F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
[b]"I suggest that one of our more social party members take care of trying to fool them."[/dice] Bobbie's face makes it clear it probably won't be her.
F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
"Any objections?" Bobbie asks her other teammates. If the paladin is not speaking up to deliver a stern talking-to on the importance of being truthful, it might as well be an enthusiastic approval.
F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
Bobbie has completely recovered from her wounds, and moves with the cold determination of someone approaching a mortal enemy. After everything the Pathfinders endured, she isn't going to back away even if Baba Yaga's very own daughters greet them at the city gate. "We look too much like foreigners," she says, tightening the scarf around her neck. "We better come up with a good excuse. How about saying we're mercenaries for hire?"
F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
Bobbie wakes up as if from a dream: extra cranky, aching all over, and hating her life.
"Heiress," she takes a ragged breath. "That one hit hard."
She is not one to want to sit down - even severely burned and about to go on another trip to a different country. But at least she can be distracted long enough to be subtly moved to a place where Lazar isn't, just in case she'd find punching him in the teeth soothing.
F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
Bobbie takes another swing at the guy on her right. Grown men are, fortunately, much easier to hit than goblins. They don't think of trying to move away.
F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
Sorry, really busy week - but I'm back!
"If you could let us in, you'd greatly help against whatever thugs started this brawl."
Bobbie does her best to match the 'uptight character' description. Fortunately, by keeping a straight face and standing there, straight as a ramrod, she does half the job by looking quite uptight indeed.
F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
"I suggest asking us to let us in, and dealing with them more directly if they refuse." Bobbie was a strong believer in violence - but she was also a strong believer in giving people a chance to walk away. They usually only got one.
F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
"Fine. Scout the place then. I'll check what those mercenaries have on them first. And you," Bobbie glares at the fake Hjort. "You keep away from all of this, and nothing bad will happen to you. Understood?"
F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
Bobbie scoffs. "What raid on fishing villages? I've never heard of such things. The Society has no interest in terrifying the poor and pillaging fishermen's shacks."
F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
Bobbie's lips turn up into a giddy smile when it becomes clear that a brawl is about to happen, but her happy mien quickly turns into a frown when some guy has the distaste of actually drawing his sword. The fool.
She strides to Corgrim's side, her own blade in hand, and delivers a powerful blow to the man who just praised Gorum.
F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
Bobbie spends the remaining hours sipping on a beer and waiting for the rest of the group to come back - while keeping a close eye on Corgrim to make sure he doesn't waste all of his money on poker games.
F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
Rolling how many hours this takes for Corgrim
Hours:1d6 ⇒ 4
Bobbie stands by Corgrim and watches the games unfold, waiting for the moment he'll actually begin to ask questions around and gather information. She waits through two long games of dice, getting increasingly frustrated, until she practically pulls him out of his chair by the collar. "We should go."
F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
GM Ultra Plus wrote:
"Hold on, hold on, I have the letters my broker gave me here, somewhere," Keln says as he paws through the coat, "And don't be too hard on poor Olm. We lied to him. The boy thinks he could be a cleric of Iomedae someday when he doesn't the sense Gozreh gave an eel. You can tell him anything and he will believe you. Ah, here they are."
"Says who?" Bobbie asks dryly. "The man who thought he could easily take down a Pathfinder expedition leader? For a meagre bonus of a hundred coins? I hope you have a solid insurance."
F Human (CORE) Fighter (5) HP 49/49, AC 23/ T 13 / FF 20 / Saves: Fort +8 , Ref +6, Will +7 (/+8 against fear)/ Perception +1, Ini +3
Pledging one's soul to Iomedae makes one pious - not necessarily smart. Case in point.
"Discerning lies is also part of the faith," she says, feeling a bit of pity for the crestfallen red scarf. "You'll need to work on spotting them. It's a path."
She loses all apparent compassion when she turns to Keln. "You better talk, if you don't want to find out how sharp that spear of yours is."
Intimidate:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
Full Name
Novalie Nyström
Race
Vitals:
HP: 19/19, AC: 14 T: 14 FF: 12 Resist Cold 5 Perception +7 (Darkvision 60 ft.) Initiative: +3 Fort +5 Ref +2 Will +5 (+2 vs. charm and compulsion) CMB: +4, CMD: 18, Speed: 30 Swim 30 (amp)
"I do not want to go there and see them, this was a bad idea," complains Novalie.
Freya rolls her eyes, "You have been fretting all day every day for this entire trip, will you lighten up?" She gestures widely around her taking in the countryside, "Just take in being out in the fresh air on our own. No instructor or chore in sight for miles." Throwing her arms up in the air, "Why do you care what they'll say? You've just graduated and are well on your way. You're a grown-up now and wearing big girl panties, act like it!"
Novalie sighs, "You're right, I'm focusing too much on their opinions." She pauses, "You know I haven't seen them since I ran away. I was twelve then. Some nights I still have nightmares of their disapproving faces."
Novalie stomps into her room and shut the door tightly, barring it as best she could with the chair and dresser in her room. Her face was flushed and her eyes red and puffy from crying.
Stomping some more around the room the twelve year old grunts unintelligibly with anger, "Errrgh." She paces some more, "How could they do...Errgh!" her sentence interrupted by overwhelming frustration. "Why won't they let me... grrrr," again her train of thought interrupted by sheer anger.
Throwing herself backwards onto the bed and looking up at the ceiling, "They just won't accept that I'm old enough to make major decisions on my own. I know I've heard Volcano's deep rumblings in my soul."
Shaking her head and covering her face with her hands rubbing them in frustration, "And yet they tell me that's just my imagination. And that I need to stick with the old traditions and serve River. They put that uncomfortable heavy armor on me and laden me down with heavy weapons. It's just not right, I can't move and avoid blows with all that. 'Don't worry you'll get used to it.' they say. Well, what if I don't want to get used to it?"
Adding with a groan, "And those lessons about how a good undine behaves. 'Follow the ways of River.' 'Protect the people from the enemy.' 'Help the poor and cure the sick.' 'We must be the light and the shield for all to see.'"
Throwing her hands down onto the bed angrily, she spits out, "Why do they want to sit around passively while the world crumbles around them? Why don't they take the battle to the enemy and just finish it?"
With a terrible glint in her eyes, "What I want to do is take the battle to the enemy. I want to tear out its heart and shove it down its throat while it still beats."
Getting up from the bed and prostrating herself on the floor she begins to pray, "Lord Volcano, in your wisdom guide me. I want to aid your crusade to eradicate our enemies. I do not want to stand passively by while others march to war and I stay back to protect the homes." She ends the prayer pleading, "I beg you, show me what I should do."
In her head a memory resurfaces, clear as day. It was one of the times Freya was back in town and she was listening to Freya's parents talk about Hearth. They talked about the military, the training, and how proud they were of Freya's progress. She drank in all of the details, wishing she could train like Freya did.
Raising her head a bit struck by the clarity of the vision, she whispers, "Thank you Lord Volcano for the insight."
Getting to her feet, she grabs extra clothing, a few mementos, and what few personal possessions she owns and tosses them all on the bedsheet. She wraps them all up in the sheet and ties it up so she can wear it as a sling bag over her shoulder. She grabs a spear propped up in the corner and checks her knife is still in its belt sheath. Looking around the room for one last time, a slight tear forms in her eye for a different reason this time. She grits her teeth and climbs out the window into the night.
Ducking in through the outside door of the cellar she stuffs some food in her bag for the journey. The food ready she heads out of town. The sounds of families laughing waft out of open windows around her. Light spills out of the windows showing families being together and enjoying life.
She squints her eyes into slits as more tears form and she feels a cold and bitter loneliness sink into her soul as she sinks off into the dark.
"Can we stop for the night here?" Novalie asks Freya.
"I want to press on, we can sleep in real beds at home tonight." pleads Freya.
"You will sleep in a bed, who knows what will happen to me. I want to face them after a good nights rest," she says as she halts, feeling like she ran into an invisible wall of anxiety, fear, and anger.
Gesturing off the side of the road into the bushes and trees Novalie suggests, "There is a small hidden glade with a nice flat area of thick grass almost like a bed."
Freya looks worriedly at her life-long friend and relents, "I'll stay with you one last night out here, tomorrow we go in and face them down together. No one's ever beaten us when we fight as a team."
Novalie leads the way into the underbrush toward the glade. When they get to it, Freya looks around, "You were right this is a very nice place, how'd you know it was here?"
Squatting down, beginning to unpack, and setup camp, Novalie looks around the glade and shivers a bit, "This is where it happened that first night."
Looking confused, Freya asks, "What happened?"
Gesturing over to one corner of the glade Novalie points and says in a cold, dead tone, "It was right there. That's the place where I killed my first elen"
Freya looks at the spot with a shocked expression on her face having forgotten that part of Novalie's journey. Her friend hadn't mentioned it ever again after she'd shown up at her parent's home and told them what happened.
Saying nothing, she sets down her pack and begins to build a fire. Occasionally she glances over at her absolutely quiet friend and wonders if she should say something.
While unpacking, Novalie just can't keep the memory of the man's caved in skull and pulverized face out of her head with his blood and bits of brain dripping from her bare hands.
She remembers small flashes of that first night when she'd ran away from home. She'd stopped here a few hours away from town to rest and laid down to sleep for a while. Not remembering exactly what happened, she recalls the creepy man who'd came upon her in the glade and threatened her. He thought he could do what he wanted with a twelve year old girl. What could she do to stop him?
Intense anger had overcome her briefly and then she slipped into a smooth metal-like mental state where everything ran in slow motion. Her hands erupted into ice and freezing cold for the first time. She slipped around him easily avoiding his reach. She remembered thinking how slow and clumsy he seemed as she hit him with her blue wreathed fists. His movements slowed to a crawl and she pummeled him over and over until he fell unconscious on the ground.
She didn't stop pummeling him though, she knelt on his chest and punched with all her strength over and over again. Channeling all her years of rage and frustration, she kept punching him, not feeling a bit of pain as her knuckles cracked his skull over and over. Eventually, when her emotional well ran dry she stopped and looked down at the dead man.
Her mind was clear and unemotional, she wasn't shocked at what she'd down nor did she regret it. He'd tried to take advantage of a young girl and forfeited any right to life at that point. This was the justice of The Volcano, who'd obviously filled her with strength and the ability to defend herself.
She stood up, wiping her blood covered hands on his clothing. She picked up her makeshift bag and spear then walked on toward Hearth. Not looking back at the body she left to rot under the sky she walked on the most content she'd been in many years. Lord Volcano protected her and enabled her to mete out his justice on a true villain. She now knew in the deepest recesses of her soul that she was being guided toward her purpose in life.
Sometime later that evening with these troubling thoughts still in her head, she lays down in her blanket and watches the fire as it dwindles. She felt bad for being such a poor traveling companion for Freya. Eventually, she drifts off into a fitful sleep wondering what will happen tomorrow.
Crunch:
Novalie
Female mistsoul (vapor undine) warpriest (sacred fist) of Volcano 2 (Pathfinder Player Companion: Plane-Hopper's Handbook 21, Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 60, 130, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 275)
LG Medium outsider (aquatic, native)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7
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Defense
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AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 untyped bonus)
hp 19 (2d8+6)
Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +5; +2 trait bonus vs. charm and compulsion
Resist cold 5
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee spear +4 (1d8+4/×3) or
. . unarmed strike +4 (1d6+3) or
. . unarmed strike flurry of blows +2/+2 (1d6+3)
Ranged light crossbow +3 (1d8/19-20)
Special Attacks blessings 4/day (Strength: strength surge, War: war mind), fervor 3/day (1d6)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 2nd; concentration +2)
. . 1/day—obscuring mist Warpriest (Sacred Fist) Spells Prepared (CL 2nd; concentration +5)
. . 1st—blessed fist[ACG], protection from evil, shield of faith
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, guidance, spark[APG] (DC 12), vigor
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Statistics
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Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 8
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 18
Feats Elemental Strike, Improved Unarmed Strike
Traits arcane temper, birthmark
Skills Knowledge (history) +4, Knowledge (religion) +4, Perception +7, Profession (soldier) +6, Sense Motive +7, Spellcraft +4, Swim +11
Languages Aquan, Common
SQ amphibious, flurry of blows, hydrated vitality[ARG]
Other Gear crossbow bolts (20), light crossbow, spear, backpack, belt pouch, blanket[APG], hemp rope (50 ft.), soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 103 gp
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Tracked Resources
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Blessings (4/day) (Su) - 0/4
Crossbow bolts - 0/20
Fervor (1d6, 3/day) (Su) - 0/3
Hydrated Vitality (4 HP/day) - 0/4
Obscuring Mist (1/day) - 0/1
Spear - 0/1
Torch - 0/10
Trail rations - 0/5
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Special Abilities
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Amphibious (Ex) You can survive indefinitely on land.
Blessings (4/day) (Su) Pool of power used to activate Blessing abilities.
Darkvision (60 feet) You can see in the dark (black and white only).
Elemental Strike (+1 cold) Swift action to imbue your weapons with elemental damage for a round.
Energy Resistance, Cold (5) You have the specified Energy Resistance against Cold attacks.
Fervor (1d6, 3/day) (Su) Standard action, touch channels positive/negative energy to heal or harm. Swift to cast spell on self.
Flurry of Blows-1/-1 (Su) You can make a flurry of blows, as the monk.
Hydrated Vitality (4 HP/day) Gain fast healing 2 when submerged completely in natural, flowing, water.
Improved Unarmed Strike Unarmed strikes don't cause attacks of opportunity, and can be lethal.
Swim (30 feet) You have a Swim speed.
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Ice in the Blood (Replaces Hydrated Vitality)
Undine with this racial trait mimic the healing abilities of the nereids, gaining fast healing 2 for 1 round anytime they take cold damage (whether or not this cold damage gets through their cold resistance). The undines can heal up to 2 hit points per level per day with this ability, after which it ceases to function.
