"More likely to be haunted than trapped," says Horm in agreement. He has pocketed the wand, keeping it near at hand, just in case.
Search Posts
Horm draws a longsword and eyes it closely. It is sharper than his own sword, but also smaller. "Agreed," he says, taking the potions and handing one to each member of the party. He gives two to Rajuna. "Zhandar, if you do not want this wand, I will take it." Horm watches to make sure that someone is taking the magical items before turning to cross the hallway.
"Hmm." Horm moves forward slowly, taking another look at the desiccated dwarf. He looks the group over for injuries and finds none. "Will the last one be harder?" He wonders aloud.
Clutching at his holy symbol, Horm does his best to avoid the flying skulls.
Hey everyone, I'm officially back. Sorry it took me longer than I expected. I ended up sleeping in the airport, then taking an early morning bus, then going to work on the same day (yesterday). Anyway, I'm feeling like things are getting back to normal for me. Thanks for the bot!
Horm watches Rajuna carefully as he hacks off the dead dwarf's head. "Grim work," he remarks, weapon in his hands. Unsure if the group will indeed encounter the Marauder here, Horm decides not to cast any spells.
Seeing the others move in without being attacked, Horm lowers his bow. He had been holding an arrow knocked. "I fear that smashing these skulls would be unwise, especially with the very weapon the Marauder used in his own killing spree. We would only be stepping into his shoes." Horm looks around the room once more. "Shall we try the other room?" He gestures across the hall to the door on the North side.
Horm watches warily, waiting while Rajuna works.
”I’m not sure you need to apologize,[b] Horm clarified. He has drawn his bow as the group continues to explore, and rubs his fingers across its hard surface. [b]”But I don’t think she wanted any more reminders of her current situation.” After a moment, Horm asks, ”Did you feel any resistance when you touched her?” He is curious.
"Perhaps there is another way past it," Horm observes. He licks his lips, savoring the taste of the drink Zhandar passed out. [i]Oddly sweet.[i] He follows behind Park. "Zhandar.," he says quietly, moving towards the druid. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but I don't think Vesorianna liked it when you put your hand through her incorporeal form. I would not do that when we see her next."
Sorry I missed the action yesterday. To be honest, I don't check the boards as regularly if there is a period of inactivity. Also, I will be traveling from Thursday until Sunday, and will likely post once during that time.
Horm watches the ghost closely. He feels little threat from her, but a ghost is an unusual sight all the same. Park is right. Those damnable souls must be remanded to their abyss. Horm rests against a wall. Or brought to salvation, if they feel earnest remorse. "I am Horm, from lands far from here. If only we had met under better circumstances, my lady." He bows low.
Horm follows Park's advice and walks with the group to meet Vesorianna. "The air in this place has a foul odor. Despite the long years, it still reeks of despair."
Horm nods his understanding. As Park had been the one to explain what the two of them had already done, Horm had assumed he was the leader.
Oddly, Horm himself slept soundly the whole night through. Perhaps he is relieved, to finally know what he must do to repay the Professor. He wakes up later than he is used to, taking time to stretch his legs out before completing his morning prayer. He double checks his pack while eating. "You lead, I'll follow," he says to Park.
Updating my character sheet to reflect spell preparation and 100GP for crafting. If Zhandar can't spend all 100 GP, she can keep the remainder and use it for future crafting that will benefit the whole group.
Horm rummages in his pack. He has a bag full of valuable gemstones which he carries as a compact means of storing his wealth. Beside it, he keeps a pouch with coins. This he retrieves and counts out.
Horm spends the remainder of his waking hours resting and cleaning his body and equipment. He takes a nap in the late afternoon. Horm has found that his dreams are less troubling if the sun is still up. He still wakes after an hour, unable to sleep longer.
How does this look? 1st DC 14 - Shield of Faith (Domain), Protection from Evil, Bless, Magic Weapon
I could also leave either Prot evil or Bless as an open slot.
Horm looks at Park for some time. He can see in the dark? He ponders the thought while the others discuss the finer points of their spell preparation. Can he mean the same way as Rajuna? By the way the two of them were talking, it didn't seem like they were thinking about it the same way. When the others had said their piece, Horm set the thought aside. He will return to it later. I am a cleric, yes. I have studied in the church of Sarenrae, and her light flows through me." He brushes her holy symbol with the tips of his fingers. "I have learned much in the ways of destroying undead." Horm thinks long about his next words. "I was raised in orcish fashion, in the ways of bow and blade. I have killed two people, both with a sword." He grimaces at the memory. "In truth, I am more an archer than a swordsman, though I think I will not be hurt easily."
Is your holy symbol visible? If this was already covered in a post I'm sorry for my human failings.... I laughed at this. Yeah I covered it but it was a long post from a while ago. Great post by the way. I suppose that means Park, like Horm, is good with people. Or at least he doesn't make people want to hang him as a witch! Haha laughed at this line. Still figuring out exactly where I stand on Horm's people skills. He does have a 12 in Charisma and his time with the church of Sarenrae has made him much more socially competent than he used to be. But I also feel like some of his past trauma is unresolved, and he is still meant to be a somewhat tragic character who struggles to fit into a world that wasn't made for him.
Fine with either, but ready to move forward.
Horm considers the members of the room. One by one, he rules out the possibility that any might be members of the Way. "Hmm. If they are watching, would they move against us? You said that they murdered the Professor when he was already at Harrowstone. Perhaps they are not yet strong enough to be so brazen here in town." Horm is long finished with his stew, and eyes another bowl. He has refused the offered wine, instead drinking only clear water.
Here are what look like the key posts related to the prison. As far as I can tell, the townspeople view Park favorably since he helped to save them from some flaming skulls and has also helped root out some zombies. The sheriff or someone else official also mentioned a monetary reward if he could clear out the prison.
Horm looks pleased as Zhandar tucks into the meal. You were always a person Zhandar, he thinks as he listens to her tell her story. Even before you met Petros. Horm mops up the last of his soup with some bread, savoring the juices. After listening long to Park's story, Horm is certain he knows what he will need to do to repay the Professor. "Blood answers blood. We must find the Whispering Way and put an end to their evil." There is a part of Horm that knows vengeance is not the only way. That violence will only lead to more violence, on and on in an endless cycle. And is a part of him that seethes. For now, he lets himself feel only a cold anger. "But first, as you say, the prison. I will gladly help you." Horm surveys the group one by one, reaching a hand out so that Birdie can investigate him, should she choose. "As one of the faithful, I have seen many undead fall. What are a few more, who even now await the blessed sleep?"
Horm moves gracefully into the house, leaving his bow and pack by the door. Accepting the offered food, he looks long at Rajuna's face. In his tribe, such scars would have been an honor, and it would not have been rude to stare. The scratches on his own face are thin and old, long since faded to grey. Before long, Horm is telling a story of the late professor. "I never have been much of a drinker. But on the night I met Petros, I was five mugs deep and the room was spinning," Horm sounds disappointed in his younger self. "Drinking so much was a mistake, and not the first I made that night. I was down bad at cards and had little left to gamble with. But I wanted to win my money back so badly. Things looked like they might be taking a turn for the worse." Horm's voice grows graver at the thought, and he eats some stew before going on. It is better than anything he's eaten on the road. "I didn't see him come in the room, but when the Professor sat down beside me, I knew it was time to walk away. There was something in the way he shuffled the deck that told me I wasn't going to be getting any of my coin back." Horm gives a wide, toothy grin, shaking his head at the memory. "He won back all the coin I'd lost, and then some. The old man had a sharp wit, no mistaking that. Afterwards, Petros approached me again. I had sobered up a bit and was beginning to count my remaining coppers. 'You look like you could use a few coins, lad,' he told me. 'How would you feel about helping me with an excavation?'" Horm pauses for a moment, lost in thought. "He could be like that sometimes, kind and sly at the same time, in a graceful sort of way."
Horm's and Zhandar made a curious pair. Horm was tall, even for a half orc, and he towered over the Druid. He was much the younger, though there was little youth in his deep red eyes. These watched curiously as she picked over herbs at camp. Horm himself sat impassively beside the fire. "It is the best rest I can get," he would say quietly. "Firelight thoughts, and prayer." When she woke in the night, Zhandar would often find him tossing and rolling in his sleep, one hand clutched tight around the hilt of his sword. "Nightmares are a small price to pay, for the ill I have done." Lately, Horm dreamed of Lorrimor. Though he was a grim companion, Horm was a gracious guest. At each inn along the way, he introduced the pair and made polite conversation with the host. He had a way of smiling that made it easy to see past the scars on his face and the tusks in his mouth. It was a useful trick. No, not a trick. People see me for what I am: a traveling healer come to pay respect to the dead. Horm's hand would find it's way to his symbol of Sarenrae, then, and cling tight around the burnished silver. The truth was that he owed the Professor. Horm would never have made the journey if he didn't. Death did not end debt. ------- "Of course I can speak for us both. You don't have to say anything." Horm looked Zhandar in the eyes, saying the words clearly so she knew they were true. "Why would she leave?" Horm wondered out loud. "Sad memories can't hurt her." The half-orc moved forward and in front of Zhandar. Resting one hand easily on the massive horn his bow had been made from, Horm strode to the front door. Despite the dust and grime covering most of his weatherbeaten clothing, the angelic ankh of Sarenrae still gleamed silver in the fading light. Hello Kendra," he said when she answered the door. "We knew your father. We've come to pay our respects."
Out time for the moment, had to prioritize running the game I GM hence not having time for an intro post yet. Can someone point me to a description of the Lorrimor house somewhere? I like the idea that Horm and Zhandar have already met. Let’s go with that. The holy symbols may be useful for Horm but without knowing more it’s hard to say.
Don't think I like a last name for Horm. I have an equipment section on my profile now. I have spend 16 hundred gold, leaving another 14 hundred or so. Think I should save for an amulet of natural armor unless anyone has major suggestions. I'd like to avoid getting a +1 set of armor so I can get Mithral first. I can totally get Ghostbane Dirge. I think Magic Weapon will also have more utility than Divine Favor. And I have Bless Weapon as a Domain spell, which lets you damage incorporeal creatures, autoconfirm crits vs evil, and have a good aligned weapon. Right now Horm's spells reflect what he would have prepared while traveling, I will change them when we meet.
Hi all. Happy to be here! |