Take care, I hope things go well for you! Real life really doesn't cooperate with fantasy a lot of times.
Would you mind marking your campaigns as inactive before you go?
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Not sure--that was 100% the artist's adddition.
Apparently I really need to work on Kaussek's attack bonus. Speaking of Kaussek, I got some art of him!
Kaussek moves a step over, following the badly injured troll. Snarling at his own weakness he takes another heavy swing with his warhammer.
This swing is just as clumsy as the last, however.
Invisibly, Kaussek manuevers around the nearest troll.
He takes his warhammer in a two handed grip and swings it at his target in a large arc, but a spasm takes hold of him at an inopportune moment. He appears just as his weapon makes its nearest approach to the troll.
Kassek murmurs a spell and disappears from sight. His magic does not, however, hide the sound of his armor shifting as he maneuvers to get behind one of the trolls.
"This does not sound as if it will end peaceably," Kaussek quietly comments to the others who have stayed back with him. "We had best make ready to assist." With that he starts creeping forward, doing his best not to make too much noise.
Kaussek eyes the road ahead. "This seems suspicious. I would not think giants would ally willingly with the power upon this mountain, meaning they are also... changed, or it is an illusion. Either way, there is only one path forward. We must advance, but warily."
"It is a long path. We might be best served by traveling quickly until we spot places suitable for an ambush," Kaussek suggests.
"The spells would not last for nearly the entire climb, and they could be waiting anywhere along the climb," Kaussek points out. "Our only hope is to see them before they see us. Is there anything we can do to improve our chances of this beyond having the most stealthy among us scout ahead? I am still wary of being too separated."
I'm guessing it looks like it'll take more than five minutes of climbing to get to the temple area?
Kaussek thanks Lu for the healing before leaving, and wishes him well. In truth he feels a bit better with one more capable guard being left with the others--it was more than clear that this wasa dangerous territory, and there were few enough among the group who were ready for these sorts of danger. He contemplates the area with a distrustful gaze. "Certainly we should expect to be attacked on the way up, as you say. I would be wary about having Aisha go too far ahead of us for us to support her. She is a capable scout, but even the best make an error from time to time, and in such a situation a single error could be fatal before we could arrive to help were she too far ahead. Aisha, how swiftly can you climb in a few seconds? I at least would advise you not get further from us than you can move in a handful of seconds."
Kaussek stares silently at Aisha for a moment. She was remonstrating him? There was a change. He had not thought she had a serious bone in her body. Well, it was a pleasant surprise, even if it was a criticism of him that had some merit. Still, he made no response aloud, simply giving Aisha a curt nod as she left. It was true, he had been too passive, too willing to let others work and keep to himself. It was clear that was not enough. However much he might dislike it, he would have to put himself forward from now on. He walked down the stairs, passed Aisha, then paused. Without looking at her he stated, "It is... different to be criticized for my actual flaws, rather than for having scales. Difficult. But better." With that he started walking towards the door.
Kaussek nods. "It would hardly do to be able to use magic without being able to identify it."
"The backpack is enchanted so as to be larger within than without, and to make it easier to retrieve what is desired," Kaussek states. "The armor is enchanted to provide a small degree of extra protection to the vitals." He stands up from his examination. "I do think it best to take these things now and rest. We shall need all our strength tomorrow."
Kaussek shakes his head slightly. "I would be more likely to shoot myself than my foe. Another should take it other than I." He'll also cast detect magic on the items on the off chance that some of them are enchanted.
Kaussek nods. "I can make sure it will never be a threat again." He strides over to the ogrekin and crushes its skull with a swift strike from his warhammer.
Kaussek will help search the bodies. "Now we must hope our battle tomorrow goes as well," he comments. "If all of us focus on one plan of action, this is what we can do."
Kaussek comes up behind Lu, and, not thinking he has room to fit beside the other warrior, resorts to more magic missiles.
Pretty much the same as the rest. I've no problem with continuing the combat.
It's fine, it happens sometimes. Just don't get burned out!
Kaussek strides forward, eying the narrow stairs. Deciding it best not to crowd past Faluhann, he instead draws again on his fire-blood to fire a pair of magic missiles at the hobgoblin.
Wish I'd rolled more images on that mirror image... still, I think Kaussek should take point since he has less than a 33% chance of getting hit by the first shot, which is hopefully the only shot a gun can get off before he gets in melee range.
"I can advance first, under cover of this spell," Kaussek states, then casts mirror image.
Two copies of him appear to either side of himself. "I have noticed that such weapons rely on single, powerful hits. Provided with false targets, I should be able to close the distance before with minimal injuries."
"Fire is risky, and logs take a long time to catch, unless you have something with you to speed up the process," Kaussek states. "We have enough numbers we could come in by both doors and flank them. If there are indeed only two they shall find our numbers difficult to defend against."
Kaussek catches sight of Marcus on a horse, riding off who-knows-where. he shouts after the riding man.
"Vengeance can drive beings to be very stupid," Kaussek states flatly, "More stupid than any storyteller would dare say, lest he be disbelieved. But that does not mean the vengeful are any less dangerous."
Kaussek stops in the gateway and looks out. "I was not planning on going farther than here. I simply wish to be in position to respond if there is an immediate attack." He pauses. "I am not certain venturing out tonight would be wise. We are spent, and from what we have seen of this hobgoblin he is cunning. He would not wait to be found without making preparations."
Kaussek rises to his feet, hand going to his hammer. "Were they following? Is the camp in danger?" Without waiting for a response he starts towards the door.
Kaussek nods once. "Good." He turns to his stew and eats slowly, secretly striving to cool his riled anger as he eats. It would only be fair for him to go broach this topic with Marcus, as well... and he would want a cool head for doing so.
"Why care what he says?" Kaussek asks. "Were he here I would admonish him also. This would not be the first mercenary company I have been in that destroyed itself via infighting before the enemy could even face it. The best I have seen to do with a man of ego is to ignore him. Arguing simply convinces him that others care for his opinion. So yes, I am suggesting you ignore him. Your opinion on the matter is already abundantly clear. I doubt anyone will mistake your silence for agreement."
I think all the conflict has been interesting, though I do agree the player misunderstanding exacerbated it perhaps a bit too much. It happens, though. People create different mental images from the same words all the time.
"You are as much the problem as they," Kaussek retorted at Lyon's claim. "Neither you nor Marcus can let the subject drop, and it is threatening us all. Whose fault it is does not matter. What we do now does, and if we cannot all work together, we. will. all. die." He stops himself short, taking a deep breath, trying to quiet the fire rising in his veins. "Perhaps once there might have been lessons to be learned, but now, I think our best choice is to never speak of the matter again." He turns decisively from Lyon and stalks over to Alana, accepting a bowl of stew with a quiet thanks. He does not trust himself to answer her question just now, and so says nothing more to her.
Kaussek watches the bickering impassively. Once it becomes clear nothing further is being accomplished, he comments, "One thing is certain: if we cannot work together, we shall all die separately." He looks to Alana. "A meal would be good. Perhaps speaking over food would encourage cool thought instead of hot words. We could speak of what happened as we eat."
They had too little information. What if they were almost out of time before another, larger army emerged from the temple? What if the ogres were to attack tomorrow? They had no good choices here. But the truth of the matter was, they could not shelter these people forever. They might kill the ogres and slay this Aria, but tomorrow there would be wolves, or bandits, or a griffon, or something else. Of the dangers, the enchantress seemed more... out of place, more unexpected, more like something they could never be expected to solve themselves. Ultimately, however, he had no strong argument one way or the other. He would let the others speak for now. For himself, he would think in silence.
Sounds interesting to me. Normally I like complicated resource management, but it's less than ideal for a play-by-post.
"It seems the best of the poor choices we have," Kaussek agrees. "Given all that has happened I little like leaving the others for longer than we must, though we would be poorly prepared to aid their defense tonight."
Kaussek frowns as he looks over the results of the healing. "There are still a few of us that might fall to one ball of flame or two arrows, either of which can happen in an instant," he states. "I think we should rest, prepare the spells we have discussed, and return in the morning. Three approaching under cover of invisibility would be a great advantage."
"We must kill Thorn and Salazar first, as swiftly as possible," Kaussek states. "But first, as Melira says, we must heal."
So... what are we going to do if the party gets wiped out?
Kaussek had no more words for them. They should have simply tried to kill them from the beginning. Aecora had warned them what Varn and his people had done when they sought peace. Why had they thought this would be different? But first he had to live. Kaussek runs, trying to keep the remnants of the fog cloud between himself and the foe.
They could also be mentally affected by what's been done to them, remember. While they *seem* semi-rational (except for Varn), they might still have some sort of enchantment effect on them.
Part of the issue might just be that only two of us have rolled decent diplomacy checks. Of course, in character, we might not be able to tell that. I'm also not sure if there's enough left of Varn to talk with. The other two are still capable of complete sentences, but he doesn't seem to have many brain cells left.
Well... apparently the dice are not with me. XD Go people who actually have Diplomacy trained!
"Yes, I dare speak such to you!" Kaussek draws himself to his full height, glaring at the former 'heroes'. Guessing at their motivations, he shouted, "You were guardians of your community, defenders of the home you had carved from the wilderness. Now the homes of Varnhold lie empty save for scavengers and monsters, and for what? A being whose name I doubt you knew three weeks ago? Is this the glory of Varn, conquerer of the frontier? Is this the will of Erastil, to leave homes abandoned to the wild and the people who dwelt in them abandoned to monsters along the way? For we saved two of your people who had become trapped in a spider's web along the way--should it not have been your duty to seek them out?"
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