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My apologies; I thought I'd posted here before I left. My wife's parents are both ill and we've been dealing with hospital stuff and trying to get them set up in long-term care. I'll be out of town for several more days, should return late Friday. I do finally have a laptop with me though so will try to get back in the swing. Again, sorry for the disappearance.
Update: ugh, lousy week. Trying to dig myself out of it, will get caught up.
Also traveling and it's been a mess so far. Safe journeys to all and happy holidays!
"We'll do what we can, Captain," Eunice says cautiously, worried that the spirit will turn angry and terrifying again. "Some of us are from your Cove, too. Let us know how we can help."
soon after, the Order of Resplendence folk use a weird sword ta kill a bunch o' Horn Fangs? "It's the same sword, you think? If Roderic had a sword with no blade that could kill five men at a time, There'd be stories about it. Unless he didn't use it, I suppose, or didn't know how …" she follows the others downstairs.
Eunice shakes her head sadly as she enters the room. [b]"This place is feeling less suitable tor a child all the time,"[b] she says quietly. As the others move toward the hole, she examines the tipped-over wooden case and dresser.
"Was that Roderic, the same spirit that appeared yesterday? Eunice asks, sheepishly, as she rejoins the others. "I'd have thought he'd seem less … menacing … here; we're no threat to him or the town. I'm less inclined to have the boy stay here after all; he might flee into the water or something."
Eunice gets only a glimpse of the skeletal family, but nonetheless Roderic's words close like a vise around her chest. She backs away quickly, looking frantically for an exit.
"Pie … mold?" Eunice sounds incredulous, but it's clear something is happening. She hustles as best she can behind the others, trying to get a look and bringing her shotgun to the ready.
Eunice, bringing up the rear, hasn't smelled it yet, but steels herself for the possibility of a grim discovery. "Decomposing bodies can sometimes smell like that too; careful."
Eunice follows the others, looking back, pointlessly, at the gloom that masses behind them as Nempura's lights move ahead before turning her attention to the new room.
"That sounds right," Eunice says, cautiously looking at the ceiling where Nempura felt the sense of dread. "And warn the boy not to poke around here. If this area is linked to the captain somehow, no sense in risking his anger for idle curiosity."
"That is … odd," Eunice murmurs, tracing a line of water on the floor where it had pooled. "You can get salty water in lakes, if the rock is the right kind, but that's not the case here. I suppose it could've been conjured that way — which I suppose doesn't make any less sense than leaving a closetful of fresh water. We're missing something, I think."
damage if needed:
Eunice doesn’t dodge the deluge so much as scramble back awkwardly, banging against the others as she does so. ”Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. How did all that get in there?”
"This should do the job, I think," Eunice says, holding up a stout, sharpened iron bar. "It's plenty tough; I use it for chiseling now and then."
She peers at the door, seeking a good place to wedge the kunai's tip into, but eyes the others. "We'd best be ready for whatever's inside before we open it, though. Look around the rest of the house first, maybe?"
Travel day for me; off-line for 24 hours
Eunice nods at the suggestion of ridding the place of spiders. ”Roderic plainly isn’t shy about making his objections known. If he didn’t want the boy here he would’ve tried to run him off,” she says. ”As for the fire, it’s probably safe in this house, it’s so damp. This shotgun will do much the same but I’ve only a few rounds.”
"I know the house, at least," Eunice says. "Didn't know about these resplendent Peacocks, though. But it's good you never went there, sounds like." Her stomach dropped a bit at the mention of the Runelords, but she doesn't want to spook the boy unnecessarily. "They don't seem like the sort Roderic would like to have in his town, either."
Agreed, and certainly don’t worry about us. Best wishes.
"Eunice Flint," she introduces herself. "Most of us all got into town right after that night; we missed whatever happened."
Eunice backs away at the sounds of conversation, but doesn't take her eyes off the spiders. As she moves, she opens her shotgun and replaces one of the slugs with a red-wrapped cartridge. "If we need fire I've got some," she says. "Hopefully we won't need it."
Eunice approaches the cabinet to peer inside, but at Nempura's "nest" mark does so gingerly, craning her neck to see if there's anything poised to leap out. "Hopefully it's just kids being kids," she says.
Eunice glances at the map just long enough to know she's never been there. She murmurs some words her father taught her, scanning the parchment for any enchantment before turning her attention to follow Maverick. "Maybe someone who knows Roderic better could tell use, maybe recognize his writing, if it's his."
"HIs family was dear to him; perhaps a gathering spot," Eunice responds to Maverick's question. She moves past Nempura as the elf examines the stacks of cloth and moves into the parlor, squinting.
Eunice picks her way slowly through the house, nose scrunched, occasionally taking a hand off her shotgun to cover it. She couldn't stand the smell of mold. She keeps her eyes fixed on the floor, fearing she'll step into a rotten plank or something. Perhaps that's why the footprints stand out. "Somebody's been here," she begins. "Maybe kids? I was never brave enough to come in when I was little."
apologies for slow posts; house has been sick all week and haven't been up to it. But I was happy to see the 20s!
Telling Raqi to stay put, Eunice pulls an iron bar from her saddlebags as Maverick shoves at the door. "This could help if it's stuck. If it's really stuck I probably can fix it but there won't be much door left."
Eunice, too, keeps her eyes fixed anywhere but in the Elf's direction, then pretends to busy herself loading her shotgun. She follows Higgins toward the around the edge of the property, Raqi tailing both of them. She hadn't bothered tying him up; he hated it and she didn't want to risk him kicking the post over. "If we have to fight, I'd prefer doing it on solid ground," she begins. "Even if we could get in some other way, half the first floor could be under water, and that'd probably suit those things just fine."
As they prepare to head back to town, Eunice ventures a question to Myrandya. "I don't know from spirits, but I do know most in this town don't want much to do with them. What makes you so eager to track down this ghost ... if that's what this is?"
Eunice shakes her head. "I'm staying with my stepmother, Beth Monterrey, while I'm in town. I'd expected to head back home, but I can stay a few more days while we sort this out."
Eunice sat quietly, letting the port sit in her mouth while se watched the cigar smoke swirl above them. This Roderic reminded her of her own father — a man famous for something he wanted no part of, and who sought to build something worthwhile that would outlive him. She swallows the wind. "How did Roderic die?" she asks. "Was he buried?
Hungry or not, Eunice can't abide oysters, but she eagerly digs into the rest. The hillsides where she spends most of the year aren't much for growing, so fresh food of any kind is a special treat. "I think it's a lovely house," she ventures, as the conversation touches on the teetering home. "My father built ours; it's mostly of earth and not half as big." She'd heard stories of Roderic's ghost as a child, though she'd never seen it and only half-believed the stories. "What's brought the ghost before?" she asks. "Were there killings then too?" She stops herself and murmurs, "Sorry, I suppose that's porch talk."
Eunice had planned to lunch with her brother, who occasionally worked for the Creekside’s owner. Instead, she had to search for him: He, too, had run off at the sight of the apparition. So she’s pretty hungry by the time she arrives to dinner, the newly shod Raqi following in her footsteps. She’s positive he’s kicking up his feet to let the evening rays of sun glance off the horseshoes. She nods to the others as she strolls up, hands buried deep in the pockets of a waxed canvas coat. “Name’s Eunice Flint,” she says. She rarely set foot inside the Creekside — far too noisy — but recognized the Elven woman, who’d been in town since Eunice was a child, and manages a small smile for her. ”I guess I missed the excitement earlier.”
Eunice has only taken a few steps through the buildings toward the circle when she hears angry voices cut off by a frightful wail, followed by general cries of dismay and a rustling of feet. She turns, noting in Lonny's face the boyish interest in anything that seemed exciting or dangerous, and the wide eyes of concern in Raqi. "You go on. Get," she says, waving them in the direction of the blacksmith, with an extra bit of emphasis toward Raqi, as he's the one she has more influence over. To the boy, she adds,"Whatever happened is over, and I'm sure you'll hear all about it in no time flat."
She walks back to push Ragi's rump away, as if in emphasis, but she makes sure to pull the shotgun free as he leaves, then makes for the circle with quick, long-legged strides
Welcome to Myrandya! Also, finally back up and running here so will get a post for Eunice tonight.
They engage in idle chatter for a few moments more until they reach the other side of the bridge and Eunice turns away to make for the Creekside. She slaps Raqi’s haunch, telling him to follow Lonny and be good.
Terribly sorry to hear about your father; it’s an awful loss. My thoughts to your and your family.
Just a heads-up that I've got family events through next Wednesday and will be online intermittently. I'll get in a post tomorrow morning but may sporadic for a couple days after that, autopilot Eunice if needed.
Eunice hp: 1st level: 8 + 1 con
Yikes, OK, switching some skill point FCB to HP I think Raqi
Eunice nodded at Lyndwyn’s suggestion, and with another thank-you handed the horseshoe to Lonny. “That’d be a help; I’ve got a couple more things to do,” she said. “I’ll see you again before I go.” Heading outside, she handed Raqi’s reins to the boy and spoke to the horse, “Go on, get your shoes. And no mischief.” Raqi could be stubborn when it came to shoeing but he got on well with kids. She walked alongside them in silence across Olivia’s Creek. She never knew what to say to children. ”You’ve gotten taller.” She remembered that one from years ago. The last time I was in town you had to run to keep up with Raqi. So what else have I missed?”
Once across the creek, Eunice presses a few coins into Lonny's hands. "That should cover the shoeing; keep whatever's left. You can find me at the Creekside. Outside the Creekside. Have to meet my brother."
“I couldn’t.” “I insist.” “You want my horse to be fancier than me, is that it?” “Eunice, I want them gone before Galdsbredtha comes back. They’ve been on the shelves for almost three months now; she mentioned it the last time. She’ll be disappointed that no one wants them.” E. held up a gleaming horseshoe to the light, then glanced out the window, where Raqi — who had apparently untied himself again — was peering into the armorer’s shop, head pressed against the glass. She signed. “Well, thank you. He’ll love them, I’m sure. And make sure to have something ridiculously expensive and frivolous when I'm back, because I’ll owe you.”
If nothing else, it makes it familiar to a big chunk of TV viewers, even if they're not big Star Wars fans. My father doesn't like science fiction or fantasy, but grew up on 'Have Gun, Will Travel' and the like and was immediately able to get a handle on it. As for wounds, the limited die-hard idea sounds good; badly wounded characters dragging themselves around is a staple, I agree.
@Eunice, I expect everyone will end up with a mount of some kind at some point. Based on your descriptions I see Eunice with a mule. Weirdly, Medium-sized Nature Oracles can only take horses or camels as a mount but I agree, she's likely going to go more for hauling capacity than long days of riding, so I'll look up mule stats. She's been raising horses for a while — it was how she passed the time while her father was breaking rocks, and in some ways it's the most normal thing about her. So I figured the plains near the Stony Mountains would work better for that. Aha, and that could be another connection between her and the three lawmen -- she may know their horses — or at least their parentage — if they got them around here.
Yeah, that grave-digger was surprisingly popular in town … which I kind of love, actually. There’s probably less of an issue doubling up on “Scion of Legend” trait, as I doubt that’s the sort of thing that would come into play at this point. If it is, though, Eunice would also work pretty well with the “Intrigued by Thassilon” trait. (The downside is doing so would teach her Thassilonian, and I do like the hook that Nempura is her family’s go-to person on bringing anything with writing on it.) She’s unlikely to have deep connections — it says “hermit” on the can, after all — but she’s not unfriendly, either. Nempura she probably is most familiar with, simply because the elf has been around so long. (Nempura probably knew/knows both her mother/stepmother, probably better than Eunice.) Good idea on having Jensen make rides out to the ruins. Mechanical issue — I’d considered replacing the Cha-to-AC Nature’s Whispers revelation with Friends to the Animals, which gives her saves to all nearby animals, but wanted to wait until I knew how many horses were in the group. With 3 Could be worth it (or I could pick it up at 5, should the campaign go that long.)
Hey all! Eunice's Trait: Scion of Legend — Her parents were both involved in the Rise of the Runelords arc. Her mother died early in the story; her father was one of the heroes who defeated Karzoug the Claimer, but retired afterward to pursue a bizarre, lonely fixation. • Eunice would probably be known to long-time residents of Roderic's Cove as That Girl From That Weird Family™ — the ones chipping away at a Thassilonian ruin for most of a generation now. A pointless exercise at best, a suicidal one at worst. (Actually second-worst, most think. Worst would be they uncover something that kills us, too.) • She would've spent a few weeks at a time in town from a young age while her father bought supplies/traded/whatever, so local kids would have known her, though likely not very well. She'd be like the child of counter-culture parents who always rented the campsite next to your family in the summer, and you'd play together because that's what kids do, but always wonder what on earth her life was like the rest of the year. • Adults would have pitied her at first, getting dragged around the badlands by her off-his-rocker father, though the pity's probably worn off now that he's gone and she's picked up his habits. • The oldest in town will know the whole story of her father and be more sympathetic. Others, especially those who travel Varisia a lot, will at least know the tale of the mad hermit and the Thassilonian tower. • Other connections in town: Her stepmother and half-brother live in Roderic's Cove, having left her father a few years back. That's caused some tension, but there's still more good blood than bad between them. • Her mother would probably need a job — her husband might be 15th level but he's still a deadbeat as far as she's concerned. Perhaps she's at the saloon.
Good luck to all (also I realized forums ate Eunice's description & gear at some point so I've restored them)
Agreed with all so far -- Silverado was a hoot, though I haven't watched it in years. Music is also part of what I love about The Magnificent Seven, and though that isn't a sad movie, the last scene (and even moreso in the Seven Samurai) has a bit of the melancholy that's present in some of my favorite Westerns — Unforgiven and The Shootist and even Butch Cassidy — that these characters and these worlds are fading, about to be swept away by modernity. In that, this style of Western has a lot in common with old-school fantasy, whether it's Arthurian tales or Tolkien.
Oh yeah, I forgot the horse
Updated Eunice with a bit more history, but here’s a tl;dr version
10thingsaboutEunice: 1. Rancher and sculptor who raises horses in the foothills of the Stony Mountains, at the site of a Thassilonian ruin she’s in the process of dismantling. 2. Daughter of two of the heroes from Rise of the Runelords. Mother died in the effort, father lived but retired from adventuring to mourn. 3. Father disappeared recently 4. Has taken up her father’s years-long project — to convert the remaining ruin into a proper memorial for her mother and the other Sihedron heroes. 5. Many people think that’s a terrible plan, for a variety of sensible reasons. 6. Genie blood on her mother’s side; lived for a time with her great-grandmother. 7. Homebody*: Has seen the Opaline Vault in the Peerless Empire of the Shaitan, but not Korvosa or even Riddleport. 8. Step-mother, half-brothers live in Roderic’s Cove. She goes there in the spring and fall. 9. Personality: Classic rancher: Stubborn, single-minded, little time for drama. 10. Prefers horses to people, but has roots in Roderic’s Cove so some of the people there — the ones who don’t try to talk her out of the memorial idea — are OK by her
Updated Eunice's concept a bit — still sculpting at Thassilonian ruin, but adds two important western tropes: The widowed and/or orphaned rancher and a Wonder Horse that can do simple arithmetic. Going for the Scion of Legend trait if that works; both parents were involved in the Rise of the Runelords AP. Her mother never made it past the mid-chapters; her father survived the whole thing but was broken up by the loss of her mom and never adventured again.
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