"So where did she originally come from, I wonder? Somewhere rainy." Jazz ponders over Trogg's shoulder as they look at the tracks.
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Sorry everyone, I forgot to warn about leaving for a week on a work trip. It was pretty last minute, but I definitely should've posted something about it so my bad. Good job on the Behir!
"If we hit it all at once, we should have it dead before it can do much damage." Jazz draws his longbow and trains an arrow on the beast, waiting for the ambush to drop. Ready Action Attack (aftersomeone else attacks first :P)
"Maybe a sleeping mist fiend?" Jazz draws his rapier slowly and deliberately, dampening the song of his blade with a steady hand. "Whatever it is, we'll deal with it."
"Then we should definitely find that box." "You will still be available here for communication, Qanikcir, when we return? It is quite fortunate we found you, and the information you've offered is the best we've gotten out of anyone or anything this whole time. It'd be a shame to continue going blindly after this short conversation."
At the woman's outburst, Jazz nods his head in affirmation. "He seems to be at the bottom of all of this. Why is it that you're trying to kill him, exactly? We've gathered that he's guilty of something, but exactly what remains unclear."
Inspecting some of the scrolls, Jazz takes a few moments to scrutinize each one. At one of them he stops and lingers a bit longer, carefully considering it. "I believe I've read of this spell, see, look! The legs of a spider, an anti-gravity field... intriguing. I think I'll take this one, if you all don't mind."
"We should slay that thing up there, and risk whatever the consequence may be. It's only going to keep spawning these little problems, and we might as well deal with them all at once while we have the chance." "Can Clarence slash it down?" he asks Trogg, looking carefully at the badger to seemingly gauge if it'd rather he'd addressed the ferocious little monster directly.
"Looks like more of the siren's work..." Jazz says looking at the wretched victim. Salt Ranged Touch Attack
When the group is ready, Jazz begins removing pieces of the barricade so they can enter.
I've got into a new fulltime job that's eating up my time. All of my game's have suffered from it, but I'm still trying to work out how to manage the schedule... 1 year of traveling with no real responsibilities to suddenly working 50 hours a week... :P big reality jump.
"Whatever that is, chained to the ceiling... we're not yet certain that it's hostile. If it's chained and strung up like that, couldn't it be a prisoner? The leeches we can dispose of without hesitation, but I'd like to know what that thing is before we just pepper it to death with arrows -- or drop the building on it."
"It amazes me that people can still move under all that metal," Jazz muses. "I wouldn't want all that weight, even if I understood how to move in it."
Jazz steps over the dead pegasus and, amused, watches Clarence make his couple of hesitant nibbles. "You've really got a strong companion, here, Trogg," Jazz says, reaching down slowly at the badger, hoping to scratch him behind the ears without getting snapped at. "I think," Jazz says, inspecting his bloodied side, "I could actually use some healing, if you've got any."
Jazz relays to the group what he heard the dying woman say. "So she was a martyr. Glad we could be of assistance with that."
Round 2
Jazz tumbles around the pegasus, trying to flank it with Clarence. Acrobatics Then he strikes out at the pegasus with his rapier, this time focusing arcane power behind the attack. Arcane Strike (w/ Arcane Pool)
Round 3 Arcane Strike (w/ Arcane Pool)
Seeing the woman being surrounded by his allies, Jazz rushes to the other end of the hall and brandishes his rapier, which begins to glow softly with a magical aura, against the pegasus.
Charge Attack
there could be some crazy BBEG possibilities here. Seriously: spooky. I don't care who gets the bangle. Jazz is more than satisfied with his recent discovery of magic, and he'll be able to remain excited for a while about that :P
And does that also make Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Bastard Sword) a little bit more attractive, then, since it's essentially still wielding a 2-handed weapon and therefore applies a 1.5 strength bonus? Interesting...
Jazz turns and raises an eyebrow at Trogg incredulously, but seeing the dwarf's serious face, steels his brow and faces their duty. Looking down at the painting, Jazz closely inspects the scratched-out face of Betina. "Desire, desire... she's caught up in a messy, messy world. Doesn't the man in white ask his victims what they desire most?"
"Curious little ditty: the person who wrote this must have been a home body. This was written by the missing Halfling? Hopefully she'll get to return home someday..." Jazz tucks the empty spellbook away into his backpack, tapping it affectionately as he imagines filling it with all the confusing arcane calculations floating around in his head.
Jazz approaches the lectern and inspects the book, feeling something a little bit creepy in the air around them. "That circle... those boxes... the disappearances. Something's just not right, and it's been wrong ever since we arrived in this town."
Spellcraft "I've never heard of an illusion that strong, but I wouldn't rule it out based on my judgment of the matter..."
"Smart thinking," Jazz says, "We could also mark the way with chalk or charcoal, if we have any, but that wouldn't be quite as obvious if we were leaving in a hurry." Jazz follows close behind Trogg and Clarence, his rapier held at the ready and eyes darting around the tunnel walls.
Jazz looks at Rikaku with "Nice work on that... thing," Jazz says, raising an eye toward the demolished golem. "What happened with the missing Halfling?" he asks, moving into the room and sort of floating around it with an eerie Elven grace. Once he's heard, he explains what they learned in the time they were separate: "Well, we tracked down Varis again and questioned him about Lionel. Varis was hesitant to speak on the subject, he said that Lionel had gotten into some trouble with some people and he wasn't exactly sure why but it had something to do with some people Lionel had killed. Varis did have an old satchel of Lionel's that was left here, which he gave us, and when we searched it we found a logbook and an Elven cipher. Variel and I decoded the cipher and found a bounty hunter's log book of hits and targets, so Varis at least seems to have told us the truth, just not the whole truth. Whether or not Varis knows Lionel was a bounty hunter, we're not sure yet, but it was curious to note that Varis was listed as a potential target in the log book... however, there were no notes, award, or crimes listed." "One last thing: whoever this Lionel is, he seems to have been quite the successful man. Surely a powerful warrior, I wager he's also pretty smart to exist for so long and so successfully in such a dirty business. I've had my share of experience with bounties and man hunts, and it's an ugly, dangerous world."
Linguistics (if applicable)
"Well, we just spoke with Varis about Lionel... and we were told that Lionel lives far away -- weeks, at least, if you go by land. But we don't know how truthful Varis was with us. I wonder if Varis has any idea about this Lionel's true identity, and if he even knows that he was marked for a bounty. We should probably ask him about it ourselves... but not quite yet." "If the bounty on Varis' head still stands, perhaps we should look into his history a bit and see if he's really the man we thought he was. I wouldn't mind turning him in to collect a bit of pocket change on the side, if he's truly guilty of something condemning." Jazz skims the log book a bit more, looking for a few things in particular. Primarily if there any reasons for the bounties listed in the logs, and if there are he checks out Varis' entry. He also does his best to research locations of where the more prominent hits took place to see if Lionel has an obvious base of operations. "If Rikaku saw Lionel in a vision with the mysterious wizard we're pursuing, I wonder if the bounty hunter still has his freedom -- or his life. Even a talented man like him would surely be challenged by the sort of magic wielding we've already seen."
Jazz accepts the pack and thanks Lionel, then turns and heads back to the town. Once outside he casts Detect Magic on the pack and its contents. Then, continuing to practice his Draconic, he says to Rikaku, "I use that Elven cipher to read the log book after we meet up with the others. I think we should check on Varis over the next few days, just in case."
"Memories from the people who've gone?" Jazz says, squatting down next to Rikaku to better communicate in the still unfamiliar Draconic tongue. "I don't like the idea that the mistfiends all once were people... because then we be killing someone every time we kill mistfiends. But let's read about Varis and talk to the others at the Halfling housing."
"Hmmm... give us the things you have on him. We might be able to piece it together with some more information. Rikaku here knows the most about Lionel's involvement..." Jazz looks at the Kobold to let him decide if a hawk should be sent to bring Lionel for questioning.
"No doubt you feel inclined to protect your friend Lionel, if his past is as shady as you let on, but we need to talk to him. We don't suspect him of being behind these disappearances, but our research shows that he is involved somehow, and he could hopefully answer a few of our questions." "Where can we find him, please?" Diplomacy
"I'll go with Rikaku to question Varis about this Lionel character somewhere, and then we'll find you afterwards at the Halfling houses."
At the tower:
Jazz speaks in Common this time, to show them that it's the civilized tongue. "Okay, Chief Wujie it is, then. We were checking in because we warned you we would, but we'll be back later to be guided to this door in the mountainside." "Well if the victims can be saved, then today has not ended completely in darkness. And the mystery is slowly unfolding, I can feel it. I think getting through that door in the mountainside should be our tomorrow's journey. The goblins have moved into the tower and are renovating it now, but seemed content and were not quarreling."
Hey everyone, just saying that I begin my long travel home today... an overnight train and then an overnight plane. I may not find internet reliably for a few days, therefore.
Satisfied with the damage of his last attack, Jazz's battle-smile grows a bit wider and he continues the assault alongside Clarence. Attack
Round 3 Jazz lunges forward and thrusts his rapier up under the mist fiend's chin. Attack
Round 2 With the arrival of the second mistfiend, Jazz suddenly hesitates. Seeing that the strangers seem to have the first one handled, he turns on his heel and curses his haste in the engagement. To everyone else in the rooms, he suddenly appears standing next to Clarence, his rapier held out menacingly against the mist fiend standing before them.
Round 1 Jazz rounds the corner, and taking in the scene with a swift, practiced eye, launches himself into the battle. A new, magical shimmer glosses the blade of his rapier as it swishes toward the mistfiend's chest. Charge Attack
Jazz is still keeping an eye on the door, rapier out and pointed to the ground. "You really think you can handle it, Variel? You don't look too good."
Welcome to the new people! Excited to have you here. The game's been going great so far, with lots of interesting and (at least right now) horrific mysteries.
"I leave this decision to you, Trogg, as you know most of the healing arts. It's an ugly business to put him down, especially if we don't have to, but remember that we have a greater mission before us." He lets the matter rest and waits for the dwarf's decision.
Jazz shakes his head... a truly ugly business. Switching to Dwarven, he translates what Rikaku and he had been discussing. Then he asks, "Do you really think you have the ability to save him? I've not researched much in healing magic to know, but if you're confident or determined to try and save him, then that's your call. I would make it painless and peaceful for him, though. I don't think he'd even see it coming." His eyes shift to Brice and Chara both, to see if they might be understanding them.
This is the Fighter/Magus character. We've had some curious adventures, and we're a funny sight to see as some rather serious elves, a comical spell-slinging kobold, a wise dwarf and his angry badger. Personally, Jazz might come off as rather ruthless at times, but his decisions are weighed carefully and logically. There is a goodness inside him, but his reasoning often pushes it aside. Looking forward to some new additions!
In his beginner Draconic, Jazz says softly... "I agree. I will do it, but it probably be better if Chara is not here. Do we agree?" His sword is still at the ready, his eyes scanning around them keeping a watch for the mist fiends.
"There!" Jazz exclaims, pointing to where he saw the mist fiend. "In the east wing of the house. I don't see the other one. Shall we route them out, or wait for them to come here?" he hesitates, looking to his companions for their preference, obviously drawn between hunting down the mist fiend and staying to protect Brice.
I'm up for recruitment. I almost think it'd be easier if the new characters' integration be more story-based than backstory-based, if that makes sense, but whatever works is fine with me! I suppose we'll be wanting another beefy melee contender to replace Beren, and we don't really have as strong of a divine presence, do we?
Jazz looks her up and down once more, then turns to his companions and shrugs. Turning back, with a cold look that depicts the business-side of his personality, he says, "I don't have a problem with it, but depending on your usefulness..." he trails off, then finishes bluntly, "Don't go thinking you'll get any part of the reward if we have to carry you through this mess. But an extra sword is an extra sword -- where are your weapons, by the way?" Then, hearing Brice's explanation of their downfall, Jazz draws his sword swiftly once more. "No, we fought a minotaur and some mind controlled minions, but no mist fiends since yesterday. They might still be around."
Jazz sheathes his sword and helps Chara to her feet. "I'm sorry about that, Miss Chara. We actually came here looking for you -- your boss was worried and we decided to pick up your trail." "Have you learned anything more about the disappearances? We've left the siren alive but unconscious for potential questioning, but I'm beginning to wonder if that thing deserves to live another second." Jazz looks uneasily at the man on the operating table. He tells him truthfully, "The fact that you're still alive and talking I would take as a good sign. But I don't think you want to be feeling your chest, arms, or legs right now..." Jazz is able to continue maintaining his business-like demeanor, though even he has trouble shaking the edginess of out of his voice while he looks at the poor fellow.
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