Dez studies the giant to calculate his attacks more effectively and moves forward with his keen rapier in hand. His tail reaches under his coat to pull out a long arm extract.
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Dez shrugs at Orik's suggestion and whispers. "I doubt it will work, but I'll try." Dez rounds the corner nonchalantly and greets whoever is around the corner in Jotun (which he speaks now). "Greetings!"
As the group passes through the arch and the uncanny shift occurs, "Some sort of teleportation effect has moved us somewhere, perhaps deep within the Maiden's statue if I had to guess. Look behind us -- it's now a dead end of solid rock. I guess we're really committed now. Sorry, Erdija, I'm sure being SEALED in rock makes it even worse for you. But we'll find our way out again."
Dez shrugs, says "Too bad. Farewell.", and proceeds through the entrance.
Dez face twists in dismay at hearing another riddle -- his mind works on hard facts, not confusions of flowery words. But his expression turns to relief as Yrja steps forward and solves the riddle, and he shares in Yrja's memories as she evokes the scene when they met the Black Rider, and Dez reads the remembrances of old comrades in the subtle twitchings and muscle movements of her face. And Dez remembers when he first encountered Yrja, how young she seemed, and how much she has matured in the relatively short time they have traveled together. And he especially feels appreciation that her spirit, always lighter than his, has stayed intact in its essential nature after all their trials. Dez proceeds forward and bows at the tree as he reaches the passage of her limbs. "I notice many items left behind in the twists of your trunk by past pilgrims who did not share the Grandmother's blessings on their voyage. Are there any such items that you would share with us to aid our efforts on the Grandmother's behalf in the dangerous journey before us? Please take no offense at the request, I am unsure whether your kind has any use for such items, and we all walk the Grandmother's path, so I thought it fair to ask."
Dez turns to the group and shrugs. "It appears to desire a meat sacrifice, and I don't think my dry rations are going to do the trick. Any ideas? I'm fine with whatever, other than sacrificing one of us to the tree, of course..."
Quietly to Yrja: "The impaled centaur makes me wonder about its manners, but I suppose you're right." To the tree, mustering his politeness on Yrja's suggestion: "Yes, hello honored tree, we do seek to enter Artrosa, if you please. Thank you."
Dez thinks to himself, "That tree doesn't look good, to say the least. What is it?"
"Uuh, do you all know what that thing is," Dez asks his companions.
Dez level up: Tiefling investigator (empiricist) 7/swashbuckler (inspired blade) 1 Armor attunement +1/+1, resistance +2, toughening +1, weapon attunement +1/+1 +1 to BAB
also, how do I do hit points?
"Well, that was an invigorating ascent. I assume that arched opening is where we're meant to go, and we might want to get a move on before we get blown off this head or other flying creatures show interest." Rapier in hand, Dez stealths over closer to the arch and looks around for foes or other hazards.
"Watch out! Those are will-o-wisps coming to attack! They are immune to almost all magic, and deliver a nasty electrical shock. I'm going to keep going further up -- perhaps we can leave them behind." Dez takes a move action to fly 60 feet further up, forcing any wisp to come to him. He also studies whichever one seems to be coming in his direction . Finally, he searches his recollection for any vulnerabilities of will-o-wisps or usual bits of info to inform combat with them.
"I'm fine going up in the first group, which sounds like it will also include Yrja and either Erdja or Orik. We'll know when we get to the top if there are foes waiting for us. If not, we probably have time to wait for Elbrynn to fly down and get his second passenger."
Dezső listens to all the back-and-forth about flying: "This should be an interesting experience. I look forward to trying it. I'm ready to quaff and regurgitate whenever you all are ready." Dez holds two bottles in his hands -- one a potion bottle holding a misty silvery fluid and an extract bottle containing a sickly green fluid.
Dez applies his powers of close observation and his depth of studies to the scene before the group. "First, I notice there are many fresh tracks of centaurs and frost giants, which then stop and disappear -- as if they ascended through magic, as we intend to do. These must be the malicious centaurs we were warned of, and their giant allies. I also see some tracks that appear out of nowhere, so clearly there has been traffic both in and out, but probably none friendly to us." "Second, although the artist was unskilled, the the blood appears to make a twisted hammer with a demilune sickle at its base--the rune of Kostchtchie, demon lord of giants and the biting cold." "We have some tough fights before us, I fear."
"I believe I too can manage to fly myself to the top. I've been toying with an extract that will allow me to consume a potion and then regurgitate it back into the bottle for future use. Not elegant, but vert resource efficient. I bought a fly potion just for this purpose. I've been waiting for an opportunity to try the extract out."
Since Yrja is handling the horn, Dez will try to appraise the gems:
Afterwards, Dez follows the group and has little to add to the general sense of amazement ). "All of your logic seems sound. I guess let's approach and see what we can find by way of an entrance."
"Well done everyone." Dez steps up to the body to see if there is anything of value or interest on the rider.
Dez doesn't see much to gain from interrogating the evil creature, doesn't hear any suggestions to do so, and knows there is no way they will let it go to inform its mistress about them, so Dez moves into the mist to strike the grappled fey with his flaming rapier.
Wow, Yrja FTW!
Dez takes a moment to scrutinize the rider for weaknesses (move action) and attacks long armed with his flaming rapier.
If he hits, the last d6 is fire damage. If the rider again attacks Dez next turn, he will expend a point of panache (5/6 left afterwards) to attempt to parry:
If he succeeds in a parry (gets a better attack result than the rider), then Dez immediately attacks again (as permitted by Opportune Parry and Riposte):
Dez sighs in relief as the glaive swings over him and steps closer to the rider and attacks with his flaming rapier with reach.
I think long-armed Dez gets an AoO as the rider moves by him, right?
Dez grimaces from the pummeling (18 points damage total after resistance), consumes a long arm extract, and moves out of the affected area and away from his companions, drawing his flaming rapier as he moves and brandishing the flames towards the fey, nodding in agreement at Yrja's comment. His tail pulls out a potion of healing for future easy access. HP 35/53
Dez stares blankly at the impressive rider, who apparently didn't make it into any of the books he read back at Lepidstadt University. He speaks quietly to Erdija, "Do you know what manner of being this is?"
Dez marvels at the confidence shown by his allies. His rigorous analysis of the situation does not offer him the same level of certainty, but he does recognize the utility of even unfounded confidence in achieving the group's goals, so he keeps his thoughts to himself and watches the rest of the interaction with interest.
Dez is astonished by the sight of the descent of the taiga, an emotion that has held him much of the trip. As he soaks in all the details, he is surprised to be addressed by Vazhevga. He takes the suggestion of taking on a dragon in stride, and tries not to betray the nervousness that the idea provokes. "My name is Dezső, and we are honored to meet you. Can you tell us more about this dragon and the nature of your problem? To be honest, we cannot actually answer your question until after we emerge from Artrosa. It is a magical compulsion that draws us to that place, and we cannot say now how it might compel us after. But, after we finish our business in Artrosa, I believe we are willing to meet with you to discuss the matter." He looks to his companions to see if they express any disagreement or have anything to add or ask.
”stay alert, that’s a frost drake watching, and it may not be alone.”
Dez is feeling very nervous about what lies ahead, but is fascinated by the centaurs' banter and self-care rituals. He tries to stay in the present by drinking in all the details of the journey, as there is nothing to be done about the horrors ahead and the geas pulling him and his companions towards them.
Dez listens carefully to the song and commentary. "Is it known who built these statues and Artrosa itself?" Later at the camp: "Wooly rhinoceroses! See their double horns? I had hoped we might see some, but it's odd to see them this far South. Ferocious creatures -- it's good they cannot cross the river."
Dez listens carefully. "I gather the Three Who Watch are large statues? In what form and built by who? And what manner of cold fey and undead should we expect to meet? I'm grateful for the sharing of your knowledge and wisdom."
Dez listens and watches the centaur interactions with fascination, drinking up all the details and storing them away for later further reflection. As the group settles on the boat, Dez first lets the centaurs settle themselves, but then tries to claim a spot with a good view forward and to the sides, and he tries to engage any centaurs near him in conversation, if he can find a common language. In particular, he tries to gather any information or rumors about Artrosa.
Dez agrees, as his eyes follow Yrja's to gaze at the river. [b]"That sounds fine to me as well."[b]
Dez delights at finding the table of potions and other unusual items. He will pick out a kaleidoscope, some unusual alchemical items (mostly for curiosity's sake), and try to negotiate for potions of heroism, barkskin, and spider climb. cost calculations:
heroism = 750 gp barkskin = 300 gp spider climb = 300 gp remove disease = 750 gp neutralize poison = 750 gp mithral shirt = 1,100 gp
Dez is guessing that there are not all that many travelers passing through here who have significant funds to spend on magic items, and that centaurs are not buying single use heroism, barkskin, and spider climb potions (especially the last one!). He will attempt good naturedly to negotiate the price down from 1,350 for the 3 potions (plus the other items which I assume are de minimus).
Dez will also try to buy a mithral shirt from Gallek, trying to conceal his excitement at finding such an item which would lift some of the weight off his back -- an important issue for the slight tiefling. Dez assumes Gallek is a tough negotiator, but he will try to bargain down from list price (1,100 gp, assuming that's the relevant price). As part of the negotiation, Dez will comment on various items in Gallek's inventory, using the advantage of his prodigious memory to recall some details about more unusual items.
He will save his other funds for future investments...
Dez is delighted at all of the novel sights and seems to try to take in every detail to be mused over later. He accompanies Yrja as she tries different delicacies and follows her lead, sampling the same. As they enter the "town" he tells his companions, "I've been looking for a mithral shirt, so if you see anyone that might be selling one, let me know. I'm also looking for some potions to use with this extract I can make that allows me to benefit from a potion without using it up, so let me know if you see people selling potions." Dez will also keep his eyes open for people selling armor or potions.
"Fine with me."
"Given that I don't really have much gold to spend on supplies, I'm fine skipping the town. I do always have things I'm looking for, though, so hopefully we will find some treasure along the way so we can fortify ourselves for the future challenges that will inevitably come -- I suspect we have a long road before us."
Do we have much in the way of loot for buying stuff? Dez has 370 or so GP, which is not really enough for any serious purchases... I noticed the loot tracker link is dead...
Dez knots his brow in concentration, then shrugs and says quietly to his companions, "Any of you know what he's talking about?"
Dez will study the remaining opponent and strike out:
Dez moves to the remaining demon and attacks, although he has not had a chance yet to study it to make his attacks even more deadly.
Great image! Fun to think about this stuff, and equally true that the game mechanics can only bear so much of it... But I'm sure the module contemplates that this is our fight -- my main complaint with the module writing is that the authors often fail to step back and apply common sense to the situations they come up with...
Dez stoically takes the hit from the creature and strikes again, hoping to bring the foul thing down so he can turn to another. With a flash of fire he drives his rapier through the demon's throat.
3 of those are fire; the rest are piercing. Dez's rapier has weapons against evil on it. The creature cannot take any AoO this next round (sapping offensive). If that kills the creature, then Dez will use his move action to move to engage creature B. Otherwise, he will hold his position blocking access to Yrja.
Dez again strikes like a viper with his rapier.
With his move action, he will make a step to better shield Yrja from the foul creatures.
Dez nods in thanks to Erdija for blocking the attack. He makes a knowledge check (a free action in PF1e) to identify these creatures and any important info about them, such as weaknesses or particularly dangerous attacks:
He then studies the creature in front of him as a move action (studied combat) and strikes like a viper with his fiery rapier, a wild look in his eyes:
Dez shakes the fog from his head and is still reeling in confusion about what is happening, but seeing Erdija spring into action and the unfamiliar figures in the tent, he realizes the danger and instinctively grabs his flaming rapier and drinks his mutagen (+4 to DEX; +2 to natural armor; -2 WIS for 50 min), using his tail to pull the bottle out of his handy haversack.
Dez half listens from his bed of pine needles as the room spins around him, feeling both a little over-tipsy but also pleased at the night of revelry -- he was perfectly happy to be carried along on the tide of the centaurs' enthusiasm. He tries to pay attention to the information being exchanged, but eventually falls asleep/passes out. If there's to be a watch, it won't be Dez watching...
Although his countenance remains calm, Dezső is very moved by the centaurs' enthusiastic reception to his efforts to entertain. Following Korak's declaration and introduction, Dez thanks Korak most formally and then takes a mighty gulp of kvass and raises the horn in salute to Korak and the Voaldyn. He bows deeply and formally to Erdija and salutes her with another big gulp from the horn. "I am honored to meet you Erdija and thank you for your guidance. You can trust that we will follow your lead and fight fiercely by your side." Dezső will spend the night in revelry, letting his guard down more than usual, after the warm reception from the centaurs -- such warmth and acceptance being so unfamiliar to him. Even before the drink, he hardly feels the cold , and he again muses to himself that his natural comfort in the cold is perhaps a sign that his true home is in the colder climates of recent weeks. Dez will look for opportunities to bond with Erdija and Korak in the revelry, and do more tricks for the foals and any others. For fun, he will use his tail to hold his horn of kvass. If he overdoes it, as seems likely, he will make fun of himself and flatter the fortitude of the hosts (finding someone to help translate): (slurring)"I ... am but a puny two-legs... a skinny one at that ... how can I drink kvass like the mighty Vaoldyn?" But he promises Erdija he will be a capable traveling companion, despite his inability to handle large quantities of kvass...
Dez tries to use the opportunity to entertain the foals, even at risk of making himself look a little ridiculous. He moves acrobatically around the fires and and thrusts with panache to keep the fires lit. At a moment when a number of foals are watching, he uses his extract of long arm to tend the fires from a distance.
At quieter moments, he takes the chance while fire tending to observe the centaur camp, with fascination.
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