To the best of everyone's knowledge, Exiel spent the rest of the day sick in bed, though whether the source of his ailment was divine punishment, a physical ailment or simply the result of severe emotional strain was never ascertained. However, when the caravan eventually pulled up to stop for the night, Exiel's bedroll, the same bedroll that where the goblin child had been found, was empty, save for a sealed letter addressed to Shalelu.
Shalelu (though anyone can read it, really, and RP accordingly):
Dear Shalelu,
I could not find the words to get through to you, to reach you in the midst of whatever it was that has gripped you between the time you trained me and the time we finally came to travel together. And for that, I am truly sorry.
It is with great grief that I must tell you that what happened this morning truly terrified me. The pitiless hatred that I saw in your eyes, the coldness and the fury that left no room for compassion. It was a look that I had seen before, but to see it in the first face that showed me kindness since I was exiled from Xa Hoi?
I never would have imagined that you would have taken that shot. I was so certain that you would not, that for all your anger against the goblin race, when faced with the actual chance to loose an arrow on a helpless child, you would not find it in your heart to do so. The fear I had in my eyes when I stepped away from the goblin child was not for her, but for you. It was your soul that I feared for, and to have those fears realised when you loosed that arrow destroyed me in every non-physical way possible. Though the arrow missed the goblin child, it might as well have pierced my heart.
It was a gamble I probably had no right to take, though who can say? Who can weigh the life of one for the soul of another? And though I was thoroughly convinced that you would not let me down, the fact is that I lost that bet, and in doing so, I have failed in my duty as a servant of Torag.
And for that I must make amends.
My honour now requires that I seek out that goblin child and see that she is raised by those who will show her mercy, or if I never find her, then perhaps it will suffice that I find another in a similar situation and raise that child myself. I still care for you, and fear for your soul, but if my words failed to reach you then I wonder that they ever will. Or perhaps it is only by leaving that my words will finally reach you.
I pen now the same words I spoke to you this morning, in the hopes that even if you cannot accept them now, some years from now you will read them again and be able to accept them.
"There is no justice or righteousness in blind vengeance. Visiting wrath upon one for the sins of another sets one on a path of endless anger, for once you start on that path you will always find another to visit wrath upon. You set yourself on a blood-soaked path that will never end, and with each act of vengeance your soul will twist and harden."
I do not know how the hatred in your heart came to be, but I do know that Shalelu Andosana is at heart a kind and warm person. Shalelu Andosana is gentle and wise. It is my sincerest hope that even if I never see you again, I will hear somewhere, somehow that Shalelu Andosana is once more such a person.
Farewell, dearest friend.
Exiel
Sorry Darinius, but all things considered, I think this will be the best time and place for Exiel to make his exit.
Sorry, MiniGM, it appears that we communicate on rather different wavelengths. I was trying to explain why Exiel thought Shalelu would not shoot the goblin. It was not a statement about how you should have made Shalelu act. Also, when you refer to 2 a.m. as "morning", then the time between that and the time we set off as "night", I find that confusing and hard to follow, especially if I am trying to follow the details.
I have accepted that Exiel missed Shalelu's hint, and have accepted that there was a disparity between what Exiel thought of Shalelu (as was mine to determine) and what Shalelu actually was (as was for you to decide), and I roleplayed accordingly.
Finally there is the point about what Exiel was trying to achieve in his speech to Shalelu. He was conveying to Shalelu what he thought of her, and telling her that the Shalelu he knew (or thought he knew) would not shoot the goblin. It was intentional that Exiel was just about declaring that he would need to actively deceive himself to reconcile the facts if Shalelu DID shoot at the goblin. He was cracking, and when Shalelu actually took the shot, he snapped. I was actually expecting Exiel to take a penalty to his relationship score with Shalelu for the attempt. From how you have made the NPCs react and raised Exiel's relationship score with Shalelu instead, it appears that the nuances in Exiel's speech were not conveyed in a way that got across to you.
One thing that is becoming apparent is that we communicate very differently, and unfortunately I foresee this being a source of further problems down the track.
I thought it was early morning? Also, were we indoors? I thought we were meeting outdoors, which is why the goblin actually was able to run off and hide.
Exiel closes his eyes as he gathers his thoughts, then goes to Shalelu's tent. Unable to look at Shalelu at this time, but in need of knowing her thoughts, he seats himself outside the tent, just to the side of the entrance, with his back to the tent itself.
Oops, did not notice that one line there. Well, seeing Shalelu shoot at the goblin child did send his world into a spiral, so I guess it's reasonable that he did not notice either.
Koya's harsh words snaps Exiel from his dazed state somewhat. He notices with a start that Shalelu's bow now lies on the floor and looks over at the usually quiet and reserved Koya animatedly lecturing Shalelu. Under normal circumstances, he would have laughed, but the weight of what had just happened still lay heavily upon him.
He reaches for Shalelu's bow, but stops short of touching it. Then, taking a deep breath, he closes his eyes and gathers his resolve as he forces himself to grasp it. His hand trembles, but his grip is so tight that his knuckles instantly go white. He finds a spot near enough to barely hear Koya, though not so close enough that he can actually hear the words. Gripping Shalelu's bow tightly, he waits for Koya to finish lecturing Shalelu, otherwise oblivious to all the world around him.
If anyone other than Shalelu or Koya attempts to speak to Exiel, he listens mutely, but does not look up and very likely does not respond. I suppose that probably puts him out of the action until Koya is done, but if any character has words for him, don't let this stop you! =)
Stop being a fool boy. She is not insane, she completely hates goblins, there are many in the world that feel about same about them. My studies show me that execution on the spot is the law in some places. Do you intend to flee now, or do you intend to try to fix this mess that you have made being blinded by your love of your friend? If you are her friend then you help her through this.
Exiel stares at the ground with the same glazed expression, though the eerily joyless smile on his face fades just a little.
"Hating is one thing. I detest the goblin race in general too. But to be ruled and blinded by that hatred is a madness in itself. I tried to tell her as much... but she saw only the most superficial part of what I said to her, heard only the parts she wanted to hear. To be this far gone...maybe if I had realised it years before, whilst it was happening..."
"There is no goblin who can live through a hunt by Shalelu, and my words have failed to reach her. I'm beginning to wonder if there ever was any chance of them reaching her. With Shalelu the way she is now, there is no way left to save the goblin child, and I won't stay around to see her commit infanticide."
He sways on his feet just a little as he speaks, his voice distant and hollow.
If he encounters resistance in collecting the box, he won't struggle for them. He'd rather leave before Shalelu (from his perspective) crosses the moral horizon before his eyes. I assume Shalelu has run off after the goblin child?
Heh, I actually think we speculate on other people all the time. It's just that sometimes we're right, and sometimes we're not. It's part of life and people not knowing other people perfectly. As you say, relationships have a life of their own - so though we speculate on people all the time, you're right in that it is just as often accurate as it is not. Though with Exiel, there is no element of speculation - I know exactly what he is thinking and hence what he will do. ;)
I'm comfortable with ending this iteration of Exiel's story here, if it does not work out. It just means that I rewind the clock on this character and play out his story in another (probably different) adventure path. Not that it hasn't been fun, mind you, but I'm always happy for things to pan out as they happen to. It's role-PLAY, not real life, after all. =)
Just as it was with Shalelu, there probably aren't many things that will change Exiel's mind at this stage, but let's see how things pan out before saying goodbye. =)
One more thing about the goblin child: Exiel's perception was that even if the rest of the group agreed, the child had no chance as long as Shalelu was determined to kill it (this is probably still the case, but I hope any character who would try to track the goblin will still try anyway). Her tracking and combat skills pretty much meant that failure to persuade Shalelu equaled dead goblin. In hindsight, the inflexibility of Shalelu's disposition and Exiel's mistaken perception of her meant that, in a roundabout way, the goblin was doomed even if it was sent to Exiel. XD
Hey all, just thought I should make a post about the recent development, since it may well end up with Exiel being unable to continue to the group.
Unfortunately, it's worked out the the die roll sending the goblin child to Exiel might as well have been a crit with a x4 weapon. The factors that caused it were:
1. Exiel's code and personality, set in stone from the start
2. Shalelu's personality, as shaped by MiniGM's RotR campaign (Exiel had an opportunity to find out more about this and missed it, but to the extent that it was set in stone - I am told that even a nat 20 would not have changed her mind - nothing would have changed even if he had known)
3. Thribden's decision to adopt the goblin - Exiel knew that bringing a goblin back to Sandpoint would put him in a difficult position with Shalelu and specifically advocated strongly against it, but since Thribden took responsibility for it, Exiel decided to let her work it out.
4. Thribden's decision to drop out and the GM's decision to have the goblin child follow us nonetheless. As an NPC, this was well within the GM's right to do so, so I am not faulting him on this.
5. All of the above however meant that from the moment the die roll sent the goblin to Exiel, things would go into a spiral.
Those of you familiar with the Avatar series would probably have perceived that Exiel's mentor was based on Iroh from that series, and to some extent, Exiel's personality is shaped by that as a result. Exiel's disappointment with Shalelu's actions (which to me seem more in keeping with a neutral rather than good alignment) and the fact that it was impossible to change her mind (c.f. point 2 above) despite his best efforts has put Exiel in a similar position to where Iroh and Zuko were in Season 3 of Avatar, and I thus cannot see Exiel choosing to do anything but leaving. The motives, like Iroh's in the relevant point of the series, are twofold. He is genuinely abjectly disappointed with Shalelu and cannot deal with being around her right now, and he harbours some faint hope that his relationship with Shalelu and reaction to her decision/actions will shock her into reconsidering her path.
Ultimately, Exiel cares far more about Shalelu and the path she is heading down than the goblin child. From his perspective, Shalelu has started on a path that will lead her to CN, and potentially even to CE if left unchecked. His recent actions are targeted at rescuing Shalelu from that path, and thus, I believe, not an absolute or flagrant infraction of his alignment, though he took a risky and ultimately un-wise gamble. Which again is in keeping with his characterisation as one who has alot of handed-down wisdom, but lacks judgment and wisdom of his own (kinda like Zuko). I think however that his motivations are in keeping with his alignment, especially in light of the fact that he genuinely believed that Shalelu would relent (and the shock of finding out just how wrong he was is precisely the reason why he is reacting the way he is).
I should clarify that I am content with this outcome. It's how the characterisations and dice rolls have played out, and if it's how the story rolls, I'm satisfied with that. People often think they know other people only to find out they are completely mistaken, and sometimes life throws you for a loop. As I said before, I'd rather leave a coherent story early than have things changed specifically to keep me in. If Exiel's reaction is insufficient to change Shalelu's mind (and it looks like it may not), then the story calls for Exiel's exit, and I hope we can all be happy with it. =)
Torag is correct. Sorry, it was a prerequisite for one of his traits and RPed in his planning of the attack on the super-skeleton in the cave. He knows abit more about Sarenrae as a result because of the very different ideologies and consequent friction between the faiths - basically, I've taken the liberty of having Exiel know everything in the Torag write-ups, but outside of the deities mentioned in those write-ups, his knowledge of deities in general is limited until he puts ranks in Knowledge: Religion.
Will need to consider how Exiel reacts to Koya's words, but Shalelu's actions have also deeply disappointed him, and now that the goblin is no longer in immediate danger, there is relatively little holding him back from leaving. Don't let that change what you had planned to happen though. I'd rather leave a coherent story early than stick on with a contrived one. (Refer to post in discussion.) Am busy right now, but will make an in-character post later in the day.
So do I read this correctly exiel? You are quitting?
Well, depends on how the next few posts pan out I suppose. Nothing personal, of course, but I'm always open to having a character leave the group if I find that the situation becomes untenable for him/her to remain (rather than having a contrived situation that ruins the story).
At this point, I've based Exiel's perception of Shalelu on her write-up and portrayal in RotR, but he does not know how the events of your earlier campaign changed her, so from his perspective, Shalelu has changed very dramatically, becoming far harder and more cruel than he thought she would be. I mean, she hated goblins in RotR, but was also always calm and level-headed, and she showed a significantly softer side to herself in her extended write-up in book 3, so Exiel was hoping to get her to reluctantly relent from killing the helpless goblin child by appealing to her softer side, by hinting that doing so would run completely contrary to the person he knew her to be (or who she was before the events of your RotR campaign), and that she was at risk of losing herself in hatred if she went ahead with killing the goblin.
Having failed to appeal to a gentler side he thought she had, and having seen her choose to be controlled by hatred, he is having a bit of a BSOD.
Exiel looks sadly at Shalelu as she draws her bow on the goblin child, and for the briefest moment gives the faintest of smiles when the arrow misses. Then a glazed look passes over his eyes as he walks to over Ameiko whilst fishing something from his pocket. He slowly but firmly takes the box of 'presents' from Ameiko (and the map from Sandru if he had not returned it to the box).
"If you'll excuse me," he says softly.
To Koya, he says, "I'm sorry. I gambled on Shalelu's sanity, but it looks like I lost that bet, and her, years ago to the horrors of her war against the goblins. I cannot raise my hand against Shalelu, but I'm taking the child's gifts away and destroying them. No one here deserves them, least of all myself."
He looks over his shoulder as Shalelu nocks an arrow to her bow and draws a bead on the goblin child again.
"Tell Shalelu I'm sorry. I hope some day she will realise what I am sorry about. Good bye."
He takes one last look over his shoulder at the inevitable execution about to take place behind him, then walks away.
Need to ask. Did anyone think that Exiel's speech to Shalelu was written in an attempt to change her mind rather than actually encourage her to kill the goblin?
"I'm sorry, Shalelu, I had no idea that was the extent of the pain they had inflicted on you."
Exiel pauses for awhile to consider Shalelu's words. A long while, as he considers how Shalelu's history with the goblins had shaped her.
At length, he finds the words he needs to speak. He turns to face Shalelu, his face contorted with concern for her.
"When you say that this one will grow up like them, is that your knowledge of goblins talking, or your hatred talking? You know I'll take you at your word, Shalelu, but before you answer, I ask that you consider this. I too have suffered much pain and wrong in my life. Two of the dearest men in my life were murdered, one my father, and the other almost a second-father. Myself, I was exiled from my home and forced to live in a jungle like a savage for years. All this at the hands of humans. Had I chosen then to view all humans as vile schemers who would abandon all honour for selfish ambition, and pursue a vendetta against all humankind, what kind of man would you view me as?"
"My teacher once told me, "There is no justice or righteousness in blind vengeance. Visiting wrath upon one for the sins of another sets one on a path of endless anger, for once you start on that path you will always find another to visit wrath upon. You set yourself on a blood-soaked path that will never end, and with each act of vengeance your soul will twist and harden.""
"So if Shalelu Andosana whom I believe in tells me that this child is irredeemable, I will trust that. Because the alternative, that Shalelu will set herself on such a path that she would kill in cold blood, is not something I would be able to bear."
As he says this, Exiel will slowly step away from the goblin child, leaving her standing before Shalelu and her bow, his fearful eyes firmly fixed on her's.
MiniGM: In fairness, do you want to provide some background on this? We were not made aware that Shalelu had been this badly maimed by goblins in the past such that she was losing fingers and an eye...
I was actually expecting Shalelu to have the maturity to at least understand Exiel's position, if not agree with it. Shalelu hates goblins, but I always took her portrayal to be wise and fair rather than so consumed by hatred as to be blind to all else.
"Damn it, Thribden, this was precisely why I said to leave the goblin children be."
"I think I need to clarify my position, Mary. I am not her protector, rather I only protect her for as long as justice is on her side. There is an important difference: should she herself prove that she bears the same evil that seems to come naturally to her kind in general, my own hand will be against her. Childish behaviour can be forgiven and controlled, for instance by supervision and keeping her confined in a carriage, and damages resulting can be paid for out of the treasure she herself provided. Malice or evil however will indeed condemn it, and indeed I propose no less. Justice and a fair chance, as Torag gives, not the endless mercy of the Sarenrites."
"Shalelu, what do you think. If you think this unwise, I would hear why."
Exiel sucks in a deep breath through gritted teeth, a recognisable sign to those who knew him well (which of the present group would probably only be Shalelu) of intense frustration.
"Shalelu, Ameiko, Shiori, I am well-aware of the pain that you have suffered by goblin hands. I know well why you hate their kind, and I understand it well, having myself suffered the pain of loss by the hand of evil ones. I want you to know that I have no particular love for goblin-kind. Of the those who recently went to Licktoad Tribe, there are none whose hands were soaked in more goblin-blood than my own. Shiori, you yourself are witness to that."
"But I am also bound by a code. My blade, metaphorical or physical, defends the helpless and my might upholds the weak, whilst my wrath is reserved only for the undoing of the wicked. And what I see before me now is a helpless creature who bears us no ill-will, who has not as far as any of us can tell harmed anyone, and who came before us with peace-offerings. Under the circumstances, I am bound to protect her, however reluctant I may be."
Turning to Mary, he adds, "but I am by no means offering to raise her myself, nor do I see it as my duty to take responsibility for her actions. To be clear, I am most certainly not on her side. But I am on the side of justice. It just so happens justice is at the moment on her side."
"So what I am proposing is that her actions determine her own fate. If she proves to be like others of her kind, my wrath will be upon her as it would be any other person of any race who does evil. But to the extent that her gifts are worth more than enough to cover payment for passage and cover any damages she may inadvertently inflict, I propose that she be treated fairly as a customer paying for passage. For her payment, she gets passage to the first temple along our way that will take her in, and on top of that she gets no more than any one else."
Exiel sucks in a deep breath through gritted teeth, his brow furrowed in consternation.
"She came to us without ill intent and with a genuine gesture of goodwill. Even if we take into account the food she stole, these items are likely more than enough reparation. The predilections of her kind notwithstanding, she has done nothing to deserve violence or wrath. To kill one for the sins of others of the same race is barbaric and evil, more so if it is a child. I think even Shalelu, for all her hatred of goblins, will not dispute the merit of this argument."
"I think that at the very least, these trinkets should be taken as payment for safe delivery to a church of Sarenrae. I believe the tenets of her clergy will compel them to take her in and attempt to raise her well. In fact, I would think that to be the best idea, since the ways in which she could potentially help an adventuring party are likely to put her in situations well beyond what she is capable of, and there are those among this group who have understandable reasons to loathe the very sight of her."
"Our stowaway...it appears to be a little goblin child that Thribden had taken a liking to and decided to adopt. It appears that Thribden had also been able to teach her a few words of common, though Thribden apparently did not teach her to stay put..."
"In any event, the child says she wants to help, and gave us these as a present. Assuming these weren't stolen from the caravan to begin, I suppose they will be more than enough to cover the cost of the provisions she had stolen? The dagger at least is exceptionally well-made and should fetch a nice price."
Diplomacy:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21
"As for what happens to the child, well, it is, as you say, your caravan, and Ameiko is the leader of this expedition, so I think it should ultimately be a call made by the two of you. Can't hurt to consider what the others think of this, though. Especially Shalelu. She might have a little more to say about it than the others."
Exiel scowls with significant frustration at the complexity of the sudden development. After some deliberation, he recalls Sandru's proclamation that the caravan was his and to be run by him.
"Alright, little one, come with me. Your fate is not mine alone to determine."
The next day, Exiel comes knocking on the door of Sandru's carriage with his scrounged-up bedroll in his arms.
"Sandru? Hey Mr Boss-of-the-Caravan? We have a problem here requiring your executive decision. I believe I've found our stow-away."
Since this is the next day, I believe it is the start of Day 7?
"Heh, whatever you say, Sandru," Exiel returns by way of banter. "But seriously though, let me know what I can do when the time comes. I'm at your disposal."
The next morning:
Exiel nearly jumps out of his bedroll, completely freaked out by the discovery!
"Well, with all this rain, I can't find a decent spot to set up my training dummies, so I decided to review my books instead. Speaking of which...I do appreciate that you're allowing me to tag along for now without helping much around the caravan for the time being. I was considering how I could make it up to you, and was thinking that since I have some skill at talking and negotiating with people, perhaps I could assist in negotiating sales prices or finding out local supply and demand when next this caravan arrives at a trading location. What do you think?"
Oh dear...maybe the goblin baby stowed away with us?
Sandru:
The light rain makes it difficult for Exiel to set up his dummies, so he spends the evening under a makeshift awning at one of the carriages, finding himself a place by the brightest lantern he can find to pore over one of the martial arts manuals he'd brought along on this trip.
After about an hour of reading, Exiel sees some movement out of the corner of his eye. He looks up from his manual to see Sandru hustling in from the rain. The caravan owner's hands and knees are muddied and Exiel guesses that he must have been checking up on or attending to the caravan in general.
They exchange brief nods and polite grins as Sandru turns to stick his hands out under the awning to wash his hands in the rain. An awkward silence between them, till finally Exiel decides to put his book away.
"Hey Sandru. Terrible weather today, huh. What've you been up to?"
Ah, I thought you meant that to raise it by +1, we still needed to make a gift of some sort. Glad to know that's not the case.
I'm happy enough with the +1. It was in some ways incidental. I'm aiming to establish the nature of Exiel's relationship with the 4 major NPCs over the next few weeks (in and out of game). Shalelu is the cute mentor-figure who understands Exiel and whom he confides in, Ameiko is a strong leader-figure whom he respects.
At this point, Sandru seems like an agreeable enough fellow. I think Exiel will want to make up for his temporary lack of assistance around the caravan by helping Sandru with business dealings when the caravan next arrives at a trading location, and they may be able to build a relationship on that basis. As for Koya, almost no interaction between her and Exiel so far, but I'll probably have Exiel visit her for a training injury at some point.
Busy today, but I will make an in-character post for day 4 in the next 24 hours.
On another note, this will be re-training day #5, so Exiel is now a regular paladin...though to keep things sensible, I will ignore the fact that Exiel is now technically proficient in heavy armour.
"I'm sorry Ameiko, I didn't mean to bring up old hurts. Though it seems there's been alot of inadvertent revisiting of the past in these last few of days," Exiel says wistfully with a sigh.
Ameiko's face is hard-set and determined as she pronounces the importance of this venture, but Exiel had spent many years hiding his own pain behind just such a gaze, and his familiarity with what had happened in the wake of the goblin attack some years ago allows him to guess at the reason for the the hint of sorrow behind the steel in her eyes.
"You know, you can't blame yourself for what happened. You did all you could for Tsuto, and none tried harder to smooth things between Tsuto and Mr Kaijitsu (Exiel's polite way of referring to Lonjiku as a senior) than you. It was just that...the 'circumstances' surrounding Tsuto's birth stacked the cards against him from the start, got caught up in Nualia's insanity, and your father got dragged along when the cards fell. Fortune is a fickle mistress, as they say. Things happen that are beyond our control, and all we can do is make the best of the hand we are given."
There is another awkward pause as Exiel struggles to find words that will ease the tension.
"You know, in the time following the incident at the glassworks, I initially thought you would crack or break down. Any normal person would have, and it would have been reasonable and understandable following such tragedy. But YOU didn't. You held it together, and even kept on running the Dragon IN ADDITION TO taking on the responsibility of bringing up Shiori and Gorou. And for all the stupid muscles that Darinius and I have, you've shown that you're stronger than the both of us put together, because of how you pulled things together. You're strong, Ameiko. I firmly believe that. And I respect how much you cherish your heritage and your family - in fact, I see that as one of the greatest reasons for your strength."
"More than I did, anyway," he thinks to himself.
Exiel pauses as he realises that the conversation had gotten a little more personal than he had initially intended.
"I just wanted you to know that, having heard your reason, I believe in the purpose of this journey. I believe your reasons for starting this are important and precious, and I believe that you have the strength to see it through. And I hope that in coming along I will be able to learn from that strength. I'm sure many of the others feel that same way. Shiori, for certain. Just...remember that we're behind you, and we believe in you," Exiel concludes with a warm smile.
"That's all I wanted to say"
"I'm not the only one who has suffered loss, and I'm not the only one fighting past hurts. And Torag has led me to a fine example of one who has found the strength to accept the past and push on. So I won't let the past drag me down either. I'll keep pushing onward."
diplomacy, if you accept that words of support and encouragement can be a gift =):1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29
Mainly I did this post to set the tone and nature of Exiel's relationship with Ameiko. I'll need to think a little more about Exiel's relationship with Sandru and Koya as things progress, since I know alot less about them as they weren't in RotR.
Exiel smiles with a hint of envy at Shalelu's words. "I wonder if it is because you had more of a choice than I had when you left your childhood home, or because you worked harder at making Sandpoint your new home. Finding it within one's self to move on...I should think more on that."
"But thank you for coming to talk to me, Shalelu. It was good to have someone to share my burdens with," he says with a genuine smile.
After dinner the next day, Exiel takes a little time off his training routine to seek out Ameiko.
Ameiko:
"Hey Ameiko. I was wondering if I could ask you something. I was speaking with Shalelu yesterday, and it made me think about my past a little, and I think understanding your reasons for wanting to embark on this journey might help me find some answers I'm looking for."
Assuming Ameiko is happy to talk.
"Well...I wanted to ask, why did you decide so urgently to go on this journey? Was it the lure of adventure? Or the promise of treasure? Or was it the promise of discovering a secret concerning your heritage? Well, maybe it was a combination of the above, but which was the most important for you?"
I'll probably have Exiel take leadership. I realised as I was typing his latest post in the gameplay thread that it will fit very neatly with his backstory, and he would have the proper motivation. Also, since item-crafting is banned for this campaign, I have some feat slots that I have to make other plans for.
Exiel's AC will not be that low. He will be in the front lines.
Shalelu:
Exiel smiles as he recognises the voice and turns to face Shalelu.
"Hi Shalelu. Heh. Those clubs. Yeah, I'll still carry them around, but this..." he says pensively as he looks down at the hands he'd been working the past couple of days at conditioning, "I suppose it is tradition. It's... Something happened whilst we were out there. That new guy in town, Darinius. The big guy with the spear. Well...I suppose it was the spear that happened, to be accurate. It was the twin of a spear that my shifu used, and it reminded me of...well, of Xa Hoi. Of home."
Exiel's eyes focus in the distance as his mind wanders further still, over oceans and across time.
"My father was a general, you know. The 君子將軍, or Gentleman General, he was called. And his lieutenant was my shifu, the great Master Yi Ruo, Dragon of Xa Hoi. Ah, if only you could have seen them then. The two of them before the scores of soldiers on the training fields. Rows upon rows of men in precise martial arts movements, my father and master Yi Ruo at the fore, leading the men as they practiced and trained. A grand sight, and I always believed, as a child, that some day I would inherit their legacy and follow in their footsteps. That one day I would be the one at the front leading the soldiers in the forms as they watched me proudly."
"But that was before they...before they were..."
Exiel's voice trails off as he revisits in his mind memories he'd thought he'd buried. But is isn't long before the pain reliving them causes him to catch his breath and snaps him back to the present, and he becomes conscious of the tears accumulating in his eyes. He blinks instinctively, thinking to hide them, but the blinking only succeeds in sending two tearful streaks down his cheeks, and he hurriedly wipes them off with his hands, hoping that Shalelu had not noticed.
"You know, I realise I've never told you this before... A past I had buried, and thought I'd left behind in the years I struggled for survival in Valashmai before coming to Golarion. I suppose... I suppose somewhere deep down, I've always wished to some day return to Xa Hoi. But there, and indeed in most of Tian Xia, all warriors are trained to at least some degree of competence in unarmed combat, and mastery of it is perceived as a noble pursuit. The son of a general and pupil of his lieutenant would be expected to be highly proficient, and if I were to return as I am now, completely unskilled in that art, it would be...disgraceful. And I'll be DAMNED if any disgrace is laid upon their heads by my incompetence. Gods know enough has already been unjustly laid upon them."
He scowls furiously at the thought, but a slight movement by Shalelu brings him back to the present once more. He smiles faintly as he recovers himself and looks at Shalelu through tear-blurred eyes, her face a firm grounding and assurance for him in the present even as he pushes aside once more the wounds of the past.
"Being reminded of master Yi Ruo also reminded me of my roots, and caused me to decide to revisit my past training. I will never be a master, I know that. Too much time has passed, and the conditioning I would have had if I'd continued training as I grew up is something that cannot be made up for. 'The river of time flows and ever bears you along, and some opportunities once lost can never be regained,' master Yi Ruo used to caution me. He was right, of course. He always was, even if I rarely saw it back then. But if I start now, I can at least attain a degree of competence, enough to hold my own in a contest of skill in unarmed combat. That will have to do."
"Do you also sometimes dream of Crying Leaf, Shalelu? The home you had to leave behind?"
Having spent most of the night beating up on wooden dummies, Exiel spends most of the time on the road asleep, and you begin to wonder just how it is that he is able to get any rest at all with all the jostling about on the road.
There is little doubt that he is getting his rest whilst on the road, however, for as soon as the caravan stops for the night, the young aasimar is at it again, pausing only to help set up camp and chat with Shalelu, but otherwise spending his time pounding away at the wooden dummies and practicing various strange stances and martial arts forms.
MiniGM:
For your reference: Divine hunter - loses heavy armor prof, gains precise shot
Enlightened paladin - loses heavy armor prof + loses med armor prof + loses shield prof, gains confident defense.
I know it's per the strict rules, but it seems silly and nonsensical that Exiel would need to retrain to get heavy armor proficiency, then immediately retrain again to lose it (which is precisely what happens when he retrains to default paladin, then to enlightened paladin), so I'd like to request your use of GM's discretion.
Will you allow me to shave 5 days off the retraining time if I just immediately abandon medium and heavy armor proficiency and shield proficiency, and also immediately lose precise shot? I still won't get the benefit of the new archetype till I finish retraining completely.
Otherwise, the training description would need to be that Exiel trains to learn to use heavy armor again, then train to forget it immediately after. Which would just be silly. -_-;;
Exiel notes with some amusement that Koytine has chosen to retain her current form even after identifying herself.
"I suppose she is as comfortable in this shape as most others... I wonder if she has a tentacly-swirly-faced form like the last shapeshifter we encountered at Walthus'. Hmm... actually, there are some forms one could take that could potentially enhance one's combat abilities. That would be interesting to explore..."
As Koytine mentions dinner, Exiel's eye's light up. His time in the Valashmai jungle had instilled in him two things: a contentment with simple fare and a voracious appetite when food was available, especially after a long evening of training.
"I can do the cooking if no one else wants to, but I have a feeling that what I end up producing will be edible only to myself. Perhaps someone with greater culinary skills will be better-suited, for the good of the caravan as a whole," Exiel says with a cheeky grin.
oh it works on google drive! i assumed it wouln't Thank you for stepping up you too Mary both of you may have 1 HP or Skill point. I know that this is a big thing to do. Exiel you may also have the same for doing the loot
Thanks, MiniGM. I'll take the hp, since Exiel wants to be on the front lines.
Exiel pauses to take a break from beating up the wooden dummy as the 'grumpy halfling woman' he had never seen before approaches the caravan.
Exiel has been setting up his training dummies and practicing, or reading from his new collection of books and trying out new moves. Occasionally you hear a yelp of pain as he mucks up, and you get the impression that the steady sound of flesh-and-bone against wood (padded or otherwise) will be something you will need to get used to for awhile.
(Counting one day in Sandpoint, this will be training Day 2. 28 to go.)
It sounds like I can't fill a role if I'm retraining learning kung-fu, so I'll be retraining learning kung-fu. If I can still fill a role, I'll play guard or hero.
On the plus-side, Sandru will have the benefit of my diplomacy score as a trader when he wants to do trading.
Upon your return to the caravan, you see Exiel in an animated discussion with Sandru about where he should put several large and bulky wooden training dummies and a small chest of books and manuals. He appears to be taking great pains to appease the irate Caravaneer for the extra space that the equipment will take up.
Exiel venerates Torag, due to his background amongst military strategists. Also, I do not think that the enlightened paladin requires you to worship Irori? I could be mistaken.
And yes, after 5 days, Exiel will revert to regular paladin.
What, you're complaining that it will be easier to kill the party in the future? ;)
TBH, the loss of smite evil hurts, but giving Exiel martial arts is too enticing. Also, it'll be something a little different to try. =)
I've taken off 500gp to pay in favour of the training, and will deduct the balance when I get it. Do let me know how much time passes so I can keep track. =)
I may look into retraining then. MiniGM, will you allow Exiel to retrain himself whilst travelling with the caravan? Alternatively, will you allow him to freeze his retraining cost as it is provided he does it as soon as he can and does not take levels in paladin in the meantime?
I'm in favour of Mary as well for much the same reasons as Shiori stated.
Hey MiniGM, I was wondering if you'd allow Exiel to change his paladin archetype. There's a new archetype in inner sea combat that I'd like to try out. I may come to regret it since it swaps out smite evil (gasp!) in favour of a significantly weaker ability, but I also like the idea of a kung-fu paladin!
Exiel gives Darinius a shrug as he mutters "heck if I know. But it sounds more interesting than just hanging out around here, especially if Shalelu and Ameiko are taking it upon themselves to go themselves."
With that, he says aloud, "I'm in. I'll need an afternoon to get some new gear, but don't you leave without me!"
Exiel recalls that Shiori's half-brained half-elven half-brother was just such a one manipulating goblins not so long ago, and decides it would be best to not say anything further about that.
"Aye, Torag too teaches that one should never let his guard down, even before a usually stupid adversary (this is a reference to Exiel's defensive strategist trait). Their stupidity is a weakness that can be taken advantage of when strategising against them, but contingencies should always be made for unusually intelligent ones. Speaking of unusualness and goblins...I wonder what's happened to Thribden. I've not seen much of her since we returned..."
