DM Corvus's page

I got it, just waiting for the opportune moment heh

OH, and is there any consideration to equipment i should give when i finalize my character? any magic items, or base gold level i can use to equip meself?

Aest - this path does a good job of pointing out when to level everyone up, if i recall correctly. somewhere toward the beginning of the book.

i will level up Pellious, accordingly, as well.

also, some friendly advice. if you have free time, and are stressed out due to work, and the fact that winter sucks, hit the gym. I started a legitimate workout routine a year and a half ago and it has helped so much with all of the above issues. /plug

ok, so i have settled on a character. Pellious Leroung, Chellaxian conjurer.

Child of one of the noble houses, life-long student, archaeologist, student at one time or another and long-time correspondent of the late Professor Lorrimor. is in urgent need of surgery to remove the silver spoon from his mouth and the stick from his lower digestive tract, but he's not a bad guy necessarily. His house is one of the 'nicer' Chellaxian ones, as they tend toward the scholarly, rather than the diabolical/enslavement/opression trilogy of happiness.

will have an alias sorted out soon

sorry, i can have something completed in the next few days i hope, its been kind of crazy lately.

I have three character concepts I'm working on developing. attempting to meet the standard for the PC's in this group is daunting.

Anyway:

Half Orc Paladin, (redeemer archetype). Not sure which deity yet. He is in Lepidstadt because he believes that the beast can be redeemed, and hopes to do so. Has had past encounters with the late Lorrimor. Kind of a dope, but a straight-forward guy who sees the good in everyone and everything. which is naturally problematic.

Varisian Tattoo Sorcerer, Destined blodline. this guy could tie into one of the PC's maybe. I am considering giving him a level or two of rogue to fit his background, but i think that could diminish his effectiveness and would be stepping on the bard's toes.

A desna-worshipping Varisian, he's put a lot of miles under his feet and a lot of trouble behind him. I am having trouble reconciling the idea of this guy being a spell-blaster type currently, so I am considering a re-work into either an Ustalavian noble born generalist wizard, or a more classic nuker-style sorcerer.

more to come.

i will come up with a couple ideas over the next few days and put them together, and see what everyone thinks.

I am open to ideas for what you'd all like me to play. If we're going to have a character linked into someone's background i would be fine with that. it could be intersting to have someone not bound to the late Professor, and rather to a party member.

any classes you feel would be particularly helpful? or redundant? I've a bit of a hankering to play a druid, or maybe a sorcerer

(its been a while since i made a PC for pathfinder, so this should be fun)

I'd be more than willing to hop in as a replacement PC if no one objects, and Talia never re-appears

i am thrilled, THRILLED that this campaign persists.

Aest, this is a great group, so good luck and have fun.

to everyone else: PARTY ON.

Profile: Cerin Etherstrom

4d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 5, 3) = 17 = 14
4d6 ⇒ (3, 5, 4, 3) = 15 = 12
4d6 ⇒ (3, 3, 4, 3) = 13 = 10
4d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 3, 1) = 10 = 9
4d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 3, 2) = 14 = 12
4d6 ⇒ (2, 2, 4, 2) = 10 = 8

14, 12, 10, 9, 12, 8. interesting. Going to toss this around and see what i can come up with.

It's going. Still busy, but miss the PBP fun. It was always a nice distraction before I actually had steady work at this job.

Trying to get back in to PCing somewhere around here to get my fix, currently.

I've read up and I gotta say, Storycrafter you are doing an excellent job. Thanks again for taking over.

i am heartened to see this merry band of miscreants still plucking away at this.

which is to say, hey, glad y'all are still rolling along.

I was pretty active in this forum for a while and had to take a step back due to "real-life." But I saw this pitch, and I want back in. I really love the world of Golarion, especially the north, north-eastern corner of Garund, so there's really no way for me to say no.

I have a character based on an NPC from a campaign I've been working for a while.

Pellious Leroung is a Chellish scholar, a latter son of a house with a long and prestigious history of academic achievement. He uses his family's largess in pursuit of knowledge, and the glory of discovery. He can be astonishingly, but not always offensively arrogant, and expects his name and wealth to open most doors his general lack of charm cannot. All of his noble-born propriety quickly dissolves in the face of a potential discovery or new knowledge. He has no issue with the diabolical elements of his homeland, and buys into the notion that Hell works for Cheliax.

Pellious is tall, slight, and his long, black hair and beard is already streaked with gray. He dresses in the finest clothes, and carries himself with a deeply ingrained noble bearing. His eyes are piercing blue, and devour all that they see.

He is in Solku to visit the well-known Archive of Eminent Tomes, and to peruse the volumes of knowledge there for the next several weeks, before setting-off to Osirion and Thuvia. He most likely has some retainers or servant(s) with him, but I'm not completely sure how that would work mechanically.

Crunch-wise, Pellious is a Lawful Neutral Conjurer, with a heavy focus on knowledge skills. Complete crunch will be posted soon, if necessary. In the campaign he was higher level so he had an imp familiar, I'm currently trying to suss out a suitable replacement.

Are we taking the new standard of two traits and a drawback?

You named the beast Andrew and that is completely adorable.

I'll be following when i can and what not, because i feel so awful about bailing on this group after so long.

Seems like you in good hands, so I'm taking some consolation in that.

If someone volunteers, I'll certainly provide any and all guidance that I can.

Mine are crossed for sure. We got this far, so hopefully someone can pick up for me. There's so much great stuff in this adventure path down the road.

I'll still be floating around here. If I see a game that looks interesting enough, I'll probably apply, but who knows.

I'm not much of a PC honestly, I almost always prefer DM/GMing games.

It pains me to say this, truly, but I am going to have to bring this campaign to an end.

Unfortunately / Fortunately, I've gotten something of a promotion, and the time I usually spent dedicated to this and other PBP endeavors has vanished.

I want to thank you all for your patience as I've unfolded this adventure. I have some intention of maybe trying to publish it in the near future and you've all been instrumental in bringing a cool idea I had once into being.

Hopefully if/when I find myself back in this excellent PBP community we can roll together again.

All the best,

Corvus

It pains me to say this, truly, but I am going to have to bring this campaign to an end.

Unfortunately / Fortunately, I've gotten something of a promotion, and the time I usually spent dedicated to this and other PBP endeavors has vanished.

So, thank you one and all, this has been a lot of fun. you've made a good adventure path great with awesome characters and RP, and I hope when I have more opportunity to participate in PBP again we can roll together in the future.

All the best,

Corvus

It is with a heavy heart, and some serious regret that I have to announce the end of this campaign.

Fortunately I've gotten a new job, but unfortunately I actually have work (of all things) to do at said new job, so the time I usually put toward PBP has all but evaporated.

I want to thank you all for your patience and participation, I've had a lot of fun with this story, and a great group of PCs who stuck around in spite of everything.

So again, thanks, and good luck. Hopefully if/when I find may way back to the PBP community here we can roll together again in the future.

All the best,

Corvus

perhaps a vast quantity of pancakes?

Honestly though, that has gotta be a nightmare. good luck!

update forthcoming. pouring over info to pick out something that you'll.... well, you'll appreciate me taking my time with this.

The woman nods, gravely. Though she seems to do everything with a similar mien.

"You have a book for me." She locks eyes with Eloise. There is no question, nor doubt.

very sorry for the delay
Not far down the path, the clatter of a carriage and the drumming of hooves surrounds the party, the sounds thrown by the surrounding fog. Not a moment later, the source of the noise bursts from the mist, bearing down on the group.

The driver swerves, cursing loudly, and rushes past, vanishing again into the mists.

Shaken, but otherwise unmolested, the party presses on, and the path suddenly fades from cobblestones to well-trodden earth.

The sun rises higher, and the day's temperature slowly climbs to a near-stifling heat. The mists abate, and the party finds itself on the edge of a thick deciduous forest. The sounds of insects drone in the background, and the breeze stirs up new secrets shared between whispering trees.

The steady sound of axe meeting trunk sounds from somewhere nearby, and a thin path looks to provide a way to reach the origin of the rhythmic chopping.

I have jury duty tomorrow, will post later on in the day

I have jury duty tomorrow, will post later on in the day

I have jury duty tomorrow, will post later on in the day

The servant vanishes after a curt nod, and a moment later returns.

"Her Honor will see you, please follow me."

The party is lead through a well-decorated, though not-quite-lavish townhouse, to a sitting room.

Sitting at the head of a small coffee table sits Judge Daramid. The is tall, and sits with perfect posture. Despite prominent age[lines and gray hair, tied back in a tight knot on her head, she seems to have yielded little to age. She stands as the group enters and introduces herself to each in turn. Her ice-blue eyes make a quick and severe assessment of each in turn

"I am Embreth Daramid. I have been told you are here on business related to the death of Petr... Professor Lorrimor?" Her voice is iron, direct, and hardly emotive. She seems to catch herself ever so slightly on the name, however.

Zahur notes little more than the inscription, and Natasha finds no magical auras...

The jar remains inert, and unresponsive.

Who'se holding it by the way?

The professor grins at Heck.

"That was mostly to be wages for these lot. But they're not moving quite quick enough, so they're being docked." he raises his voice at the end, catching the students' attentions and receiving more than one slightly panicked glance. Crowl winks broadly. "Don't worry, I had no intention of paying them either way. Give the Judge my best, please."

It doesn't take long to find the judge's residence. Her apartments are, in fact, but a block from the courthouse. The doorbell is quickly answered by a sharply dressed man, who peers down his nose imperiously at the ramshackle group before him. Considering the nothing-short-of-remarkable size of said nose, it takes him quite a while to do so.

"Yes? he says, the word drawn out just a bit to far to denote anything other than annoyance.

The morning comes, and the party emerges into a silent house. The girls, it would seem, have yet to rise, and the servants and chefs still slumber off the nights' labors.

Passing through the front of the house strands of daylight filter through thick curtains. Opening the front door reveals a city shrouded in a thick fog, clinging to the streets and edifices of Port au Lucine.

Passing through the city, few others are up and about yet. The lowing of a fog horn sounds, echoing strangely through the thick miasma.

Reaching the east gate is simple enough, the cobblestones extend out into the distance, out into the countryside, and vanish in to the mist.

Inert, lifeless as before, the sarcophagus waits.

Usually an Osirion sarcophagus is a thing of beauty, wrought with the finest metals into a likeness of the one interred within; however this is but a stone vessel, unmarked but for the tiny etching, and unremarkable but for the extraordinary surroundings.

"Judge Daramid? She lives somewhere near the courthouse, I'm sure. She's one of the three presiding over the Beast's trial. Law and Order in this town being held in regard as they are, I'm sure it'll be quite the spectacle."

The man goes to his desk, and after some adjustments, produces a plump purse of coins that he hands to Heck.

"For the return of the manual, I'm sure this Alendru charged you no small fee."

The woman's eyes narrow, slightly, and she peers hard at Jossem.

"I will complete my end of the bargain when you have completed yours. Monsieur Watson pays his coin, I find out what I can for you. As for Collette, that matter is not your concern. She is my employee and will stay that way through the termination of her contract."

She is gone just as quickly as she appeared. Long moments pass before the kitchen begins a slow crescendo to its previous din.

The hours crawl by. Without the distraction of the outdoors or civilization, time stretches to nearly the breaking point. the watches seem to last for years with no sun or moon travelling the sky above, no rhythms of life or the living to mark time...

The hours pass, though, undisturbed and silent, but for the sounds of the party shifting in their sleep...

"This one seemed anything but mindless. When the guards found it, it was in a blind fury..." he shrugs. "I know the control of golems is intrinsic to the act of creating them... the magic of life binds them to their creator's will. And besides, the act of creating one destroys the manual in the process. The ashes of the book are part of the final step of creation. So we know this one had yet to be used. And shan't ever be used, for that matter."

"As for the effigy, I'm sure you'd know it if you saw it. Like I said, ancient, tentacle-ridden creature, carved from a horrid greenish stone. Non-magical, ancient," he makes vague gestures. "No matter, it is gone, and your books are delivered; your errand complete... Unless there is something else I can do for you?"

Despite everything, the man grins at Heck

"I have more than a few I'd never miss, that can be true. But that's the oddity, isn't it? The only thing missing was an old statuette that's been in the University's possession for years. A hideous thing, some sort of monstrous sea-creature. We called it the Seasage Effigy, and it's the only thing that hasn't been accounted for."

To Iesha he shrugs.

"You could find more information at the public trial, perhaps. I have heard no mention of a 'master'."

Oops

The man's eyebrows raise at Heck,

"The Beast has been a presence in this area for many a year before this little book went missing, thankfully. And rest assured, I keep these volumes under a watchful eye. Obviously Professor Lorrimor did the same, entrusting them to you. he nods as he takes the books. "But do remember that knowledge itself is not dangerous, nor the books that keep it. It is the intent of those that seek knowledge that can be dangerous."

The man turns to survey the wreckage.

"And I can certainly say that security will be increased after this break-in. While there was a theft, nothing of particular value was stolen and none of the guards or constabulary were injured while subduing the Beast."

heh, we'll just assume our addict had too rough a day to keep his eyes open.

One of the servants notifies the group of their readied meal, and at a small table in the kitchen, they find several fresh loaves of bread, some excellent-smelling cheese and bowls of steaming stew. A bottle of dark, unlabeled red wine, and glasses for the four are set out as well.

The party finds however, that Richard is already unconscious, so they decide to dine without him.

While the kitchen hardly provides a serene environment to dine, the food is both nourishing and delicious. The wine, a particularly a delicious vintage.

Nearing the end of the meal, the kitchen suddenly falls dead silent. The chef, in the midst of suggesting the parentage of one of the servants to be akin to that of some unimaginable combination or a rodent, a swine, and a semi-sentient fungus pauses, mid rant.

Corbeaux stands silent in the entryway. As she moves quickly to the party, the kitchen resumes its work, quietly, for once.

She smiles warmly, her cheeks a ruddy complexion. It would seems she's had a few bottles of wine herself.

"Ah, my friends. I am glad to see you enjoying your meal. Did you have any success with your undertaking?"

"Oh my! I had thought it lost... More likely stolen, but preferably lost, anyway. Hoping an overzealous student hadn't decided to take up that dark craft! A fascinating work, very valuable and dangerous... Please, tell me where you found it?!"

The room appears still, no magic auras detected, no noise of any kind. Reaching the centerof the room, a huge bare sarcophagus lies on the floor, with four large metal braziers surrounding it.

The creature roars in frustration, and it hurls itself against the passageway entrance, trying to force itself in. The stone walls begin to crack and give way, dust pelting down on the party as they flee down the passage.

When bigger stones begin to give way, the sound of the dragon's fury vanish beneath the sound of collapsing stone. Finally opening into the largest room yet, the party emerges, followed by a jet of pulverized stone and rubble.

A vast rectangular chamber stretches away from the entrance, the cavernous ceiling held up by crocodile-headed humanoids, nearly identical to those that guarded the valley entrances, save for the ravages of time. Pairs of them, on opposite sides of the room stand as pillars, reaching up into the darkness above with one hand, the other gripping a curved Osirian style blade.

"Oh? What book would it be?"

His curiosity seems genuine enough.

Returning to Corbeaux's establishment, the party finds the same concierge waiting by the door.

"You return! Bon! The Madame is indisposed, but your promised rooms are prepared. This way!"

Lead through the house, and through a particularly loud, fragrant and expletive-laden kitchen, the party finds several small, comfortably furnished rooms at their disposal.

"The chef will have a dinner ready soon, if you wish to eat. Meanwhile, please make yourselves comfortable. These rooms are available to you as long as you are in the Madame's employ. She will be by on her own time to speak with you, I am sure."

With that, the small, well-manicured man exits.

There is adequate space for Xin's alchemical undertakings. The DC check will be 20, and the brewing will be done by the morning.

It is unfortunate when people bail on a PBP, and I'm always torn as to whether or not I can actually justify it in plot... Sadly, I regret not doing so in this case, but I do hope you'll all stick it out. good stuff coming.

Waiting on you, oh party, to determine your course of action.

The passage is narrow enough that the dragon could not follow, which actually proves to be pertinent information, as the undead beast comes roaring out of the bones, claws sinking into the walkway, clinging there.

The head rears back like a snake, ready to strike.

Back in initiative
Ajkanir 29/41
Khol
Natasha
Dragon -45
Zahur