Search Posts
Ellaeaanda does not wait for an invitation—seeing the goblins’ difficulty in healing the charau-kas on their own, she steps in with her own healing kit, tending them with patient, methodical certainty.
To Cerrus she responds “Or in town, if preparation we need for the vermin and spiders described in Voz’s journal.”
Ellaeaanda nods approvingly in agreement with Netkin. “Indeed. Good news one may share with Bumblebrasher clan.” So saying, she starts heading to the upper part of the citadel to tell the goblins that they may move back into their former home.
Ellaeaanda solemnly shakes her head when Cerrus talks about gaining treasures from this room. “Disturb not the dead, lest they disturb you. Already left her mark Voz has, I fear.” The elf incants another orb of light to brighten the room and focuses her investigation on the empty compartments.
With the axe given to Cerrus, Ellaeaanda nods in agreement with Netkin. “Little remains but the one room we have not yet seen.” She starts walking back towards said room. “Then certain of their safety the Bumblebrashers may feel.”
Anyone else want the battle axe? I think Ardoinel is usually attacking with his shield now. And, Resa wants agile weapons. Not me. Ellaeaanda has +0 Str, so she uses agile weapons as well. The axe belongs to Cerrus.
With softly glowing eyes, Ellaeaanda calmly peers at the axe, opening her mind to see the unseen. “Magical indeed,” she advises her companions while trying to ascertain the exact properties of the item.
Identify Magic: If Religion or Nature is relevant instead, subtract 1 from the roll
Ellaeaanda helps to clean up the mess left behind by the slime and surveys the room before turning her attention to the injured. With sure hands she continues treating the wounds that Netkin could not, though not at the same level of skill as the alchemist.
I'm back from my trip, but so is a nasty virus that stowed away in my body, so my posting will remain limited for the time being. Also, is there a limited amount of times you can use a healer's toolkit? I didn't know that! :') I believe that was just flavor text to explain the failure of the 2nd Treat Wounds (which was misattributed to Netkin instead of Ellaeaanda). Netkin, thank you so much for botting Ellaeaanda, and sorry for the poor character sheet--it's certainly not designed to help another player control her! Interestingly, the alchemist class intimidates me much more that the investigator class!
“Create water can you?” Ellaeaanda responds to Resa. “For some, fire and acid are easier to conjure,” she explains. “And goblins fear the slime; above they stay while it remains.” The elf opens her mind and muses on how to rid the citadel of the slime. Recall Knowledge:
What’s the best way to get rid of the slime? “Beyond the citadel, repellent for spiders may prove as useful as for bears,” she suggests to Netkin.
“Hands of fate,” Ellaeaanda gives Resa an approving nod after the runes go dark. Without hesitation, she moves next to the fallen wights and, with delicate care, respectfully places their halberds back inside the coffins. “To bed for eternal slumber,” she gazes at the others—Ardoinel and Cerrus in particular, with their more pronounced muscles—for their help in putting the wights back in their coffins.
While the slender elf works at restoring the armored dead to their proper place, she suggests their future course of action. “A slime-free home for Bumblebrashers next? Then prepare for statues, spiders, and other vermin.” She muses on the prospect of ridding the citadel of the slime.
Ellaeaanda tries to help the uncertain rogue through the process of modifying the runes. “Not alone are your deft hands. Arcane truths shall guide you. Extend one serif with chalk; scratch out another stroke; connect a third.”
After Netkin and Cerrus explain the reason behind her request, Ellaeaanda hands all three pages of Necril to the wight to read. She gives the others space to examine the runes; while waiting for her turn, she peers intently at the coffins, wondering why the different weapon depictions seem odd to her.
“Magic are the runes,” she intones softly to Resa, “but magic is not required to reset the ward. Of service are your skills in opening and closing.”
I'm traveling this weekend so mostly unavailable. Have a good weekend, all. Enjoy your trip Cerrus! For my part, just a reminder that I'll be traveling June 17 - July 13 without any computer access, so expect zero posts during this time period. Please npc Ellaeaanda as needed.
With the wights speaking common, another language is unnecessary, and Ellaeaanda gently shakes her head at Resa. “Another time, another place, another tongue,” she advises the rogue in a soft voice. To Netkin’s question she adds “Your peace we seek. Gone is the necromancer who disturbed your rest; reset the ward we would.” Turning slightly to the others, she expounds on what she knows. “Twelve glyphs, twelve undead. But not all arise.” She glances at the four closed coffins, each depicting its own weapon, distinct from the halberds borne by the standing wights. “Both magical and mundane may calm the runes.” Turning back to the undead, she holds out forth the parchment again. “Can you read Necril?”
"Do-Do you think the insignias will work on them too?" “All things are possible, but only some may pass,” Ellaeaanda replies. She adjusts her hellknight insignia so that it is clearly visible on her chest, then hails the wights from the doorway. “Speak you Taldane, the common tongue? Or read you the words of the dead?” She proffers one of the pages written in Necril while pondering the nature of the softly glowing runes. “Resa, do you share a tongue with these as well?”
Ellaeaanda acknowledges Netkin with a slight incline of her head, then slowly searches the main room for the hidden entrance to the Hall of Lictors. Should her search prove uneventful, she then joins Cerrus in the tunnel to follow his hunch.
Sorry, it turns out I'll be without internet access Sunday (tomrrow) - Tuesday. Please bot me as needed during my absence.
Ellaeaanda gazes intently at the halfling with her disconcerting stare, then glances at the jar of pickles before calmly offering some sage advice. "Appease a peck of panic with a pickle picnic." Summoning orbs of magical light for her companions, the elf enters the tunnel while contemplating how to restore peace to the skeletons in the crypt.
Oh dear. I hope everything turns out okay.
"Oh, and I'll take a pickle for each of us. Paying customers now, aren't we?" Ellaeaanda fishes out a coin and hands over a silver. "To go, please."
... the elf starts heading back to the Citadel's basement, where the skeletons are.
With her easy, graceful stride, Ellaeaanda continues walking ahead of Cerrus back to town.
Just to clarify, there's a way to Citadel Altaerin in the cave we're in, right? I was under the impression that's why the Citadel was important, so I was kind of confused that we came to this entrance that's apparently somewhere else. As I recall: 1) From the Citadel proper (where we met Calmont et al) one cannot access the basement at all because the stairs collapsed. 2) One can access the first level of the basement in two ways: (i) through the trapdoor in the tavern (which leads to a tunnel into the crypt), and through a tunnel outdoors (which was our first entrance with the dazzling birds, and through which the bear got out). You cannot access the subbasement because the stairs are collapsed. 3) To access the subbasement (where the elf gates presumably are) we need to continue deeper into the cave system where we found Voz.
"But I'd advise we think of a way to keep people away from this place until we return. We don't want some trapper or vagabond to just wander in seeking shelter and awaken something." "Less is more," Ellaeaanda advises. "Adding cover or deterrents creates more clues to reveal the unseen. Let nature continue to conceal with her mossy vines." Satisfied that additional precautions are unnecessary for the cave, the elf starts heading back to the Citadel's basement, where the skeletons are.
Ellaeaanda shakes her head in reply to Cerrus. “That language is dead to me. But the dead speak beneath Citadel Altaerin, if translation we seek,” she adds, referring to the skeletons they had previously encountered. With the ageless patience of elves, she seems in no rush to immediately explore the cave.
I'm fine with any of the solutions you propose. That said, if the problem is that we're not at the xp we should have, the simplest fix is to just award us the difference (say for excellent roleplay from my fellow players). (We're probably behind in xp because we didn't clear the slime room and skeletons from the citadel basement, so another option is to go back and do those first. There's also the alcove north of us with spider webs--I'm guessing there's some xp there too. However, I'm not the kind of player who feels the need to clear every single room.)
Ellaeaanda slowly nods at Ardoinel’s explanation of the medallion. “Unlikely worshipper Voz is; though lacking magic, Alseta’s symbol may be the key that unlocks the aiudara.” With seemingly nothing more to discover here, she begins strolling towards the eastern passage to see what awaits deeper in the cave, but allows those with darkvision, like Resa, to lead.
Ellaeaanda quietly looks over Netkin’s shoulder at the pages and medallion.
With Lirayne gone, Ellaeaanda goes to examine the half-elf’s campsite, paying particular attention to any equipment that was left behind. “Reveal the unseen future,” she intones, summoning a softly glowing orb of pure white light.
That seems reasonable, but are we sure there's a tie? What outcome do Resa and Netkin favor? Let Voz go or combat?
Ellaeaanda nods and makes room for Voz to pass peacefully. “Truth she speaks. Gold from slavers and skeletons from graves, but no town did she burn. Calmont’s crimes are not hers.” She gazes past Lirayne with eyes seeing and unseeing. “May your fate be true.”
It seems that Voz won’t surrender, so I think this ends with either a fight or Voz leaving peacefully. As a player I’m unsure, but my character would definitely favor a peaceful resolution, so I’ll follow her lead.
”And I promise, you will never see me again.” “Promise made, promise kept,” Ellaeaanda acknowledges the half-elf, taking her at her word. “But if Breachill you abandon, a void you leave. A bear may die, but its cave lives forever, home to another. And so should it be with your store. Transfer ownership of your bookstore to Netkin and his grandmother, here and now, so that the cycle may continue unbroken.”
I’m deferring to Cerrus and Ardoinel on how to handle Voz, since they made the successful intimidation checks. As a player, I think her journal will contain useful information and am wary of just letting a necromancer go, but I don’t want to undo the good rolls of my fellow players.
“Undeath is uncommon and undesired, outside Geb,” Ellaeaanda tranquilly responds to Resa, unperturbed by her questions. “Forever is the cycle of life and death and rebirth, but eat you all who leave?” Recall Knowledge about skeletons: What are skeletons resistant/immune to?
Ellaeaanda nods in agreement with the halfling, though she does not exaggerate. “Calmont knows, and everyone he’s told: the Bumblebrasher tribe, definitely; the town council, likely; and all in Breachill within range of gossip. And a hellknight.”
“A poor choice Calmont was too,” Ellaeaanda mentions idly, like someone remarking that there is dirt on their shoe. “Stole your research he did, and tried to find the aiudara himself.” She gazes around the cavern with unfocused eyes, then calmly adds “Follow your own logic you should. Slavers seek profit too. From both dead and living they benefit—after aiudara you betray, slavers betray you ... just like Calmont. Corpse or slave you be.” Her faraway voice sounds unconcerned, as if she were reciting dry facts from a textbook. “What arrangement for exchange of gold and knowledge? Are Scarlet Triad here? Are there more Bloody Blades?”
“Wise you are, Voz Lirayne—and not alone,” Ellaeaanda adds after the dwarf-elf responds. “Lamond Breachton’s story my companions also doubt. How came you by such insights?” She deflects away from their main goal, trying to put Voz more at ease, but eventually returns to their objective with frank sincerity. “Aiudara we seek, not for glory or wealth, but for duty. Protect them we must from slavers and cultists alike. Our precious legacy must not be misused.”
“Speak with you we wish,” Ellaeaanda replies, unperturbed. “Difficult if you are dead.” She eyes the half-elf, sizing her up while she waits for those more skilled at diplomacy to act. “The Scarlet Triad complicates all. Perhaps we can help?” Recall Knowledge:
Weakest save?
Ellaeaanda listens quietly to Resa’s scouting report, then looks at the others. “A long-awaited meeting, yet afore its time. Greet her we shall with parley, and fate shall answer.” She moves unhurriedly to the eastern tunnel, allowing anyone who wishes to precede her. When she spies the half-elven woman in the flickering firelight she calls out. “Peace enters with clear heart and open mind. Shared knowledge begets wisdom. Will you partake?” The sage enters openly and unarmed.
Ellaeaanda waits patiently for the stealthy rogue to return with a scouting report.
@GM: I suggest that Resa sneak and scout ahead first and we follow after getting the all clear, but of course this is ultimately up to Resa.
Ellaeaanda gives Netkin a gentle nod, taking his three torches and placing them inside her own pack. “No need to wait when all are hale,” she responds to Cerrus and follows Resa at a distance.
"I do not wear my hair out often, because of the color and the horns. It marks me more... different." “’Pretty’, you mean,” Ellaeaanda casually corrects the tiefling in the way a teacher might reflexively chide a student for using the wrong tense for a verb. “And mistaken motives you ascribe to fate: ‘nice’ and ‘unkind’ are irrelevant to one’s destiny.” She gestures to the southern tunnel, in agreement with Resa’s suggestion. “Foresee what awaits.”
Ellaeaanda nods in response to Netkin’s question and gestures for him to keep the repair kit. “For you it is.” With her longbow in one hand, she steps into the cave, unperturbed by the dim light. There she points at the tracks heading south, as if to suggest that that is the trail they should follow.
Ellaeaanda fully replenishes her quiver and helps distribute the other loot, giving a lesser healing potion to everyone except the halfling, who already has the capacity to create several curative elixirs on the fly. Instead she hands the everburning torch to Netkin. “Many objects but few hands. Could you attach this to your machine?” To Resa she also presents the rune-etched armor—an improvement over her existing leather—and magical rapier. “Bind not to your starknife, for Desna teaches freedom, and elves favor longer blades.” When all are ready, she follows Cerrus and strides straight towards the cliff, parting the curtain of moss. “Destiny awaits.”
I would just treat it as a treat wounds with crafting. What does everyone think about it? That sounds reasonable to me. I sincerely hope the situation is improving and that the stress abates quickly. For the +1 rapier and +1 leather armor: I think Resa would get the most use out of these.
“Difficult to know one’s parents and culture from afar. Did you not say you know not your mother? And that your father sold you into slavery at a young age, through a voice of ink on parchment?” Ellaeaanda responds to Resa in an emotionless voice, distant but not uncaring. “The past one must bare to uncover the truth in any relation. What truths lie in your past?” Seeing the rogue struggle to use a bow, the elf replenishes her quiver and demonstrates with her own longbow. “Nock … draw … loose,” she explains, repeating the motions a few times to ensure that Resa catches on. “A blade extends the arm, but an arrow extends the eye. And one sees farthest with the eye within.”
Thanks Netkin. We'll cover for you if necessary. For my own part, just to give you all advance notice, I'll be away from June 17 - July 13. Internet access will be unreliable at best, and I will definitely not have computer access, so expect zero posting during this time. Please bot me during this absence.
|
