Eletido's page

After the group finishing eating and before bedding down the night, Marius pulls aside Barlespin, Malendyl, Squishy, and Red Agnes for a quiet conversation.

"I suppose it's time for me to finally explain what I went back for when we ventured above ground." Marius pulls out the bulky lockbox that he stuffed into his backpack. He also reaches for a cord around his neck and produced a key - the duplicate that was dropped by Father Constan when he was slain during the burial proceedings.

"At his request - or perhaps demand, I served as Father Constan's second and kept a secret from all of you for several years. I was told this chest contains some sort of secret, and only Constan's key can open it. I was given a duplicate key and told to choose my own second if need arose." He clears his nervous to calm his nerves and choke back a few tears. "Well, the need is here. And, I've decided that, given our present circumstances, we all should have a say in what to do with the chest and the key."

Marius looks each of his companions in the eye before continuing. "I suppose I owe each of you an apology for keeping this from you. It was my duty to follow Father Constan's directive, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't weigh on me."

Marius draws a deep breath and pauses for the group to respond.

I vote for moving towards A2 first. Descend from the other direction to avoid the pit.

:wave:

Ah, that would explain my own confusion as well :)

Long weekend away. Going to catch up here ASAP.

Check out your dedication!

Yup. Now trained in Athletics and expert in Lore: Undead.

Using Malendyl's re-roll. Thanks for that!

Influence Religion DC 17 @ Jystolo: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Marius, which Discovery do you want for Rokvel Hardbrow?

Resistance for Rokvel Hardbrow

Marius tries to appeal to the Fox Scouts knowledge of the wilderness and nomadic life. "Constan provided most of our food, and I wasn't able to master that spell incantation. Jono, you know better than most what the surface is like. Could we scavenge enough food to subsist while still being safe?"

Discover Survival DC 13 @ Jono Brushpaw: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Hero Point
Discover Survival DC 13 @ Jono Brushpaw: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19 Resistance

Seeing Jono's reaction to that reasoning, Marius continues to speak with him and the rest of the Fox Scouts. "From what I've heard, you and your family are the best scouts around. If we have to leave and make our way out of the crypts, I'm confident that you would chart a safe route and that we could forage for enough food, with your family showing us how."

Influence Survival DC 13 @ Jono Brushpaw: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Hero Point
Influence Survival DC 13 @ Jono Brushpaw: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

:headslap: Oh of course..

Those zombies pack a punch!

BTW, the antiplague was given to Agnes if I read that correctly.

You are a helluva catch-upper, Marius!

I think that's a compliment, so thanks! :)

Hey, I'm still here. Unfortunately, I greatly under-estimated the time and brain power required to come back to work after a month-long sabbatical. I'm working on getting Marius setup this evening. I understand that's cutting it close to when you'd like to start the game. Hope it works out.

As for agreeing to the GM requests, I'm definitely onboard.

Heads up: I have a busy Labor Day weekend with the family. I hope to make time to get to this game but might not be able to.

Marius is a warpriest of Iomedae if that helps narrow down your character choices.

"Happy to go first. I should be able to get down quietly and maybe get the jump on whatever is down there."

Velas takes a deep breath to calm any nerves and looks down the hole one last time, hoping to see the bottom. He smiles and winks at the group. "Last one down buys drinks at Oleg's!" he whispers and starts climbing down.

FWIW, I believe the last time we mentioned Faen, we said she was tying up the horses. It wouldn't be that much of a stretch to say that she was guarding the horses, but decided to venture underneath because she heard fighting.

Last day of vacation is today and a long travel day back tomorrow. Might not be able to post until Monday.

Long travel day tomorrow to start a family vacation until the 10th. Still expect to check in, just might be slower than normal.

FWIW, it looks like Lyra has two hero points.

Plus, having 4 Heal’s just based on being a cleric is a lot of healing already. BUT, you pick your spells as you see fit.

Yeah, agreed. I liked Oppa's suggestion in Discussion to grab some anti-venom and additional healing potions for the group. Maybe 2x each?

Netkin: thanks for botting Ellaeaanda. I never found the time to really sit down and figure out Investigator.

Cerrus groggily calls out. "What? How did I end up on the ground?" He sees Ardoinel battling with the ooze. "Oh, that's why."

Cerrus stands up, moves to where his weapon and tome landed on the ground, and picks them up.

[ooc]Mostly dead turn for Cerrus. I moved Cerrus' token to where I remember him being before Netkin moved him. Might be wrong about that positioning though.

Welcome back Resa! Glad you made it back here!

Yeah, I likely wouldn't wait until Ellaeaanda is back. Mainly just wanted to say that I'm checking in but wanted to give Resa a day or two to post. That said, looks like Resa hasn't posted in any account for ~2 weeks. Hope they are well.

I've been planning to let the rest of the party take their round 1 turns before picking up with Cerrus again.

So, that means Ellaeaanda (who is in the middle of their extended travels) and Resa.

@Delta Arena, I'm going to assume that Cerrus has Exploit Vulnerability going from the previous Esoteric Lore check. I'll adjust my turn if that's not true.

I'm also assuming Cerrus has his Light Hammer out since we knew about the issue with slashing and we knew the creature was in this room.

Cerrus moves into the room to create space for Resa to attack the same. "Remember, this thing is strong against slicing blades.

◆ Stride
◆ Strike w/ Light Hammer
◆ Strike w/ Light Hammer

Strike #1: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17
Bludgeoning Dmg: 1d6 + 3 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 3 + 3 + 2 = 14

Strike #2: 1d20 + 8 - 4 ⇒ (18) + 8 - 4 = 22
Bludgeoning Dmg: 1d6 + 3 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 3 + 2 = 9

Dmg rolls are including STR (+3), Personal Antithesis (+3), and Implement's Empowerment (+2).

FYI: the remaster added the Swap action so Ardoinel could sheathe and draw for one action, leaving Ardoinel one more action. Gonna hold Cerrus actions for a bit to see if Ardoinel modifies their turn.

Ellaeaanda, hope your travels go smoothly!

I'm traveling this weekend so mostly unavailable. Have a good weekend, all.

Cerrus moves in front of Netkin and attempts to get on Roxie's good side.

"My friends and I require access to the back room, hopefully for the last time. As stated previously, this path expedites our journey to the citadel. We can happily share more information with you once our investigation is complete. Oh, and I'll take a pickle for each of us. Paying customers now, aren't we?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

Cerrus ponders the party's next move - back to town to share information and find a translator for the papers, or push deeper into the cave. He was about to speak in favor of investigating the cave, but seeing Ellaeaanda walking back towards town, Cerrus bites his tongue.

Before following Ellaeaanda towards Breachill, Cerrus answers Resa's questions. "We became heroes the moment we all banded together to fight the fires in town hall and save the villagers. We continue to be heroes when we put ourselves in danger. And, if you like here, then perhaps you've found a home."

With that, Cerrus exits the cave and heads back towards town.

Wooo!! Very glad to make it through that combat.

Busy and tiring weekend following by chaperoning a kiddo's field trip, so I don't have time to post.

Question for the group: do we want to keep the hobgoblin alive for questioning?

I would assume that you can't change the DC of the Battle Medicine check when you spend the hero point. Which would mean that Resa would regain 14 HP since Netkin hit the original DC 20 check upon re-roll.

With Netkin doing the healing, Cerrus stares down the enemy before rushing over to the door and closing it so that the hobgoblin can't keep peppering arrows into the shack.

"There's a potion on my belt for whoever wants it."

◆ Exploit Vulnerability on hobgoblin
◆ Stride
◆ Interact to close door

EV w/ Esoteric Lore: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27 Likely Success; Mortal Weakness or Personal Antitheses? Free RK w/ Diverse Lore?

Heads up from me: Family vacation starts Friday, back home Thursday, 3/20. I expect to be available, but might be slower than normal.

During the evenings' festivities

Ever the book worm, Cerrus adds some quick notes to his tome on goblin dance techniques and their music of choice. Before too long, he joins in with Ellaeaanda and the goblins in the dancing, following Ellaeaanda's lead and adding some of his own flourishes.

Performance check: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

The journey back

"After we bring Calmont to town and deal with whatever comes next, I'm sure we will be back here, at which point we can deal with the slime. And maybe the skeletons. I'm not sure those things will be friendly neighbors."

Cerrus tries his best to make sure the that goblins feel comfortable with their current circumstances.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

As the group journeys back to Breachill, Cerrus listens intently to the conversation with Calmont, but lets Ellaeaanda lead.

I love how Netkin and Cerrus each are so into books. It's just a battle of who posts first to see who looks at books first!

No worries at all! With play-by-post games, I expect some lulls from time to time.

Cerrus attempts to highlight the gravity of the situation and speaks directly to the issue at hand.

"As Ardoinel and Ellaeaanda pointed out, we are concerned about occurrences of trespass here at your establishment. During our endeavors at the behest of the town council and our efforts towards helping Breachill, we found a tunnel that leads from Citadel Alterein directly to your storeroom. Your help in identifying who has used that tunnel in the past is very appreciated and could go a long way to ensuring the continued safety of all Breachill townspeople, including yourself."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

EDIT: That's a 28. I forgot that Cerrus is an expert in Diplomacy from the Marshal dedication.

FYI: travel days tomorrow and Sunday. Then, back to regular availability for awhile.

Hey all, I’m traveling for the next week and the internet situation isn’t that great. I’ll post as I can.

Moving with nature grace and athleticism, a tall, slender man stands up from a near by table and approaches the group still gathered around Irven. The newcomer is a handsome man with long dark hair flowing past his shoulders. As he sits at an available chair, one of his gloved hands adjusts the sheathed sword at his hip into a more comfortable seated position.

"Apologizes for the interruption. Did I overhear mention of Oleg's Trading Post? Are you all heading that way? Well, it seems to be my lucky day. I'm heading that way, too. There's strength in numbers - with all these bandits around, I mean."

He pauses for a moment, wondering who is going to talk first. But, then he speaks again quickly as it dawns on him that he hasn't introduced himself yet. "Ah, I should have lead with my name. I'm Velas Galla, a practiced swordsman from Restov."

Velas looks around at the group with eager anticipation to hear more about their future travels, and to hopefully convince them that he would be a welcome addition to their numbers.

"Oh! Books! If you don't mind, I'd love to add them to my collection. When I have time, I can transcribe information about the Order of the Nail into my tome!"

Cerrus doesn't wait for confirmation from the group before very carefully arranging the books and starting to read from one of them.

Speaking of the holidays, Merry Christmas, everyone. Hope you all have a good New Year in a couple of days!

Been AFK a lot so far this holiday season. Hoping to make time to catch up this evening.

My personal belief is that unless a PC requests healing, or we can tell they're badly injured (e.g. from their description or their stat line), we don't bother healing them and move on.

Yeah, I'm fine with that. I'm mostly concerned with giving all the players a chance to 'raise their hand' for healing - as I've done in a friendly way, hopefully. But, I totally understand that PBP games can grind to a halt if we continually wait for healing checks, etc.

Besides that, I don't want PCs to go down quickly in an encounter because they started with low HP when we had a chance to heal up before a fight.

"My grandfather's diary indicates that he believed that the town's founding didn't go as the townspeople have been led to believe. With how beloved Mr. Breachton is by the villagers, I imagine my grandfather kept his thought quiet. He either never shared this with me while he was still alive, or I was too young to remember."

Cerrus looks around his current surroundings and laughs slightly. "You are correct to doubt that we'll find a connection here in the citadel. But, maybe we'll find something."

Cerrus thinks on Ellaeaanda's question. "I honestly don't know. You are correct that I am a stranger to most of Breachill, despite my familial connection to the city's founding." He pauses for a long moment, wondering how much to share. "I traveled the Inner Sea far and wide, sometimes with barely enough to subsist - but always enough to collect trinkets and baubles. I take after my grandfather in that way. I found his diary when I returned to town. It seems he had some questions about Breachill that he was never able to answer. I intend to answer them. Hopefully, we learn something in this citadel that shines some light on those questions."

Cerrus moves to the center of the room and speaks to the group. "After Ellaeaanda's healing, I am ready to continue. Does anyone else need healing? Or, is anyone in need of recovery beyond what gauze and bandages can provide?"

"Do either of you want these? They haven't done much down here besides collect dust, and no finely-crafted piece deserves that fate. Even if they don't have any sentimental value to you, Alak, Cerrus could probably use them as some kind of...sympathetic icon against particularly chaotic or unruly enemies. Or devils, even. Hellknights do battle with Hell's soldiers to prove their mettle, do they not?"

"Ah, a good suggestion. I'm always adding new items to my bag of collections. I'm sure I'll find a use for this some day." Cerrus scoops up one of the dolls and adds it to his bag of esoterica.

"Time flows both fast and slow," she remarks idly to Cerrus. "A bored man’s minute is a busy man’s day. How quick is your rest?"

"I'm still hurting a bit, but I expect these wounds will take some time to heal. Let's continue."

Hearing conversation in a language he doesn't understand, Cerrus stays quiet.

Cerrus' eyes follow the gem as it clatter to the floor and Resa picks it up. "If my notes are to be believed, soulbound dolls are animated by a soul fragment which is contained within the focus gem. I don't know enough about things of the soul to be sure, but I'm not sure I'd want to be missing part of my soul in the afterlife. Maybe the best thing is to destroy the gem so the fragment can find the rest of its soul."

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm really glad this game is going strong, so I'm thankful for that, :)

Catching up now after a couple of days away from the computer.