"You are a good man, Trevor," Sveth says, "I wonder what you would have done, if you were in my place." He looks at Carrie's emaciated corpse, hefted gallantly by Rekkart. In the days after Mord's death, Sveth's heart had been riven to kindling with grief and set ablaze by rage. Now that his taste for vengeance has been sated, what will become of the old rogue?
Ah, but this was no mere quest for vengeance. Justice was done.
As the group gathers at the door to the courthouse a soft salt wind blows through it's wretched facade with a rasping hiss. As if in answer, the grim figure of The Croaker rises from the ground, face still covered by the featureless executioner's hood. "Daddy!" Breathes the wind in an orphan's voice, something small and invisible brushing past you and out into the open air for the first time in a decade. "Jarbin," murmurs a murdered widow, her voice thick with relief.
The Croaker stretches his arms out in a final embrace. And then, like mist beneath the lambent moon, his tortured figure fades away to nothing.
Zinli watches as a faint mist bleeds through the open front door, wisps of vapor curling and then dissipating in the silver moonlight. Somewhere beyond in Absalom friends might still be out walking, having spent the long hours since twilight enjoying one another's pleasant company and the cool night air.
Tolbold creeps towards the Judge's chamber, past the spot where Judge Trabe dropped his sword in fear and fled for his life. The profligate judge sits in one corner of the room, his knees pressed close to his chest, rocking back and forth. He starts at the sudden presence of another, snarling pathetically. "Stay back, I'm warning you!" He clutches desperately at a shard of broken glass, pointing it towards the halfling.
Before things escalated with Alastir wade, you noticed that Judge Trabe had been carrying a bag. It still lies on the floor where he dropped it. Inside are solid platinum bars, worth at least a thousand gold. Clearly he intended to pay the ransom. "You should have this," Sveth says to Trevor. After a moment, the investigator realizes that Sveth refers not to the contents of the bag, but to Wade's rapier, which he proffers hilt first. It is a dazzling thing, it's swept hilt glittering with silver and the subtle hint of magic. "For saving my life, after I brought us all to this damned place."
"It was worth it, for Mord's sake." Sveth begins to cry, overcome with the memory of his friend.
The fallen paladin has foulness in his mouth, the former contents of Patrissa's entrails, but after swallowing a little of the potion he sputters to life all the same.
Personally, I’d advocate that you not try to calculate interest based on number of posts in this thread. For example, does me attempting to banter Dien indicate engagement with your game? Unclear
Glad to help out. I’d like to run my own PbP sometime soon, so this was a great way for me to get some experience without making a major commitment. Not sure I have a request for a specific game, but I appreciate the offer!
Do we want to rp out the conclusion, or is there a preference for me to make a single epilogue post that concludes things for you?
Not sure if my last post was unclear, so for maximum clarity: you’ve succeeded at your quest. Wade is hung from the gallows, Parrish’s is dead, and you lived!
As you reach the top of the gallows, dragging the broken figure of Alastir Wade along like so much dead weight, the nose swing towards you, yearning for a fresh victim. There is a chill in the air here, where hundreds of souls died with either a quick snap of the neck or with many palsied convulsions.
Between the three of you, there should be 1 spare std action to put the rope around Wade's neck (2 move actions from 2 characters to drag, 1 move + 1 standard from the third)
As you draw the rope tight around his neck, Wade's eyes finally snap open. He witnesses his own last moments with an abject terror, grasping desperately at the rough fibers around his neck. "Malene got what she deserved." His last confession steams in the air, pus from a festering wound.
And then he falls.
Gong, gong, Across the wretched courthouse, near where Rekkart lies choking on filth, the grandfather clock begins to sound. Gong, gong, it's toll reverberates maddeningly. Gong, gong, Patrissa pauses for a moment, as though stricken by a momentary flash of human emotion, long enough for Sveth to run her through again. Gong, gong, four entrails reach for him at once, ripping the rapier from his grasp and pulling him close. Gong, gong, Patrissa's mouth opens impossibly wide, her tongue dripping bile. Gong, gong, With a final, desperate effort, Tolbold thrusts his blade straight through her eye. Her ruined body crumples. Gong. The clock's thirteenth toll has a lonely, mournful quality.
While here I'll go ahead and counter vouch Dien, for whatever my meagre posting history is worth. Specifically:
-Good writing skills
-Immersive use of detail
-OOC communication when appropriate
this shameless flattery is not gonna get you extra goodies in Salt Spire
No, but my specific praise which aligns with available evidence might help you get into this game. Us old timers have to help out the new fish when we can
Although her wounds are mounting, Patrissa chuckles again, her voice a distant echo at the other end of a long tunnel. Another rope of dripping intestine wraps around Rekkart's neck and pulls him to the ground, convulsing wildly as it strangles him.
Rekkart takes 5 more damage, I believe he is now unconscious
Combat Dice:
Grapple:1d20 + 8 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 8 + 5 = 25
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
As Tolbold, Neronius, and Zinli continue to haul Wade's limp body forward up the creaking stairs, the noose that hang's ominously from the gallows begins to sway.
They are the character who just has to know what's behind that door/in that box/in the obviously cursed book/right behind them. Even when it's better not to look. Even when all wisdom would say walk away.
I wonder if it would be more fun to goad you when you're a player then it is when you're a GM. I doubt it, but you never know until you try
DM Ray wrote:
(I especially like the 'Thresh did something Eeeeeevil' design. It gives me a little leeway later in the game.)
Would you be ok leaving the evil deed ambiguous for now?
Couple of other questions:
1) Should I assume that my character has always been level 1, or did they lose some xp when they lost their memory?
2) You mentioned Desna a couple of times. Would Desnan faith support character investment in finding Aroden?
3) Is usage of natural attacks something to avoid? For multiple flavor based reasons, I sketched out a crunch that allows for claw/claw/bite from level 1. I'm not going to pick a bloodline other than abyssal unless you want to make an orc bloodline or let me use 3p content, but I could trade out the claws for something else or just not use them during the initial sequence
I have a concept for a Half Orc Bloodrager. I'll name him Thresh for now.
Concept:
Beneath his towering orcish figure, beneath his tusks and his many, many scars, Thresh has always had a tender heart. Life in Belkzen is a vicious struggle for survival. It would be hard to judge Thresh for the things he did in Belkzen. When he could, he always tried to ease the suffering of those around him. Before his flight to Ustalav, he might have betrayed his orcish brethren by saving a group of captives. He's done good things.
It would be easy to condemn Thresh for the thing he did in Ustalav. Thresh committed an act of pure evil, once, just before the amnesia inducing events at the start of the campaign. What did he do? I'm not really sure, but it could be something that ties into whatever the villains in this campaign are doing. Why did he do it? That's a question we can answer later. I'm sure he had his reasons.
What does redemption mean to someone without a memory?
STR 18 / DEX 14 / CON 15 / INT 12 / WIS 8 / CHA 14
BaB +1 CMB +5 CMD 17
Traits: Tusked, xxx, xxx
Alt Race Trait: Sacred Tattoo
Feat: Power Attack
Skills: 5 of em
Class features: Fast movement, Bloodrage, Abyssal Bloodline
There's no orc bloodline for Bloodragers like for Sorcerors. If you want to make one together we can, but Abyssal also works just fine
Patrias continues her onslaught against Rekkart, hoping to knock him into unconsciousness
She deals 4 damage this round
Combat Dice:
Grapple:1d20 + 8 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 8 + 5 = 25
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Tolbold is able to open the door leading to the hallway outside the gallows for Zinli and Neonius, who drag Alastair all the way to the doorway outside it. Your breath steams in the chill air outside that place of dread and death
Round 11
Init Tobold: 15 You're up!
Init Zinli: 12 You're up!
Init Trevor: 12 You're up
Init Sveth: 8 | 5 Damage
Init Neronius: 6 You're up
Init Patrissa: 5 | 13 Damage
Init Rekkart: 1 You're up from round 10!
Sveth moves behind Patrissa, flanking with Rekkart. He proves much more deft with Alastir's rapier than he was with his cane.
All three warriors manage to draw blood. Patrissa's limp body is jerked about by their blades like a puppet, as though she weighs less in death than she did in life.
Sorry for the delay, I initially did not realize it was my turn to post
Patrissa pulls at Rekkart, trying to drag herself deeper into the corner of the room, but she can’t. Her entrails do wriggle around of the paladin’s arms and wrench terribly
You take 5 damage this round. Her DC 14 fort save vs 1d6 nonlethal doesn’t have a once per day restriction, meaning you need to keep making it every round. You passed this round
Combat Dice:
Grapple:1d20 + 8 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 8 + 5 = 30
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Fort:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Alastir’s eyes flutter, as though he’s on the edge of consciousness, but do not open. One of his hands clasps and I clasps, but he is otherwise limp
I can’t update the map from my phone, but will do so later
In context, it wasn't clear to me if the passage on pushing or dragging was an extension of the rule that you can lift double your maximum load while staggering around 5ft at a time (and thus the same restriction could apply). I decided that dragging a body 10ft a round was the most sensible solution. If there's some unambiguous ruling on dragging things above your maximum load at your full speed, I'm happy to change my ruling on that point.
Trevor circles the table. One of Patrissa's entrails rears itself from behind a chair, surprising the investigator, but his quick reflexes allow him to avoid the sudden assault.
Sveth follows after him, seeing an opportunity to get close.
Neronius sees spots at the edges of his vision as he drags Wade. The villain is still breathing, but barely.
Your strength score is 10, so Wade is above your heavy load of 100lbs. I rule that you can drag him 10ft as a move action.
The gallows, room 7. Once you do that, you are free, even if you must drag yourselves on hand and knee while Patrissa wraps her putrid entrails around your ankles
"He's coming round soon," calls a feminine voice from within the jury room, a little warped. "Just a little longer and he'll find you all guilty!" Rekkart can see Patrissa's mouth moving, but her glassy eyes only stare blindly at the wall, while her entrails continue to squeeze him.
Rekkart takes 5 more damage
Combat Dice:
Grapple:1d20 + 8 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 8 + 5 = 26
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Then the door to the jury room slams shut.
"Dammit," cries Sveth, who follows the others, now brandishing Wade's rapier.
Wade momentarily rises to his feet and makes another last dash towards the front door. He collapses again. He's obviously still alive, and if he was playing dead before, he makes no move to escape now.
She closed the door. Her entrails can clearly reach that far, and you might have to take an AoO to get close. Normal move action to open the door.
Not wanting to retreat from Patrissa, who can attack from across the room, Rekkart valiantly continues his assault.
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Damage:1d8 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
To little avail. Patrissa once again takes hold of his mortal form, wrenching him one way and then another with unearthly strength.
Rekkart takes 9 damage, is grappled, and must make the aforementioned DC 14 Fort save or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage
Combat rolls:
Sveth Attack:1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 + 2 = 23
Damage:1d4 ⇒ 3
Patrissa
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
CMB:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Across the room, Wade cries out pitifully, then collapses in a pool of his own blood. Sveth rubs the tip of his leaded cane, now stained red. "You'll yet hang for your crimes, scum."
Patrissa's mouth opens and closes, but he hears only an alien gurgling. Is she laughing at Rekkart, her former dupe? She does not laugh for long, however, as a moment later Rekkart is able to free himself from her grasp. She retreats slightly.
She failed her check to maintain the grapple. You are no longer grappled
Behind him, Tolbold closes in on Madge. His blob of acid sails just over her stumpy neck, failing to touch her
Acid touch:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
Damage:1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Combat rolls:
Sveth:1d20 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 + 2 = 22
Damage:1d4 ⇒ 3
Patrissa
CMB:1d20 + 8 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 8 + 5 = 14
Madge
Attack:1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 1 + 2 = 11
Damage:1d2 ⇒ 2
Wade
Attack:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Damage:1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
Wade turns and thrusts at Trevor as the investigator closes. His attack is parried, and a moment later he is surrounded, desperately holding his blade in front of his face while heavy blows rain from all sides. "Don't you dare run now you've found a spine," Sveth urges to Neronius.
Sveth manages to avoid Madge, and hits Wade in the face.
Madge then attacks Rekkart.
Attack:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Damage:1d2 ⇒ 1
So does Patrissa.
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4<<<damage
CMB:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26Grappled
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5<<<Damage. Could you make a statline (or spoiler) with Rekkart's HP?
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
As the dripping entrails surround Rekkart, he feels himself pulled forward, away from the others, and towards the hideous thing that waits in the darkness.
Map updated. As you are grappled, Patrissa has relocated you. Please make a DC 14 Fort save or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage as the entrails reach into your mouth and begin to choke you
Tolbold wrote:
"Your only way out of here was to work with us."
"Actually," says Wade, "I believe your only way out of here is to kill me." With a flourish, he stabs Sveth through the arm, spilling yet more blood.
Zinli, if you still want to retcon, feel free. However, at this point, you can't prevent Wade from stabbing you, since we can't backtrack that far anymore.
Trevor catches Carolyn in the midsection with his point, which slides through her guts with almost no resistance. A moment later and Rekkart buries his blade in her skull, putting an end to his former ally. As Trevor withdraws his blade, which makes a hollow sucking sound, the young investigator realizes that Carolyn's intestines have been removed.
Sveth steps in front of Tolbold, swinging his cane at Madge.
Attack:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
Damage:1d4 ⇒ 3
It thuds against her flesh. A little blood spurts out from the stub where her head should be, but the blow seems rather innefectual. She stumbles forward, reaching for Rekkart to no avail.
Attack:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Damage:1d2 ⇒ 2
Across the room, Zinli, Neronius, and Judge Trabe hear an invisible voice. "Now's our chance, Silman. You take the fat man, I've got the girl."
Alastir Wade materializes beside Zinli, who realizes that the tip of his rapier has punched through the front of her cuirass.
Everyone steps back, and for a moment the door holds shut, it's old handle twisting as a dead hand turns it from the other side. Sveth backs up too, drawing his cane and staying close to Tolbold and Judge Trabe.
Then the door bursts open.
Carolynn's corpse comes stumbling out first, her thin hands reaching for the halfling Sorcerer. Whatever strength she lost in life has returned in death. The acid melts half the skin on her face, leaving her a grisly look.
Zombies are staggered, so they can't move and attack.
Flanking her on all sides are Patrissa's innards, now enlarged to monstrous proportions. They heave themselves forwards, reaching for Tolbold.
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22I believe this is the only hit
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4Please update your profile tag accordingly
CMB:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Tobold realizes, as one of the disgusting ribbons of flesh slaps against the side of his face, that it is reaching for his mouth. No doubt to rip his innards inside out.
There is a shuffling sound near where Wade must have landed. He doesn't move far. Map updated. His location has been triangulated slightly.
Judge Trabe runs. Towards, Rekkart, fortunately. He draws his sword, though whether he intends to use it remains dubious.
"You're right," Judge Trabe says to Zinli. He manages to stand up and drink his potion, which causes the gash Wade had inflicted on his arm to close. "I have a second potion," he says, patting at the pocket of his jacket.
The door pitches and buckles more strongly than before, enough to open a crack...
Pulsating obscenely, a giant worm of wet intestine snakes through the crack, groping blindly for a target.
Who?:1d3 ⇒ 3Sveth
Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Damage:1d3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Sveth has the presence of mind to swat it away before it can hurt him.
While Tobold stands at the ready to splash acid, he doesn't have a good opportunity to do so. The entrail is tiny and moves quickly. You'd be a lot more likely to hit your friends than anything else.
Patrissa is still on the other side of the door. You can't target her until you open the door.
A moment later, and the door slams shut on the section of intestine, slicing it off. It makes a wet sound as it flops to the floor, and then wriggles underneath the closed door.
The front door of the great hall opens. There is a rush of cool night air, and a little mist begins to stream in from beyond. Then there is a scream, and the sound of something human sized landing heavily. The general area of the sound is marked on the map with a green oval
I waited longer than I normally would due to the holiday weekend, however, I am going to go ahead and bot Tobold tomorrow if we still haven't heard from him
She looks around for something she could use to barricade the door. Do I have to roll anything?
Did not answer this
The great hall has little that would make a good barricade. The smashed remains of the chandelier litter the floor nearby, but there isn't anything heavy and solid enough to jam the door shut. The grandfather clock on the western wall is the only other object of note. The first time you walked near it, it's dissonant tolls tugged at the tethers of your mind. Would it be safe to touch?
Grandfather clock highlighted in red
There were other objects in other rooms, benches in the courtroom #3 nearby, for example. Retrieve enough and you might be safe from Patrissa for a while, though there is still Wade to worry about.
There are two thumps from the other side, one louder than the other. It doesn't budge.
Judge Trabe backs away, clutching at his jacket and sinking to the floor. He withdraws a potion and clutches at the stopper with limp fingers, unable to open it. "Merciful gods, take pity on me!"
I am switching us to block init for expedience. Wade will delay until Patrissa's Initiative
Round 3
Init Wade: 22 Delaying until init 5
Init Tobold: 15
Init Zinli: 12
Init Trevor: 12
Init Sveth: 8
Init Neronius: 6
Init Patrissa: 5
Init Trabe: 2
Init Rekkart: 1 Your action is from round 2
Everyone is up!
There is movement in the dark. Wet squishing noises herald the sight of Patrissa's bloated corpse, her face now a grim mask of death. Sticky tendrils work their way along the tabletop, others slithering up the backs of chairs. With horror, you realize that these are her entrails, writhing from her gory abdomen, flopping and snaking about the chamber with a life of their own.
Carolynn is here, beside, impossibly, the headless corpse of Madge. Strips of Patrissa's innards have wormed their way into the backs of the dead, which jerk like puppets under her control. Patrissa's empty eyes gaze at nothing, her cold face impassive, but a single serpentine rope of intestine rears up to regard you ominously, while below, a mass of entrails coils and twists like a nest of vipers.
Tobold, Zili, and Trevor still have a standard action remaining. I am switching to block init, meaning that Neronius and Sveth can now take their turns
Recoiling in horror, Sveth slams the door shut. "Help me!" he cries desperately, bracing himself against the door.
Str:1d20 ⇒ 18
Up to four characters can brace the door, rolling strength checks as a standard action. I will use whichever roll ends up highest, and treat any others as aid another actions.
On Patrissa's initiative, she and her zombies will roll an opposed check. If you fail a check, there will be consequences. If you fail two in a row, she will force open the door. If you can barricade the door, you won't need to roll anymore.
Knowledge Religion DC 13:
Patrissa has turned into a gutdragging lurcher, a particularly vile strain of undead who feed on the entrails of the living, often choking their victims to death with their flapping wet tendrils of rotting intestine and then pulling the foe’s guts out through their mouths to add to its wriggling collection of viscera. Gutdragging lurchers are intelligent foes and some command a sizeable force of corpse puppets.
Wade makes no attempt to be stealthy, and can be heard running south, towards the front door. He obviously doesn’t heed Rekkart’s warning. You can’t tell where he is.
Rekkart also notices movement inside the jury deliberation room. Since Rekkart noticed this on his turn and had an opportunity to communicate then, this is public information
Wade's token is the one with the large top hat. It is currently 50% translucent as he is invisible
Concealment, high is good:1d100 ⇒ 75
Does the light reveal a human figure where Wade once stood, or is it merely a trick played on credulous eyes? In any case, it was only a momentary flicker.
Judge Trabe pulls away from Sveth. "Get away!" he cries. The old man moves towards the jury deliberation room and opens the door, hoping to escape the sudden violence. The room is shadowy, the Judge's round frame and the partially open door blocking the light.
