Dragomir Medved's page

Before initiative:

Dragomir picks Orange as his hunted prey. Details of his hunter's edge in the spoiler.

Round 1:
As soon as Orange begins casting Dragomir launches himself over the side and climbs down to the battlement. The vindicator pulls himself up to his full height, draws his primary sawtooth saber, points it at the warpriest and growls,

"Priest of Gorum! This bear has judged you in the name of He Who Walks in Blood. You are found wanting. This is surprise to nobody."

◆: Climb (20')
◆: Interact (draw weapon)
◆: Cast a Focus Spell, Vindicator's Judgment (heightened to 7th rank)

Potential reactions in order of preference (at least for now), depending on what gets triggered
↻: Opportune Backstab {Strike, +2 fearsome greater striking wounding sawtooth saber]1d20 +27; 3d6+8}
(Wounding +1d6 persistent bleed to target on a hit; Fearsome target is frightened 1 on crit)
↻: Cast a Focus Spell, Enduring Might (7th rank, Resist 19 to all damage from triggering attack/effect)
↻: Cast a Spell, Blood Vendetta (2nd rank, DC 31 Will vs 2d6 persistent bleed dmg)

Back at the Frosty Stein:
Will vs. Majestic Presence: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (11) + 23 = 34

Crownhold, on the Third Floor:

He quietly taps Dragomir to pause and observe the roc, so he can likewise back away and take a wide arc around this area. They all head through the next door to regroup.

Dragomir and Suryo spend an LP to turn those into successes, allowing the PCs to move about without penalty. Be sure to flavor that LP expenditure when you next post.

Even as the assassins skulk across the floor through the shadows, when Suryo silently points out the frost owl-roc, Dragomir stops and stares. His eyes narrow, he draws himself up to his full height, and he can feel his fur starting to stand on end, making him look even larger.

Dragomir could take big bird in fight. Take bird down, have big roast bird dinner. Thinking about chomping into a gigantic roasted roc leg, the avenger starts growling unconsciously, and a close look would reveal that he's starting to drool.

The growl cuts off as he finally realizes what he's about to do. The bear sighs to himself and relaxes, returning to the shadows, and continuing on. Like Boss always tell Dragomir, "Mission before personal happy fun times!" So later for you, bird. We have happy fun times later.

--------------------

Dragomir manages to catch the sleeping soldier before he can fall all the way out of his bunk. Psst! Yujin! Dragomir has little sleeping soldier, now what?

--------------------

This bedroom is spacious, with newer and more comfortable furniture than the rest of the fortress. A large bed, an oak writing desk, an armoire, and an armor rack furnish the room. Hanging from the north wall is a fishing pole and net with several lures hooked into the netting, all of which look immaculately clean and well-cared for. The south wall has a mural depicting an impossibly tall warrior covered in plate mail, his red eyes glowing through the slit in his helm. The warrior wields a greatsword and is slashing through armies on a vast blood-soaked beach--Gorum, depicted within his divine realm of Clashing Shore, a shoreline that serves as the border between Elysium and the churning "ocean" of the Maelstrom.

A small stone altar with a softly glowing smear of blood atop it stands in the room's southeast corner.

In Ordulf’s bedroom, Yujin is confident that Dragomir will know what to do with the altar.

He gestures vaguely towards it to Dragomir. Could you crack it in half?

Dragomir takes a moment to study the altar, wondering in particular about the glowing smear of blood. Is this normal for Gorumites, altar of stone with glowing blood? Shouldn't followers of Lord in Iron pray in front of big holy suit of armor?

After thinking about it for a few moments, Dragomir tells the other Vernai what he remembers, then heaves the altar into the air stop grunting grunting isn't cool bear no grunting and, muscles straining, slams it onto the floor with a crash.

The bear looks up at Suryo with a guilty smile. "Heh. Sorry about that." He shrugs.

While Dragomir does indeed break the altar, it took a bit more effort than he would have liked, and a portion of the altar shatters loudly!

That loud shattering, combined with the disappearance of the consecrate increases Awareness by 3 and Infiltration Points by 2.

----------------

And the group moves out of the roc's sight. They then prepare an ambush of the Gorumites below!

Dragomir peers down at the warriors on the battlements below the ledge where he and Janna stand, then whispers, "Dragomir will start with priest if you'd rather melt brains from big dumb soldiers. Showing priests of other gods error of their ways is best part of my job. Don't worry, though, Dragomir will help plenty with soldiers too!" He thinks about it for a moment, then adds, "When Dragomir was still cub, Boss taught Dragomir to share. If you want to fight priest in stupid orange armor first, that's OK too."

Dragomir will Hunt Prey before initiative, targeting either Orange or Yellow, depending on Janna's preference.

I apologize for my absence this past week. A cluster of work explosions and then I spent most of yesterday afternoon and evening getting my 87yo father to urgent care for a chest x-ray (pneumonia, gah, but not so severe he had to be hospitalized) and calling around to pharmacies as they were closing for the night to get various prescriptions for him, *then* coming home and finishing something for work, and another long day today. Getting caught up now and will post shortly.

Okay, am I missing something? How do some of y’all have a random +1 to initiative? If it were +2, then I could see Incredible Initiative, but I can’t recall anything that gives ONLY a +1 to initiative rolls.

Also, a request to Suryo and Dragomir: could you please put some sort of indication in your character sheets of what proficiency rank your character has in your skills? Just so I don’t have to reverse-engineer it every time I need to figure it out.

Will do - I put the Master skills in his tagline, but I'll fill them out in Dragomir's profile.

Dragomir hunches over the table, one paw wrapped around a mug of cider. "Night attack is better. Guards get sleepy, maybe Ordulf has too much wine with dinner. Also, Dragomir not really morning person. Suryo did good watching fortress, knows what to expect, so we should go tonight, climb up wall in dark, go right inside. Dragomir can climb with rope, tie it to something inside to be secure if anyone does not like climbing."

Dragomir likes the idea of starting on a higher primarily because he has a 25' climb speed and this is a chance to use it.

Sorry - I was working on a post for Dragomir to Discover Crownhold's Secrets but took too long. At least Dragomirbot was successful.

** spoiler omitted **

FYI, Dragomir, your Intimidation as far as I can see is +23, with an additional +1 from Intimidating Prowess.

...If your Strength modifier is +5 or higher and you are a master in Intimidation, this bonus increases to +2.

Dragomir meets both qualifications for +2.

Round 2, Discover Ordulf's Secrets:

Much as he enjoyed the evening at the Hatchet and Barrel, Dragomir forces himself out of bed early the next morning. After whatever breakfast he can get at the Frosty Stein, he makes his way over to the Crownhold Warehouse and bangs loudly on the door to get the attention of the custodian. As soon as the dwarf answers his knock, Dragomir pushes his way inside and closes the door behind him.

"You are Kranold Buergon, yes? Is time for you and this bear to talk. People I work for have reports that certain items delivered to warehouse by caravans over past year - maybe longer - never get to Crownhold. Maybe these items fall out of cart when you make deliveries to fortress? Or maybe ..." the bear draws himself up to his full height of seven and a half feet and makes a show of looking around the warehouse, turning in a slow circle before bending down to glare at the dwarf. He pokes Kranold in the chest with a massive claw and growls. "Or maybe you have side business selling these things that fall off cart. Maybe Ordulf don't pay you enough, eh? Maybe you have sick mother who need expensive healing. Maybe you have gambling problem, or girlfriend who like expensive toys. I don't care. People I work for don't care. People I work for want items to not go missing anymore or else maybe you go missing."

Dragomir pauses, then smiles at Kranold. "OK, this bear has talked. Now you talk. You tell me what happens to make items go missing. And while you talk, you give me receiving and delivery records and this bear will check through them while you tell me everything about your operation and what you do for Ordulf Bladecaller."

Dragomir will squeeze Kranold for all the information about Ordulf that the dwarf can provide, whether or not it involves warehouse deliveries. When he's confident that Kranold has given him everything, Dragomir tells him he will be back to check up on him later and lumbers out.

Intimidation, +25 with intimidating prowess. I'll use a hero point unless the first result would get us the information we don't already have.

Is there a common way that the Red Mantis leave evidence that they performed an assassination? Do they leave a calling card or turn all the faucets on or something? Achaekek Lore or Assassin Lore +17.

It took me a few days to remember it, but I understood that reference.

Round 2: Orchestrate Timely Distraction

Dragomir is pleased with how his tactics seemed to work at Sensible Science, but decides to try something different for the afternoon and evening.

First, taking a cue from Yujin, he stops at Massive Arms to buy a greatsword. It will help Dragomir blend in with Gorum-worshipping simpletons. And never hurts to have extra weapon.

Next, the bear lumbers into the Hatchet and Barrel. Making liberal use of his size to push people out of his way as he approaches the bar, "accidentally" spilling a drink or three as he goes, he is hoping to start one of the bar fights that are so common in the seedy tavern.

If that doesn't work, he will get a beer and start drinking it at the bar, watching the patrons, looking for a table with the rowdiest and most inebriated group of drinkers and making a point of glaring in their direction to provoke them. If that still doesn't kick off a brawl, he slams his beer stein onto the bar top and roars, "BY GORUM'S BALLS, WHY ARE YOU ALL SUCH WEAKLINGS! YOU SHAME OUR LORD IN IRON WITH YOUR CLOWNISH FOPPERY!"

Barroom Brawl: Athletics +27?

After the fight, he leans back against the bar and finishes his -- or somebody's -- beer. "That was ... adequate. Barely. But one little fight is not battle! If you want to show Gorum - and the weak, mewling merchants who come to trade at our Ordulf's gates - you are true community of warriors, meet in the square tomorrow evening (or whenever we plan to infiltrate the fortress) for fight to prove who is real favored of Our Lord in Iron and who IS NOTHING BUT COWARDLY DOG!"

Finally, he stops in at Gunilla's Goods to pick up a few items he forgot to pack (a basic adventurer's pack, a levered crowbar, and a scroll of translate, 3rd rank), and mentions the upcoming "Celebration for Gorum" while the proprietor gathers his purchases.

Religion: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (9) + 24 = 33

”Very well, then. And one final thing that I am sure does not need to be said, but I will say it anyways: as always, you must make it so that the death of Ordulf Bladecaller was unmistakably done at the hands of the Red Mantis. Beyond that, the task and the timetable in which to do it is yours to determine.”

"As Dragomir said, we make sure everybody knows role of Vernai in so-timely demise of Ordulf Bladecaller."

Glacier's Rest, Round 1: Discover Oldruf's Secrets

Dragomir pushes open the door to Sensible Science and looms in the doorway for a moment, straightening his shoulders and puffing out his chest to fill it. He looks around at all of glass bottles, vials, carafes, decanters, pipettes, and other so very breakable containers for valuable liquids and breaks into a toothy grin. He lumbers into the shop, letting the wind slam the door behind him, and makes a show of meandering through the shop, picking up items on display, peering at them through his glasses, and replacing them with apparent carelessness. Within a minute, he has almost knocked over or smashed dozens of potions, elixirs, and remedies, earning him the quick attention of the shopkeeper.

When Einn Snowspeaker (or whoever is manning the store) asks if she can help him, he looks down at her and smiles again, showing his teeth. "That would be good, yes, thank you. This bear is large and sometimes clumsy. Is lovely shop, would be a shame if something were to get broken, yes? This bear is with caravan, for protection of soft, little merchants. This bear needs some supplies, but also is first time going to Crownhold, and this bear would take it as personal favor if friendly potion maker would tell him about master of fortress so this bear can protect people who pay him. That is what this bear does. Protect people who pay. Friendly potion maker will help, yes?"

Dragomir buys blood booster, lesser, and darkvision elixir, moderate, and possibly other items suggested by the proprietor.

Intimidate +25 (including bonus from Intimidating Prowess for physical intimidation)

The large, light brown bear has been sitting quietly in the corner since it became clear that the surprise guest would not be an immediate threat. The stool, made to hold the weight of the larger Red Mantis agents, still creaks under the stress of his 700 pounds. At the mention of the land of the Winter Witches, Dragomir snorts. He pulls off his glasses to clean them with the edge of his vest, puts them back on, then stands and takes a surprisingly quiet step towards the center of the room.

"Irrisen! Ha!" He jabs an oddly human-looking finger — albeit covered in fur and at least double the length and thickness of an actual human finger — at his chest. "Is Dragomir's homeland. Was young when left, don't remember language."

The bear shrugs. "Is good mission. We go to town, scare some people, maybe roar at them or flex -" he flexes, big ursine muscles visible under the fur "- and they tell us what we want. Then we go take this Bladecaller to walk with He Who Walks, maybe things get a little messy, but we keep role of Vernai secret, and tale of Ordulf Bladecaller is told through ages as warning for others!"

Anything useful from a Religion +24 check?

"Maybe you have asked question backwards and this one am assassin who became large bear! No, I kid. Definitely was large bear first, then assassin. Was born first as I am, yes? And the other is what I was taught and learned for myself. Is very interesting story. I could tell you, of course, but then I must kill you. Which would be shame, because Boss will not pay for killing member in good standing." Dragomir leans forward to peer at you, pushing his glasses up on his snout, before giving you an exploratory sniff.

"You are in good standing with Boss, yes?"

Apologies for my absence the last few days. Dragomir’s profile is up and I will finish his taglines in the morning and get a post up in gameplay.