Take your time. My life blew up, too, so it's not exactly hurting my feelings that I have one less game to worry about for now. :-)
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Eadfaas followed the big elf.
Pink Eye sucks. But it's recoverable. Mostly just gross. Sympathies.
Eadfaas nodded. "I'm with him," he said, hooking a thumb at the big, pale elf.
Eadfaas, having already gotten himself out of what he thought of as "one-gulp range," backed further away and added his voice to Ryar's. "Back away! See if it will let us be!" He readied a stone, just in case.
Taking advantage of the distraction provided by the others, Eadfaas scrambled back, out of the big turtle's reach. Then, calling upon his people's connection to the animal world, he tried to communicate - wincing as Lantesh started swinging claws. "Not Food! Eadfaas yelled at the giant turtle's nearest head, his voice magically enchanted to be understandable by the animal brain, "We not food! But we want to help find food for you! We want be friends!"
I'm here, I was just busy for a few days and sick at the same time. Now, what do you think we should do with the monster? If someone has relevant knowledge they should roll, but if there is any possible way to avoid fighting at this time, we should take it. Any possible way that doesn't involve letting the gnome be lunch, that is. Right? ;-)
Tranche-style (racking 2 or 3 PCs into a single initiative number and having them all declare/resolve actions at the same time) is a decent compromise for the PbP slowdown vs. loss of tactical advantage issue. Not perfect, certainly, but no compromise ever is. In games I run, I use a 24-hour rule in combat situations. If it's your turn in the initiative order, you have 24 hours to post. Failure to post means I bot (or skip) you for that round. But again, it's not that huge a deal for me.
If I have a vote, I usually prefer to post in init order, as the effects of each person's actions who go before me can have an effect on what I might choose to do. Less retconning that way. But that's just a personal preference.
"Well," Eadfaas piped up, while eating the food he'd been given (he'd seen smuggled "passengers" die of starvation because they wouldn't eat poor rations when none better were at hand), "There's only one way to find out, I guess." With that, the little gnome looked about for a longish branch he could use to test the depth of the lake water. "Don't let me get et, if you please," he said, heading towards the water.
I think the challenge is that most of the living folks are pretty sure that resting in this place is not safe.
I vote island - preferably without getting everyone killed getting there, though. Eadfaas is also liking the idea of using whatever's in the water as a security system for the night, should they be able to rest on the island at all.
"Is it possible to go around?" Eadfaas asked the question while examining the layout of the water. "I cannot tell from here, but perhaps it would be easier to get to the island from the other side. Even if it is not, any enemies who followed us would likely assume the island is where we went, and might attract the ire of whatever is beneath the surface..."
Eadfaas had followed Taemon'dow and the rest out of the cave finally. Looking around, he didn't seem too happy about his new surroundings, but he eyed the pond and the island in it with the eye of someone who'd been born, raised, and lived the vast majority of his life on the waves. After a moment, he shook his head. "This place... it's... different, that's for sure. He still didn't see the thing everyone said was swimming under the water.
I actually agree with this call as well, given the severe... discouragement... of education and literacy in the Midnight setting.
That's right! Happy Birthday!
"March?" Eadfaas was clearly startled by the question. "I can walk, if that's what you..." He trailed off, as the rest of what the elf had said filtered through his consciousness. With a wince, he nodded. "I can walk. But where? We can't go back the way we came. All there is that way is death...and those door-things that we couldn't open."
Eadfaas waited with Taemon'dow in the cave, while the others explored the outside. He sniffed. Was that the scent of lakewater he detected on the air?
Eadfaas just stood and watched as most of the others went through the tunnel mouth as a group. A group of individuals, clearly, and at least most of them seemed to make an effort at stealth, but the concept of letting one or two people scout and report back - rather than everyone walking into a potential ambush - clearly hadn't translated across the various languages and cultures represented in this rag-tag band of escapees. The little gnome shrugged, gave the big white elf a smile, and did his best to blend into the darkness of the cave and wait. He understood the desire to be outside, to breathe free air - especially after having been under ground for so long - and couldn't really blame the others for getting out of the cave as quickly as possible, but he'd seen too many of his father's smuggled charges get caught and killed because they couldn't wait just a few minutes more in uncomfortable circumstances. And so, he waited. In the dark.
Do the characters have any idea what time of day it is? Or can they determine such once they reach the surface? Eadfaas is small and sneaky. He's a good scout, so long as he doesn't actually have to notice anything. :-) He's also probably the group's best translator for everyone but Yardiff Bey. I suspect food will be a top priority once we're sure that the Fell aren't chasing us... sadly, unless it involves convincing some locals to sell to us, Eadfaas isn't a lot of help in the food acquisition department, either. *sigh*
Eadfaas looked a little startled when the two members of their erstwhile party spoke. Caution made sense, but talk of making camp? They were no where near far enough from the Fell to be discussing making camp, for his liking, and besides... "We really don't have much to 'make camp' with," he pointed out in the trade language, with a friendly shrug. "It never occurred to me to grab any supplies from that wagon. Perhaps we can take a short rest once we reach the surface, whilst I and one or two others do a quick, quiet scout to figure out where we are?"
Eadfaas had no idea what the others had been afraid of, but he followed the group out of the cavern willingly enough. He was interested in the slab-doors, but not enough to spend much time investigating. Eventually, the little gnome was invigorated by the smell of fresh air, and an upward slope to the floor.
Eadfaas speaks Gnome/Trader's, and Halfling (among others). Between those two, he can make out almost everything anyone but Yardiff Bey says, due to language overlaps. But yeah, pantomime and loud, slow talking. ;-) Also, I've been careful to indicate what language(s) Ead has been speaking as he speaks them.
In Midnight, "Common" is the "Trader's Tongue," which is actually Gnomish. I'm finding it amusing that my Gnome is acting and speaking more like a halfling, so far. :-)
Eadfaas was about to agree with Alan, and take his place at the back of the party as they headed out, when he noticed the three staring at the tree. Not wanting to shout, for fear of attracting the attention of anyone unpleasant, the little gnome headed over to the group. "Come along," he said in the halfling tongue (he knew both the women could understand that, and the fire-haired one hadn't seemed to understand any language any of them had used to this point.), "It's time to be leaving now. What are you all looking at, anyway?" He followed their collective gaze
I'm cool to play.
When everyone's bonds had been severed, and weapons had been improvised as best as could be, Edfaas picked up and pocketed several of the loose and/or severed chain links. He certainly wasn't going to be fighting anyone - or anything - hand-to-hand, and you never knew when throwing something in someone's face would be enough to get you away safely. "Now what," he asked the others.
With no need to have his manacles cut off, Eadfaas keeps an eye out while the others free themselves. "Keep a few individual links for me, please," he said, indicating the bits of chain that fell free after each cut. Thrown properly, those bits of metal could be useful, should things get nasty.
Anwyn moves silently behind the Caransil elf, trying to keep her manacled hands from clanking too loudly. "If you are correct then they must not be far from here. Whatever he or she may be, I do not believe they would appreciate out intrusion in what must certainly be their territory." "Should they object," Eadfaas whispered, "feel free to direct them to the complaints department - just upstairs." The little gnome flashed a grin.
Eadfaas nodded at the big, bloody elf's words. As the others moved into the cavern, he made himself as small as possible, and kept hie eyes on the trail behind them, ready to warn of any followers. He kept his fingers wrapped around one of the rocks in his pocket.
Nervous, the little gnome seemed to spend more time checking on what his companions were doing than actually looking into the darkness...
I'm still here, just.. not a lot for Eadfaas to do, at the moment, besides watch the rear flank.
Trailing the party, Eadfaas doesn't have a good look at the room. He may be too busy looking behind.
Speaking in jungle tongue, "Can someone rid these manacles from my arms. They preventing me from helping you.", lifting up her hands to show off the manacles. Ghosting silently out of the darkness , Eadfaas taps Therudrim lightly on the thigh (about as high as he can reach without looking silly). He then puts his finger to his lips, and whispers, in the language of Halflings, "Later. For now, we escape death, then we escape chains." Then he quietly whispers to the others as well, this time in the trade language. "The sooner we can get these chains off of folk, the better." He then steps back into the shadows as best he can, keeping an eye out for potential tools to help remove chains, as well as anything that might be useful - or dangerous - as they go.
Blinking at the constant changes between light and dark Eadfaas tried to stay out of the way of the others passing by. Once they had passed him, he fell in quietly behind the group, one hand wrapped around a stone tucked into his pocket.
Eadfaas, who had been whistling well before the dark woman arrived at the bottom of the stairs, gave her a look as if she'd just suggested that he might have a gnome in his family tree. "That would be why I called the lights to me," he said, pointing back over his shoulder with one thumb, "That hole leaves us backlit to anything that might 'a been hidin' down here. My dancing friends kinda even things out a bit. Though he had stopped whistling, the lights didn't stop dancing.
Eadfaas eyed the rusty blades closely, not *quite* ready to let himself exhale just yet. "Aye, that was lucky, wasn't it?" Carefully, he attempts to make his way through the rest of the blades without cutting himself.
Given his size, and the fact that he was already part-way through, it was easy enough for the little gnome to navigate the rest of the way safely. While the others gathered, Eadfaas took a moment to peer into the darkness - there was no sense fleeing from the Fell straight into the maw of some other threat, after all. While looking, Eadfaas softly whistled a tune - very similar to a jig. As he whistled, four small globes of light began to appear, swirling and dancing along to the tune, and providing some illumination.
With a small squeak, Eadfaas hopped off of the stone, so as not to wind up falling into the unknown.
Eadfaas, having followed the others, and not being a very observant sort, stumbled directly onto the stone. Once realizing he was there, the little gnome gave an experimental hop, testing its solidity.
Oh, I think we do crazy well enough on our own. :-) While NF is away, should we coordinate our running and hiding? Do we intend to fight amongst ourselves if/when other escapees want to use our hiding spot, but we know that leaving it open will invite the Fell to come in and kill us all? ;-)
Doing his best to stay small and unnoticed, Eadfaas followed the animals with the rest of the group.
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