Estella Vale's page

"So... that's it? Huh." Estella asks confusedly, as if she didn't have a brush with near-death just a moment before. She gives a grateful nod to Jakardros. "I suppose I shouldn't have expected any different from a skilled mercenary group. I couldn't have dreamed of such a perfect surgical strike myself. As for help, it seems by helping you we've already helped ourselves anyway."

She doesn't elaborate while potential traitors are still around, but in her mind she's connecting some dots. Connections between the ogres mentioning Lucrecia, the voice taunting them mentioning a sister, and the letter they took from the naga in what feels like an eternity ago now. Elisani would be proud! She thinks, anyway.

But, first things first.

When Tarphrex suddenly asks Kaven something, Estella immediately jumps into the conversation. "Did you find some sort of clue, Kaven? Let's see it!" She steps closer towards him.

Estella nods in return and faces the door. Little more she can do right now without seeming suspicious.

I neglected to mention this in my last post but Estella's turning on total defense while she stands to block the doorway.

Estella gratefully accepts Sherman's healing. She moves up to the door entrance and braces her spear, forming a block at the door entrance right behind the hole. That should keep the room secure enough to put the intimidation plan into motion.

As she settles next to Ceven, she looks him in the eyes and begins silently mouthing something.

What's Vale's AC? I could use my bodyguard feat to maybe boost him with another 2 AC, would that deflect the ogre's blow?

Estella keeps clamoring, boosting the rage further.

"See how he falters! Just a little more, comrades! We'll cut off the army's head, then clean up the body!"

Wisp Attack Ceven: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10
Wisp Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Wisp Attack Jakardros: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18
Wisp Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Wisp Attack Elisani: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18
Wisp Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Wisp Attack Vale: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19
Wisp Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Wisp Attack Kaven: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
Wisp Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Then, with a furious flurry of thrusts, she presses the attack herself.

Controlled Inspired Rage, Flagbearer, Haste
Attack: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 9 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 28
Damage: 1d8 + 5 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 5 + 1 + 1 = 12
Attack: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 9 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 30
Damage: 1d8 + 5 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 5 + 1 + 1 = 8

Estella dodges out of the way from the first attack at the last possible moment, but the second attack slams right into her. She recovers, but weakly.

That came WAY too close to killing me...

She gathers herself and continues her chant.

"Give this creature of violence a violent end! Let him feel the weight of his actions!"

At that moment, the spirit wisps surrounding the party slam into the enemy.

Wisp Attack Estella: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
Wisp Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
Wisp Attack Ceven: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29
Wisp Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Wisp Attack Ceven Crit Confirm: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
Wisp Crit Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Wisp Attack Sherman: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13
Wisp Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
Wisp Attack Vale: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18
Wisp Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Estella, meanwhile, takes a step back, building some distance between her and that awful ogre. Five foot step.

Then, bolstered with Tarphrex's haste spell, she strikes!

Controlled Inspired Rage, Flagbearer
Attack: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 9 + 1 + 1 = 12
Damage: 1d8 + 5 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 1 + 1 = 10
Attack: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 9 + 1 + 1 = 29
Damage: 1d8 + 5 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 5 + 1 + 1 = 15

Also quick reminder for any future attacks, it's a bit cramped so it might not come up, but if the ogre isn't adjacent he's got a 20% miss chance on all of us

Neever mind this, I mixed up Elisani and Estella >_< (and not the first time, even)

Honestly I'm not quite sure it hasn't ever happened to me, ahaha.

For complete transparency's sake, here's my AC calculation as I understand it.

Armor bonus: 4
Magic armor enhancement bonus: 2
Amulet of Natural Armor bonus to natural armor: 2
Ring of Protection deflect bonus: 1
Dex modifier: 2
And now hopefully the Urban Skald dodge bonus: 1

10 + 4 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 1 = 22.

I didn't check in for this weekend and OH NO MY GIRL

I did everything in my power and pored over everything I could looking for something that could help, anything I'd missed. Thankfully, it turns out I did miss something really big?

Back of the Crowd (Ex): At 3rd level, an urban skald has learned to maximize the defensive benefit of being near allies. He gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC when adjacent to 2 or more allies. This bonus increases to +2 at 9th level and to +3 at 15th level.

I don't think I ever realized I had this feature. It's hidden at the bottom of the urban skald page, underneath a feature meant for level 10, so I think I missed it while making the alias profile that I always use to check my character. My deepest apologies for missing out on this, it's honestly a huge boon that I just missed out on all this time.

If the Black Arrows count as 2 adjacent allies (are they both truly allies? Does diagonal count as adjacent for this feature?), I actually have +1 AC for a total of 22. Enough to dodge the first hit. That would mean Estella lives.

phew

Apologies for the late response, hope it's OK to still take the AoO, otherwise just ignore.

Attack: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 9 + 1 = 18
Damage: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Sensing the fight escalate, and realizing that with the thunder crashes and the reinforcements, the time for quick-and-silent is probably out the door, Estella makes a decision.

"Ah, to hell with it."

She suddenly calls out to her allies.

"COMRADES! Let not these wretches hinder us! The Black Arrows deserve justice for the cruelties performed here!"

Switching on my Rage Song. All comrades please refer to the enclosed leaflet.

Estella steps forward, placing herself tactically behind the Black Arrows before thrusting her spear between them, into the ogre.

Buffed by Flagbearer, as is everyone who can see her

Attack: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 9 + 1 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 5 + 1 = 8

Pacific, I'm pretty sure. Otherwise I'm posting on hours I usually am not awake for.

Estella rushes in with the others putting herself between the ogre and the rest. When she gets in position, she quickly claps Vale on the shoulder and says "You've got this.", an arcane glow in her hands.

Casting Heroism on Vale

Immediately adding Big Bone Lick to my list of places to visit. Great name, no notes.

Gonna wait and see if either Sherman or Elisani has anything clever they can do to make our invisible ogre foe visible again.

Apologies for the delay, but happy birthday! Glad to hear the trip was nice!

Confession: it took me a little bit to realize Death Valley was an actual park in California and this wasn't some extended bit between you guys that I didn't get ahahaha

Don't sweat it, hope everything's going okay!

Hastened by Tarphrex, Estealla wastes no time and charges ahead, flag billowing. She lines up behind Vale and expertly thrusts her spear past him, into the ogre.

Buffs: Haste and Flagbearer. No soft cover for the ogre due to Phalanx Formation.

Attack: 1d20 + 9 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 9 + 1 + 1 = 16
Damage: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 5 + 1 = 20

Estella holds her spear tight, ready to fly its banner into battle.

Depending on how we're using Silence, Estella can get her Inspire Rage going. She's probably joining Vale near the front lines (maybe get some use out of Phalanx and Bodyguard). Possibly also use a Mirror Image on either of us to bolster our frontline further.

Estella also agrees

Ah, thank you! I really couldn't put my finger on it but being able to invis 7 people at once felt wrong to me, but I struggled to interpret it any other way. Thanks for setting me straight, all good to move on with the plan as discussed.

Unless I'm misreading the spell (very possible) but it says "Target: you or a creature or object weighing no more than 100 lbs./level" and that would be caster level, not spell level, right?

Oh wait wait, my Invisibility spell targets 1 person per level so we can replace all those Vanish spells of Tarphrex's with the single cast of Invisibility I'm already doing.

Really sorry for making this take longer, I don't know how I missed this when reading Tarphrex's plan.

No personal objections from my side: experience tells me I don't typically go through my spell slots anyway so I'm not fussed about the 2nd and 3rd level spell slot. I'm good!

Alternate plan: Considering Elisani used Blend, and Ceven has that, that means an additional Invisibility spell from me or Tarphrex (I volunteer) would cover everyone else, and then we should be good.

"Would a casting of Haste help? I can do that, but that'd leave two people without."

Estella notices Sherman casting Silence around him, and sticks close to him to enjoy the benefit of the spell. She gives him a grateful nod.

Stealth: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

EDIT: I am so sorry

Estella walks in, taking in the sights if possible. When at the entrance, she readies her spear. "Shall I take point?"

Yeha, I'm down with bringing them with us too. Just gotta make sure whoever the traitor is, he doesn't get the chance to 'helpfully' run ahead so he can regroup with his ogre buddies out of sight.

"Good plan, though I think it might be helpful to clear out the tunnel anyway. Clearing out an entire fort is a tall task, and having a place to safely fall back to and rest could make all the difference."

Estella jumps up with a start when she hears Jakardros reply to her. "Ah, I- My apologies, I didn't mean to imply..." She decides to shut up before she just buries herself deeper.

Happy to change the subject, she thinks along. "Are the caves narrow? If we can have a formation going where those protected by magic can shelter the ones who can't, we might be able to turtle our way through."

Estella tilts her head as she mulls over Ceven's words for a bit. "I don't disagree. Yet, at the same time... All due respect to Jakardros, who seems a capable and fair leader, but The Black Arrow's reputation precedes it. From what I've heard, the sort of people that join the Black Arrows aren't exactly made from the sturdiest moral fiber."

Estella nods understandingly. "Betrayal, huh... While it's hard to imagine anyone being convinced to betray their brothers for a bunch of ogres, maybe one of the giants Jakardros mentioned is behind it?"

Estella gives the other party members a grateful nod when she notices their guarded attitude towards Kaven. She's sure she can handle it herself if need be, but it's reassuring to see her party move in to support her nonetheless.

"Seems like we have a plan, then."

Estella listens intently to Jakardros, while subtly ignoring Kaven's advances. "Why do you reckon the stone giants came here? They can't have just moved in just to capture the occasional patrol... Are we sure Fort Rannick is safe right now? I hate to imagine the worst case scenario, but we might want to be ready for anything..."

You did not burn the Misgivings. It's actually written in the book that it is incredibly hard to burn. The soul of the senior Foxglove accidently became infused with the structure and it serves as his phylactery.

I wonder if the neighbors ever complained.

Hope you're getting better, Ceven! Covid's a real bastard.

Also a small apology from me, things have been a little hectic and I kinda lost sight myself.

I think this is the first, actually! Iirc we never ACTUALLY burned down the Misgivings, what with it being in a nice neighborhood and all.

If I had a nickel for every time the party in this campaign considers burning a run-down private residence...

"We're coming along, right?" Estella asks the rest of the party. "As harrowing as all this has been, and even though I'll be the first to admit I'd love a good few days to recover, we've still got a job to do."

Estella gives a rueful shake of her head. "The inside is cleared out, but... We didn't find any other captives. And what we DID find inside was, well..." She sighs. "It wasn't pretty."

Estella eyes the loot. "That's some very expensive-looking jewelry to find in an ogre basement... I fear the original owners may not be with us anymore."

Estella flashes a smile. "You and me both, Eli. But all's well that ends well." She claps her friend on the shoulder.

Upon hearing Tarphrex's thoughts, she nods. "Very good point... Maybe behind there?" As Elisani moves to check the door, she looks on with interest to see what's behind it.

Estella gives Sherman a grave smile. "Physically, I'm alright, but I'm afraid it'll take a few weeks before I've truly processed that." She shivers. "That was harrowing."

When Sherman offers a heal, Estella declines. "I appreciate it, but conserve your energy." With a smile, she pulls out the wand in her pack. "Let's have this little gadget pay itself back, instead."

She heals herself with a few casts of the wand.

CLW: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
CLW: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
CLW: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Remaining wand charges: 47

She then offers to anyone else who might need it.

Listening to Tarphrex, she stares at the plant mound again... "You think this was the fate of the original inhabitants? Could we have been too late?"

With the tension gone, Estella falls to her knees in exhaustion. "That was horrible."

It takes a little bit for her collect herself, once again, but eventually she gets back up and cracks her neck. "Let's finish up our investigation here and get out as soon as we can."

Estella carefully approaches the Graul, and notes that (according to the map at least, though I don't remember it getting described?) there's a door to the north.

Gasping for air and quickly composing herself, she stands up by the edge of the hole. She mutters a quick spell to recover a bit from the big plant's attack.

Cure Moderate Wounds: 2d8 + 6 ⇒ (4, 6) + 6 = 16

Once done, she peers down the hole, forces herself to regain some composure, and looks down at the ogrekin, plant sap still dripping from her hair.

"I'm afraid it's too late for Muck. You may want to consider surrendering."

The words are polite, but her tone of voice belies a massive amount of frustration. She's gonna be processing this unpleasant experience for weeks.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

Acid damages for 4, lifelink heals for 5.

From the inside, Estella flails her spear around, trying to break the plant's insides enough to break open a hole.

Impaler of Thorns: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24
Damage: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

I'm back! Thank you for rescuing me.

My trip starts today, so feel free to bot me as necessary. I'll pray that by the time I get back Estella will still be alive for me to play.

These things happen, no worries! Things got a little technical and it can be hard to keep track when something like that happens.

Estella grits her teeth as the plant's stomach acid bites away at her, her wounds immediately healing from Sherman's life link.

4 HP acid damage, 5 HP healing

Fortitude: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

Forgive me for this, but I've taken the liberty of reading up on what being swallowed whole means. Wasn't sure if I was still grappled, for example. Turns out, yes I am!

Resisting the paralysis, she struggles to break free from the plant's stomach.

Break Grapple: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

aaaa

I may be wrong but from what I understand, we're still waiting on Ceven and me. I was kind of waiting to be the last person since I wasn't sure what effect party members attacking the plant would have on my situation. In the interest of moving things along I'll just take a stab at it from the inside :D

Oooh, sounds like Farmageddon's growing! Remember us when it becomes bigger than Gen Con!

Ah, that's great news! Congratulations!

I'll toss my absence in the ring as well, though a bit more ahead of time: I'll likely be gone between May 14 and 26. I'm traveling far.