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Allow me to offer the services of Eisen Helstrom. He's currently tooled for a Jade Regent AP that barely got off the ground; it should be a simple matter to adjust him for your campaign if you wish to incorporate him. "Better healing through alchemy."
"I didn't just help put down that thing," he gestures vaguely to where he deposited the sin spawn's corpse, "so you could lay down and become a tasty snack for the next one that happens to wander by. Come on," Eisen reaches down to pull Tanimoto to his feet. "We'll be better off once we find someplace more hospitable to rest."
It's understood. Sometimes bad stuff happens and other things need to take priority over gaming. Take care of yourself right now and maybe some day in the not too distant future we'll have the oppertunity to game together again. Until then, be well.
While I know we didn't set a hard and fast rule about the frequency of posts (something about 3-5 days being the guideline?), things seem to have slowed down to a slow crawl (about one post per week or so). Do people want to try stepping it up a bit? Is everyone okay with our current pace? Are we just going to let this slip quietly into the night? I've enjoyed things so far, and although we appear to have lost Mags, I'd like to see this continue. I'm just afraid at such a snail's pace, it won't last long.
After searching the expired creature, Eisen pushes it into water with his boot and lets the bog claim it. He looks back at Tanimoto, "Lets get to that crazy halfling. Hopefully he'll have somethings we use to dress some of your wounds."
With it's attention momentarily on Kodachi, Eisen slips into position behind the monster and thrusts with his spear, hoping to impale his target.
Eisen half expected Tanimoto to fall to the ground after watching the foul creature rake him with its claws. The arrow wound from eariler hadn't healed yet and he was ready for this second assualt to topple the youth. Realizing he'd cause more harm than good with one of his bombs, the alchemist dropped the vial back in a pouch as he let the spear he was carrying slide off his shoulder. With weapon in hand, he raced over to join the fray. "Step back," he ordered as he arrived next to Tanimoto.
Just a heads up, but hurricane Irene should be making her presence known around my parts in the next few hours. I'm not honestly expecting much to come of it, but should I drop off the radar for the next few days, I'm probably waiting for someone to move a tree off of my Internet.
Realizing his error, Eisen spins in the direction Tanimoto is looking. Although he's unsure of what the monster is, its intentions towards Magdelia are clear. He reaches into a belt pouch and pulles forth a familar looking ceramic vial and a handful of dark ichor. With an unconcious flick of his thumb, he breaks the seal on the vial. "Mags, get back!" As soon as the creature is within range, Eisen deftly crams the dark substance into the vial and tosses the bomb.
Readied attack:
Tanimoto's exclamation jolts Eisen back to the here and now. Absently, he started to let him mind wander, the "girl talk" becoming white noise. Foolishly, he whirled about to look at Tanimoto, rather than attempting to locate what it was that had excited him.
Eisen watches the exchange of foreign words between Tanimoto and Kodachi for moment. Clearly a futile effort, he looks to Magdelia, "This looks like the way to that crazy halfling's hovel. I'm thinking we should probably stop in for a chat. If anyone knows what the goblins have been up to, I'd guess it's the one that calls this swamp home."
Eisen stands up from the last goblin and kicks its shield to the side of the road. Spying Tanimoto with his arms around Magdelia his face contorts into an expression that is part annoyance, part amusement. "If you two need a moment," he says in a tone that matched his expression, "Kodachi and I can scout ahead."
Turning his back to Sandaru, Eisen knelt down next to the goblin at his feet and began rifling through its belongings. Next, he walked over to the two corpses closer to the wagon, dragging each away from the wagon where he could similarly search them away from the heat of the flames.
Eisen concluded the search of each body by slicing an ear from the goblins' head and shoving it into an empty belt pouch. He looked up at the women, "Do you think we should search the area or press on? Odds are we'll run into more of these beasties either way."
"We're sure you would have been fine," Eisen said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He glanced past Sandaru and watched the flames continuing to consume his wagon, "Although I'm sure it's more unfortunate to have lost all that contraband. However, we weren't looking for you. We're more interested in those goblins."
Just a friendly reminder that I'm heading out of town tomorrow. I should still have Internet access, so will continue to post as much as possible, but if I miss day or two - or four - don't worry. I'll be return on Wednesday.
Eisen swings his sickle in a wide arc at the defenseless goblin at his feet. The blade comes away from the creature's neck smeared in blood. "Vile beasts,"" he spats before addressing Tanimoto, "Are you okay?" Seeing that the wound is not immediately life threatening, he looks towards the wagon and frowns as he watches as the last goblin runs off. With the danger gone for the moment, he turns back to Tanimoto. "Hold still a moment and I'll see getting that arrow out," he says as he holsters his weapon.
Primary:
Eisen curses again and rushes over to the goblin harassing Tanimoto. Pulling his empty hand from the component pouch, he grabs instead for the sickle hanging from his belt and threatens the creature with malice.
Alternative: Eisen continued to move closer to the burning wagon. Stopping short of the inferno, he pulls a ceramic vial from his component pouch. Also clutched in his hand is a small glob of a dark sticky looking substance. Uncorking the vial, he hastily shoves the substance inside and toss it over the heads of Sandaru and his goblin assailants.
Eisen releases his grip on the man he had snagged. He starts to look for someone else he could interrogate when Sandaru, weapon drawn, leeps out from behind the burning wagon. The alchemist sneers at the sight of the man and begins to reach for his own blade. Prepared for a showdown, Eisen curses as he notes the goblins coming into view.
Still weighing the situation, he begins moving toward the wagon. His hand shifts from the handle of his sickle and disappears into one of his belt pouches.
"What in the Nine Hells?!" Eisen exclaims, silently cursing himself for letting his attention wander again. He breaks out into a jog. As people begin passing him in the opposite direction, he stops to grab one by the arm. "What's going on? What was that?" he inquires.
An oppressive silence hung over the group as they made their way south. Whenever Eisen looked to his companions, each seemed lost in their own thoughts. Despite the tendency to get lost in thoughts of his own, or observe the local flora as they moved, he did his best to remain vigilent for signs of goblins. Twice he slowed their progress to collect reagents for himself. The first time was to gather mushrooms from a colony proliferating along the underside of a fallen tree. The second was to gather a few handfuls of a muted yellow berry growing from several bushes that dotted the side of the road. Both were common and harmless enough, but it had been more than a month since he had restocked several of his more basic commonents. Eisen made a mental note of a few other reagents they were likely to encounter that he wanted to collect while they were out and about.
From the lead, Eisen twisted to look at the women behind him. He was hardly a seasoned warrior, but having spent a fair amount of time "in the field" collecting his own reagents, rather than simply purchasing them from vendors and merchants, had given him some combat experience. Now he wondered just sort of experience his traveling companions had. The Tian woman hadn't said much since her appearance at the Rusty Dragon, but it was probably same to assume she knew how to handle herself in a fight. One didn't make it as far as she had and survived without knowing how to deal with hostilities. The arsenal of weapons she carried with her also spoke volumes. Tanimoto, dressed in what appeared to be skin-tight solid black pajamas, was a bit harder to take seriously, especially considering the effort - and time - he had spent making himself up this morning. They were headed into a dank and muddy swamp to hunt goblins. Excessive personal hygiene was not only unnecessary, but would almost assuredly be a wasted effort by the time they were done. There was a certain confidence to Tanimoto, which Eisen assumed was so much naive bravado. He passed his gaze over Magdelia, from head to toe. He couldn't help but image how she might look "dolled up", as Tanimoto had put it. He knew her only as a simple waitress at the Rusty Dragon. Although they had talked much over the last week, their discussions never involved any sort of combat or hostile engagements. She seemed eager enough, though. Too eager? Eisen wasn't sure. He turned back to the road that stretched out before him. His eyes passed back and forth to the brush and trees that lines their path. Considering the boldness of the goblins as of late, he was on edge - waiting for the little green monsters to strike. Perception:
Eisen looked back again, "Are you guys sure you're up to this?"
"I don't think you're the goblins' type," Eisen muttered under his breath. He picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder, then reached for the spear resting next to it. Although the sun was now fully above the horizon, he tried to remind himself that their delay had given him time to properly prepare a few vials of explosive compounds and a healing extract. "Lets." he answered to Magdelia's request to get going and struck out down the road toward Brinewall Marsh.
Eisen waved to Magdelia and Kodachi as he approached the south gates of Sandpoint. He pack, slightly heavier than it was last night, was slung over his shoulder. "I hope you two haven't been waiting for me too long," he said when he got closer to the two women, "I hadn't exactly planned on staying at the Dragon last night, so most of my stuff was still at Koya's, and of course, I wanted to let her know how Shalelu was doing. Shall we get go-" He looked about. He turned around to stare back up the road from which he came. He rotated in place, surveying their surroundings. Then he frowned, "Where's Tani?"
The stairs of the Rusty Dragon are particularly loud in the silence of the morning. Eisen descends wearily, the heavy hand of sleep still gripping him. He makes it halfway to the door before he stops. The next several minutes are spent looking for paper and writing implement. He scribbles a few words down, folds the scrap of parchment, and writes Magdelia’s name across the outside. Leaving it in plain sight on the bar, Eisen heads for the door. Magdelia’s note:
Gone to get my supplies from Koya.
Will meet you at the south gate shortly. –E
Eisen looks up from the table when he hears Ameiko's voice. Although they are talking between themselves, he notes Magdelia's nod in the direction of his table and Ameiko's subsequent glance. Eisen turns back to the woman at the table, "My appologies. It really is none of my business. I'll leave you to your meal." As he stood up, he adds, "I really should be calling it a night anyways. Some food and rest will do you good, but if there's anything more you need, Magdelia or Ameiko can direct you to my room." As he makes his way towards the stairs, Eisen pauses to join Ameiko and Magdelia. He smiles at Ameiko, "It's good to see you again. I'm sorry we haven't had more time to catch up since I've been back. Hopefully once this little excusion to the Brinewall Marsh is over, we can sit and have a bit of tea together." He turns to look at Magdelia. Still smiling, he puts a hand on her arm, "I'm going to turn in for the night. I'll check on Shalelu on my way, but hopefully you won't have anything more serious to deal with tonight than the usual aches and pain." He tilts his head toward a patron that is in the process of depositing the evening's cuisine on the tavern floor. "But don't be afraid to wake me if something more serious does arise. Otherwise, I'll see you in the morning." With a shallow bow to the two women, Eisen steps back and heads for the second floor.
Eisen watched in silence as the Tian woman succumbs to her voracious appetite. Only after she has devoured her second bowl of broth – and eagerly requests a third – does he speak up. ”Something must be terribly important. I don’t mean to pry, but what exactly is it that has you forsaking your health like this?”
That's an interesting article about step advancement. I may try that the next time I run a game. I'll leave it up to you, Mathpro, if you want to implement it here or not. I'm happy with traditional XP advancement, but will certainly support the step advancement. Done carefully, we could probably switch back if we find it's not working. Only issue I might see with using it in a PbP is that when to implement the steps. We don't exactly have X-number of hours of game time to go by. And, since you bring it up, I'll just let you know now that I'll be out town August 14-17. I should have Internet access when I'm going, but I can't commit to being able to post regularly during that time. I'll send you another reminder when the dates gets closer too.
"A strange one, that one is," Eisen remarks as Tanimoto heads off to "gear up". He looks at his mug for a moment as if to weigh the value of its contents. With a small sigh, he tilts the vessel back and downs the last of the liquid. He then looks at Magdelia and smiles, "You probably want to get back to work. I'll keep an eye on our new friend here for a bit longer," he nods in the direction of the Tian woman, "before I call it a night. I should probably check in on Shalelu, too, before I turn in - make sure she hasn't gone and snuck out the window or something crazy like that."
Eisen listens attentively to the sheriff's story. He's prepared to ask why he chose the three - or four - of them to be his errand boys when Sheriff Hemlock mentions the Brinestump Marsh. Although the swamp holds nothing of value as far as the town of Sandpoint goes, Eisen had been wanting to venture down there to restock some reagents. The fact that it was ill-explored also meant he might be able to find some new flora to study. As the briefing concludes, Eisen nods his head to indicate that he'll accept the sheriff's request. As Belor walks off, Eisen looks down at the last pulls of spiced coffee in his mug. "Guess that caffeine wasn't such a good idea," he says to Magdelia, "I'm going to need my rest tonight."
He nods at Magdelia and, with barely a noise, Eisen lifts the woman to her feet and helps her into the nearest available chair. He barely has his arm out from around the Tian woman when Tanimoto starts with his questions. Eisen frowns disapprovingly, "Easy now. How about we get some food into this woman and let her gets her wits about herself before you go interigating her, huh?" He looks at Magdelia as if to get her opinion on the matter.
Eisen returned the waitress's laugh with a sympathetic smile, "It looks that way." He walked patiently over to the waitress. If her diagnosis was correct, she was the better equipped to administer a remedy. Still, it wasn't going to hurt to lend a hand. He crouched down behind the unconscious woman and helped prop her so that Magdelia could more easily tend to the woman. His eyes focused unwaveringly on the waitress as she took a small container that Dooley offered her and began waving the contents in the Tian's face. He wrinkled his nose as he caught a scent of the pungent odor, but otherwise did not react.
Eisen reveals a lopsided grin as Koya speaks of his training as an apothecary, but it quickly turns into a frown as she bring up his relationship with Sandru. He makes a point of looking at the floor, drinking his spiced coffee, or glancing at the other patrons until she changes topics again. "I have know doubt Shalelu will be fine, Ma - so long as she doesn't go rushing head long into trouble again." He walks his foster mother to the door, "Get your rest. I'm sure I'll be able to handle anything that comes up. I'll be by in the morning." Eisen allows the aging woman to get several paces into the street before closing the door behind her. He turns and walks back to Magdelia, "I suppose it's a little late to be inquiring as to whether there are any rooms available, huh?"
That sounds fine. Eisen wouldn't have pressed too hard on any sensitive areas, if at all. General small talk and getting to know you sort of deal. He's pretty open about why he's returned to Sandpoint and his relationship with Koya, so that was fine. There's not too many dark secrets he's got other than perhaps his origins, which he avoids discussing (mostly out shame of not knowing anything himself).
Koya is the woman who raised and educated him, so Eisen's definitely freindly towards her. He's taken a liking to Ameiko as she represents a link to his more mysterious Tian half. He's has always projected his distrust of the Vhiski family's ties with the Sczarni upon, Sandru, and has a general distrust of his foster brother. Even if he seeks to distance himself from the Sczarni, Eisen still believes Sandru to be a con man and criminal. I'm still debating his relationship with Shalelu. On one hand, Eisen's greatful for the aid and protection she gives Sandpoint and has had little direct contact with her to warrant anything other than friendly relations. Yet, I could see him viewing her tendency to disappear for lengths of time and willingness to put herself in dangerous situations alone as being reckless. Although he wouldn't refuse giving her aid, he would see Shalelu as unneccissary putting burden on healers and those from whom she ends up requiring assistance from. Thoughts?
Eisen smiles at his foster mother's compliment despite himself, "I'll take a room here for the night, Ma, to keep an eye on Shalelu. At the very least, I can try and make sure she doesn't go running off before she's had time to heal properly." He turns to Magdelia, "Can I get a mug of something with some caffiene when you have a moment? It looks like I'm going to be hanging around for a while."
I suppose it's rather unexciting, but I don't see a reason for Eisen being anything other than friendly towards all 4 NPCs. He is definitely friendly towawrds Koya, as she's the only form of parental guidence he's known, and Ameiko since, being Tian, he sees her as some sort of connection or kindred with his Tian half. I'm kind of indifferent towards Sandu and Shalelu, so give me a bit to decide on that. For the moment, my score is pretty minimal either way. I'll get back to you later on tonight.
Eisen is enjoying an evening meal at a table against the far wall of the Rusty Dragon. He picks slowly at the plate of venison and pickled eggs, stalling for time until Magdelia's rounds bring her back around. He was enjoying their conversations over the course of the previous week and had hoped to continue their dialog again tonight. Unfortunately, her duties to the establishment were keeping her otherwise occupied this evening. He looks up as the tavern falls silent. It takes a moment to recognize the newcomer, but instinct has Eisen out of his seat before he realizes it and he reaches Shalelu just behind Magdelia.
"Those goblins did a real number on you, Shalelu. Did I hear Tani say he was going for Koya? She should have something to help prevent an infection. The gods only know what sort of diseases those filthy dogslicers carry."
As he speaks, he double checks Tanimoto's first aid. He nods with satisfaction, but pulls a small vial from a pouch on his hip just the same. "This should help reduce the bruising," he says as he applies the poultice to the worst of Shalelu's wounds. "It's not like you to get ambushed so easily. How'd they manage to get the drop on you like that?"
I suppose that means I'm Bosley! Tigers sounds good to me, too.
I'm glad to have made the cut. Other than a couple of PFS scenarios, I haven't really done much PbP, so I'm really looking forward to this. As for the healing, Eisen is certainly up to the role of healer - at least as much as he can be with this class. It's why he has the cure light wounds formulae and a healthy Heal skill (pun intended). Unfortunately, at the moment, that extraction only works for me. I'll need a level before I can share. I don't know how hot and heavy the combats will get, but I won't discourage a little extra healing in the party.
"I'd love to hear yer tale. If I had a minute to spare, that is. Let me take care of these orders 'fore folks start gettin' restless, 'n' maybe when things slow down a bit you can..." She stops herself short, realizing that her love of adventure tales is making her a bit too forward. "Well, unless ye'd rather some peace 'n' quiet. I'll be back with yer breakfast in a jiffy, hon." "Your company would be most welcome, but please don't be negligent of your duties to the tavern on my account. A thought struck Eisen as the woman turned to go and he reached out to touch her arm, "Something to drink with that omelet, if you please?" Mags turns to return to the kitchen, spotting Tanimoto. Thank Torag! "I am glad to see you, Tanimoto. Can you get a plate for Maldrin, please. And see that that bird of his doesn't s&%$ on the bar." With that Mags heads into the kitchen to fill the other orders she's taken. Eisen's gaze remained fixed on his waitress until she passed out of sight into the kitchen. His smile slowly receded. With nothing better to do, he looked about the room once again, taking the time to study the various morning patrons of the Rusty Dragon. He was quickly getting a sense of the regular locals based on how the woman that took his order interacted with them. Funny how you can feel like such a stranger in a place that was once home.
She rolls her eyes as she speaks the last of this, her aversion to life in the dull small town apparent. "So what brings you to our small slice of 'eaven? Just passing through, I assume." "Yes. Er, no. Well, yes. Um," Eisen verbally stumbles over himself, "What I mean to say is, this is something of a homecoming for me. I haven't been to Sandpoint in a good decade or more." He pulls his gaze away from the waitress long enough to cast a longing look about the common room. "I don't know how long I'll be staying for though. Ultimately, I do plan to be moving on. What about you? How long have you called Sandpoint home?"
"Mornin', sweetheart," she says, arriving at Eisen's table. Noticing the odd discoloration of the man's hand, a look of curiosity lightens her face. Eisen studies the waitress as she approaches his table. A curious choice in tattoos, he muses to himself as he notices the slight point to her ears. "Good morning," he greets her. His smile widens as he notices the momentary expression of curiosity cross her face. Covering for herself, she puts on a smile to match the man's own and looks him in the eye. "What can I get for ya?" Eisen meets the woman's gaze "Whatever you've got cooking this morning, my dear. And perhaps some news as to the goings on around town as of late?"
Eisen took a moment to steady himself as he jumped off the back of the farmer's wagon. The ride to Sandpoint was anything but smooth and it took a moment for his body to remember that it wasn't the entire world that was lurching and jarring so viciously. He reached into the coin purse as the he walked to the front of the wagon where a wrinkled old man hid under a ridiculously large-brimmed straw hat. Putting a few silver coins on the seat next to the driver, Eisen nodded in appreciation, “Thanks for the ride.” The aged farmer gathered the coins and flashed Eisen a toothless grin as he touched the brim of his hat. Then, with a crack of leather, the wagon began to move again. Eisen shifted the weight of the pack hanging on his shoulder and looked around. The sun had just risen on the community of Sandpoint and its people were already into their morning routines. He began to stroll down the street as he pondered his first destination. Koya’s home should be the first place I visit. It is, after all, the reason I’ve returned to Sandpoint. As he stopped to get his bearings, the smells of breakfast reached out across the street to him. Eisen turned to look at the sign hanging above a familiar structure. He smiled to himself. I’m not likely to make it that far though on an empty stomach. His gut audibly agreed with the notion. Pushing open the door to the Rusty Dragon, Eisen strolled in and surveyed the room. His heart ached a little as the realties of time sank in. Unsurprisingly, most of the faces he took in were unfamiliar. It had been many years since he had set foot in the establishment and he shouldn't have been surprised that the regular patrons had changed since his youth. The one face he had counted on seeing, though, wasn’t present. Koya would have certainly mentioned if Ameiko had sold off the tavern or moved out of Sandpoint, so he figured she was busy elsewhere at the moment. Spying an unoccupied table, he dropped his pack into an empty chair and claimed one next to it for himself. With a pleasant smile, he waits to be served. |
