Freya Gilles's page

Yeah, I did that to a few aliases (like this one) just to show how ridiculous it can get. As a frequent player of clerics, I hate that system, because it makes it impossible to go back and check when damage was taken and healed. If people don't update their profile every single time, you can forget about keeping track of who was hurt when and how much.

And, geez, play a brunette for once. Blondes don't actually have more fun; they just have such short attention spans that everything seems new and exciting to them. ;P

...when I post as another PbP character, I still get "alias of Joana aka Douena Trestleben." Why is Douena even included? She has never been my default alias.

I really do. :)

"Oh, man up and grow a pair, Foofy! Or does all that fruity elf blood running through your veins make you biologically incapable?"

For your consideration, Rauno Redpath for markofbane. He is a tiefling wizard (diviner), and has the Chance Savior trait.

Aw, who's gonna call you Foofy in this game? ;)

Its been a couple of weeks. Any plans to revive this one?

DM? You going to call time of death for this one? ;)

"Oh, goblins! and bandits!" Freya spits out impatiently. "Things every city has, and however many we kill, there are ten times more waiting to step into the void! Are we blind? It's the Hellknights and the House of Thrune that mark this place as unique. When will we strike a blow that means something? Or is our next step to go from shop to shop confronting merchants using dishonest scales?"

"Don't care," Freya shrugs. "But just because they're 'in custody' doesn't mean they can't talk -- about who turned them in and where to find us. I'd rather them telling their story to savages in Mwangi ... or people in line with them in Pharasma's Boneyard."

Freya glances around the room. "He," she says, pointing to Hardin, "wants to see you redeemed, become a 'better man': hard-working citizen, loving father, credit to society." She looks back at the bandit and shrugs. "Most of us probably just want to hand you over the proper authorities and not have to think about you any longer. It's awkward, dealing with a broken man; no one quite knows where to look." She crouches down in front of him. "The truth is a powerful device, isn't it? Crueler than any Hellknight's rack, where you can go to your death convincing yourself you deserve better? But even the truth can lead back to a lie. You've unburdened yourself, and already you're becoming a tragic figure: the hero at the end of the opera, burdened and broken by his circumstances, who nevertheless summons the strength to sing his final aria and collapse in a heap of flowers and applause. What a noble end." She stands up. "But that's a lie, too. You're not a victim, of life or anything else. You're the villain, who took the only two beings on this world to hold you in anything but comtempt, the only legacy of the woman you claim to have loved, and rewarded them with cruelty and abuse. And that's the truth, isn't it, Elgar Trask?"

Freya pushes away from the wall and speaks suddenly into the tense silence. "Did you answer truthfully when these men questioned you before?" She gives the rest of the room a shrug, as she cuts to the chase.

Sense Motive 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Will 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

Freya takes up a grudging position against the wall, fixing the chief bandit with a look of anger and contempt but not speaking. When Arael finishes casting his spell, her centipede makes a sudden appearance, waving its legs agitatedly and running frantically around her shoulder.

Can she use Evil Eye to give him a -2 penalty to his saving throw vs. the spell?

I suspect that someone is using a sleep spell or poison to cause the bandit leader to be asleep during the payment drop off. I was thinking we could disguise one of us to take this guy's place for the drop off. Rauno is immune to sleep, but doesn't have the disguise skill. If this bandit's residence has space for some of us to hide, we could lay in wait to ambush the instigator of the banditry.

"Let's use one of the 'Green-Cloaks,' (NPCs) then. They might as well make themselves useful, and there's got to be one stupid enough to think it sounds thrilling to be on the front lines."

Freya shoves her way past the men, seeming to be in a worse mood than usual -- although admittedly it's hard to tell with her. "Perhaps this will be a dose of reality for the idealists," she mutters. "Faced with the responsibilities of feeding and boarding the miscreants while we wait for them to repent of their criminal ways, they might well be happy to let me finish them off in the future."

Quick! Aid Another! Aid Another! This party really should have invested more heavily in Bluff.

Freya shoots Hardin a dirty look but says only, "And if they don't declare the bandits to the Dottari and are caught hiding them, I suppose it'll just be another jailbreak for us." She remains on the horse, holding up the sleeping children, leaving Hardin to speak to the stable-owner.

Freya glances across at Hardin, a frown creasing her brow. "Did you tell the others what to do with the bandits? Do you think they have the wits to smuggle a group of prisoners into town?"

;)

"Before either they or their 'da' change their mind," Freya agrees sourly, as she directs the horse toward its home.

"Do you think they would?" Freya asks hopefully, showing some enthusiasm for the first time. "They liked the horse. The girl says she knows how to cook, and the boy cleans things or something. They ought to be able to make themselves useful, if you think they'd let them stay at the stable."

"Do you want to drop them off at the Temple first, or head to the Shrine of Aroden, so I can drop you off and take them back?"

"I'm going," she states firmly. "Should we leave the horses at the stable first? Not many Wiscrani street whores ride hired mounts."

Sense Motive 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

Freya is angry but keeps her voice low so as not to wake the children, as she kicks her horse into catching up with Hardin. "This is not about you, Hardin Clegane!" she spits. "You are not the head of that temple. Once the children are turned over to the chief priest of that place, who's to say he'll ever let us take them away again? I'm sure he'd couch it in the most reasonable terms -- we're not the children's family and have no rights to them; the Temple of Iomedae has greater resources to provide for them; they'll have a much more stable life being raised inside that fortress than being handed over to a bunch of idiot rebels, squatting in an abandoned building and leading lives that will probably get them all killed. Do you have any argument to counter any of that, when it's coming from your superior?" She shakes her head, getting more upset. "You are so blind. You think that you're doing such a wonderful thing, following your 'Inheritor,' making some sort of statement against the way things are. But you overlook the fact that there's more than a handful of Hellknights who think they're being kinder and gentler by claiming your goddess's protection, as well, and it doesn't stop them from obeying orders from the House of Thrune." Freya's voice has been unconsciously rising, and Avielle stirs in her sleep and makes a small sound. Freya quickly checks to see that she is still asleep, and when she begins to speak again, her voice is more modulated. "If we take them to your temple, we lie about who they are, and we make it clear that they are there only for a brief time. Say they're my younger siblings and I'm a streetwalker you're trying to redeem. I've been supporting them turning tricks, but you've persuaded me to let them go to your family's home to work as servants to prevent them from following my sordid example into crime. They only need to stay at the temple for a day or two before you are ready to travel." She looks at Hardin for a sign of agreement.

Freya seems a little surprised that Hardin doesn't spur his horse to keep up with her. As they approach the edge of town, she reins in her own mount and waits for him to catch up. "I don't like leaving them at your temple," she tells him. "You'll forgive me, but I'm not entirely convinced that your superiors are any better equipped to handle children than the Asmodeans are. Priests are priests, in my book." She smiles at him a bit tightly. "Besides, I'm not sure your stable of whores will be a good influence on them."

Sense Motive 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

Freya shakes her head, her lips pressed together tightly. "'The father' is a selfish bastard," she retorts. "His wife died, which he could only imagine as a personal affront to him, and rather than treasure all of her he has left, in her children, he sits around drinking, feeling sorry for himself, and beating his offspring just to pass the time. He's the center of his own besotted universe, an affronted god, and nothing matters to him but his own sense of ill usage. He's a spoiled man-child, pulling the wings off butterflies and the legs off beetles, because his toy was broken." In her anger, she inadvertantly presses her heels into the horse's side, and it speeds up its trot in response to the stimulus. "This was a wasted day. We know no more than the street rat already discovered, with the detriment of two extra mouths to keep fed and silenced."

Hearing the sound of hooves galloping up behind her, Freya turns in the saddle awkwardly, trying not to knock the sleeping children off the horse. When she sees who it is, she relaxes once again and waits for him to ride up beside her. "Where are your prisoners? You didn't let them go, did you?" She shoots him a hard glance.

I'm assuming all four horses will be needed to pull the wagon, particularly if we load up the bandits? I think one horse could carry the two children and Freya, who is very slight, and she'd feel more confident on the road back to town knowing they might have a chance of outrunning anything that might accost them.

Freya shrugs to Hardin, "They need a bath as much as anything. When we get them washed off, we'll see how much is bruise and how much is dirt. But they're not in any immediate danger." She shoots a glance at the others tying up the bandits. "You'd better get the information you need. Your goddess alone knows how you intend to turn them over the Hellknights without being arrested yourself. I'd go alone if I were you, in full clerical regalia, and hope they're feeling pious."

She will hustle the children away before the mist dissipates. "Hurry, now; we have to get back to town before dark. No looking back, remember?" She takes them out the opposite side of the cube o'mist and strives to put distance and trees between them and the rest of the group with the bandits.

Sarien wakes up and groans. "Wha...where...am I?"

Bloody and terribly pale, he leans over and vomits before falling backwards and lying flat on the ground, his hand pressed against his side.

"Pharasma threw you back. You were too small."

Waiting on DM confirmation how we can get the kids back to town. If it's too far to walk, Freya will ask about riding the horse that's already unharnessed. If all 4 horses are needed to pull the wagons, they could walk and wait to be overtaken by the horses and wagons later, when presumably the bandits would be bound and out of sight in one of the wagons. Freya will go with the children if no one else wants to. She'd like to get underway before the mist dissipates.

How far are we from town, DM? Are we in walking distance or do we need the horses to get back by dark?

Freya moves up very close to Hardin and speaks appealingly in a low voice. "The two children want out. They only participated because they were forced to. We need to get them back to town and safety. They don't need to be here to see their father tied up and questioned."

Freya curses and tosses down her crossbow. "Was he the leader?" she demands.

No long-range options. Look like we just cost Mr. Horse Guy some money and business by getting his horse stolen.

"Fine," Freya shrugs. "If no one else cares he's dead, why should I?" Hearing the sounds from near the horses, she takes a step closer and re-readies her crossbow. "There's one left in the mist," she warns the rest of the group.

Re-readying attack on the bandit should he come out of the mist (hope I roll better this time) Attack 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8 Damage 1d8 ⇒ 5 :P

The only weapon she ever mentioned having out is a crossbow, so no AoO.

Not wanting to pursue the bandit through the mist and perhaps be surprised again, Freya ducks out of her conjured cloud to take a look at the battlefield. Seemingly disappointed that everything seems to be wrapped up, she asks, "Which one's the leader?" then adds as an afterthought, "And is the street rat dead?"

She'll ready an attack to shoot the bandit in the mist, should he come running out. Attack 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 Damage 1d8 ⇒ 4

The man looks momentarily puzzled, but shrugs off the effects of the spell, and appears to be poised to strike back.

And ... does he? It's his initiative. :)

Having delivered the above instructions to the children, Freya squeezes between the wagons again to see what's going on outside her cloud of mist. She is startled to suddenly see an unfamiliar shape emerge from the mist just as she is about to step into him. move to U15 Caught by surprise by the enemy lurking in her mist, she spits out an arcane word. casting daze at bandit in T16 (Will save DC 13)

Sense Motive 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Looks like she believes her. :) Then again, who is she to judge people's motivations? She listened to a centipede.

"Hop in the wagon then," Freya tells them grimly, "and don't come out for anything."

Freya takes her round 4 action to talk to the children as above, and we're back to Rauno, unless he wants to retcon round 3 to a double move or something per the DM's directions. I was confused because I read the bandit's AoO on Tao as his initiative action that round. Back on track now!

Well, dang it, now I'm confused. I need a recap.

Round 1, Freya cast mage armor and got out of the wagon; Rauno grabbed the girl. Round 2, Freya cast obscuring mist and moved; Rauno searched the girl; the kids talked on their initiative. Round 3, Freya beat out the fire on the wagon; Rauno ... Sensed Motive? The DM only has us on Round 2; maybe that's the confusion. Freya's acted since Rauno searched the girl and is about to act again, so I think you can do something unless the DM rules that it took all your actions to Sense Motive.

Then he leaps out of the wagon, taking in the scene.

You see ... mist. Sorry. Hampers our sight as much as the bad guys'. :)

Round 4, init 21

Satisfied that the wagon is no longer in danger of going up in flames, Freya ducks back between the wagons to the crying girl and her brother. "Hush up your crying and listen to me," she says intently, kneeling down to address the children in a low voice. "You said you have no choice. Well, I'm about to give you one. Whatever's happening out there beyond the mist, you can either go back with your 'da' or men just like him and spend your lives as victims or pawns, or you can say 'To the Abyss with all of them' and walk away without looking back. I know a group of idiot do-gooders who will feed and clothe and shelter you, burbling all the time about what a great privilege it is to influence the next generation of Wiscrani, but you have to make the choice to be free. Otherwise, you will be back here again or somewhere just like here, doing the same thing, with the same bumps and bruises. What's it going to be?"

Did Rauno act last round? Or did his Sense Motive use up his actions? Didn't know if he was going to get a chance to do anything else but stand there. Or did he decide to stay there and hold onto the girl?

It's up to DM adjudication whether the moisture from the obscuring mist dampens the wagon enough to help retard the fire's progress.

Catching a glimpse of Rauno patting down the little girl from between the wagons, Freya calls out with annoyance, "Aroden's corpse, elf! If you're that hard up to cop a feel, I'll buy you a quickie in an alleyway from the teeming mobs of whores at Hardin's temple. Either help put out this fire or go do something about the bandits!" Seeing the growing flames surrounding the arrow in the wagon's side, she begins to beat at the blackened spot with her green 'Liberator' cloak. "Finally, some use for this," she mutters.

Don't know if I need some kind of roll to combat the fire.

"Oh, very well done," Freya commends Rauno. "You've managed to subdue a little girl. If you hadn't taken charge, we could all have had our hair braided by now. Frees up the rest of us to deal with the little matter of the people firing flaming arrows at us." She inhales and closes her eyes, letting out her breath in a series of whispered syllables that seem to take shape in the air around her. casting obscuring mist Within a few seconds the whole caravan is enshrouded in mist. 20-foot radius from her present position "They can't shoot at what they can't see," she remarks with satisfaction. "Now let's do something about this burning wagon before the horses go up with it." She squeezes between the first and second wagon to the side where the arrow struck. move to U15

"Oh, is that the plan?" Freya asks, her eyes on the girl. "Send in a diversion to stop the wagons and then attack? Clever little girl." She utters arcane syllables casting mage armor and tumbles out of the wagon on the north side, hoping to use it for cover from the arrows. V12 "How worried are they about not harming you, do you think?" she smiles at the two children.

Is Sarien's wagon in danger of catching fire from the arrow?

"Wonderful," Freya remarks as she hears the children being directed to her wagon. "Am I the governess now?" She surveys the children flatly, as they peer into the wagon, surprised, no doubt, to find it empty except for what appears to be some kind of squatter. "Tell me," she asks them, "what was your 'da' carrying in this caravan? And were you leaving Westcrown or about to arrive?"

Bleary-eyed, Freya grunts crankily. She climbs into the other covered wagon, crumples her 'Liberator' cloak into a makeshift pillow, and flops back down into a prone position.

Freya smiles at Sarien as Hardin disappears up the stairs. "Next time we're at the temple, you and I will go around back and try to find the crowds of whores that randy group of holy he-men must tear through every night."

Spells updated and ready to go

"Gods, I feel like we're taking part in the opening farce before an opera: parading up and down the road draped in glass beads, shouting, 'Oh, I am a defenseless merchant! I hope no evil bandits attempt to steal my priceless cargo!'" She shakes her head. "If the bandits are any smarter than the ones in the theater, at least I can sleep through the whole thing."

"'Brief times?'" She winces mockingly. "Not exactly bolstering your case there, foofy."

Dear Freya, you can go back to sleep in the wagon once we are underway if you prefer. I know that is what I intend to do.

"That's a roundabout way of propositioning a girl," she responds. "Just because we're 'sleeping' 'together' doesn't mean we're 'sleeping together,' but I guess you can make it sound that way when you brag about your exploits." She returns her attention to Janiven. "Anything interesting? Hardin's trying to get the temple of Iomedae to sponsor the local goblin murder-n-mayhem team. Maybe we could get some little vests embroidered, get Her Holiness some free advertising," she suggests to Hardin.