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Dandelion feels the approach of something, so he quickly casts the same spell to allow him to See True anything before him; since so many creatures here are invisible, it seems wise to ensure he sees the truth of what it is. He is so tired, but he says to the others, "What is this, then? Is this something that will end our time here?"
Dandelion has gone through his short life believing himself not overly smart. For the most part he has operated on charm, confidence and instinct. It must be this instinct that tells him signing such a document is almost certainly something he would regret. Then again, not signing it is also something he will regret, his intellect tells him. As usual his instinct wins. He does not sign. He fights. He thinks of his father, and his adoptive mother.
Dandelion looks off in the direction of the hordes. He sighs, trying not to think of the future. This creature, this magnificent being, shakes Dandelion to his core. He cannot think straight - this powerful one wants something from them and his immediate reaction is to yell YES at the top of his lungs. He forces himself to remain quiet for a bit, to think about what was said. Soon the truth of it hits him. The very future of the world is at stake, right now. The devil is being sickeningly honest. But perhaps there is a chance.... He says, "I will agree, if you agree, after successfully closing off the realms, to do what you can to keep us from that eternity."
Dandelion is not surprised by the slaying of the paladin, but it shocks him nonetheless, to see the brutal attack and equally brutal response. He speaks. "Evil is not a side in a war or a game. It is not a sword or an axe. It is not a profane aura, to be read by those gifted and able to see such things. It's not a word you can just say to make it so, or unsay to make it disappear. Evil is action. Killing children, causing suffering. Intentionally removing love. Tell us, Sanriel, what will happen after the cleansing, when life will come again? Will it not contain good and evil? Same as before? What's to stop it? What will be different?"
They sound so certain, but Dandelion is not so sure. He agrees with them, sure, but he wonders. Fighting evil with evil sounds wrong, but he has seen stranger things, and this is a time of strangeness.
As soon as it becomes obvious that Dandelion needs to see the invisible beings, he casts one of his most powerful magics, a spell to allow him to See True everything around him, including things unseen. He casts it once more before starting down the hallway. He follows in a daze as the horror of this place occupies his mind, trying his best to keep it on the task at hand. He had mentioned to Aryaa that two of her friends had not succumbed to the evil forces they had invited into their very persons, and had remained true to their convictions even as they were broken. He had hoped that had set them better to rest, in her mind, at least. Standing some distance from this angel of death, or so she would seem, and realizing there must be some disagreement about the methods required to rid the world of the affliction they had seen, he looks to the Paladin and hopes she does not try to take this Sanriel down. Not yet, at least. He looks at the angel, hoping to see the complete truth of her, and wonders if such terrible actions can effect such a solution as is required. Surely cutting down children must feed the evil, in some way? Finally, he looks a the children, and their tendrils of light. Are they so bright due to their unsullied innocence, the sort that only children may possess? Or is there something else about them that is special, something unique and holy? He is unsure.
Dandelion sees a breastplate of unearthly beauty. It is red and ochre, with black lining. The lines are curved and sharp, and it sports images of a variety of demons' faces just under the collar, and down the front. He tries it on and it fits perfectly. Dandelion looks up, wondering about the blood he smells. "There is a human here." He wonders if they should investigate, or keep following the chain. They need to find a way to close the portal. "The chain is part of it. If we could get to some place where the chain originates, we may be able to destroy it. What do you think?" He considers casting an effect that would let him see all the magically concealed and changed things and creatures about. Perhaps soon.. When the others are ready he continues following the chain.
It is a strange place they find themselves in, even stranger than Dandelion had expected. They watch the brief battle with a mix of horror and awe, as one seemingly holy warrior is crushed, only to be turned into a deadly meteor, and to bombard the innocent earth below with its power and flame. Still, Dandelion finds room for a little inward cheer as the one creature destroys the invisible one, and an (illusory, surely) sound hits the half-orc's ears for the first time in about four years. Happy to still be ... 'living' may not be the right word.... happy to still be conscious, he sighs and forges forward. The lightning had hurt him badly, though not as badly as it should, due to his new form. And it had quickly healed. The power in him, in them, is substantial, and he wonders about all the lesser beings back on the earth. Why had he been reluctant to undergo this transformation? So much power, he could get so much power over others. And do so much... so much what? Good? He brings himself into the present, reminding himself that those feelings are not truly his own. They come from the special death he had undergone, and some evil force that influences his mind, his very thoughts. He must not allow it to affect him. He must be the same, the same as he always was. The vile thoughts, thoughts of power and superiority, will overtake him, occupy him and he will no longer really be Dandelion. To lose himself, he feels, is worse than death. He must remain true. "This gives me hope. If others are fighting our fight, perhaps we can prevail. Now, where and how can we break the connection between the realms. I have no idea, aside from following where ... he ... pointed." Noticing Grendel's new companion, Dandelion shrugs and asks, "Does it have a name?"
First one was blocked, but the second one was... interesting... Ima be in Edmonton tomorrow, just for less than 24 hours. Sorry if my posting is slow, I'm traveling all around and stuff.
That sucks. I've done it, and I don't like it. btw, Dandelion's init is now actually +4. And, he's dead. Like the others. +23 on visual Perception.
Dandelion feels pretty good, and he knows it is somehow wrong, since he is dead. He considers giving up this fool's errand and going to enjoy his new form, but then realizes that is the very trap that the likes of Bragh had fallen into, though his path was much harder given the vows he had no doubt taken. No, he would, they would see this through. He looks up, seeing no great beanstalk to the clouds, but knowing it is there. "The climb has two dangers for us, and now only one of them is removed. Climbing is hard and slow, and falling is still a real possibility. I can give us all the ability to walk up the air, as if it were a hill, instead. It will be safer and faster, I think. If the chain is too long, we can start climbing higher up, so we should be ready. Still, we should connect ourselves with ropes in case one should fall. Grendel, if you would rather fly I can save one of my Air Walking spells, though I know such a transformation uses your energy as well. If you take my magics, at least you can change if something makes you fall. I have a ring to do something similar. Do either of you? He looks at Jaevan and Calvoric (somehow, he does not seem to be "Cal" any more).
During their long walk Dandelion carved a likeness of Cal, and one of Grendel, and finally one of Jaevan too. Who knows what will befall them once they climb to the sky? In all likelihood, they would perish with the rest of the world. When the food of vampires, souls, is all dead and gone, do vampires continue on? Do they go into stasis, like the tiny animals found in ice, only to become live again upon thawing? He keeps the small wooden statues of his companions in his pouch. Finishing off the sub-vampires made him sad. These were once regular people, in all likelihood with families, homes, lives. He looks at Bragh. He has a few questions for him. "Who infected you and your friends? What was your plan? What happened? What did you see?" He stands over the angry creature and waits for an answer.
btw, Dandelion now has an init of +0, and the Scent ability. So you guys should bath more often.
The day before leaving, Dandelion had provided food for many, using the forces of the Mother to conjure food and water up from nothing. He performed the ritual seven times that day, and told them the food must be eaten within the day or it would go bad. In total, there was enough food for more than two hundred humans, for a whole day. Now, on the dark road back, Dandelion sighs. "We have the ink. I guess it is the only way. I only hope we'll be more successful than the first group." The group heads back to Dewsdam. Dandelion's new backpack holds possibly a hundred pounds of gear, but it seems like it only weighs a few pounds, and that helps his progress. They would need to see if the chain is still there, and one more thing Dandelion does not want to think about. The vampire. He wonders if they will let it infect them - kill them, actually, and then kill him. It is the ultimate sacrifice, but considering how many have died, how many have been sacrificed to that invisible soul devourer, and how many more will perish before it is all over, it does not seem like too great a price to pay.
Dandelion nods at Grendel's statement. "I thought so too, the chains. I can think of no other place the portal might be, so it might be anywhere at all. But the chain... the only way to climb it would be to be evil, or perhaps using some magic. Ah, I might be able to let us walk up without touching the chain." He wonders if, reaching the portal, there might be some other requirement to be tainted of heart. They would have no way of knowing... unless, the book. "Cal, did you learn anything about the other realm at the top of the chains, when you read the journal?"
Dandelion groans and sits up, and then stands. He rubs his neck, and moves it around, cracking it so he can feel it in his bones. He is confused as the Troll first starts auguring. Dandelion is familiar with such practices, for he does the same on animals on occasion. Soon enough, the Troll asks his question of them. Many come to mind for the large half-orc, but only one is important. He says it before he wavers, or shows fear. "How can the darkness be stopped before it envelops everything here?" They seem to be slowing it down, but could it be stopped?
Dandelion watches as the cultists give further examples of their strange behavior. It seems the only thing they care about, aside from their own twisted gratifications, is the ritual at the corral. He feels sorry for that boy - they had him, and thought they had saved him, but it was not to be. He gets an idea and relays it to the others. "Instead of killing their master, we can deal with the cultists - witness what Jaeven has been doing. Not that we need to do the same. But if we extinguish all the flames and get the smoke out of here, they might start behaving like people again... Perhaps then we can talk to them and find out more. As for killing or stopping that thing, I have no ideas at the moment, aside from fire."
"I dont' know if we should - " Dandelion stops as Grendel casts his fiery spell. The thing seemed overly powerful, but perhaps the three of them... But there are so many cultists, and only three of them. He looks for a possible route to run away, towards Jaevan if possible.
What are RP points?
Dandelion enters the camp feeling the entire thing is oh so unnatural. What could entice these people to behave like this. As he wanders around, he sees the braziers and how important they seem. He wonders if there is some alchemy produced in the smoke of them that makes the people go crazy. An idea forms in his head and he looks at Grendel and whispers. "We could create water on all the braziers. That would stop the strange smoke, and also make it darker, giving us an advantage." He looks around and does a quick, rough count - an estimation - of the number of braziers. As they continue their unimpeded tour, Dandelion sees the two boys being corralled. And he witnesses the horror of one of them having his life snuffed out by some invisible force, likely something related to the chains from earlier. The question of how to save the other boy, for the first is already gone, enter his head, when Grendel just calls out to the boy. But Dandelion fears it is much too late. He wonders if he puts his shield between the boy and the.... god? Are they close enough?
Have a beer. Short post. I wanted to write more but my day is full of occurrences, events, tasks and other nonmagical spells. (Though I did drop off a dual-wand-wielding wizard at his friend's house.)
Dandelion is satisfied with the tribe's reactions to their request, and is grateful for the information that help themed frame the request best for such a situation. He enjoys the tribe's hospitality, and it reminds him of living with his father, and his mother too, in the forest, in a simpler fashion. When Pribi asks about the tattoo, Dandelion nods and prepares for a painful operation, as he has sacred tattoos already which provide him luck. When it is all done, he likes the look of it, even on his face. Perhaps he would get more tattoos someday.
Dandelion had cast a few cure spells on Jaevan as soon as he had seen him. The knife thrower would live another day, and throw more knives. Also, he had searched the giant's sack and found a magic hammer. It might do well in a battle, and look impressive to the fickle tribesmen. Now a 6'10" Dandelion looks up to a human larger than he is. He looks him in the eye, not threatening but defiant. "Stormhold requires food. We thought a prosperous tribe such as the Tilestu must have some livestock to trade for. The courageous Stormhold citizens battle the darkness in the distance just as the city of Mauem falls to the marauding hordes of giants and others."
Just what a frost giant wants!
Never seen that before... How the hell did you summon a friggin volcano?
Dandelion rides along, only his second time on a horse, but holding up well. If the horse ever held two riders, that would have been similar to Dandelion and gear. On the road, he keeps an eye out for danger, and seeing the dead horse he can't help but think of the hungry people in Stormhold. He mentions it to Cal and Pribi - "If we write a note, and Grendel the bird brings it back to the town, they can come and get the horse themselves, with a wagon or a litter or something. When we get back we can ensure it is safe to eat." But the tracks pull them forward, and their grisly find doesn't leave them time for notes. When the giant appears, and Cal tells them about its weaknesses, Dandelion whispers, "Let's move forward, maybe it won't notice us." At the same time he thinks about pulling a few flasks of oil out of his pack, but changes his mind and pulls out a sling bullet instead. "Stay within fifteen feet of me." he says, then again to the cougar (speaking his its own language, telling him to stay close). Then he casts a spell, silently as always, and the silence spreads out from its center, which is sling bullet in his hand. He starts trotting his horse forward, ensuring it stays near the other horse.
Dandelion looks good in the large breastplate he found. It is of high quality, and let him move almost normally. To go with it, a very light shield crafted from a strange, dark wood. Dandelion had never seen such wood, but it was strong and light at the same time. He had also picked up a few interesting knick-knacks, including a rope that turned to metal, some incense and special rods to aid him performing his spells, a magical tool that transformed into many tools, and a magical rod of great power, that let him cast spells from farther away than usual. When he finds out the people of Stormhold are going hungry, he gives them all of his rations (5 days') and asks them to distrubute them wisely. When the horses and Pribi arrive, Dandelion suggests, if Grendel is going in animal form, perhaps Cal could ride with Pribi and Dandelion would ride by himself since he is so much bigger.
Dandelion had been about to suggest dealing with the harbour creature, until, that is, he saw it. It is difficult to comprehend it, but he stows its knowledge away for later. The need to get people out by any means possible became very obvious, and he went along with the others, helping Pribi, the sick, the young, the old, and anyone in between who needed help. He cast spells if they would help. The darkness is growing. This is not a surprise to Dandelion, as it had been growing in some fashion before, and he had guessed it was merely taking a rest from it for the time being. It is a concern, and if nothing is done, it is clear it will envelop all the realms. He is pleased that Pribi is with them, as she can be a source of wisdom and knowledge as well as magic. Alone with the others, and perhaps Pribi, Dandelion says, "Again, we are faced with the prospect of unknowing - not knowing what to do, but having a small clue that one particular action may lead us in the right direction. If any of you have ideas, now is the time for them." He rubs Nagrish's neck, telling him he will need to be strong in the coming weeks. To Pribi, he says at one point, "You were telling me that evil is in the heart. But we need to trick the chain, so that it thinks we're evil even though we are still ourselves."
"Yes. The invisible thing I touched, we touched, that caused this scar, goes up into the sky. If I were evil perhaps it would not have hurt me. We know someone had climbed some distance up, as we saw a rope hanging in the sky. So they chose to become evil by 'nature' and hoped to resist the urge to do evil, I suppose." Dandelion believes he understands more. Not the 'thamorglamical' stuff Pribi talked about, but the why of those taking on vampire form. He is also somewhat reassured that he is not evil. Once can never be sure. His eyes open wide, suddenly, and he adds, "Oh! He is still out there! We buried him, but it is only a matter of time before he digs himself out. He might well come here, at night only, I understand. You must take precautions. He might look for us, or for you." After a brief pause, Dandelion says, "I think the land beyond the shadow chains is somehow in the sky, or reached via the sky. The chains are the bridge to get there. Our path is unclear. But..... Pribi, do you know of any magics that can make us appear evil, to those chains, I mean?"
Is this a typo: Battle-Hardened (4 RP): Prerequisites: None; Benefit: Members of this race gain a +1 bonus to CMD. 4 race points for a +1 to CMD?
Dandelion pulls aside a small piece of cloth, enough to show a bit of the scar on his shoulder. "I got this when I touched the... the... blight Grendel mentioned. It was not pleasant. But how did they believe that... change would help them stop the threat? Or save others?" He stops, shaking his head. She seems to have known them well. "I am Dandelion. This is Cal, and Grendel. We tried to save them, but we could not. It was too late. Their book allowed us to find you. Did they tell you more of their plan? Maybe it would help us continue the fight." He realizes now he trusts this gnome, and since they were in so deep, it seems silly to not do so. They need every aid they can get.
Dandelion wishes he had perused the sketchbook with more than just the cursory flip through he had given it back in Stormhold. Still, he trusts the other two, both in intent and in ability. They had grown close over a short time, and the space in Stormhold had helped them find their comfort zone in the short gap between trying times. The gnome is several times smaller than he, but he knows she is due the respect that all elders are due, especially those who have not earned any disrespect. Plus, this one must have known the first three, Dimqu, Bragh, Xelien, and a possible fourth. Unless she was the fourth... He lets the others speak first. It feels as if the know her better. He takes a swig of his ale.
"We will need to ask people. How many Gnomes would be here?" Dandelion had seen Gnomes only a few times in his life, in Cruor River. Before entering the tavern, he looks to the sky. Those invisible bad things may come from up there, and he wants to keep an eye out for them. They may affect clouds, or birds, so it might be possible to sense it if they are there, he reasons.
The glass man had indeed been impressive. Dandelion had not heard the thing speak, but he thought he felt his clothing shaking when it spoke, though he didn't realize it right away. "I thought the answer to the first part was 'When they were eggs', as all birds start out as eggs as far as I am aware." Salty air reminds Dandelion of his finding Grendel on the shore of the ocean. It was not that far from here, he supposes, though it was a long time ago. No, it wasn't. He tries to count the days... There were a few days in Dewsdam, the day or so underground in that vampire's cave, then some days traveling in the darkness - how many of those were there? - and then a few days in the safety and warm hospitality of Stormhold. Not that long, in all. He wonders about he darkness, and how far it goes. "Does it cross the sea?" he asks no one in particular. When Grendel mentions the inn, Dandelion smiles and says, "Yes, let's get a drink. And a hot meal would be nice too. We best be careful - our parentage may put us at a disadvantage." He starts heading for the inn.
Then let's not do that, shall we?
Dandelion realizes with surprise that the glass man spoke, and what's more, gave them two riddles to solve. He recalls one from Cruor River. There was a young man who gave them all riddles, and one of them went like OTTFFSSE, and what comes next? This one, Dandelion could see, is a continuation of that, with the SE (Seven, Eight) in common. With some surprise, Grendal's answer is accepted. Dandelion supposes 'dark' is relative. For Half-orcs, the birds are obviously quite different, even in the dark. "Fifteen," he whispers. "The answer is F. I'm glad my father taught me to count." He wonders if one answer is enough, and calls out "F ... is next!" Then he watches to see how the glass man responds.
Sadly, I doubt any spell is going to remove an Oracle's curse, at least permanently. I know the answer for the second one, but is that enough?
"By this point in the group's travels the others have become accustomed to mouth words for Dandelion that he is unable to read on his own." I read this in two possible ways:
I don't want to assume the wrong one, so, which is it?
Dandelion whispers, even though the glass man knows they are here. "What is it doing? It just stopped."
Dandelion looks at the construct, to judge how large it is compared to them. It is made of glass - how strong could it be? He whispers, "That wall there," pointing at the suspect portion with the slits, "probably contains traps. Maybe we can entice the glass man to come and set it off on itself?" It worked before, with the vampire, so perhaps it could work again. "What if we shoot things at it, from here? If the traps don't kill it, we could climb up the ladder. Or, instead, we could be at the top and entice it up, and then drop something very heavy on it. And rub oil on the ladder." Again whispering, "Cal, what do you know about glass men such as these"? He touches him with divine Guidance to help him remember.
Dandelion, feeling like he had been hit by lightning, because, well, he had, cures himself some so as to keep himself going. The skin situation improves some, but he wonders if he should down another of those magical potions. He walks along in pain, his head awash in a crazy kind of mental noise, very loud. He remembers noise. There is no cure for wetness, though, and he is completely soaked, as is Cal. Now, they have made it to a long shaft going down. It is strange that it is down rather than up, but if these last several days have taught him anything it is that the unusual is not so uncommon. The whole place reminds him of Dwarves, though he has little experience with them. Perhaps there are more of them deep below the ground. He whispers to the others, "If it is Dwarves, they will not like us. We should stay hidden."
Strange how it keeps adding a space in that url, even after I delete and retype that word.
I'm sure the SRD must have it. They usually have more, not less... Just disorganized differently. Yeah, you need to drill down into the particular oracular mystery:
Those revelations are all revealed on the main Oracle page. http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/advanced/baseClasses/oracle.html Look under Nature for Dandelion's.
"I trust Cal's knowledge. I gather it is the safest way in... Silence is for later, and only if necessary, do not worry." Dandelion had replied, up in the air. Casting spells underwater is almost as easy as it is above, for Dandelion.
Hopefully it's obvious, but: Barkskin
Call me destructo.
Dandelion tries to move quietly, like a cat, but is marginally successful at it. However, Grendel and Cal are much worse, drawing the attention of an incredibly huge and frightening giant. Before entering the water of the lake, Dandelion confers on his skin a Bark-like toughness, using a spell which should last beyond a long mealtime (for him). He offers it to the others as well. He also tells the others he can make them all deathly silent, but it will prevent them from casting spells requiring words, and it will alert any hearing people within three person-lengths of the spell's target, as they suddenly will be like Dandelion and unable to hear their own breathing, even. It lasts a short time, but might be useful. He would cast it on a dagger or somesuch, which could then be thrown away, or at a spell caster, for instance. As they reach the gate, Dandelion points at the lock and then at himself. He first motions a small twisting motion with his hand, as if turning a wheel, and any traps nearby that might exist become a bit more obvious to him. He searches the bars and lock for them, not expecting to find any. Then he reaches out to the iron the lock is looped into and touches it, letting the power of nature's touch erode the iron preternaturally, so that it turns mostly to rust. He looks down the tunnel, with his enhanced trap-sensing vision.
Dandelion is leveled finally! Also, wondering if Grendel provided water breathing to us all? Also, Dandelion may have an easy way through the lock, or bars.
A freshly healed Dandelion heads outside to a quiet spot early in the morning. He meditates with his eyes open. It is not ideal - the presence of buildings blocks out much of the flora he should be seeing, and fauna too. But he does observe some birds, and some mice, at least. He appreciates the subtle knowledge they pass on to him. He also drops some stones on the ground. He knows that looking at how they fall will tell him things, too. It is inexplicable but it is true. After an extra long time meditating, he finally stands and wanders around Stormhold. He sees one of the children they save - he forgets his name - and waves at him and smiles.
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