"Father Tobyn was the previous head priest in Sandpoint. He died in a fire that also claimed Sara's mother five years ago," Joanna says softly to Kemras' question.
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"You were actually looking forward to those," Joanna squeaks.
Joanna clamps her jaw shut to keep from screaming in fright as the skeletons clamber up from the depths of the crypt. Before she can do much more than draw her borrowed shortsword, the fight is over. Still she can feel her heart thundering in her chest. For all of the talk of what they might find, she hadn't expected to find anything, she realizes, especially not the undead. When Sheriff Hemlock asks them to investigate the crypt, Joanna nods jerkily. She shakes as the adrenaline wears off and the rest of her body catches up with conscious mind. With a deep breath, she moves the lights into the crypt and braces herself for what she might find.
Joanna shivers visibly when Bulvarius mentions goblin ghouls. "Goblins and ghouls are bad enough on their own from what I've heard. I do not relish the thought of facing something that foul," she says as she tries to ward off a chill that has little to do with the pleasant autumnal weather.
"That sounds like this had more thought put into it than goblins normally put into things," Joanna observes.
Joanna looks around, but can't see what Audra does, even when she's pointing it out. "I'll have to take your word on that," the young noblewoman says. "But why would someone being working with the goblins, and why this crypt? If they needed a body, surely there are easier ways to get one." Looking at the entrance to the crypt, Joanna softly hums a few notes and summons four motes of light to her side. "Should we let light guide our way," she asks.
"Thank you, Ameiko," Joanna says when the Rusty Dragon's owner offers to loan her a change of clothes and something to help protect herself if trouble did arise. Though, as she stands and hears Bulvarius speculate, the young noblewoman starts to wonder if arise might be an ill choice of words. Is that even possible, she asks herself as she follows Ameiko.
After a few minutes, Joanna comes back now dressed in one of Ameiko's outfits and wearing a borrowed sword at her hip. "Apologies for the wait, Father Zantus."
"Oh, Father Zantus, there's no need to look like that. I'll come regardless of what awaits us, but I would like to dress properly for the occasion," Joanna says with what she hopes is a disarming smile that hides her own nerves. Uncle Darius would likely not want her going at all, but what kind of mischief could she actually get up to with the sheriff and Father Zantus there watching over her shoulder. "Still, I imagine that he'd not appreciate waiting while I go back to the Deverin manor and change. Would it be possible to borrow some arms and something more appropriate for any trouble we may find," she asks.
Joanna does spend some more time singing, but after she nearly fell off the table, she keeps her feet firmly on the ground. The staff of the Rusty Dragon finds the young noblewoman sleeping at a table with her head resting on her folded arms. Exhausted, she winds up spending the night in one of the rooms that Ameiko had offered after the raid on Sandpoint had been beaten back. The next morning, Joanna spends some time in prayer to Shelyn, sketching and dancing as she mentally recites the words and meditates on them. After washing up and making sure her appearance is impeccable with some judicious use of magic, she joins the others downstairs for breakfast. Father Zantus' appearance is unexpected, but it's his nervousness that has Joanna on edge. "Certainly, Father Zantus," Joanna says, wondering what's going on and what has the kindly priest so nervous. "Should we be expecting trouble?"
No worries. It happens. Also, has anyone heard from Sara's player, Pancakes, recently?
@Audra: The Numbers move in mysterious ways, that's why. :P
Joanna returns Ameiko's smile with a grin before hopping up onto one of the tables. She can hear her tutors clucking their tongues in her head, but she ignores them. Well, she'll just have to deal with her guilty conscious later. "Bah! Forget that old man! His kind thrive off spoiling everyone's good mood," Joanna says, miming tossing something away as she speaks. She holds her arms wide as she turns to address everyone in the room. "Sing! Be merry! Dance! Let him hear us having fun all the way across the Turandarok in his house on the bluff, and not a breath wasted on him!" She stomps on the sturdy table and claps her hands to start the beat then begins singing a merry old tavern tune and dancing along the table. It isn't her best performance, but it's more than enough to get the Rusty Dragon's patrons into a merry mood and joining in. Unfortunately for Joanna, she gets too into it and misjudges how much room she has on the table just as she begins the last verse. As she sings "downsides go up," her heel misses the edge of the table and she goes tumbling back with a look of surprise and panic.
Either Desna smiles on Joanna or her reflexes are that good, she manages to avoid adding more embarrassment and turns the misstep into a somewhat awkward hop off the table. She gives a sheepish smile to the crowd as her fair face turns bright crimson before finishing off the song. I think I'll keep my feet planted on the floor the rest of the evening, she thinks before starting another song.
Sense Motive DC 17 (DC 18 if you could be attracted to Joanna)[dice=Bluff (Hide her reaction at Kemras' quip):
1d20+2[/dice]
When Kemras compares wealthy Magnimarian youths to asses, there's a flash of something like pain in Joanna's eyes, but it's gone just as swiftly as it appears.
Joanna resists the urge to glare at Bulvarius. She's certain that she could handle Lord Kaijitsu on her own. His threat of a duel, at least she hopes it's for a duel, is far more likely to get them into trouble, but seeing the bitter old man gape like a fish does a lot to soothe her irritation, at least until Ameiko emerges from the kitchens and the argument gets truly heated. She doesn't follow what's happening, other than it's steadily getting out of hand, and she's slow to react when Lonjiku reaches for Ameiko. Joanna reaches out needing to do something, but unsure of how to help. She freezes in place, though, as she marvels at how easily Ameiko avoids the old man's grasp and smacks him with her ladle. Despite how things have escalated, she's isn't prepared for what happens next and stands stunned as Lonjiku storms out. She ignores him, focusing on Ameiko as she holds back the tears. That old man did that on purpose, didn't he, Joanna thinks as Ameiko tries to shrug off what happened with a joke. Well, she can do one thing to make things a bit easier. Joanna sings a short bar of notes and puts on a smile as she cast a spell to clean off the ladle. "Probably still needs a good scrubbing, but at least his bitter stench is gone now," the young noblewoman quips with a grin before getting close to Ameiko and whispering in her ear. Ameiko or DC 15 Perception: "Do you need a moment? I can keep everyone entertained for a little while if needed."
Joanna isn't sure what to make of Lord Foxglove's infatuation with Sara. Something about the man and how quickly he'd fixated on her cousin makes her wary of him. As she sits down to enjoy the meal, she starts trying to remember everything she can about the Foxglove family. Before she can act on what she recalls, however, Lonjiku Kaijitsu comes storming in and squashing the conviviality right out of the Dragon's common room. Unfortunately for Joanna's peace of mind, she is all too familiar with Lord Kaijitsu's type, snide, condescending, and far too sure of their own competence in matters they have no experience. After yesterday's events and seeing how they had affected her cousin and the town, Joanna's own emotions are just a tad too raw to let the man's blathering go unanswered. She stands up and faces Lord Kaijitsu with a precisely correct curtsey. "Lord Kaijitsu. It is good to see that you are doing well after the illness that prevented you from attending the Swallowtail Festival yesterday. Truly, you must be blessed with amazing eyesight to see all that transpired yesterday from your sick bed."
The Night After the Raid:
With no one else around, after she and Sara have gotten ready for bed, Joanna holds her cousin tight as the dam holding back her emotions breaks. "I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry I made you worry," she blubbers into Sara's shoulder. "I'm sorry you got hurt. I'm sorry the goblins ruined everything!"
The next morning, Joanna goes with Sara to the graveyard, though she gives her cousin as much privacy as she wants. Instead of the sturdy outfit she wore yesterday, she wears a white shirt with a blue vest and skirt and a black hat with a blue band. Glittering on her breast in the morning sun is a silver pendant depicting a thrush with a long tail in seven colors.
At the Docks: Joanna sighs and smiles wryly when she finds Uncle Darius alive, if hurt. "Please forgive him, ma'am. Uncle Darius is a stubborn man, even if his body tells him it can't do as he wants," She says before her smile turns warm and grateful. "Thank you for helping him. He's very dear to me and my family. If I may, I am Joanna Whitehall. May I have your name?"
Joanna thanks Ameiko for the information before finding Sara and letting her know where she was going. Ameiko is probably right, but something nags at Joanna as she hurries off to the docks. Why hadn't Uncle Darius come back to find her after the fighting was over?
The young noblewoman blushes at Garridan's praise. She feels that she's a rather poor storyteller. Moments like the one she'd just had were rare. Still, she graciously accepts the innkeeper's words and thanks him for both them and the food. As she eats and feels the events of this evening weighing on her, she notices the playing children, and feels her face heat even more when she hears them wanting to be her. Tot's arrival, though a surprise, is a welcome distraction. Hearing they'd slain an ogre is much more surprising, though. "If we did, it wasn't much of an ogre. I don't think we even noticed it," Joanna says. "Best not keep Miss Ameiko waiting while we try to figure out if we did kill an invisible ogre or not."
Noticing her cousin's worry, Joanna stays close to Sara as the priestess starts looking for those she's close to.
The praise and the cheering surprises Joanna. A part of her wants to find someplace to hide and sleep, but good manners trumps her sense of fatigue. Many of them likely have the same questions and worries that Sara has, and that Joanna herself has for that matter, and having some hope, something beautiful to latch onto after something so horrid and hateful as the goblin raid, will go a long way towards helping them recover. She remembers that was how her family had gotten past the kidnapping attempt, finding the good despite all the bad. So, despite her weariness and her own budding worries, Joanna smiles, she grins as the crowd cheers. Truly she doesn't know how to accept their praise and cheers, so she does so as graciously and humbly as she can. She gives the others, especially Bulvarius and Sara, as much credit as she can for slaying goblins and keeping them on their feet. "We did lose count," Joanna confirms, her focus on the young boy as she prepares to regale the crowd with the other's exploits. Though she's no trained orator, she has a natural charm, and the crowd's apparent appreciation of the band of heroes has given her a second wind and a bit of inspiration. "When the goblins launched their cowardly attack, these brave heroes rose to the challenge and bested it," she begins, sweeping her arms wide as she works the crowd, lifting their spirits even as she lifts the others up with praise. "Bulvarius the Brave and Sara of the Starsong lead the charge, defending Sandpoint and her people from the vile wretches as Kemras the Learned and Audra the Traveler lay into them with sling and bow." For the next few minutes, Joanna tells the story, polishing away their blunders and enhancing their strength, cunning, and bravery. Bulvarius being downed turns into a heroic stand to defend Sara and herself while they in turn bolster his strength and constitution. Sara's desperate attempt to defend Joanna after the noblewoman had gotten in over her head becomes a cunning tactic to harry and distract the goblins. It's not wholly true, but it is true enough. It's the truth of the story, the one that inspires others as it lifts their spirits. She's certain that others will know what really happened, but she hopes that they will understand what she is doing. Sandpoint at this moment needs heroes, people that they can look up to and strive to be like as they recover. The truth will come out, those that are trained in the arts martial will see through the polished story to the grim and desperate reality beneath, as will those that were there. That doesn't matter now, because these people need the tales of heroism more than the truth of reality, at least until the pain and grief have a chance to pass. After finishing her tale, she slips over to the stewpot and finally gets something to eat and drink. "Thank you, Master Garridan," she says quietly so that only he can hear. "Both for the food and hailing them as heroes. I think the town needs that right now. I know Sara does."
"I think we all did less than we wanted to," Joanna says, feeling cold at what she'd done, and frightened by how close some of the goblins had gotten to killing her. Uncle Darius would not be happy with her when he finds out she got herself hurt after he'd ran off to help.
Joanna thinks that this day is going to leave scars no matter what. Thankfully, her wounds had been healed and there shouldn't be any scars from that, but the memories? Those will leave scars for sure, and she's not sure any amount of talking will keep that from happening. She agrees to go anyway. At least she'd be somewhere Uncle Darius could find her. She wonders what he got up to. She figured as soon as the fighting was over he'd come looking for her. Maybe he was helping out. He hadn't told her to meet him somewhere, had he? Seeing Audra hurrying to catch up, Joanna touches Sara's arm to get her attention and asks her to stop and wait for the other young woman, or at least young looking. She was easily older than both Joanna and Sara, but she couldn't be that much older. Maybe twenty-two? "Audra, right? How are you doing? Did you get hurt in the fighting," Joanna asks. She doesn't see any injuries, but that doesn't mean the other woman didn't receive any.
Joanna looks around as well when Sara asks why today, her face sorrowful as she sees the signs of the ruined festival. The colorful and soot-stained decorations and the smells of smoke and blood. "I don't know," Joanna answers. As Sara answers Kemras, Joanna looks around. Shouldn't Darius be looking for her? "I'll go with you. Maybe we'll run into Uncle Darius. He should be around here somewhere."
"What about the injured," Joanna asks. "Do the town's healers need help?" As much as she wants to just curl up in a bed after having a nice long bath and a soak in the tub, she'd never be able to relax if she knew others were out there suffering when she could be helping them. True, she'd learned that she can't save everyone when she was still a young girl. It was a lesson her parents and her unofficial uncles had to teach her several times before it stuck. Do what you can for those that you can reach. If you try to save everyone, you'll only tear yourself apart. But after a goblin attack, someone who can help clean wounds or do some simple healing tasks could help, she told herself. She could bathe and sleep after there was nothing more that could be done for the townspeople who had been hurt by this craven attack. === "I... Never learned much about being a healer, either. Didn't think it would matter, when magic worked so well. I'll try to do what I can for now, though. And I'll make sure to start learning." Joanna actually laughed. A watery, weak laugh, try, but still a laugh. "We can learn together," she tells Sara with a smile, one that swiftly fades as Joanna feels the last of the adrenaline wear off. "Sara, we're alright. We're going to be alright. We've lived through this and now we just have to learn from it. Please--Please don't beat yourself up because we got hurt in the process. Doesn't it hurt enough without adding to your scars yourself?"
I've got this one if you want to copy it and use it. As for the other questions. I think you're doing well. I'm having fun and looking forward to some of the RP opportunities coming up.
Something about Aldern Foxglove's affections towards her cousin sends a shiver down her spine. She can't place her finger on the reason why other than it unnerved her for some reason. In any case, it is a relief when he left, though she can't relax yet, it seems as the sheriff and several watchmen approached. Joanna manages a smile as she accepts the compliments from Sheriff Hemlock, though what she wants to do is weep. A special and holy day was ruined by this raid and it seems that a few families will be mourning lost loved ones if what she hears now that the fighting is over with is any indication. Once they are alone again, Joanna wraps Sara up in a fierce but gentle hug, mindful of the injuries her cousin had received. "I-I'm sorry," she whispers in Sara's ear. "I-I-I tried to h-help. I tried, and I-I made you worry and got us hurt." The young noblewoman takes in a deep breath and lets go of Sara. Joanna can't stop the tears rolling down her face, not is she certain she should. "C-can you help me help the others that still need help," she asks as she wipes away the tears. "I-I'm not much of a healer when all of the magic's gone."
As Joanna realizes the fight is over, she turns to her cousin and is about to tell Sara that she's alright when the man who'd been cowering stands up to congratulate them and then kisses the back of Sara's hand! For a moment, she looks on, dumbfounded as her mind, already overwhelmed by what's happened, refuses to work. She shakes herself and staggers over to Sara. "A thousand pardons, Lord Foxglove," Joanna says with a bow of her own as she takes a guess at the man's station. "I fear that we are not through just yet. The goblins may no longer be a threat, but there are still people we need to help. Would you be so kind as to lend whatever aid you can provide," she asks as she stands next to her cousin. In truth, she wants nothing more than to go to bed and pray that this is all a nightmare, but she can't, not while others are still in need.
Joanna continues to sing, but her voice pitches up with fear and not a little panic as one of the goblins tries to spill her blood again. Her hurried counter misses the mark as the last little bit of her more powerful magic fills her words and spurs her companions on. Seeing that she's missed, she moves to hopefully set up a flank for her cousin.
Joanna starts to reassure her cousin that she's fine. Where she'd been wounded still ached, but other than that she felt fine. Seeing Bulvarius get injured again strangles the words before she can say them. They need end the fight quickly. She hesitates for a moment, a bad sign. If does that next to a goblin, she'll only get herself killed. She's afraid, terrified, but even so, she has other ways to help. She can't mend anyone's wounds, but she can help bolster their resolve.
"Axes flash, broadsword swing
Joanna screams as the blades cut open her arm and leg. She staggers from between the goblins, somehow keeping her grip on her sword as she spins around to keep the goblins in front of her. Panic threatens to take her as the wounds burn and her healed leg aches, but Titus' training keeps her mind working. She sings, focusing on the threads of fate around her and plucks one of them.
As her wounds close, Joanna takes in a great, shuddering gasp of air. Her blood still feels hot on her skin, but at least the wounds are gone and no longer burn.
Joanna slips through two of the goblins, getting behind the one in front of Bulvarius while she tries to take another down. Her fear makes her clumsy, however, and her strike misses the goblin. A brief flutter of panic crosses her face as she realizes how precarious her position is now that her attack failed to end one of them.
In front of the Cathedral:
Joanna finds that she can't speak for a moment as Sara sobs and questions why it is happening. The young noblewoman doesn't know herself, and as much as she wants to reassure her cousin, she can't find the words. Unfortunately, before she has a chance to go looking for them, the scream draws their attention to someone in need.
Joanna pales as she sees the poor dog's head fly from its neck. Her stomach twists, threatening to empty itself at the sight. Fear threatens to drag her under and paralyze her, but seeing someone in danger pulls her back from that precipice. She turns to the others, obviously afraid, but in control and willing to put actions to her words. "I'll go first. Master Bulvarius will follow behind," she tells the others, sounding eeriely calm to her own ears when what she really wants to do is hide behind the hellknight aspirant. Unfortunately, he had a weapon that was unwieldy in close and she didn't. "Sara, will follow with Master Kemras and Miss Audra bringing up the rear." Without waiting for any protests, Joanna charges forward, fully intent on ending one of the goblins who looked ready to kill the man in wicked glee. She only hopes that she doesn't wind up getting herself killed in the process. It'll be fine. It'll be fine. Strike fast. Strike hard. We only need to give the man a chance to run.
Joanna's strike is true, but too shallow to end the goblin. Her heart thunders in her chest as the saner or more fearful, it is hard to tell the difference as adrenaline courses through her veins, part of her screams in her mind that she's alone versus four goblins. The part of her that was more focused on the man's safety than her own is in control, however and she spares enough of her attention to call out to him. "Run! We'll hold them," she tells him, hoping that the others were coming up behind her.
"Because someone has to do the right thing," Joanna replies to Kemras as if the answer to why not is obvious.
After the goblin is killed, Joanna sees that her cousin was badly hurt and stumbles over to Sara even as the shock of violence leaves her shivering. Thankfully, Father Zantus is swift to mend their wounds, but the magical healing does nothing to lift the electric feelings coursing through her. The euphoria of having survived, the horror as the death and destruction, the guilt of not having been quick enough to prevent anyone from getting hurt, the relief that they'd all somehow survived, and the terror of facing a deadly threat all race around her body as she hugs her cousin. There's no time to say anything or process what has happened, though. The scream of terror so close chills Joanna to the bone as she looks in Sara's eyes, her own fear and horror clear in her eyes. "W-we should help," she says, letting go and running to grab her dropped weapons before racing to the source of the scream.
Seeing the goblin mocking her cousin and landing a blow, Joanna grits her teeth and moves around Audra. She slips between Kemras and Bulvarius as she clutches her dagger and tries to drive it home in the goblin's back.
Joanna feels her heart leap into her throat as she sees Sara barely dodge teh goblin's strike. She hobbles as quickly as she can to line up a shot where she wouldn't put the others in danger. Her fingers tremble as she nocks another arrow and lets fly.
The arrow flies high and thunks into the lintel of the door of the house behind the goblin.
"Th-that one's the last one," Joanna tells Bulvarius as she points to the goblin that has just tripped Kemras.
"B-bulvarius--n-need--to help--Bulvarius," Joanna pants as she realizes that the goblin is down. Her wounded leg trembles as she lurches over to him and swallows her pain and fear. She begins to sing as she kneels down and puts her hand on his chest.
As the last note is drowned out by the horrid goblin song, Joanna winces from a stab of pain shooting up her leg.
Joanna's leg trembles as the flares of red-hot pain shoot up it from the gash in her thigh as she manages to dodge the goblin's strike. In frustration, pain, and not a little bit of anger at such a sacred and special even being ruined by the vile little monsters she lets out a scream as she tries to put the goblin down again.
Unfortunately, the goblin is too quick for her to land her blow.
GM, is there a reason to not let us all go? Seems like doing it this way slows things down.
Joanna cries out in pain as the goblin gashes her thigh. Blood pours from the wound, soaking and staining her trousers and gambeson crimson. She grits her teeth against the pain and tries to put the vicious little monster down before it could follow up.
Unfortunately for the young noblewoman, the pain and shock make her clumsy and she misses for the first time since drawing a weapon at the beginning of the fight.
"Sara!" Joanna ignores the goblin that tried to stab her and goes after the one that had opened up a wicked gash on her cousin's arm. She prays she's not too late to aid her cousin as she tries to put another goblin down.
Her blade finds it's mark, and while she sorely wounds the goblin, it is still on its feet and dangerous. What do I do? Do I try and get Sara out of here? Do I leave brave Belvarius to the mercy of the goblins? No. I can't. I can't!
Joanna flinches out of the way of the goblin's counter as she shakes off the spell and slips her dagger past its defenses and manages to strike it again. Fresh blood splatters over her as her heart thunders in her ears, drowning out the goblin-song. She keeps her mouth closed, knowing that if she opens it she'll start screaming from the fear she feels numbing her fingers.
Thanks. The funeral is Tuesday, so I may not be able to post that day.
As Joanna pulls her dagger back, she calls out to her cousin. "Sara, snap out of it! Please!"
Thank you, all of you. I appreciate it. We're going to be alright. Just gotta take it one day at a time. :)
Seeing Sara's sudden change in demeanor, Joanna quickly moves her bow to her off hand while drawing her dagger. A part of her laments not having the longer blade of her sword, but it is far too late to do anything about that now. She steps forward and does her best to defend her cousin from the goblins standing next to the priestess.
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