Karista's page

Karista finishes off her drink in one hard pull, and wipes the back of her hand across her mouth. "Thank you for sharing your table with us friend." Karista stands, checking her weapons. She pauses as a bloodcurdling scream echoes through the streets outside. "I feel like the priests are going to have their hands full tonight." She pauses contemplatively then adds, "Hey, maybe they could deal with the head for you."

Karista plunks a miniature crown and a vial full of murky liquid on the table. "Old bastard had quite the junk collection," she states through a mouthful of the Gnome's food, "What do we do with it?" She raises a eyebrow at the liquid in the glass and sniffs it suspiciously. She takes a sip and makes an utterly puzzled face.

Karista silently takes in the conversation, her eyes tracing from one face to another. It was difficult to make sense of recent events, she'd not spent much time lately thinking past her vengeance, and now she felt somewhat adrift in unfamiliar seas. Her first inclination was to head back to her little shack, but it dawned on her after a moment that there was nothing there for her - her most valuable possession that wasn't on her person was the lock on her door. She let the conversation wash over her, not even reacting to Haedrik's jest. Without any conscious decision, she found herself seated at the table in front the footlocker.

I didn't even notice that the postmonster got this one. abridged version follows:
Karista shifts uncomfortably. "Are we taking the...head to the tavern?"

Karista attempts not to glower; she fails.

Karista looks at the orange glow on the horizon. "That's one damned big signal fire." Karista turns to Taras and her brow unfurrows for possibly the first time since they've met. "There wasn't anything below except Lamm...and his crocodile. No elf child. I'm so sorry, Taras."

Karista looks around, a bit bewildered. "Is...is the city on fire?" She looks at Taras and then at the group of children that had rather suddenly become their responsibility. "What do we do with them?"

With a slight ruffle of the dog ears, she stands and steps gingerly onto the walkway's unstable planking. More focused on her footing than Taras or the world at large, she replies with an distracted, "What?"

Karista glances around the house, silent save the sounds of looting. She spits on the floor once more. "I'm going to go check on Taras and the children." Karista stalks out of the room, back to the door that she originally kicked in. As she is about to leave she hesitates, and goes to check on the unconscious dog.

Karista blinks at Haedrik, "Don't be thick, it can't be the same woman."

Karista follows mutely, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade. She seems to focus for a moment whenever there is a sudden noise or a door opened but other than that she seems lost in her own thoughts and uninterested in the contents of the house.

Karista whispers softly to herself in Shoanti as she grimly stares while Verronax executes Lamm. Gaedren's chest falls for the final time and Karista seems less harsh, almost contemplative for a moment...at least until she spits on his inert body. She turns to follow Taemin out, "Let's leave this rubbish heap."

"It doesn't matter what kind of monster he is - he is one and deserves death." Karista lies a hand on her blade. "I won't allow the chance of someone coming here and pulling him down. I have no desire to go through all this again. Let it end tonight."

Unless anyone has something super compelling to say, Karista is going to run him through.

Karista exhales a long breath and gives Lamm's floating body a good hard stare. She shakes herself from her reverie in a moment and her lip curls in distaste as her companions root through the wretch's belongings. Of course...if someone is going to benefit from the plunder - it might as well be her. She kisses the hilt of her falchion, and sheathes it, then begins idly toeing through Lamm's knick-knacks.

Karista wheels about, her teeth clenched in a grim parody of a grin. Her blade swings a long arc down towards the gator with a piercing whistle, and she drops to one knee to better her angle. She follows up with a short chop aimed at the back of the gator's skull.

Still raging, two swings with power attack. Hopefully gonna make a mess. Karista is unaware of the shark.

"Laaaaaaaammmmmmmm!!!" Karista charges into the room turning the corner and charging down the narrow walkway her falchion held at ready. She makes a flying leap across the corner of the pool, her blade already whistling it's eerie song. She brings a single chop down at Lamm's twisted face.

Assuming I can get in to bring the hurt on him. Acrobatics for jump if need be to whatever space is open. Rage is up, but she is only making a single attack, with Power Attack.

Karista is tensed, weapon drawn to one side as she peers over Haedrik's shoulder, "Well?" she hissed at the elf. "What's in there?"

Once the sunrod is brought over, Karista peers down into the boat for a moment, then shrugs. She sheaths her sword, grabs the side of the trapdoor and drops down, bracing for a rocky landing.

Sorry about the slow posting recently, Karista makes a quick survey of the next room by the light of the smoulering floor. She doesn't do anything about the fire - it doesn't look immediately dangerous to her.

She turns back to the office. "Haedrik, you know the Gnome? Then he is yours to judge. I would kill him myself, but it is your right. And he is your responsibility if he lives."

Taemin turns pale. "Lamm! I think I broke down his door. He could escape!" He turns back out the door, calling "Get down through the trapdoor - now!", as he heads back for the pilon to climb back down.

Karista blinks hard at the Elf's back as he flees out the door. "Huh?"

Karista glowers menacingly at the Gnome before turning back to see if the flames are spreading.

Sorry, weekends are when I have the least free time to post, hence the just oocily dictating actions instead of writing any real description. I will write real things as soon as I can. In the meantime to prevent from holding the game up, Karista takes her aggression out on the Gnome with Power Attack (She is still exhausted). If he is already down she tries to get within chopping range of the half-orc and gives him some falchion loving instead. Cheers.

Karista will whip around and drop a single blow right on the Gnome's head. Gonna let the Rage wear off, so she is fatigued for the next 2 rounds.

Karista's wide eyed surprise is quickly sublimed into a yowl of rage as her skin sizzles softly at the crook of her neck. Her falchion is up in a flash and she crosses the short distance between herself and her assailant. Her swings are a little restricted due to the confined space but she still manages to put her full weight behind the two crosshatching swings. As her blade cuts through the air it punctuates her eerie cry with two sharp whistles.

Alrighty. She's going to move straight up the map 10 feet to get her two chops with Rage and Power Attack at the man with the lamp. This will provoke an AOO from the knife wielder I assume. K's AC is 18 while enraged.

Karista none too gently slides the comatose dog around the corner out of the way of tramping feet. She gives a half nod to Haedrik while looking back into the room. "Don't take that light with you just yet." Karista steps over to the desk in the corner of the room, grabs it by the edges and hefts in front of the other door, setting it down as quietly as possible. She turns to the men crowded on the catwalk and redraws her sword. "Well? Go on."

Karista takes a half step to the side and kneels. She puts a hand in front of the dog's muzzle to make sure that it is still breathing. She turns to look at Haedrik but her peripheral vision is blocked by her own hood. With a quick toss of her head the material flops back onto her shoulders. The dim moonlight reveals her shaved skull with it's odd swirling stripe running down to her neck. "Don't just stand there," she growls at Haedrik, "Find a light!" While she is obviously trying to match Taras' pitch, Karista is not terribly good at whispering. She glances after Taras trusting that he knows not to get himself killed.

No real action this round. Kneeling in the same square, just shifted enough to allow Taras to pass. Keeping an eye on Taras.

"Damned dog!" Karista hissed unconsciously echoing Haedrik. She fumbled for a second for the handle to the adjoining door. The damage was done but her blood was up and she wanted the barking to stop.

Gonna open the door for my move action and knock the dog with the flat of the blade (nonlethal damage). If the dog inflicts lethal damage then Karista returns the favor with power attack. :D feel free to run my actions for the next few rounds if things advance fast, I might not be able to post again until monday.

Sure. She'll bull in to the first square inside the door.

A brief look of surprise crosses Karista's face when the door fails to give way beneath her boot. She gives frustrated snort, takes a step back, lowers her shoulder and bulls her full body weight into the door with a sharp grunt. The damp wood gives way with a screech, showering Karista with sharp splinters. With a harsh grin and a malicious glint in her eye, Karista raises her falchion to the ready.

If I read the map correctly I think I am more or less next to the office door, and there's a hole in the planking between me and most of the rest of the party, yes? Anyhow, yes. Office door. And requisite acrobatics check if I ended up on the wrong side of the hole.

Once she has sure footing again, Karista lets out a guttural growling sound, "So much for surprise. Come on!" She turns on her heel and heads directly to the door, bracing for a solid kick right next to the latch.

Karista's patience is at an end. Unless someone does something compelling on a higher initiative, she's gonna try to break down the door. If the first attempt fails, she'll use a rage point (I'll update tonight) and try again.

Karista makes a grab for the back of Taemin's shirt as he scuttles by her to consult the others. (Grapple check if need be) "This is no time for a bleeding crone's circle! Let's strike while still have some measure of surprise!"

Karista's face darkens in a scowl. "A shark? Are you mad? Don't get crafty, elf, he's one old man surrounded by scared children. Let's go in and finish this." Her voice remains quiet, but anger is creeping in at the edges. She spits on the rotting boards below her and adds, "And for the sake of your gods, untie your damned sword."

Karista kneels at the edge of the boardwalk, keeping an eye on the door, but ready to give Taemin a hand back up if he needs it. "Hurry!" She whispers through clenched teeth, "We're twisting in the wind up here."

Taemin keeps low but turns back, motioning only Karista to follow, tapping the planks and whispering, "Weak". He waits for her to get into position, then tries the door slowly.

Karista raises an eyebrow at Taemin's warning, but shrugs and treads lightly after him. As he reaches for the door, she brings the full length of the blade to bear held before her. She glances back at Haedrik then gives a nod to Taemin.

Karista nods and starts forward, then pauses for a moment. She reaches up with her free hand and removes her veil, silently tucking it into her belt. After another quick check of her surroundings, she follows Taemin.

"Aye, no harming any children if they're in there." Haedrik lets his gaze linger on each person for a split-second. "I mean it."

"Of course no children will be harmed," Karista replied irritably, "Any who do will answer to me. If you want to stay back and keep watch then so be it, but we're not achieving anything by bickering like widows. Let's go."

Just a reminder, Verronax is out of town for the rest of today, if I read his post correctly, so we don't need to wait for him to sign off on the plan necessarily. Keeping him back a 'watch' could work. He can rejoin the group when Sargon is back. Or something.

Karista is crouched low, staring at the house. "I don't see why we don't just break in and take the house by surprise - it isn't that big. We could rip through it like a tornado before they knew what hit them." She draws her massive curved blade, but keeps it concealed beneath her cloak.

Karista remains stock still after the reading, betraying nothing. As chairs squeak and gear starts to rustle she leans forward to Zellara, and in a low voice says, "Thank you, seer. My name is Karista. And I swear on the bones of my father's fathers, your son will be avenged."

Karista slowly settles herself into a chair as well, though she remains pushed back from the table. Her eyes never stop roving but her posture is beginning to relax again. She readjusts slightly to let the bolas hang free off of either side of her chair. She nods slightly at Zellara indicating that she is ready.

Karista's hand jerks back to her blade at the arrival of the newcomer, and an inch of steel is revealed before the easy smile and extended Harrow card stay her hand. "Who are you?" she demands of the newcomer, then half turns to Zellara without waiting for a reply, "How many did you call here?"

Karista's dark eyes cut a menacing glare at Haedrik straight through the filmy veil. She let the silence hang for a moment then turned back to Zellara. "What do they mean, teller?"

Karista watches intently as the woman shuffles the cards. For the first time since entering the house her hawk-like vigilance slips a bit and she seems lost in memory. She blinks hard as Zellara lays out the nine cards. Only a twitch of the eyebrow reveals that she has even heard the men's conversation as she steps forward and taps a card with a heavy tattooed finger.

Karista remained scowling. "I do not mean to insult your grief, but how do we know your words are true? It is a sad tale but it could also be a false one. I want very badly to run Lamm through, but I'll not rush in blind to do so."

Karista never takes her eyes off the woman as she reaches behind her to extract the card from her bag. She does not extend the card, but instead tosses it with a flick of the wrist in the direction of the table. "Now - some answers," she growled.

Karista glowers in the corner, unsure what to make of this woman.

Karista nodded slowly. "The wind is at our back no matter which way tonight turns out. Either the secret messenger spoke true and will point us to Lamm, or it is a trap, but Lamm is behind it and we can trace it back to him. I hope you are all comfortable with your steel, men." Her head turned to take in each of the assembled individually, her gaze lingering on the apparently unarmed Gnome in the doorway.

Karista's cool voice turns downright cold, "No. You didn't."

Karista peers in through the open door, "There is no one home?" She enters the house and takes one step immediately to the left, her back to the wall. In the dimly lit interior her veil is all but opaque, but her body language remains tense. She elbows her long, dark cloak out of her way, allowing a view of the leather wrapped hilt of her sword, complete with feather and bone fetishes dangling from the pommel. Her hands are traced with swirling black tattoos that wend up her arms before disappearing beneath her clothing. Her dyed black armor creaks softly as she moves - it has clearly not been fully broken in. It fits her quite snug, and it's plunging neckline and high midriff suggest that it was designed with fashion more than utility in mind. The effect is ruined by Karista's thin and faintly stained homespun shirt which effectively covers all the armor was prepared to reveal. Her pants are the rough stitched hide you might see on a trapper, and her boots are travel worn but clearly of Varisian make.

Karista steps back at the arrival of all the unexpected newcomers, allowing them full access to the door. In the past few moments her hand went from resting lightly on to white knuckle gripping her sword beneath her cloak. She remains outside and regards the others through the open doorway.

Karista bristles at the man's demeanor, but the fact is she'd rather have her eyes on his back than the other way around. She didn't like how little control she over the situation but there was not much to do but press on at this point. She let the man step into the house ahead of her and took a final glance around the street while answering, "I was invited. Same as you?" She let the sentence hang in the air, only a half question.