Gladiola fell into a groove, noticeably relaxing after she saw the weak attacks of the centipedes. She stabs with her spear again, but just as she is aiming, she heard Campre's outburst and threw herself off target.
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Gladiola was ready and itching for a fight. Relief from her dysphoria was within her grasp, and she saw these creatures as an obstacle within her path. She stabbed at the one in the doorway with a measured strike.
I'm still using yours. I don't have my own one handed weapon yet :(
Gladiola stepped back. The door opening procedue was simple and sounded effective, and she wanted to clear this area without needless delays. "Fine with me." She held up her shield and pointed her spear forward, at the ready.
Gladiola reared back at Rivas's outburst, weapon and shield at the ready. She kept an eye on him. When finally satisfied the episode has passed, she relaxed and lowered her guard. "Right...you do that." She moved for the door and the hallway, motioning for the others to follow. "Let's check that storeroom. The sooner we clear the area the sooner we can eat and clean up."
Gladiola yearned to eat, enough she would even put up with the rat meat. Still, she walked for the door. "As hungry as I am, I'd still rather wait until we have cleared more of the area and scrounged up more supplies." She adjusted her makeshift mask, the movement of her cheeks betraying a scowl underneath. She couldn't eat in front of these people. Not yet, anyways. "Maybe find a place to wash up."
Gladiola jerked towards Ember, glaring at him with daggers. She calmed as she came to the slow realization that he was not being sarcastic. She even found herself smiling. She liked the sound of "m'lady." "Thanks. Least I could do." She stepped over to Ember and stabbed his rat in the spine.
"Hope you don't mind." She flicked the rat over towards his master in the corner.
Just fyi, but all vermin are immune to mind-affecting spells. Those are basic type characteristics, which we would know from identifying them as dire rats.
Gladiola kept calm, as she had imagined far worse horrors than these in hiding. Her shield interposed between herself and the creatures, she stabbed out with her loaned shortspear at the apparent leader of the rat pack.
Gladiola's body tensed as Eponine offered up her caravan bond. Gladiola tugged at her sleeves to ensure they were cover her whole arms. When she was satisfied that no part of her was exposed, she finally nodded and accepted Eponine's gift. She knew accepting unknown magic could bite her in the ass later, but she had few options at the moment. She had no intention of gasping at shadows like the poor souls outside. "I will guard the honor of my fellows, both in thought and deed, and I will have faith in them." The words appeared from some forgotten resevoir in her mind. She had heard them before, but she knew not whether they were her words or of another. She only knew she believed them. As she breached the room, she finds herself distracted from wondering on their origin for long.
Not noticing Ember's mistake, Gladiola merely finds an empty room with nothing of consequence. She begins to turn to leave, only to spin back about in an instant once the others mention spying something. Keeping her eyes focused on the bottom of the boiler, Gladiola stepped at a steady, soft pace until she was near enough to reach the boiler with her spear.
Gladiola regards Ember's enthusiasm with a raised eyebrow. She said nothing for several moments, considering whether she should even respond, whether she could trust him. She finally spoke. "I'll have your back if you have mine." As she lingered on the "if," the phrase became as much a warning as a promise. Gladiola held up the loaned short spear and her shield. "My hands are full, so I'd appreciate you getting the door. I can go in first once it's open."
At this level, I should hope that we won't be fighting any doppelgangers that ping on detect evil. They would need at least 5 HD, or to be an antipaladin or a cleric of an evil god. As someone who has played lots of paladins, I've had to become well aware of detect evil's limitations
Gladiola nodded curtly. "There we go. A clear objective." A clear objective gave Gladiola something concrete to focus on. As long as she had something to do, she wouldn't have to think. Gladiola turned to walk down the corridor, weapon and shield at the ready, glancing back towards Ember and the light and nodding for him to follow. "Come on. Let's get this over with as soon as possible."
Gladiola tapped the tip of her short spear against her makeshift mask. "You still haven't seen my face." She leveled her weapon against the glowy mace man, matching his motion. Her voice remained level and calm. "I'm not playing this game. If there's something we can do to prove to you who we are, name it. None of us have time for this."
Gladiola is all updated now! I tried to keep the changes at a minimum. The main difference is that I changed her campaign trait to Driven by Guilt instead of True Devotion.
Hey everyone! I talked to our benevolent GM, and he is allowing me to rebuild Gladiola a bit. Upon looking into the Inheritor Knight prestige class in Paths of the Righteous more closely, it's become clear to me that it's the best way to realize her character. I was really trying to not make another Iomedaean, but it's just too perfect haha. I will be rebuilding her as a fighter who would then start taking levels in the prestige class at 6. She'll still be a sword-and-board tank. She'll get a bit more versatile in skills thanks to some advanced weapon training and advanced armor training stuff that'll come online in a few levels. I'm working on getting her character sheet written up now. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!
Gladiola lowered her weapon and shield. She kept a wary eye on Campre's "people," "We'll be fine when they calm themselves."
Gladiola shook her head and smirked behind her mask, only the rising of her cheek muscles giving it away. "Oh, I believe you. Question is, did you hit anything?" Her smirk dropped and she took a breath. These people were just scared. Better to handle this diplomatically; if nothing else, it would save resources for their real enemy and time to get out. She held up her spear and shield above her head, hands palm forward to show her lack of ill intentions. "We are trying to get out of here, possibly to also see if Murderdoctor McChangeyface's face can still change when it's not attached to a neck, I really don't want to waste time fighting you, and Miss Trembles there tells me you don't want to fight either. Put down the weapons and let's talk."
Gladiola flinched as Eponine touched her, recoiling instinctively. Realizing herself, Gladiola stopped and gazed back to Eponine, eyes big with regret. "Sorry. Please, try again." She cursed herself for her impudent reflexes. She simply felt a rot deep within her flesh, and she would spare others from it. It would be better when she found time alone away from the others. Hoping action would distract her, she opened the door and pushed forward, her shield held high. She stepped out to get a clearer view of the room, checking for possible foes.
Later on, we can hopefully use my typical paladin trick of getting a bunch of level 1 pearls of power to spam lesser restorations if needed (it's only a first level spell on their list!). GM: Speaking of madnesses, I haven't looked into what the mechanical madnesses in Pathfinder are, but it would be cool if whatever madness Gladiola has just picked up could somehow relate flavor-wise to her gender dysphoria. Like she feels like her body hair is needles or something, just as an example off the top of my head.
Gladiola graciously accepted the short spear.
Gladiola trembled even as she moved forward. She felt all the hair on her body stand on-end, and she loathed it. Each was like a needle, and Sshe wished she could rip out every one. Still, she managed to push through to the front of the group, shield and spear at the ready.
Gladiola took the coffee beans offered by Ember, but did nothing with them yet. She stood back and scanned the room for lingering signs of evil . She raised an eyebrow at Ember's show of bravado and turned her judging gaze to him.
"You are injured and lightly armored. It makes little sense for you to lead the way." She strapped her hammer to her back and pulled out her shield. "Someone lend me a one-handed weapon to use with this, and I will lead."
Gladiola found a corner away from the others to don her armor. She continually glanced back over her shoulder to check to make absolutely sure nobody peeped on her. The lucerne hammer felt odd in her hands, like she had stolen it from someone else. She held it out, pointing towards the hall. "Let's go. Our memories can wait until we have escaped."
Gladiola finally waved a dismissive hand at the prisoner. "Hmph. Just come along. We need to get out of here." She began to stride out of the room at the lead of the group, but froze as Ember began introductions. "Glad..." There was a name in her mind, a name her lips expected to speak as they had many times before, but it wasn't her name. It never was. She knew her name, who she had always been. "...iola. Gladiola. Call me Gladiola." She began to smile under her makeshift bandana mask. The words were right. She cracked her neck and shifted her dreadlocks out of her face. "I am sworn to valor. My blade defends the helpless. My might upholds the weak. My wrath..." She clenched her free hand, her wrist cracking. "...undoes the wicked." She held up the trowel and grumbled at it. "At least when I have a proper weapon."
Gladiola trembled, her fingers still tensed around the trowel's handle. She whispered through clenched teeth. "I am not a freak. I will never be called that again." She stuffed the trowel into her belt and stood tall. She drew the group's attention with a few curt waves. "Get yourselves together! We need to get out of here before that viscious witch gets back." She grabbed the keys off the floor and unlocked the door. She threw it open so it banged against the bars. She ran over to the bags, snatching hers away. After a quick glance inside, she let out a single breath of tension. She straightened out her makeshift bandana mask and marched towards the frightened man. "You. Stop your whining and tell me what you know."
Hey, I'll be back home tomorrow night and I can get a post up then. Been a whirlwind trip meeting all of my girlfriend's family!
Gladiola tried to take her time with her next swing, but the sudden strike on Pasiune threw off Gladiola's timing, her mind racing as her allies drop one-by-one.
Gladiola growled beneath her bandana mask. She felt a deep hatred, a need to harm this vile creature. She quashed her concerns about such feelings for the moment. They were useful now. Inspired by the fresh blood on the creature's collar, she slashed with the trowel straight for the neck.
Gladiola grabbed the trowel off the floor, the grip and wedged metal head looking passable for combat. Eyes burning, Gladiola threw out a swing.
Her rage did her few favors though, as her swing dully tinged against the bars.
Waiting to see the results of Pasiune's action, as it will change mine if Murderdoctor McChangeyface is down.
Gladiola's eyes widened as the "Doctor" twisted her words into a new torture. Her hands tightened around the bars. "YOU WILL PAY A THOUSAND TIMES FOR YOUR DEPRAVITY, KNAVE." She ripped herself away from the bars and she stomped around the cell, looking for something, anything to use to extricate herself. She paused at Ember's comment, "Do not presume to condescend to me. I am not your 'babe.' We don't have time to wait around! There's someone out there...." She halted her tirade as she heard his whispered question and began chewing over the answer, trying to not look too conspicuous.
GM: What of our starting gear do we have with us? Would I have perhaps my comb and/or brush from my grooming kit?
Hey, sorry I've been MIA this week. I have a real bad stomach flu right now, and it's been beating the shit out of me. I think I'm nearing the end of it (fingers crossed) so I'll hopefully be able to catch up soon.
Gladiola began to rouse slowly. As she heard the screams finally, she darted up. She glanced at the gory proceedings in tight-jawed disgust, her hand reflexively covering her mouth. Eyes widening at something, she turned back around, hiding her face. She ripped a section of her shirt off, tying it around the lower half of face like a bandana mask. She stood to her full height, easily six feet tall, and surged to the bars, her dreadlocks flaring behind her. She grasped one of the bars as she stretched out her other arm through them, pointing towards the blue eyed man. Her own bright eyes raged against him. "I will show you a feeble mind, you brazen KNAVE. You are nothing but the composition of a knave, beggar, coward, pandar, and the son and heir of a mongrel B#&*@." She struck the "doctor" with her gaze next, accompanying it with a full-body cutting motion. "I will cleave you through from scalp to ankle if you do not release us all this very moment, you disgusting craven."
I'll get something up as soon as possible!
I am 1000% happy that I did exactly what she would have done.
Results: My name is Gladiola
I stood my ground as the cloud advanced. I attempted to fight off the man in tatters. The creature broke my arm, choked me, then pushed me off of a building.
The interactive looks nice! I've worked with Twine before, so I am familiar with the medium :)
I will check it out later today!
I'm working on my personality and such at the moment. I'm sorry; I tend to take a lot of time making AP characters just because I want to be absolutely sure I will enjoy playing them for an undefined period of time.
I'm having a really rough time finishing picking my last trait, just because I know so little about her background and I don't want to make assumptions :/
Here's Hrothdane! Mostly done with my stat block. Gonna finish it later when I get home |