Thanks . I’m here in Paraguay now. Rarely have stable enough data to post. I’ll touch base when I get back to states.
Thanks for the understanding and support folks. What happens with bipolar is if I let myself go up to high (working those long shifts and not resting properly etc) it gets followed by a crash. I am just feeling totally out of it . I feel weird saying it in public too but I’d rather you all now I’m not avoiding out of disinterest or anything. I am actually getting on a plane to Paraguay to woof on an organic farm for a month to just reset myself. Here the living expenses are high so I end up in a cycle of doing work that isn’t great for me.
Hugs right back at you . Thanks for understanding I just gotta take a little break til I feel better.
I would love to have a harrowing scene where Bez and Melira steal the carriage from undead Rhy..Rhypeth? What was his name again? :D As I recall it is Rhendlyth!
Yes don’t worry I won’t ever ditch. I have a condition I think I mentioned it from the beginning it has always manifested in some way every time I’ve done one of these . Bipolar Dosorder they call it . Anyway I have developed good habits to manage it but my line of work is tough on mental health for anyone . So here’s the thing guys I just pushed it a little bit too far taking a lot of gigs when I should have maintained a balance . So I went into an episode and it takes me a while to get myself back in order . Also running a game from mobile is not the best . What id like to do is take a pause and then resume when I’m feeling better and get a new charger or laptop. Maybe reconvene with the party all together , or maybe just during the hiatus we can do sporadic updates that cover a little bigger span of time . Like , downtime almost. Like, “ describe to me what activities your character does for the next couple weeks in Endhome “. Stuff like that .
BD you are a hard worker. Your industry sounds interesting. I do some damn hard work myself .
Hey folks, little adventure came up. The place I was staying had some really heavy drinking going on, and I didn't like it, especially with kids in the house. I couldnt get it resolved so I had to strike out on foot. I walked 16 miles, took a bus, slept in a homeless shelter, and hitchiked 30 miles more! All while managing to show up and complete all the work gigs I had committed to! I am back home now with my dog resting up. Sorry for lack of communication it was a bit harrowing with temps below 30 fahrenheit and needing to manage to appear professional at multiple venues in different cities while living out of one duffelk bag :D Anyway I did it! Safe now, be posting soon. Best
Sure good idea. I will just have to roll to see about encounters on the road but you can try to avoid any rolled if possible.
I know I have been sparse, I am getting just annihilated schedule wise, getting through each day as it comes. Not for lack of interest. Enjoyed reading the last posts.
I was just thinking, if you guys describe what you want to do or attempt in plain english , I can always convert that into the appropriate roll when I need to and just roll it myself. That's what I do at home with the kids, well, I ask them to roll it but here on the forums I guess I could just roll it for you if you give me easy access to your stats right in the spoilers under your names. But you can also toss out a couple rolls that you might think appropriate so I can go off those.
One of the most shocking things for me after returning to US from India is how folks here don't understand the need for rest. It is gruesomely shocking to see what the american worker does to herself and the depths of self-harm we will permit and encourage our loved ones to participate in all in the interest of competition and consumption.
The urchin receives the coin in an upturned palm, oblivious to where Vex had retrieved it from. "Minted silver. Either your heart is charitable or your thirst is one that can't be slated by those within that palace nor the folk who abide by it's laws. I suspect the latter." The urchin wipes the coin on his tunic as if to polish it before squinting with one eye and holding it up to gleam in the rosy rays of the afternoon sun. "Unfortunately, I know nothing of forger's and forgeries. But I will give you one bit of advice that will serve you well if you plan to go around Manas asking these type of questions. Don't cross the Friendly Men. They won't take kindly to it. This isn't Remballo you know. The Thieve's of Manas don't politely return your purse after pinching it for coins."
Cosmopolitan indeed. Vex turns many a head but none stop to question him or look for the authorities. Vex would notice if they did. The peasants gawk, but the citizens look busy and purposeful, mindful of their own affairs. A place to bed down does not immediately present itself. The Palace Terondel dominates the skyline, projecting it's opulence and the comforts within. This city which has overgrown and spilled over it's walls nonetheless has a wall around it's Palace. The oalace is not the only visible structure looming. There is also Caeronde, the massive citadel. A symbol of inequity. Somehow the outer wall is never any closer to being built. But this ancient wall around the seat of power for the whole Kingdom of Suilley has stood since ancient times in perfect repair. Vex is arriving on South County Road from Grollek's Grove. The foot traffic through the arfea outside the walls is flowing into and around the walled in area. Vex is aware that there is a gated checkpoint ahead. The Citadel is ahead and to his right on the skyline, the Palace ahead of him. There are canals some way off to his left. He has his bearings still from a view he saw from a vantage point upon a hill while approaching. The traffic is flowing quickly through the gate in the wall, it doesn't appear to be a very formal interaction, but there are definitely authorities posted there.
Wait. You people won't believe this. Faidh forgot to double her smite dice. The smite crits. I thought 2d8 was doubled, but I looked at Faidh's sheet. 1 spell slot gives her 2d8 even without the crit. Faidh still has to roll 2 more d8's. That may kill the packlord. Ooooohhhhhh.... I gotta let you roll it Faidh. Too important for me to roll.
Ok Vex time.
As Melira gathers herbs, the ogre grumbles along, not exactly cheerful, but certainly engaged. Sometimes when she moves she hears him shift and strain to keep observing her, but he when this happens he tends to groan and wince in pain from the adjustment. She quickly learns where he can and cannot get a vantage point to observe her. "Do you live here or are you one of those great travelers I hear stories about?" "Ah yes, great travellers. Me eat lot of dem. Not live here. Come from caves. Somfing call us here. Voice in night." "Do you know those puny weaklings by the gate? They were in my way so I had to sing them a sleeping song. If I'm going to come back here, I'd like to know who they are so I don't have to do that again." "Dem Goblin Bearbugs. Come from caves. Hear voice in night." "Have you ever seen a big cat around here, not quite as strong as you, but with fur and huge teeth? There might be one wandering the grounds, and a little girl like myself would be a tasty snack for such a monster if I didn't have the help of some great warrior." "Kitty from back yard. Him break him chain. Him back legs of frog. Move so slow. Him drag broken chain make noise. Not scared. Him eat bearbugs, not eat me." "Have you ever been inside the house? It seems like a nice place to live." "Not go front door. Statues bite. Back door ok, Kitty too slow. I go on... flat... platform.. in back door. Big messy room. Sleep if cold. Not go up stair. Too small. Outside nice." "Would you mind passing me your club? I need it to dig these roots. Once I have those I should have everything I need. Oh blast, I've just dulled my dagger. Do you have one of those too, or any other sharp tools?"
"OK. Here go. Dig fast, leg hurt." The ogre awkwardly lobs the club, managing to get it over to Melira's general vicinity. He then painfully fishes around beneath his waste and produces something that looks like a large lawn-dart. He tosses that along too. "This only sharp thing. Pointy. Dig roots fast."
lol I said "sense motive". That brings me back to the days...
Feel free to prod me it doesn’t hurt my feelings it helps me remember I need to do something. I’m doing a lot of climate and voting rights activism , as well as training for a certificate for arena rigging with chain motors and other work stuff. Trying to organize workers to unionize. As well as yoga/meditation. Sometimes I don’t realize how many days slip by .
I didn’t forget you BD. Ts a little tricky to get that third thread going. The cities alon the road you’re on are pretty cool tho. These writers did a good job. I will post it soon.
Sorry Vex! Coming soon
Great post Akkramar.
WHOOOOAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
Vex I am up to speed and ready for you. Just check in when you see this, I want to have you roll a couple skill checks to see what info you begin with regarding the thieves guilds. Second thing, if you don’t mind lookin at the map. vex only: I am presuming you would have taken the kings road, unless there is any reason you can think of why you would have preferred to follow the river and cut down to South County road passing through Grimmsgate and Merquinock.
I think the scenario in Remballo is really cool and fun. I dig the way it was written a lot. Feels really alive and believable. I’m excited for it, especially when Bez n Melira catch up and arrive there to. I am thinking maybe it’s not worth it to keep your location secret. I would rather have everyone enjoy the posts I think. Keeping his in spoilers for now so we can decide.
Vex only: So here is what you know. Your mark paid you in a letter of credit from a banking family known as House Borgandy. They are the premier family in the city of Remballo. Remballo is a smaller city, located out in a more rural area, midway between two larger cities called Manas and Olaric on South County Road. South County Road is basically still the King's Road, but it's not called the King's Road anymore after Manas. It's pretty much a wide wagon cart road, but it's not patrolled anymore beyond Manas. By the time you would reach Manas, you would have had passed Cat's Wife (weird little village), Grollek's Grove (something about a cursed mansion), one more ordinary town, all in a journey of more than a fortnite. Then after Manas, a few more days to Remballo. Your mark, while not a Borgandy, had said he was from Remballo. He had come to Endhome looking for an opium connection and that was how he became involved with you. He definitely spoke a thieve's cant and you could easily identify him as a thieve's guild type of character. You know enough about the letters of credit to know they are very difficult indeed to forge. You had not had any fear of it being fake after inspecting it, and were quite astonished when it was not accepted by the moneylender in Endhome. In fact, you were clever enough to have an underling take it inside, and that poor fool has been arrested. You were able to have a word with him during visiting ours, and between what he had heard during his arrest and what you were able to glean from your sources among the crooked constables, you have learned that the seal on the fake was quite perfect, and the main tip off was that the real letters of credit contain descriptions of the carrier, making them non-transferable and protected from theft. Your failure to have known this detail is probably to your great embarrassment and may have filled you with ire towards the thief who served you the letter, even if you did send him away with a large quantity of fake opium. (just riffing, up to you.)
It depends. If the smite spell smells what the smell spite smites, then the spell smite can smite spells. jk I will have to look that up ;)
Off to bed now I will make the vex post by Thursday at the latest. Spoilers be damned.
Feeling better finally . Thanks for patience. Everyone else in my family had a mild case but I was wiped out . My immune system is really week from long term struggles with parasites since I spend a lot of time in India . Thanks BD also for waiting. I’m ready to bring you in now.
Definitely on the mend now . Feeling more clear headed today. Still coughing, sneezey and yellow mucous . Achey and fatigued. Will start thinking about a post soon tho.
Sorry folks I am still too out of it. Pretty bad case .
Thanks everyone. I’m not symptomless. I am pretty wiped out. I might not post for a few days.
I’ll have a mess around with drawing apps on my tablet tomorow as well. I had thought my ipad was dead but it just needed a new charger so Ill have a play around with it since it’s working.
It does lead to the steps. So when you come inside the gate , you have the mansion with its marble steps directly in front of you maybe a couple hundred feet away. The mermaid fountain is between you and the steps. The carriage trail makes a culdesac around the mermaid fountain so that you would reach the steps . For a example a carriage could drop you off at the steps and then continue clockwise and arrive back at the gate again after going around the mermaid statues. A side path splits off from there to meander through the gardens and other statuary to a side gate in the high wall. You can make out a pale blue marble object to the left of the mansion, a few hundred feet to the left and ahead of you from where you stand at the main gate. There is also a vine choked white fountain with a desiccated corpse visible through the gardens to your right a couple hundred feet.
Hey Bez, I am not on tour with them, I am working as a local stage hand. I work this show every year when it comes to the area, and sometimes we follow them around for a couple of stops. My buddy has gone on tour with them as a rigger for many years. I usually help fly the PA system. This year I built video wall. Resting up and recouperating today. BD, I read the PM's.
No problem. I am drafting up a post related to Vex's whereabouts.
I have been talking to Black Dow on PM, he is going to debut in the thread but at least partially behind spoilers.
Also, now that we're level 2, I'm totally into going to the Mansion. Let's do it! Ok cool but exercise caution because parts of it may not be level appropriate and also you are a skeleton crew of two heroes! No pun!
Rhendlyth when searched does have a small dagger on him, presumably for self-defense, but it is very ornamental and looks as if he has never had occasion to use it. He gives it up willingly if that is demanded. Once untied he gives no sign of struggle. "I won't try to kill you. It's not me who wants you dead. I'm tired of cleaning up other people's messes. But Ambrose does have a reason to kill you, and maybe me now too, for failing.. They know you are searching for the Harbinger. I have no idea what role the Harbinger plays in what they have planned, but I have a feeling they won't want you finding him before they do. Nor do they seem fond of the thought of his existence being public knowledge. I suggest you surround yourself with friends, hopefully ones in high places. And I wouldn't hang around here at the academy until you have some kind of proof. Even then, Ambrose won't hesitate to pin whatever he's up to on you at the end of the day. If you want to run away from all this, I suggest you head all the way to Bard's Gate or Reme. I have a feeling these people have influence all over the Borderland Provinces and the Sundered Kingdoms. I don't know if they are in Remballo yet. My brother is not mixed up in any of this. He is after Vex for his own reasons. And I haven't let on about him to Ambrose. So I guess you have an advantage now by sparing me. If you really want to keep poking around in this mess, that is."
While Bez and Melira converse in secret, Rhendlyth let’s out a sigh. ”You spared me when you didn’t have too. I will tell you one thing that may be of use to you. The pages that were torn out, I did it. I gave them to the one who ordered me to kill you. I will tell you his name, and my suspicion. Although necromancy is studied here at the academy and recognized as a school of magic worthy of research under controlled conditions... I believe there is a cult of death at work within the department. I think what you stumbled upon is important to them. I saw the pages, and there was a location described. Something about a desecrated shrine near the village of Grimmsgate. And there is a harbinger they are looking for. A man with fiendish features and attributes on his body. They believe his existence is a sign of the return of the abyssal lords. That is all that I know. I will tell you his name but you must free me so that I may flee.”
I want to do a well written out post for Rhendlyth’s reaction to Melira’s persuasion. I want to wait till I can focus on it on sat .
Howdy folks! I have read the posts and I’m excited to get back to it but here’s the deal, I have a gig tomorow, Friday and also sun. All truly 16+ hour workdays. I know it’s not ideal but just letting you know. I’ll pop in when I get a chance!
Fiadh feels herself brush up against one of the leeches, but remembers seeing that Akkramar didn’t seem overly concerned about that being harmful. Underwater is very clear and she can see up ahead the gleam of light off fish scales and she can even make out the fisherman’s line still connecting him to the salmon. Then suddenly something moves below. She sees one yellow eye peering out of a black writhing mass. It blinks a few times, obviously observing her. Then a jet stream of inky black liquid envelopes Fiadh. Losing vision she becomes momentarily disoriented about directions. In the direction that she thinks must be down to the river bed, she starts to see a strange scene. Bony hands break free of the river muck and claw their way out, followed by forearms, all bare bone stripped of flesh, sometimes gauntleted, sometimes holding the haft of a blade. An army of dead in antique armor, clamoring up to free themselves from the algae and mud, they raise their un-breathing skulls, craning towards the surface and the light in a silent submerged shriek, jaw bones rattling, and yellow flame glowing in the sockets of their eyes.
Okay folks I have a certain way I use passives in 5e when we play at home, and I think 5e kinda invites DM’s to use what makes sense to them from the rules, and the general philosophy gives DM’s a lot of license. So I’ve been happy enough running it my way at home but playing on the boards with google at your fingertips does really make it tempting to delve into rules questions. Since several of us are learning 5e are we curious to have a look what others are doing? I did a quick google and found someone saying that take 20 is not a thing but passive scores are like 5e’s version of take ten and are always active.
Boh'kul's Garden Boh'kul drags a mesh wisk through the boiled milk, scooping out cinnamon sticks, cardamom pops and black pepper corns. "I ain't seen him Bez. No one has. But I do have a lead for you. The duelist Val'grish has a brother, if rumor has it right. An arcanist at the academy. I don't know if they welcome visitors, but I'm sure you have your ways of fashioning an invitation or finding yourself an unlocked door. If any one knows where Vex went I reckon it'd be that dark-elf dandy. I don't know how many times his blasted honor fights have been the rain on Vex's latest picnic in the park." The looming half-orc speaks in hushed tones, not only for confidentiality but rather in concert with the atmosphere of calm he has cultivated throughout his tea garden. The exotic plants have a mood about them as if they are basking in the acoustics and the elegant symmetry of the architecture. One would almost expect the thorny vines and flytrap blossoms to animate and snap at any offender who dared to bluster or shout. A couple patrons sit in a table in the corner. Not delivery service men, but the sort who know where they are and how to act. Minding their own business. Having a hot totty. Paying no mind to the tiefling and his half-orc friend.
I’ll set up the scene in endhome over the weekend so the other PC’s can start posting. Akkramar and Fiadh can interact with each other now any time, they are in the same place. They may have questions for the priest and so on.
This is why Saendithas has to tutor you :p
Albion, the party is half scoundrels and half-scholars plus a big ol faerie knight of the woods.
I wasn’t counting on tracking lifestyle and expenditure because I was thinking there will be a bit of travel right a way and straight to some action. But, anything like this that you note can never hurt. Yeah we might have downtime. I really like reading these NPC’s you people made. They are much better than the ones in adventure modules.
Wow fantastic sheet BD. Very easy for me to get to the info I need. Albion, how was vacation??
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