Thanks, everyone! It was a pleasure to hunt demons with you. To those who aren't going on to Iron Gods, best of luck in taking down Barzillai Thrune. May the Silver Ravens fly high. :)
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"Wait!..." Kazmuk yelled, just to see Kaede killing the man. He sighed. "...the man should have been told that if he eventually comes back as a shadow demon, we'll probably be long gone... It is a long way from a little lemure to a shadow demon..." "Good. All the more disappointment for the bastard," Kaede replied with a snarl, looking up with anger flashing in her eyes. "It's better it's a surprise."
At Hedda's comment about the button, Kaede looked up from Ekira to see the man squirming beneath Hedda's boot on the ground, and her hand strayed to her pocket, where the button still sat. With pounding step, she walked over to him. "Shadow demon? Well, not much we can do about that, I'm afraid. See, thing is, there's no avoiding you dying someday, and if you're so high in his favor, you're damned regardless. There's a fair bit we can do about the trouble you can cause now, though." As she speaks, her form fades from the tiny, hulking boulder to her own shape, then to the huge, bristled dire wolf from camp several nights before. With a half-whispered prayer, her fangs begin to glow with a faint white radiance. And then, with a vicious snarl, she goes for the bare throat of the man lying helpless beneath Hedda's boot.
The final swings from the demon and the man had surprised Kaede, nearly knocking the wind out of her. Fortunately, the others had done more to contribute to the demon's demise than she'd managed to, so she took a couple of moments to collect her thoughts while the others watched over Ekira. Arodric's entreaty finally shook her from her torpor. Of course, she replied, taking the proffered wand and murmuring the Iomedaen prayers Arodric had taught her to activate it long before. Beginning with the nearly-fallen swordsman, Kaede worked her way to the rest of her allies, healing their wounds before taking care of the chips and gouges in her own stony form. And as she passed Ekira, she couldn't help but mutter in a low, rumbling growl. See, Ekira? I may be a heathen witch, but Iomedae answers my prayers. For emphasis, she drew the wand over one of her injuries and began knitting it together. I wonder if the same will be true for you? But Ekira's anguished cry to the heavens in reply shook Kaede. Our accustomed prayers may be different - but for all that, maybe we're more alike than I knew...my cry last week was just the same, after all... For all her harshness, Kaede moved toward Ekira and the slender man lying unconscious on the ground, Arodric's wand still in hand. She looked toward the others, gesturing toward the fallen foes and waving the wand in a questioning gesture. Should I? she mouths.
Seeing Sabola and Arodric teaming up to surround the demon, Kaede decided to try and give Hedda the same advantage. Ducking and weaving, she tried to circle around behind the demon to get it between her and Hedda.
Unfortunately, though, stones aren't exactly renowned for being terribly dexterous. Both the demon and the slim man took advantage of the opening she left trying to move, and she was stopped in her tracks by their onslaught.
That's good good news. :) I'm quite unaccustomed to sci-fi roleplaying, but I'm definitely game to try Iron Gods out. At the moment I'm pondering android something, considering it's the best AP for it, but I know androids are likely to be popular, again, given the AP. So I'll let you know.
Kaede flexed her heavy, stiff fingers. Well, then...let's try this out. She charged forward to join Sabola, cobblestones vibrating beneath her feet, and swung forward a heavy fist, with surprising power behind the swing considering she stood only a few feet high.
Faerie fire would be the one more likely to outline a creature in darkness - it was my first thought on what to do. Unfortunately, it explicitly doesn't work in areas of darkness or deeper darkness spells. :(
This spell does not stack with itself.
Anyone got some light? Kaede cursed, a strange rumble behind the words. "My torch stone might have - but I can't get it now without changing back!"
The shadow creature and the wall of coalescing darkness that piled up before Kaede shocked her. Not Iomedae speaking after all, it looks like...what do we do? Sarkoris, grant me your strength... she breathed out in a whispered prayer, kneeling to the ground and placing a hand on the cobblestones. And then something strange began to happen. A chill began to spread up her hand, and when she opened her eyes, her hand was grey, stiff, and unimaginably heavy. Soon the cold and the stiffness had engulfed her entire body, and when she glanced down and saw rigid angles and hardness where her own soft flesh had been before, she realized what had happened. The cobblestones, though carved and dressed to civilized sensibilities, were of Sarkoris, carved from a nearby quarry or harvested from a river. She had called to Sarkoris, and the land had literally given her its strength - the strength of solid stone. She peered into the shadows, hoping her strange new eyes, chips of onyx in her granite face, would aid her against the darkness of the shadows. I wonder if I'll ever get used to this?
"Yup. Trap." Kaede made no move to go out and confront the crowd - she knew that if anyone was going to be able to convince the angry, closed-minded, superstitious crowd that they weren't witches or demon worshippers, it certainly wasn't the druidic priestess wearing animal skins and bone fetishes.
Are you kidding? You're doing great, which is why I want to find out what you're planning next so I can be on your next game. :) Aww, shucks. :D I really enjoy the whole rebels against the empire thing. :) It's going to be quite fun - I'm going to be running it for my IRL group after we finish Rise of the Runelords, and I'm pretty stoked. Like, already have three different character concepts for a GMPC stoked. (GMPCs are common bordering on constant for us, and no one wants to play an arcane caster, so I'll just be pure utility/support standing in the back yelling "go team".) I'd recommend reading the last books when you can to get an idea of the overall story - they wrapped things up quite remarkably. One gets tired of expending the energy to come up with new and exciting characters, subject to the vagaries of different GM's rules (different point buy, roll dice, etc) only to get into games that go nowhere. *shuffles collection of twenty-five aliases behind a bush with toe* :) I may have a bit of a problem when it comes to making characters - I find it totally fun. In fact, I've ended up with more character ideas than I'll probably ever get a chance to really play, and the inspiration art board I started up on Pinterest had to be split, uh, seven ways the other day, so I could actually keep finding things. *shifty eyes*
And now you know why I'm super paranoid about trying not to start anything I won't be able to finish. ;)
Oh good, so I'm not the only one that maintains heinous amounts of games on here. I feel better now. :) I'm actually a little light right now - the Curse of the Crimson Throne game I was in faded out, so I'm only running two and playing three.
Hadn't decided yet what my plans were after the modules are through. I've got a couple of games lined up to GM IRL/on Roll20, so I don't want to get too many irons in the fire, but I'll probably aim for keeping two play by post games running on a regular basis. I hadn't wanted to commit to running an Adventure Path in PbP until I had a chance to feel out my aptitude and stamina for it, so that I didn't end up ditching it partway through and disappointing people; that's why I went with two modules instead for my first games. But I've done enough with the modules that I think I've gotten into my groove, at least a little. I dunno - am I wrong, Fabian? ;) As for running Hell's Vengeance, I'd consider it, but I won't commit until I get a chance to review at least the first book or two, see if I'll be able to hack it. I don't want to get started only to find out I'm doing it terribly, and I've never run a game for or with evil characters before, so it'd be a big change for me. As for other modules/APs, I've got a pretty decent collection on hand, but it's mostly the older stuff - everything before Wrath of the Righteous, I want to say, that I got from a friend, and then Hell's Rebels. (By the way, Fabian, you should finish reading the last books if you haven't yet. So good.)
4. Yeah, okay, 4 is pretty strange. I can see where you're coming from. Kaede pondered all the information Tobias has given them, a look of intense concentration on her face. "What if...what if they can't oppose it, for some reason? The Pathfinders are sent out assigned on missions, tracking down secrets, right? What if this secret they're following is so big, they can't risk giving their alibi for fear of exposing it?" Like a weapon...a weapon that could turn our fortunes in the war at the Worldwound...or the fortunes of any war on Golarion... She sighed heavily. "Oh, you're all probably right. We'll need local witnesses along to make sure we aren't charged next, and we need to avoid collateral damage if we can. But I want to hit something. This investigation work's not for me. Let me see that letter?" She grabs the sheet of paper and peruses it again. "White walls, two chimneys, near the fair grounds...how many houses fit that description? We can't just break down the door of every white-walled house in town."
Kaede peruses the letter, and though the situation is grim, she can't help but feel a faint sense of relief. All the investigation and subtlety had started to wear on her, but this - this was something she could do. She glanced furtively toward Hedda, who she suspected felt much the same. "Ok, if anyone intends to do anything in response to this besides finding that house, tearing its door off the hinges, and showing this bastard what it means to f@$! with us, speak up now. Because that's my plan. I wasn't made for subtlety - Anni got all the cooler blood between us."
"Don't rile them up? It seems to me all the 'riling up' has been started by them...maybe it's them you ought to muzzle." Through her tirade, Kaede began to bare her teeth, and for a moment, it was almost as if her nose and mouth began to lengthen...but suddenly she took a deep breath. "I'll start no trouble if they don't."
"How could different people in this town all have a story that contradicts what Sabola learned from the Pathfinders in jail? It seems like too much trouble to get this many people to lie about what they saw." "They're probably not lying, though, is the problem. Every one of these people believes they are telling the truth." Kaede rubbed at a spot on her temple in irritation. "If they were lying, they could be scared, coerced, bought into telling the truth. But they all completely believe what they're saying - it's just twisted so much from mouth to ear to mouth again that it's impossible to say what the truth actually is. And yet that's our task. The impossible one. Great."
Kaede let out a small, private sigh of relief when she saw Sabola making his way back. She hadn't thought he'd run into too much trouble - after all, it was merely public drunkenness he'd gotten in for - but it was good to have him back, all the same. "So what'd you find out? Are the agents ok? What'd they have to say about the charges?"
"Dagger missing? S!+$...next thing we know, you're going to be framed for killing the next guy in line." Pondering for a moment, she spoke up again. "We have to tell the sheriff, report the theft before it's found buried in someone's gut. If Ekira hasn't denounced us all to him as witches and heretics already..." Even those not familiar with Kellid culture could recognize her next gesture as less than polite.
"Little hunter, your pack's got a lot to learn yet. Especially about taking on prey your own size...weasels don't do well taking on a wolf." At the last word, a feral glint crossed her eyes, and with another harsh Kellid word, sparks danced across her fingers. She hunched slightly, her own bared teeth mirroring the wolf fangs crowning her brow, and a low growl escaped her lips.
"Nope, not members of the Society. You really think I look like their type? No, I travel around the area here, helping farmers with crops, aiding in magical and spiritual matters...and it seems you're the spiritual sort as well, from what I'm hearing. Word is the Inheritor's speaking to you."
"Skinned and hanged? That's a lot of effort for a crime of passion, or anything unplanned, really; there's no point in all this if you're just trying to defend yourself or get someone out of your way. It almost has the feel of some kind of ritual killing, or a way to make some kind of point." Kaede turned to Otto. "Do you know of anyone that'd be trying to send that kind of message to you? After all - it was on your property. Maybe you know who the dead man was?" After their initial perusal of the crime scene, Kaede had focused mostly on occupying Otto's time to allow her companions time to look at the scene undisturbed; small talk wasn't her strong suit, but at least she'd managed to get in his good graces. Somehow. The button she had found intrigued her; as they returned to the others, she turned it over and over in her pocket. "Heck of a thing, this," she mentioned as they walked. "I was surprised to say the least when I got near town and started hearing about it. Just not the kind of thing you hear about often - has anything like this ever happened here before?"
"Well, you guys saw as much as I did at the place they found the body - more, probably. But I did find this out around the back half of the property while I was keeping his busy." She held forth the obsidian button she had found. "No idea if it has anything to do with our concerns, but I figured it was worth pocketing, at least to see." "I agree with Kazmuk that we need to take a look at these devil circles and see if anything was left behind." "Devil circles," Kaede harrumphed. "Wouldn't surprise me if they mean the Sarkorian druidic circles all over the place around here. But I agree - they seem like a place to start, at least, and the woman Ekira, too. Witch circles...ignorant swine..." Her speech diminished to a low grumble.
Kaede tried to feign a look of surprise. Sheriff? Well, you failed to mention that part... Yeah, failed to mention impersonation was his plan...but then again, I suppose I didn't exactly let on to much, either... She turned back to Otto. Sorry. Not from around here - otherwise I'd've let the sheriff here lead off, of course. Apparently it's something important - what could it hurt to let them have a look while we go around?
It's true, Kaede adds. We met along my way, but they've proven capable. If you've any heavy work needs done, it may be they'd be able to help. Or other kinds of work as well - there's some diverse skills among us.
Kaede mutters to herself softly as they ride up, and there's a small flash of light from her hand. Well, then it's a good thing I don't give a rat's ass about snooping, isn't it? she calls out in response to his threats, sitting astride her loaned filly in human form. I don't know about these guys, but I'm just making rounds to the farms in the area, performing a blessing ritual, giving what advice I can, tending to any needs for healing. Spirits know it's hard enough to get any kind of farming going, what with the energies from the thrice-damned Worldwound mucking things up - I'm just doing what I can to help.
Oh, by the way, guys, good news and bad news, Kaede half-purrs. Well, the bad news I guess we kind of already knew - careful not to be obvious about being involved with the Pathfinders. I've already heard rumors that there's a cabal of Society agents here to stage a jailbreak, and woe to anyone who gets in their way. The guy was deep in his cups when he said it, so no one may believe him, but if we somehow get pinned as the Pathfinder death squad, we aren't going to talk our way out of trouble whether we're wearing wayfinders or not. Good news, though - I may have us a lead. Apparently a farmer named Otto was the first to find a body, the same day the Pathfinders showed up. Seems to have not affected him much, and that alone is making people talk. He lives outside of town a little bit; may be it's worth it to pay him a visit. As she speaks, her outline begins to shift, and a few moments later she's back in human form, sitting on her feet and hands in front of her knees. Of course, the other question's what to do about Sabola. Anyone know how rowdy he was getting, what the chances are they'd try to keep him any longer than overnight? One night's not too bad, but I'd hate for him to be occupied any longer than that.
I'd meant to use kitty form to bust into the jail, but recon elsewhere works just fine, too. The most natural place is probably back to tent city, maybe among the beer garden as the hour grows later. Question: since no one will expect speech from a cat, could I Bluff through hiding my lips moving and seeding comments as a voice in the crowd to get tongues wagging?
I can hold on to it, Sabola - melded into kitty form with me is about as safe as it's going to get. And I admire your enthusiasm. :)
Faced with the prospect of spending the evening mingling among the huge, raucous crowd, Kaede had been dubious. Nothing she could have said or done was likely to make her blend in among the townsfolk and visitors. Well, nothing she could have done before. Kaede had ducked behind one of the buildings as they had entered town, but only a scruffy, long-furred brown cat had emerged. She had spent her day roaming through the tent city, simply taking in the hubbub and listening in on every conversation she could. With the anonymity four legs and fur gave her, she found herself enjoying the buzz of activity more - she didn't miss the stares at all the events Anni had made her attend in Nerosyan. (And maybe she'd also enjoyed a few fish heads one of the cooks had thrown her.) She rejoined the others later in the evening, prowling imperiously around the fire. "I still like my chances sneaking into the prison like this," she said, punctuating it with a lick of her front paw. "I spent most of the evening running around the tent city as a stray; hopefully it'll make my being around the sheriff's house a little more believeable. That's where they're keeping them, apparently - the sheriff's basement. If someone can come with me and distract the guards, maybe get them to open a door a little, I might be able to sneak in easier. If not, I can try my chances finding a window slit to squeeze through."
Kaede listened through Arodric's tumble of comments, snickering under her breath and trying (poorly) to disguise it as snorts and half-sneezes. When Arodric finished, she swung her head around and butted against his shoulder, an unmistakable equine gesture of thanks. (Or a request for an apple. A few nuances are lost in translation.) "Is that alright? It's pretty impressive magic - is this new? Can you eat grass like that?" "Hum... it is not quite magic... at least not the sort of magic that you can write in a scroll. It is ancient nature magic, passed down by the druids of the land, only to them..." "What the dwarf said. To tell you the truth, I'm still figuring the whole thing out myself...I'd heard stories that my mother and grandmother could do it, but if so, they weren't exactly giving lessons. I just know I went away for...prayers after we got back with those prisoners, and next I knew, I ended up with paws and fur. I haven't tried grass yet - but let me tell you, the hunting as a mountain cat's fantastic." She bared her teeth in a horsy grin, but after a couple of moments it began to fall, as if the topic of animal meals brought darker thoughts. With a stamp of her hoof, she shook the gathering gloom away. "Well, enough standing around - let's run! Maybe later I'll take you for a ride," she finishes with a wink toward Arodric before taking off through the gate. "Hedda and I went to Appleton. "See the Festival" they said. "Best Apple Pies in Mendev" they said. They didn't mention the Urgathoan cult that run the damn thing. Good thing Hedda was there, or I'd've been baked into a pie myself." Hedda smiled grimly, ”Good thing they weren’t paying attention to the girl. Turns out their intended food was a little spicy and didn’t agree with them.” Clapping Arodric on the shoulder she said, ”You weren’t ever in any real danger. You never actually made it to the oven even if you are still washing gravy out of your crevices. All in all, it was a good holiday.” "I thought I'd picked up a whiff of onions and garlic." Kaede leaned over and took an exaggerated sniff - there's still something decidedly animal about it, like a mastiff at a bone, though she was in human shape. "With so many dangerous missions, you all should try not to get yourselves killed during our breaks... My week was incredible and without any disastrous incident... I found quite interesting books in..." he then realized no one was really interested in his findings, so he decided to shut up. "Oh, I don't know, Kaz - tearing into some of those damned corruptors of the fallen sounds like my idea of a good time. I'm just sorry I missed it. And hey, you guys made it out in one piece. All my best holidays have ended that way." ”Kaede, when you finish your watch you can wake me.” "Sur-rrr-e thing," Kaede answered, the barest hint of a growl coming through. "So - did you find what you were looking for, out there?" Arodric's question to Kaeda is delivered tentatively. At the question, Kaede shifted, and a huge canine head, eyes reflecting a faint green in the firelight, nestled into the scrub grass. "I felt weak before," she answered softly, hoping only Arodric could hear. "I couldn't take two steps without tripping over my stupid boots, or swing that hammer without accidentally chucking it at a friend's head. I don't think I did one truly useful thing our entire time with Sir Ilivan, and I couldn't help but think - if I'd been stronger, would we have lost him at all? "I was scared - I thought I was losing my connection to Sarkoris entirely. May not have chosen to be what I am, but it is who I am, you know? I bet you do, better than anyone; that sword's as much a part of you as the spirits are of me. I left to try to reconnect with those spirits, my history, the way of life I was born to. You 'civilized' types may think your way's great, but it's just not for me, no offense." Kaede let out a low, rough chuckle. "And now you're talking to a wolf the size of a horse. I think it worked out." Shifting her weight, she landed next to Arodric with a soft thump, dinner-plate size paw next to his knee. "Thanks for asking."
I'll sneak a response to Arodric afterwhile - got a couple things to do.
Having foregone the horse's shape for her own a few miles outside of town, Kaede rode now on the black filly they had led from Nerosyan, a strange contrast against the Dawnton villagers as usual with her unkempt hair and the hides she wore. Gently, she guided her horse toward the others. "So how do we do this?" she whispered. "If it'll help, I can find someplace I won't be seen and change into something small - a songbird or stray cat or something. Then maybe I'll be able to get to the agents without being noticed and talk to them, find out about their take on everything." And about what they found.
Again in her guise as a draft horse, Kaede trotted past the wagon. If she tossed her mane and pranced a bit as the kids waved...well, surely it was just a coincidence.
The horse circled back, greeting the others with what was unmistakably a grin, despite its strangeness on the long face. "Ne-e-eat, huh?" Though the vowels vibrated in a half-neigh, the voice behind was unmistakably Kaede's. "There's a saddle in the bag, and a harness with no bit - someone mind putting them on me? It won't look as strange if we dress me up like one of your spare mounts. Just don't pull too tight." ------------- As the others rode, Kaede ran alongside, from time to time letting out a strange combination of a whinny and a girlish giggle. As they stopped at the clearing where they made camp, her form had melted back down to human mid-stride, and she was left on all fours ahead of the others, tripping over her hands and going into a roll with the saddle bumping against her back. Quickly, she darted up to her feet, glancing around and blushing furiously. "That was deliberate..." After a few minutes' work, the clearing was ready to make camp and she had a pile of dry brush gathered for a fire. With a word, sparks jumped from her hand into their nest and a fire began to crackle merrily. Setting a kettle to start heating, she looked around to the others. "So, uh...how were things last week? Sorry for, you know, cutting out like that..."
----------------- As the fire burned low and the travelers prepared for bed, Kaede walked to the camp's edge. "You guys go ahead and go to sleep...I'll take firrrst watch." As she spoke, her voice changed, a growling rasp joining in. A gigantic shaggy form lurked at the camp's edge where she had once stood, long muzzle testing the air with quick sniffs.
In truth, rescuing the Society agents interested Kaede little; she'd had little and less to do with the organization, and they tended to ride rough-shod over anyone who got in the way of their pursuit of whatever esoteric bits of knowledge they were seeking. But the word of a weapon against the demons before had piqued her interest, and helping to avoid the hanging of innocent people (if they were innocent) in the meantime was for the best. And she'd started to kind of like her new companions... "Don't associate too closely with the agents - that shouldn't be hard. I don't think I'm exactly the Absalom type," she scoffs. "So they were accused of murder - who is it they're supposed to have killed? And who's accusing them?"
At Arodric's outburst, Kaede glanced over, a look of consternation (and maybe a hint of worry?) in her eyes. Hmm...he was gone when I got back...looks like his time away may not have exactly been the most restful. She couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle. Not that mine was exactly restful, either... Standing, she began to pace the edges of the room, eyes flicking toward the windows every few moments.
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