, joining up as a Armiger. Unfortunately, she fell-in with a... less than desirable crowd, who focused solely upon the Iomedean aspects of the Order, and a fairly reactionary creed at that. These friends introduced her to other 'friends', who ultimately tempted her away from the Order, and Rebecca ended-up being killed in a foolhardy attempt to 'redeem' the nation of Cheliax. Charles' uncle committed suicide out of shame, and the rest of the Beecroft family were ostracised for their 'irredeemable' connection to a known terrorist. Charles' parents wisely hunkered down, and attempted to weather the storm, but Charles was incandescent with rage. Not for what had been done to the family; that was just business as usual in the Infernal Empire. No, what he could *never* forgive was that his sister had been led astray and left to die, a 'martyr' for a cause. If they had *truly* valued her, they would have moved Heaven, Earth, and Hell to keep her alive! Making bargains that would ultimately prove costly (both in this life and the next), Charles tore his sister's soul free of the Boneyard, storing it for safe-keeping in the shell of his familiar, and then settled down to his new calling: Hunting down and exterminating the vermin that had ruined his sister's life. After all, whilst they might see themselves as leading a 'glorious revolution', all Charles sees is a terrorist group, causing untold suffering amongst those who never asked for it. He will do whatever it takes to see all of them *burn*. Full stat-block is in his profile :-)
Charles scribes the three Uncommon spell scrolls that he recovered into his spellbook...
...then purchases a industrial quantity of arrows (500; 5gp). He also special-orders 100 cold iron arrows (400gp), 100 silver arrows (400gp), and 100 adamantine arrows (14000gp).
Oh, come on!
Charles frantically keeps firing...
...casts Shield, and tries to Hide.
Charles grits his teeth, casts Invisiblity(6th), and keeps firing!
Charles stops moving again.
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