Josric lowers his sword slightly at the sight of the fleeing creature, "It does not seem particularly hostile, perhaps we have merely disturbed its rest?"
Walking up beside Stam, he focuses his gaze intently on the strange serpentine form.
Search Posts
Josric holds his sword before him steadily, watching the far side of the tree expectantly for a few moments before widening his eyes suddenly in a flash of realisation when nothing reemerges. Peering intently towards the branches above, he moves closer to Morganna and waits.
"What was that!?!" Josric lets out in an urgent whisper towards Basil, nodding towards where the scurrying figure disappeared. Before waiting for the druid's response, he begins to follow cautiously behind Josiah, unsheathing his blade as he moves.
"You have fulfilled your obligation to us, you my leave" Josric nods to the Hobgoblin, "thank you for your assistance." Watching their former prisoner leave, the paladin seems lost in thought before turning to walk slowly towards the great tree.
Josric offers a quiet prayer for the animal's soul, then turns to Basil. "I am sure the trap could be brought with us, though what use would it be to us?"
Should both Basil and Morganna prove unsuccessful: Josric nods to the hobgoblin and strides forward to assist the others in opening the trap. Bracing himself he pulls on the iron jaws and lets out a grunt of exertion.
[ooc]Strength Check:
"Very well," Josric says as he bends down to untie the Hobgoblin's bonds, "this was your trap, so you can begin to earn our trust by opening it." He pauses in his work on the knot for a moment, looking the prisoner in the eyes steadily, "You should know that I meant what I said, it is my hope to help you start on a new path, but if you betray us you will receive no further mercy from me."
The paladin nods gratefully to Stam and Basil, then turns to look questioningly at Josiah.
Josric looks to Basil earnestly, “By killing him as mercilessly as he would have killed us, we would only prove that we are no better than he. Perhaps by showing him the mercy that he lacks, we can pave the way for his ultimate redemption, surely that is worth the inconvenience of having to keep a watchful eye on him?” “I promise you,” he continues, “should he take any action to bring harm against any of us, I will kill him myself.”
Jorsic lets out a small sigh, looking towards the hobgoblin sympathetically, "my friend makes a good point, how do you feel about earning your meals rather than trying to take them?"
”You cannot defeat evil by utilising its methods,” Josric replies firmly, “it is not only your hands that you will dirty through this, but your soul as well - and that is much more difficult to wipe clean.” “Please, I recognise the need to learn what he knows, but let us give him a chance to speak before resorting to this.”
"Josiah..." Josric speaks quietly, his tone tense, "has there not been enough violence? Could you not allow our captive the chance to answer your questions before threatening him with harm?"
Josric nods in approval to Josiah as he ties up the hobgoblin, then looks over towards Basil. "I am uninjured," he replies to the druids question.
Don't worry, we're all pretty new to the Pathfinder rules. While drawing/sheathing a weapon is listed as a move action on pg.186, the second paragraph of that section states "If you have a base attack bonus of +1 or highter, you may draw a weapon as a free action combined with a regular move." This only relates to drawing a weapon of course, so sheathing a weapon is always a move action.
Sheathing his blade, the holy man steps resolutely forward, pulling a javelin from his back. "Come down and surrender yourself for judgement, or be struck down!" he bellows loudly, walking slowly towards his target.
Seeing how easily the bird evades his blow, Josric makes a slow, obvious swing in an attempt to force it to dive low to avoid his blade. "Now, Stam!" he calls, but his efforts to keep his shield in position to block the hobgoblin's arrows distract him sufficiently that he mistimes the instruction.
If Morganna happens to take out the hobgoblin:
Seeing the birds flapping and clawing around Josiah, the holy man rushes forward to intercede. Swinging his sword ineffectively at the nimble bird, he struggles to regain his balance after his hasty attack.
If the Hobgoblin is still standing: Seeing the archer line up for another shot, Josric rushes forward to interrupt. Thrusting forward with a purposeful twist of his blade, he lets out a low grunt.
Josric grunts at the impact of the arrow, but shakes his head clear of the distraction. The holy warrior walks slowly towards the hobgoblin, drawing his longsword with a purposeful flourish as he moves. As he passes the wounded fox, he breaks his stride momentarily to gently stroke its fur. "May the Inheritor's mercy shield this innocent life," he speaks softly.
As the trapped fox comes into sight, Josric's face shows an expression of pained sympathy. Making his way towards it, he removes the leather gauntlet from his right hand an tucks it into his belt. "Is it usual for trappers to seek their prey this far into the forests?" he asks his companions quietly, so as to avoid startling the animal.
"Josiah," Josric says soothingly, "I understand that you are anxious to find some way to help you family, but traveling through the forest at night would be foolish - the wolves, witches and dark gods would be the least of our worries if we tripped on a fallen branch and snapped our necks."
"Quite right," he responds to the wizard, "he was a dwarven god, though I doubt he would balk at using the labour of other races to further his designs."
"Hmm." The paladin muses, his face darkening with thought, "if the monastery was indeed dedicated to Droskar, then we should be doubly on our guard. That vile god's corruption falls quickly in the face of the Inheritors cleansing glory, but his faithful were skilled craftsmen - they may have built deadly traps within the monastery to ensnare the unwary."
Listening to Morganna's question, the holy man cast his mind back to the teachings he received from his mentors, trying to recall any mention of someone named Droskar, or his followers.
Healing is probably the best option, since you're the only healer in the group at this level. But it's completely up to you, take what you'd enjoy most.
"Thank you for your advice Milon," Josric says graciously, "Are there any natural hazards that we should be wary of in the forests?"
"You're reaction is understandable," the holy man responds to Basil kindly, "but it is only through reason that any meaningful victories can be attained, anything else would only be a temporary solution." Josric looks over to Milon, "I do believe there was one other thing that Laurel mentioned, some variety of mushroom that might grow in the old dwarven settlements..." he furrows his brow, trying to recall the name of the mushroom, "Ironroot, was it?"
Josric’s face hardens at being referred to as an oaf, and the inclination to attempt to calm the druid fades quickly under the barrage of the foreman’s insults. As a result, it takes several breaths longer than it would have otherwise for him to decide that it is for the best to prevent this situation from escalating any further. “Gentlemen,” he speaks levelly, stepping forward, “I can see that the two of you do not have the friendliest of histories, but throwing insults at one another will not solve anything.” The paladin looks at each of them in turn with a steady gaze, “Perhaps if you discuss your issues rationally, you could find some solution that will satisfy you both.”
Also, don't know how I did this one, but I have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, but my Dex is only 14! I can easily switch Dex and Con to solve this problem though. Shall I? Oddly, I made exactly the same mistake with my first PbP character...
Hah! I just instantly assumed that he was a local farmer from your first post.
Josric looks back at Basil, a sympathetic expression on his face. "I understand your discomfort over these places, the damage caused to nature is indeed unfortunate." He lets out a long breath surveying the camp, "but Andoran needs lumber in order to survive, we can only hope that the needs of both nature and civilization can be balanced in some way."
Josric simply waits, quietly observing the pair of locals speak with the woodcutters. He does internally wince at the bluntness of the words chosen by Josiah, and Stam’s standoffish stance, but waits for some form of response before interceding – after all, perhaps this is the local custom…
OK, I'm thinking 6 days worth of rations should be sufficient... which is completely unrelated to 6lbs bringing me to the limit for a light load ;).
"Very well then," Jorsic says firmly, "we should gather what supplies we need and set out immediately." He turns to his native companions with a questioning look, "were is the best place to purchase such things?" "Oh," he catches himself, turning back to Laurel, "are there any particulars about the way these ingredients should be stored? I wouldn't want them to be spoiled before you were able to use them."
“Surely at this point anything is worth a try, even if it seems unlikely to succeed…” Josric speaks quietly, “Perhaps the supplies you need can be found elsewhere in town, and as for your time, maybe someone else can attempt to prepare the cure. I believe Morganna here,” he looks towards the wizard hopefully, “has some expertise in herbalism.”
The paladin's expression softens in the face of Josiah's sincere concern, and his voice loses some of its edge as they converse during the wait in line. Once finally inside the shop, Josric wrinkles his nose slightly at the harsh smell of incense, but quickly hides any discomfort as he surveys the various herbs, spices and other reagents that fill the room. "Blackscour taint, Madam?" he asks respectfully, "so that what this illness is called, have you come across it before?"
Josric’s eyes narrow slightly at Josiah’s words, but he otherwise remains calm in the face of his confrontational manner, “I have been spared the effects of the disease so far, I am here in the hope that I can be of some assistance… What about you - have you a reason to be here? Or have you simply come to revel in the town’s suffering?”
“I don’t know,” the holy man responds to Morganna’s questions, “I cannot imagine any curse powerful enough to stand against the power of the Inheritor, but there must be some cause for this affliction.” Turning to the wild man as he interrupts, Josric eyes him warily, “I am sure that is not the case. Whatever the cause of our troubles, the gods cannot be blamed.”
A crease of worry crosses Jorsic’s brow as he make his way towards the herbalist’s shop, at first when prayers had proven unsuccessful in curing the illness plaguing the townsfolk he had been content to follow the town elder’s guidance and remain patient, but now that people had begun to die something more had to be done. Clearly Iomedae’s intention is for the solution to this problem to be found through action. Coming into view of the people queuing in hopes that the herbalist has some cure, he forces his troubles from his face and offers them a reassuring smile. Overhearing the talkative Keleshite, he moves over towards her. “The Church is already involved,” he explains gravely, his smile fading slightly, “though curative magics have unfortunately proven unsuccessful thus far… it seems that this is a trial we must face ourselves.” “But it is good that there are those such are yourself who are willing to offer their aid,” he speaks more cheerfully, before bowing slightly, “I am Josric, servant of Iomedae. Would you mind if I waited with you to see Laurel?”
Fair enough. I'm surprised there's not more interest for this, PbPs usually fill up straight away.
Yeah, it doesn't look like that'll be easy, even while your bonded item is non-magical you'll need to roll a 16+ on the die. Once you enchant the staff, it's not possible at all. |