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Lucendar, I truly think you've done a great job pushing this forward, but I feel the same way. I'm also playing in other PbPs but for some reason this one does not advance like the others do. I'll take my share of the blame since I currently have a lot on my plate in my job and at home, and haven't been able to devote as much time to the games as I'd like. If you want to shut this down, I would understand.
Gregorius lays Drake over a couch and turns to introduce himself to Harold. "I am Gregorius Valerii, servant of the Dawnflower. Welcome to our little group... we are looking into the matter of Petro's murder—I am convinced it was murder anyway—and you are welcome to join us. As you can see, we'll have to be discreet, since the locals seem to hate everything we do." He looks at the unconsious detective. "If they got Drake, it means the Whispering Way is onto us."
Gregorius turns to Stefan and whispers to the doctor with exasperation. "I've had enough of these accusations." For a moment, he feels the teachings of Achaekek coming back to his mind, and almost lashes out against the people of Ravengro. He manages to stay his tongue and let Harold do the talking, while he takes Drake in his arms to take him back to the house.
Gregorius draws his weapons and strikes with the blunt side of the sabres, hoping to get Drake unconscious before the man kills himself. When Drake looks at Stefan, he takes advantage of the detective's temporary distraction
Gregorius rushes forwars trying to take the razor out of Drake's hands. "Stop!"
Light on his sleep, Gregorius reacts quickly to the screaming outside. He jumps out of bed and rushes to the front yard, where he meets the homeless, drunken man. He grabs the man by the shoulders and shakes him once. "What happened? Were you attacked?" His eyes wander from the man to the path he is pointing towards to, trying to spot anything odd in the distance.
Gregorius steps forward to help Drake, slashing against the vermin that bit the detective.
The paladin squints his eyes trying to see what lies below the stairs, but his elven senses are not enough to pierce the darkness. "Doctor, can you take care of the lights?", Gregorius asks without looking back.
"Let me go first." Worried about the broken lock, Gregorius takes the lead, walking down the staris holding the sabretooth swords with the blade down. Despite the limping, his careful movements resemble a preying mantis ready to pounce.
"You go ahead and talk to the apothecary, doctor. I will have lunch and then take a walk around town. We can meet back at the memorial at sunset and head back to the Restlands."
Gregorius looks at Anselm. "It looks like something evil has got its roots deep into Ravengro. Kids should not be singing these words, and parents should not let them, I suppose. This town is... strange, to say the least. Well, we can leave that for later. Let's get the Professor's cache and then head to Harrowstone."
"What's wrong?"
We might need a local to show us the ropes around Ravengro. :) Anyone wants to open a slot in the recruitment thread?
Thanks to his childhood in Mediogalti Island, the eerie song is disturbingly familiar to Gregorius, resembling the kind of games he would play with few children that grew up by his side. Hi heart races as the memory strikes him, and the ever present shadow of Ashaekek clouds his mind for a moment. His first instinct is to furiously yell at the girls and repress their game, but he supresses that impulse and approaches them instead, trying to remain calm. He kneels by their side and asks "Why, you girls sing so well! Do you know any other songs?"
"Father Grimburrow, we already know where the stash is. I can guarantee we do not plan to take anything without your permission, but would you be willing to share some of its content with us? We ashall visit Harrowstone anyway, but it looks like the place is haunted. I thought the church of Pharasma would be eager to help us in cleaning the place of ghosts and other unnatural undead. Who knows, maybe the ones we fought earlier came from there. Help us, please, and we'll save you the trouble of looking for that hidden cache."
Between our Diplomacy rolls, I'd say we're really making friends in Ravengro.
"Father, the professor has left a journal in which he expresses fear for his and his daughter's safety. So, if there is any indication of foul play, we would like to look into it. We intend to visit Harrowstone to appease our suspicions, but it looks like the place might be haunted and, well... would you be willing to lend us a few items that could help keep the dangers at bay? The professor seemed to believe you had such items stashed somewhere."
"I know the professor could be... unorthodox at times, but I can't go along with his plan in this case. The cache belongs to the church of Pharasma. We can leave them out of this if you really want to, Mortimer, but that means giving up on those resources." Gregorius looks to the others, asking for their input. "Personally, I trust Petros in his assessment that the hidden items would help us, and that is why I propose we visit the priest right now and explain the situation."
Gregorius apologizes to Kendra for making her repeat the account of her father's death . "Yes, I'm sorry, you said it already. I... sometimes I get easily distracted", he explains. "I guess I was still thinking about the journal. The whole thing about dealing a wicked organization devoted to wrongdoing had me lost in thoughts", he finishes, the teachings of Achaekek lurking in the back of his mind. He shakes off these memories and tries to pay more attention to the discussion, listening with interest to Stefan, Drake and Mortimer as the groups devises a plan of action. "Perhaps we should go to Harrowstone ourselves and pick up where the professor left off. From what he said, we must prepare for more ghosts and undead. We should tell the local Pharasmin church about the secret stash mentioned in the journal and ask to borrow whatever may be of use to us."
"Well, after reading this, I think there may be more to the professor's death than I thought. If this so-called Whispering Way is so dangerous and resourceful as the journal says, then I doubt Petros’ investigation went unnoticed. It would also explain why he wanted us to protect you, Miss Lorrimore–maybe he thought the Way was watching you, too. His research took him to Harrowstone… a prison, perhaps? Do you know anything about the place? Also, what exactly were the circumstances of the Professor’s death?”
I'm ok with it.
Gregorius hears Stefan's story without flinching; he can tell the doctor is being more frank with the group than he is used to. The announcement of his necromantic studies seems more like a confession than anything else; yet, the paladin makes no judgement.
This is the first time Gregorius hears of the Whispering Way, but between Stefan's account and the journal's entries, they seem like dangerous foes. Before addressing the issue, he comes forward to comfort Stefan. "Doctor, there is no shame in what you told us. And even if there was", he adds raising with an eyebrow, "who am I to judge you? There are worse things for a man to be than a necromancer."
"Of course. The professor highlighted a few passages; let me read you those first", Gregorius replies. He then starts reading with a clear and loud voice, so everyone can hear. Though the paladin articulates perfectly, he is not a particularly good reader, and sometimes skips a comma or has to repeat a misread word.
Alarmed by the message on the Professor's journal, Gregorius reaches for the book and starts reading the entries from the most recent to the oldest.
Gregorius raises an eyebrow worried about the prospect of spending a whole month among the unfriendly locals. Yet, his friendship with Lorrimore certainly warrants the late professor the granting of this modest last wishes - even moreso if any dangers hang over his daughters's head. He swallows his pride and accepts Kendra's offer. "I cannot go as far as to say that it will be a pleasure to spend the next weeks in Ravengro, but certainly your graceful presence shall make things much more enjoyable", he offers with an honest smile. "Let me help you with the chest, if I know the Professor, it ought to be filled with really heavy books." Gregorius follows Kendra and asks delicately, as if not to invade her privacy, "Miss Lorrimore, your father seemed preoccupied about your safety. Has anything strange happened to you lately that would justify such concern?"
I'm here! A little swamped at work, but I'll be posting soon. :)
After the sheriff leaves, Gregorius looks at Stefan, and then at Drake, and back at Stefan, siding with the detective. "Drake was not in the wrong, Doctor. We did nothing to disturb Ravengro's peace and order, and deserved no such treatment. Authority is not an excuse to be a bully... the sheriff behaved as an idiot," he says to the group, not caring whether he is overheard by the locals. The half-elf stands up and bids his mates good night. "I've had enough of today. Let's hope the morning sun brings us better things." He kisses the symbol of his goddess and blesses the group. "Sarenrae light your paths." He then limps away in search of lodging for the night.
Happy holidays!
Gregorius remains silent during the whole walk, still troubled by the day's events and not paying much attention to the town. At the bar, he seems a bit offended by Zokar's joking around, deeming his lack joyful disposition a disrespect to the professor. Indeed, thes buffoons did'nt hold Petros in high regard. The sheriff's arrival and his antagonizing attitude are enough to put Gregorius in a definitely sour mood. He orders a cup of wine and drinks from it quietly, watching Stefan and Mortimer talk to the heriff. After Caller's seires of blunt responses, Gregorius decides to stand up and, looking the sheriff straight in the eyes, finally speaks his mind. He is particularly offended by some of Caellar's words, such as his threat of arresting them and the line "In Ravengro, the laws get served", infering that these visitors are "not above the law", as if they were a band of troublemakers. "I can't imagine why you'd think we intend to stir trouble or break the local laws. In case you haven't noticed, we've just risked our lives to protect your townsfolk from those dreadful creatures, and yet you threaten and dismiss us as if we were some nuisance. I take it you'd rather we had left them be?"
"Anyway, you don't have to worry about us. If you are so certain you can guarantee the safety of Ravengro, I see no need for us to linger any longer than tomorrow, after we've joined Miss Lorrimore for the reading of her father's last will." Gregorius turns around and sits back down, raising his cup. "To Petros." He empties the cup in one gulp.
Gregorius accompanies Stefan and Drake back to the city.
"I'm with Drake. It'll probably be better to just speak to the sheriff - or even that buffon, Gibs - than to wait here... but, just to be sure..." Gregorius walks away from the group and looks for the cemetery's keeper. He greets the man and says "Good man, if something happens here tonight, if any of those creatures come back, you run striaght to town and ask for our help, ok?" Then, hoping not to alarm the man, he puts his hand over the keeper's shoulder and finished saying "Don't worry, that's only on the very unlikely chance that anything happens. You have a good night, sir." Gregorius goes back to the group. "If they come back, he'll call for us", he says pointing his thumb to the caretaker. "Let's go, then."
"Don't worry, Dr. Herzog. Go ahead and get some rest. The four of us can stand watch tonight - I mean, if you really think that is necesary," Gregorius adds looking at Anselm and Drake, not sure of the merit of such decision, seeing as Stefan and father Grimburrow did not seem worried about the dead rising again this night.
Gregorius is releived to see the priest alive and well. When Kendra speaks about the will, he seems genuinely surprised with the news. "Miss Kendra, I don't know if these fellows have other commitments to attend to, but I for one promise you I'll be there to hear Petros' last will, if that's what he asked of me." He bows cordially and walks up to Mortimer, Drake and Stefan, who have gathered to talk about the undead threast. Gregorius nods when Dr. Herzog invites him to lend his skills to end the menace. "Of course, I will help. But... I have to confess that I don't know much about undead and things like that... I mean, I've heard a little about it from my mentor, but we used to focus more on gods and doctrines, and, well, it looks like you are all experts in the matter. Anyway, if you are staying for the night, we can take turns doing watch so we'll all be able to attend the reading of Petros' will."
I'm checking it regularly.
Gregorius is impressed with Anselm's display of combat prowess. I wonder if I could have defeated him even he hadn't surprised me. Petros was lucky to have him as a friend. He puts away the sabres and then runs back to Kendra, Father Grimburrow and the rest of the civilians, a little flustered and worried about their well-being; in his hurry, the half-elf doesn't even try to conceal the limp. "Is everyone alright? Father, you took a bolt to your chest! Let the good doctor take a look at it." He makes a gesture with his hands urging Stefan to approach.
I think Mortimer Valdebridge is the rookie here. ;)
Gregorius turns around after destroying one of the zombies and sees Anselm and Drake engaged in combat against their leader. Emboldened by Father Grimburrow's prayer, he darts towards the undead warrior and attacks.
Gregorius feels his bones crush under the zombie's slam, but the rush of positive energy instantly relieves the pain. He listens the undead leader commanding the zombie in front of him to attack father Grimburrow, and screams "No!" Gregorius spins and thrusts both blades into the zombie, and then pulls the sabres outwards to slash the creature open, hopefully before it can move against the priest.
Gregorius draws a pair of sawtooth sabres from under his cloak as he dodges past the zombie close to him and Dr. Herzog, repeating a move mastered after years of training. However, his lame leg once more reminds him of his current limitations; as he leans to the right side, a sharp pain prevents him from executing the maneuver he designed in his mind. His clumsy evasion leaves him open to the zombie's attack; he sees its claw closing in on him. Gregorius raises one of the swords and strikes downwards hoping to chop the zombie's arm off, in a combat move that resembles a mantis' attack.
The RP is why I wanted to get back into PbP--it's missing in a lot of games elsewhere (PFS, IME, being the biggest example). Funny you mentioned PFS! A few years back I ran a PFS scenario for my group (we have a RP heavy play style) and we had the same impression yiou did: not many opportunities for roleplay, just a bunch of encounters and combats. A month ago, I decided t give it another try. Since we were playing a home game among friends and not a PFS event in a gaming store, I decided to pace it diferently this time, giving more time for them to care about the NPCs and Golarion. They are not very familiar with the campaign setting, so I took the time to really introduce them to the scenario and described the Pathfinder Society in details, trying to hype up the things I know they like. In the end, everyone built a character with an interesting background to which they got attached, and I personally wrote from their factions leaders congratulating them on becoming pathfinder agents. This really helped set the mood for the adventure, and by the time we started playing it, they were into the campaign setting. We played the Glassriver Rescue, and I gave special attention to their interaction witht the NPCs. In the end we made it work within our play style, and they had a fantastic time RPing the second part of the scenario. Granted, playing it like this took us twice the time - PFS scenarios are designed to last 4 hours, and we needed two 4-hour game sessions to complete it, so maybe it's not feasible in a gaming store event... This week we'll start another PFS scenarion, and I'm hoping to link the end of the previous adventure to the start of this one to give them a feel of continuity which they enjoy. I'm not sure I have a point here, just sharing. ;)
Gregorius listens to Kendra's and Anselm's stories with his head down, and finds himself nodding and occasionally smiling, recognizing Lorrimor in their tales. He suddenly looks up and recognizes Anselm; it is the first time he notices his presence, and he can't help but raise an eyebrow in awe. The man has no way of recognizing him, and so Gregorius holds eye contact for as long as he can, listening to the rest of his words staring directly at him. After Anselm ends his eulogy, Gregorius raises his chin and looks around, glancing over the people gathered for the funeral. He looks serene, and tries to impart over the crowd some tranquility and peace. "I have only to look at this gathering to remember how great a man the Professor was. It's curious how the good in a man's life is never more noticeable than at the moment he leaves us to meet the Lady of the Graves... and listening to your stories, I can see so much kindness and wisdom there." he pauses for a second, trying to find the words. Gregorius sighs, taking a deep breath and looking up at the blackened sky. "It's funny. I don't think I've ever had an academic discussion with Petros. He was not really a teacher to me in that sense... and he never tried to be. What he tried to teach me from the start was a matter of the soul, and not of the intellect." He chuckles and shakes his head, as if remembering some episode. "... and mister, was I a difficult student! To this day, I'm still not sure why he took the time to help me - and he did, he moved heaven and earth." He looks at Drake and Herzog, and scans for Profesor Varis in the crowd. "That's how we'll remember him. A man who did good for its own sake, to make this world a little better with every deed." He crouches and touches the ground with the palm of his right hand, staring at the open grave and resting the left arm over his knees. "Thank, you Professor, for saving me from myself," he says between pressed lips.
Gregorius puts down the coffin, but remains by its side. After Stefan finishes he speech, he tries to aid the good doctor in his attempts at diplomacy. "Gibs, is it? Please heed the doctor's words. I am sure Professor Lorrimor has never done any harm to you or your friends; it is not right to deny him the peaceful rest he deserves. I don't know why are so angry, but you have to respect the late professor and the suffering of his family. Whatever troubles you can be sorted out later, and I will help you in any way I can. Just let us through."
Gregorius turns around as the man in the top hat approaches him. Dr. Stefan Von Herzog; he remembers the words better than the face - Dr. Stefan Von Herzog, spoken exactly the same way as when they first met. The mention of the name brings back bad memories, of agony and bitterness, and Gregorius feels his mind slipping to a dark place. He shakes off the feeling and tries to smile back politely to Dr. Herzog. "Why, doctor, I... I didn't recognize you. I'm surprised you did. We haven't been properly introduced... I'm Gregorius." He looks at his leg, remembering the constant pain that he has learned to ignore. He takes a couple of steps, trying to hide his limp, and says "As you can see, it still works." The last step sends a shiver up his body, and he can't help cringing his teeth before smiling awkwardly. Gregorius then notices Drake standing around, and lowers his head muttering "Oh. Detective Drake."
Gregorius steps out of the stagecoach right after the man with the hat. Back in Lepidstadt, Gregorius had barely noticed when the driver announced a stop to pick up another passenger bound to Ravengro, but he did recognize the man that entered the vehicle. He had seen him before, wandering about the Univeristy halls. As Gregorius didn't feel particularly compelled to making new acquaintances under the current circumstances, the two didn't exchange much more than a couple of polite greetings. Overall, the split ride had been a quiet one; the demise of Lorrimor weighed heavily on Gregorius' mind, and the other man seemed lost in thoughts as well, thus, neither of them seemed to have minded the silence. The half-elf picks up his travel bag from the coach and thanks the driver for the ride, leaving him a generous tip. He puts the heavy sac on the ground by his side; unties his long brown hair and pulls it back in a high ponytail, tying it back again neatly. Her runs his right hand over his mouth and chin, a habit developed after he started growing a beard, a few years back, while he was still in prison. A quite full beard for someone with elven blood, Professor Varis would say, but Gregorius was fond of it. The man behind the beard, with a shaved face and short hair, was someone he would rather never see again. He stretches his back and neck and starts walking towards Kendra Lorrimor. He is surprised to see the man in hat talking the woman, offering his condolences; so distracted had he been by his own sadness that the thought that the man was also attending the professor's funeral never even crossed his mind. Now that he was in Ravengro, it was time to think of others, to get past his own pain and comfort those such as the late professor's daughter, whose sorrow he could but imagine. He kisses the holy symbol of Sarenrae and whispers a prayer. "Give strength to us all, Milady." He bows to Kendra and gently kisses the back of her hand. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Miss Lorrimor." His voice is compassionate, and his tone, truthful. He leaves Kendra to attend to the other travelers and is asked by a stranger to be a pallbearer, to which he accepts without resistance after safely storing his belongings. Once again, he is surprised to see the man in hat by his side; this time, while the two men wait for the other pallbearers to arrive, he offers Mortimer Valdebridge the chance of a brief conversation. "I didn't realize we were sharing grief on top of the ride. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier: I'm Gregorius," he says, stretching out his right hand.
Yes, the mantis helmet was definitely on. So I guess Gregorius knows Anselm's face, but the opposite isn't true... though Anselm might remember quite vividly his brush with a Red Mantis Assassin. I think the fighting style is what might give away Gregorius' identity, though, since he didn't talk much during combat. ;)
São Paulo, Brazil. GMT -3. Regarding backstories, since we established WHAT the connections are, I think we should discuss HOW those events plyed out. On Gregorius parts, I'd say this is ho he felt: @Anselm Burtold - Initially, he was probably furious at Anselm, but mostly at himself for his failure. That resentment died out quickly, as Anselm was just someone who happened to be there to protect the professor, and wasn't really an enemy. The injuries inflicted by Anselm were extreme, but he does not hold Anselm responsable for that - after all, it was an occupational hazard. In the past years, after becoming a follower of Sarenrae, Gregorius has begun to feel grateful to Anselm, for it was that defeat that changed his life for the better. I'd say that fight was the only time they ever met, and he thinks Anselm probably never thinks about that - or at least not as often as he does. @Dr. Stefan Von Herzog - I'd like to propose a connection with Herzog here: Dr. Herzog was the one who treated Gregorius' injuries when he got caught. A strictly doctor/patient relationship. During the treatment, Gregorius was bitter and distant, and never spoke to Herzog. The doctor did all he could to patch him up, and even considered amputating one leg, but managed to save the injured limb. Ironically, Gregorius is nor nearly as grateful to Herzog as he is to Anselm, mostly because he doesn't know how close he came to losing his leg and also for the lasting consequeces of the injury - he thinks maybe the doctor didn't do such a great job (I want to use that to explain why his skills are so poor, when he should've been the acrobatic, stealthy type to be an assassin). Recently, Stefan might have seen Gregorius at the University in company of Professor Varis. @Detective Drake - Drake conducted the investigations, took Gregorius to prison, conducted the interrogations and followed up on the Red Mantis trail. He was very profesional and tried to get Gregorius to help out, but Gregorius was completely uncooperative. After helping Lorrimore with the Red Mantis deception, he left the matter to Prof. Lorrimore and Prof. Varis, and hasn't seen or heard of Gregorius ever since. Now you tell me how Drake treated Gregorius - good cop or bad cop? @Mortimer Vanderbridge - I guess Gregorius and Mortimer could have bumped into each other at the University; in the past months, Gregorius has stopped by to see Prof. Varis or to watch some of his theology classes or just to seek advice and speak about religion. So, they look familiar to each other, but don't really know each other by name or anything.
Like I said in the recruiting thread, if anyone wants to share a common past, I'm up for it. My immediate sugestions, based on your traits and backstories, would be: Anselm - If Anselm used to travel with Lorrimore, maybe he could be the one who saved Prof. Lorrimor from Gregorius. Mortimer Drake - ... and, at the professor's request, detective Drake led the following investigation and handled the prisoner. He might have even helped Lorrimor fool the Red Mantis assassins and erase Gregorius prior identity. And I suppose Mortimer Vanderbridge and Dr. Herzog know each other from the University, right? If you guys don't like that, that's ok, too, we can keep things as they are. ;)
Checking in! Profile is ready for reviewing.
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