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Cheers, and thanks for the game.
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"Kill it with fire! And pointy things."
"Soup's on!" Kelgan calls as he fires.
"I mean - shoot!"
Kelgan continues to fire methodically at the clawed horror. Unsurprisingly, the hair trigger stymies his attack, again.
"Die, devil, die! Die already, or something." Kelgan's combat quips are somewhat less than witty, but he tries to make up for it with sharp shooting.
"Rams-eye!" he yells as the steel-band snaps, before he's even sure if the strike is successful.
"What are you doing? Kill it already!" Keglan snaps as he fumbles with the now-awkward reload mechanism on his crossbow. Suprisingly, his muscle memory seems intact and is capable of reloading without much mental effort. Sighting the seemingly-impervious insectoid with the iron sights on his arbalest, Kelgan strikes again. He does have trouble leading his target properly, however, and the strike fails to strike.
"Kill it, Jaegr," Kelgan calls out as he fires his crossbow at the wicked thing.
The bolt goes skittering about the room and Kelgan calls out a belated warning, "watch out for the crossbow!"
The chittering invades Kelgan's mind like a swarm of ravenous scarabs. Soon he finds his thoughts not cloudy, just .. missing. He spends precious seconds chasing his thoughts down a mental maze as he tries to respond.
Standing beside Jaegr, Kelgan is also blasted by the necrotic nastiness.
Unable to fit both bulky dwarves behind his shield, both suffer some skin-melting malfeasance.
"Must be some spawn of Obmi. It has his eyes."
"The Finisher should have us through that door in about two seconds flat. If some magic ward lets someone far away know, well... we'll just have to move swiftly."
"Well that was unpleasant. Let's get out of here. This muck is making my toes curl."
Hearing the others advance, he will shake Caspian a bit. "I can't see a damnable thing. Lead me up there and tell me where to shoot."
Kelgan's towering shield protects him from the blast, and as the flames blast over them, he instinctively reaches out and yanks the halfling out of the way.
Kelgan is in the same situation as Caspian. Unless the blindness wears off, he will stay alert and retaliate with a point-blank shot against anything that attacks him.
Kelgan swears as the shiny gold flakes ruin his darkvision. With the swirling motes filling his vision, he cranks his crossbow and prepares to fire if any of the ghouls close and strike him.
"Bah! It's bad enough I have to go slogging around us this slop. Getting teabagged by a goblin acrobat is just this shlit frosting on this muck cake." Kelgan shakes his first in mock fury, but his armor quivers and a few deep chuckles escape his bearded lips.
Kelgan looses his bolt as soon as the opportunity presents itself, but it ends up being more of a warning shot than a killing shot.
"I'm minded to shoot first and ask questions later. Not likely anything we run into down here is lost or innocent. Any objections?" Kelgan loads his arbalest and aims at the motley fool.
Kelgan will administer the appropriate medical response to his fellow sufferers: A dollop of nasty-smelling ointment smeared over the affected area, a drop of bitter oil, and most importantly, a shot of whiskey.
Kelgan yanks on his trusty shield as the malevolent miasma envelops him. Unfortunately, the thick muck grips the shield and rather than pull it upward, he only succeeds at pushing his feet further into the mud. He groans as the magic bursts the blood vessels in his exposed skin, leaving his entire face bruised and black in an instant. With gusto, he howls and yanks on the shield again. His second attempt is successful, in that he pulls his shield free, but it is far too late to ward off the attack. The momentum of the shield and his solidly-stuck feet conspire to topple him backwards and he lands with a 'thwock' in the sticky mire. "Flint-sucking wizard," he curses as he rights himself and pulls out a bottle from his oilskin sack. He looks around to see how the others fared and pulls out his field satchel. "Who else needs a painkiller?"
"Jaegr, your pick would work wonders on this wall here. Let's tear it down and get inside before one of those ravens spots us."
Kelgan scrubs the blood from his face and approaches the cliff face, looking for the entrance. "Let's go."
I make it a point not to read AP's material (aside from player guides, obviously) until I am ready to run them for sure, so I am spoiler-free. I'd quite like to play. Read through the gameplay thread yesterday and thinking about a character.
Hi indeed. I'd definitely be interested in reviving Aviona. My RL PRG group dissolved about a year and half ago and I've had the itch to play something strong lately. Boardgames are fun and all, but a body wants more. Let me know if/when you rouse the rest of the cast. Good to hear that things have stabilized. Moved my family recently, as we needed more space, and I'm enjoying the last few weeks of this internship. Only 2 more semesters and I'll have slain the albatross. As much as I enjoy school, it will be really satisfying to have finished, or rather reached a good point for a hiatus. I'm interested in Savage Tide, as its something I've wanted to run for a while. I'm especially interested in your bestiary work, as that would certainly simplify conversions.
Kelgan gets scraped, as one of the multitude of attacks finally breach his defenses, but he continues to methodically load and fire. Since Jed successfully slayed the 'wug, Kelgan also shifts his shielded defense to the bagpiping Barefoot.
Kelgan reloads and fires at point-blank range, trusting his shield to protect him from retaliation.
Falling victim again to the hair trigger, but prepared this time, he makes an instant adjustment.
"Have it your way, then." Kelgan tracks the hag and fires at her, mid-leap.
Unexpectedly wounded by the hurled spear, Kelgan curses mentally and makes a note to check for other vulnerabilities introduced into his defense by the recent modifications to his armor. Settling into his defensive stance to shield Jed - who also looks to have taken a spear hit - he loads his crossbow and aims it squarely at the withered matriarch. "Recall your pets, Auntie, and surrender immediately. You assault a knight of the Kingdom, for which the punishment is death. I am willing to be merciful, but I am in a hurry today. My offer stands for ten breaths."
Kelgan takes a parting shot at the manticore, then sees to the wounded, starting with those who are mortally wounded.
Continuing to shelter Caspian, Kelgan launches another deadly bolt, this time at the manticore. He grunts and scowls at the arbalest as it once again looses early. Making a mental note to strip down and inspect the weapon for sabotage after the fight, he reloads, satisfied that at least the smith came through on the shield modification. The bolt case and shoulder harness are working as intended, unlike his shiny new weapon.
Leaving the leucrotta to Lord Fenrift and Dame Ellistil, Kelgan hurries back and shields Caspian. He loads a bolt and prepares to return fire at the manticore. "I've got you Caspian. See if you can't net its wings and bring it down."
Kelgan looses his bolt at the nearest luecrotta, aiming for the heart. Despite his practice with the weapon the day before, he's still not completely used to the hair trigger and the bolt flies early, coming nowhere close to the fanged deer.
Kelgan, heeding Golvetto's words, loads his crossbow and moves ahead, keeping an eye on the sky. His mind turns over, thinking about the beasts and trying to come up with anything useful.
"They are thugs, for certain. Still, they are not dangerous to the prepared, only to the weak. Such is the way of things in the Highlands. They are certainly not going to try anything with an army at our backs. Should we find ourselves crippled, as you say, then indeed we must be careful upon our return. Also, I cannot pass justice on someone for what they might do, only what they have done."
"As always, your words are better when they're telling me things I want to know. This army is no invasion, no conquest. We are here for vengeance. We go to the black mark, to the forbidden keep. We will tear it down and destroy the sorcerer within. No longer will the hills lie under its foul shadow. And then we will leave." "If you think that I am dead to our people, you are wrong. I am finally powerful enough to help them. I will bring justice to those who need it, and kill any who seek to harm them." Kelgan tosses Golvetto a few coins for his information, then continues up the trail.
"Obmi's army is overdue because I killed them all. I put a bolt through his dog Kiek's skull, and one through Obmi's as well. You'd do well to remember that when you speak to me."
"Golvetto! I see you've kept yourself well in the past weeks. Fine spot for a fast conversation, too. What news from the Highlands?"
"As I understand it, his soul currently resides in this object. If we were to smash it now, it would return to his body. We must smash it after he dies so that his soul has no where to go - no where but Hell, that is."
Kelgan, having thanked Wyvern for his excellent reflexes in the sewers, tries out his newly carved and cured dentures. Crafted from wyrmbone and catalyzed in a tincture of vampire ash, they are an exceptional fit, and he enjoys rare steak for the first time since the landslide took most of his natural teeth. Turning to business he adresses the assembled cadre. "While the Count and his army siege the Keep, and try to draw forth the necromancer, we are to sneak in from below. There is a small tunnel at the base of the hill. We will infiltrate the Keep and do our utmost to avoid a direct confrontation with Anasovin. We will harry the enemy's forces from inside the Keep if possible, and take the gatehouse from within, to let the armies inside. We should be alert for the friar Donaldson, whom, as you may recall, was responsible for Otis's - and his late brother's - current cursed condition." "Killing this man is our secondary objective, and letting in the legions is tertiary. Our main objective is to ensure that when the necromancer dies, he dies for good." Kelgan sets the egg on the table and motions to it. "When Anasovin dies, this must also be destroyed. I will carry it for now, but should I fall, you must ensure its destruction. It would be useful if we could magically hide it as well, in case Anasovin is sensitive to its proximity." "I would hear all of your thoughts on the matter, and on our mission in general." With that being said, he sits back down and returns to his steak, keeping a keen eye on the discussion that follows.
"Good. Now, I suggest you all prepare to depart at the Count's word. I know Miralda's group has a part to play in the coming assault, and so do we. I know little about her - their - part, and I plan to brief our group in private. When facing a magician who may be able pry secrets unbidden from our minds, it is best to keep information split. We can't give up what we don't know." "Meet me in the map room after lunch and I'll go over what the Count wants us to do." Kelgan is happy to see that Jed has followed him to Fenrift Keep. His enthusiasm is diminished slightly when he sees the burly barkeep is here for Caspian, instead, but he takes it well. "Ah Jed, good to see you again. Seems you had your heart set on swinging that axe, instead of retiring in Wolvishton. Can't say I blame you there. Caspian's a fine fellow, of irascible charm." "I'd be glad to share what I know of such shots, Jaegr. It's all about the aim. My technique works with crossbows, though it could be adapted for bows easily enough, if you had the expertise. Bryan or Miralda could provide such, no doubt. I've adapted her ranged precision as well, making it less likely that I'll shoot one of you in melee. Neat trick, that." While training in the yard, Kelgan receives an unexpected delivery. A parcel from Malivor's Armaments arrives, and to his surprise and delight, inside is a lithe and lethal crossbow. Carved of dark cherry and strung with troll tendons, it hums with destructive promise. He sets and sights the bow, and is soon chuckling in satisfaction as the bolts split and splinter the practice manikins. He takes his shield down to the Keep's armorer, along with a spare bolt case, and explains his intentions to him. He leaves both with the smith, letting him figure out exactly how to attach a harness and the bolt case to the inside of the shield without compromising its defensive capabilities. He also warns the man to avoid striking the front of the shield near the embedded embers.
Hmm, I'm going to make a slight change to Kelgan and choose Officer training this level, as it fits so well.
Now I need to figure out a feat and was thinking of a strike feat since this level will give me Critical Focus with my favored Class Bonus. Can't quite figure out which one feels right to me. Might I suggest Penetrating Strike?
ACP reduction multiplier is 100 (Armor Max Dex increase multiplier is 75). So, 1000 + [(3^2*100) - 100] + 1,000 = 2800 numen. Not a vast difference.
Kelgan appreciates the limerick and slaps Vortigern on the back. He replies with one of his own: "There is no better way
Digging into his pack, he retrieves the bottle of whiskey he'd distilled at Burl's, back before the Forge exploded. It is nearly empty, but enough remains for a swig apiece. "I'm not one for fancy toasts, but I would like to say something." He takes a swig and passes the bottle, inhaling as the liquor burns - the bite of the fire that brewed it. "When I met you in Kaiserburg, you were convenient allies. You helped me foil the assassination attempt on Duke Kolvin; you were competent and didn't ask too many questions. When the lizardman brought his plight, you were eager to help, and though the journey was perilous, and ultimately futile, you kept your complaints quiet. You followed me to Wolvishton without inquiry or hesitation, and fought beside me against hellbeasts, undead horrors, and bloodthirsty bandits." "In my time in the Regiment, I have led men, and received their compliance, if not their loyalty or respect. And, to be honest, the feeling was mutual; I preferred to work alone. In the face of the foe we now go to fight, that is not - cannot - be enough. You are fearless and valiant, and you deserve better. Our destination is Skarn Keep. What fresh horrors await us there, I do not know, but I promise you this:" "Follow me into the bowels of the Keep and I will keep you safe. Fight beside me and I shall see that you do not fall. Ask of me, and I will answer as fully as I can, holding nothing back. Trust in me, and I will see us all out alive."
"We shall make our way into the castle with all possible stealth. Should we find the means to open the way for your army, we'll take it. Avoiding direct confrontation with the necromancer is sound, though should I catch him sleeping, it won't go well for him." "Miralda did well for herself at Wolvishton. She knows what sort of monster we're up against, and I'm sure she'll do her best to breach the gate. An adequate effort should give us more cover, and I hope she's smart enough to keep her assault from being a martyr's charge." "I've shared with you what we learned of Friar Donaldson from the vicar's journal. I do not take that man lightly. I believe Anasovin entrusted the egg to his lieutenant, that it would be elsewhere from his body as insurance. We'll see to it that Donaldson meets justice and that Anasovin's life ends when you kill him."
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