Dude. It's a PhD exam! That's more important!
Good luck, and I'll be around to smite some Tzatlewyrms when you get back.
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"Ahh! I know this one! Tatzlwyrms! They breath poison into your face if they grab you!"
Kryolani draws his wand as he steps up behind Roksana. "They're like the stunted, immature, imbred versions of dragons. Still dangerous though. Are these one of the things we have a bounty for?"
Kryolani calls over his shoulders, "Maybe, maybe not. The only way to find out would be to distrust the faeries. If they weren't wrong, it'd mean our lives lost for no appreciable gain. What would be the point?" He returns his attention to the path ahead of him, ducking beneath a low branch before continuing. "I say we mark this region for later exploration when we are better equipped to do so. Ride around and continue the route we had set."
The sorcerer's eyes widen for a heartbeat before he clambers ungracefully back onto his horse, yanking the reigns from the tree branch he looped them over. "That tears it, we go! Come on!" he shouts, as he wheels the horse away from the image and drives it to a gallop.
I could peg it pretty reliably with the wand, but that just means I'd die first. Kind of hoping it turns out to be the ILLUSION of a Will o wisp
We don't know how to communicate with it, or even if doing so is possible, and we don't actually know anything about it beyond that it has a skull on it. I suspect when it gets close enough, Jacobus can try to detect alignment on it, which will prompt us to attack if he finds out it's evil, or try to follow it if it isn't.
"I almost hate to say it, but I think I agree with Serolt. This is either itself a dangerous creature, or something warning us of danger. In either event, I think we are duty bound to handle it, aren't we?" Not wanting to get close enough to a completely foreign creature, Kryolani unlimbers his wand. Besides, one of his instructors said that the type of magic it used is effective against specters of all stripes, which is the closest thing the sorcerer had heard of to whatever this is...
Kryolani scratches his head, and looks on with some confusion. "Not a clue, actually, but that skull image would indicate that it has some intelligence, either native or granted...or I supposed whatever it was could have been created with such an image. In any case it seems to indicate danger, either as a warning or a threat." Kryolani also takes the opportunity to carefully slide off his mount and tie off the reigns to a nearby tree. If something is preparing to attack, it would be best if he could defend himself.
The sorcerer shrugs aside the criticism of his uncle, mostly because he agreed with the sentiment, "I'm pretty certain old Uncle Fabius never once in his life tried to lift anyone up but himself. He was a cruel man with an evil temper. He also donated a few thousand gold each year to a number of educational institutions throughout northern Brevoy. He was a..." Kryolani struggles for a moment, searching for the proper words "...an interesting man. A lot of power in the local political scene, pretty much universally hated, and yet he also gave away extravagant amounts of money to causes that didn't ever seem to benefit him directly. I'd never take his advice when it comes to a moral stance, but as to the proper handling of money? He'd give a high priest of Abadar a run for his money, so to speak." Kryolani finishes the speech with a little smile for the pun, obviously not meaning it to be taken too literally.
Kryolani muses, "You know, an uncle of mine had this theory that there was really no such thing as charity. He thought that money was what made the world go round, and any act that caused it to change hands had a positive effect on things. If you give a gold coin to a poor person, you weren't really throwing it away. What you were doing was simultaneously investing in the local baker, or innkeep, or whoever the beggar got his grub from, as well as in property values, because the beggar is no longer in the street, and even occasionally in the beggar himself, as he got his feet back under him and would always remember the hand that lifted him up. It all came round to benefit him in the end, so he didn't worry about the money he tithed to the church." Kryolani laughed, "Listen to me, talking like he was a nice guy. The man was a mean old goat who drove more than one competitor into the poor house, but he knew how to make coin, that was for sure. Anyway, these are wild lands out here, more the home of Deadeye, than of Abadar. If a coin at his feet keeps him happy, I'm all for it."
"Ahhh, that makes sense. Praise Abadar! I was looking for an arcane energy signature, when you're right, it's probably divine. Whoever DOES wear this thing across rivers should probably be whoever is strong enough to haul the end of a rope with them so the rest of us poor saps can have something to hold onto while we make our way across." Kryolani thinks about the poor woman in the cage. Bandit or not, no one deserves such a fate. "I'd love to turn this region into something a bit safer, and a lot less filled with bandits. I bet that if we're not eventually tasked with taming it, someone else will be brought in to do so. I'd like a hand in it myself, if for no other reason than that I feel the beginnings of a little loyalty to this crazy place. If it's to be settled, I'd like to see it done right. Does that make any sense?" --- Kryolani breathes in a great gulp of fresh air, and a smile alights on his face. Ah he enters the cavern, he waits politely for Jhod and Vekkel to finish their prayers before greeting them with much cheer. "Ahhh, our forest home away from home. It's looking nice, Gentlemen! Feels....right? Righter certainly, somehow. We've explored a portion of the land to our west. Largely wild, though with... some sign of activity." At this last bit the smile fades, for just a moment. "We've not yet located any elk, but we did spot an owlbear, which is apparently a real thing! Looked to be a loner, with claws like daggers and the beak of a mighty Roc. It was a heck of a thing."
Well, for the record, it FEELS like you're doing a fine job. I'd suggest you keep at it, if you feel your English isn't up to the task. It'll help you improve. That being said, I didn't even REALIZE you were a non-native speaker for quite a while, you're damned good at it!
Kryolani turns the simple, wooden ring over and over in his fingers, feeling his way through the energies it contains. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure what this does. It's either imbued with magic of a kind I've not encountered before, or imbued in a way unfamiliar to me. It is magic, but I'll require more study before I could tell you what kind." He taps the ring on his palm thoughtfully a few times before continuing, "We could ask Jhod to take a look, the next time we stop by his temple. He might recognize it better than I." ---
"I won't lie, some fresh meat would be nice after the last few days of dried jerky and oats." Kryolani draws the wand from his belt and prepares to fling a Magic Missile after the beast if it appears that Serolt is going to take the shot. ---
Kryolani sees the creature focus it's impossibly large owl eyes on him right as he fires a Ray of Enfeeblement into it's large, fluffy body, and immediately ducks north towards a tree to put Roksana between him and certain, gory death. "Nononono, maul someone else! Or no one else! Whichever!" ---
Kryolani jogs up to the fight, keeping as much distance between himself and the Owl-Bear as possible while still being close enough to unleash his fire magic on it. His hands writhe as he calls forth his tried and true Burning Hands spell. ---
"What the hell is an owlbear?!" "Ridiculous? A Mistake? The product of magical breeding practices? ...a Half bear, half owl reason why we can't have nice things? I don't know which answer to give you. Just fight it like you'd fight a large, angry, rabid bear."
Owlbears are THE BEST. They are just such a fun and ridiculous monster. I love them so.
Round 1 Kryolani's eyes go wide, and he chokes out a half-terrified laugh, "An OWLBEAR?!? I thought my instructors were joking!" He all but dives off his horse to get clear of it before it drags him off into the woods, before continuing, "The beast itself is supposed to be incredibly predatory, but if it has any cubs, they can be trained. Assuming it doesn't eat us." ---
Kryolani doesn't trust himself to speak as they place a small cairn of stones over the freshly dug grave. His stomach roiled with a mix of fury and nausea. Trying to speak would probably make him vomit. The color finally started to return to his face as they left the grave site. "We're going to have to find whatever...whoever did that. If we're to tame these lands at all, they have to be caught, and they have to hang. The kind of sickness that brings a man to such acts can only beat tainted fruit."
Kryolani decides, and he fights his way through an extra tough chunk of jerky gristle, that the food is absolutely the worst part of exploration. Worse than sleeping in the chill and the rain. Worse than the throbbing backside one gets from sitting a horse all day long. Worse even than being diseased into a coma by a giant tick, because at least he was asleep for all of that. He spends the day fantasizing about the giant clay ovens in the manor house of Aunt Julianara. Each morning, they would produce dozens of loaves of fresh, hot sweetbread. A quick and canny child could easily swipe a decent snack to last the whole day, between the loaves, and the spices meat in the cold lockers. There has to be some spell he could learn to cast which would allow a similar degree of comfort while on the road... ---
Kryolani shudders, "Please, gods, no more giant ticks. In fact, if we could avoid the entire breadth of giant insects, I would be most well pleased. Giant vampires too, for that matter. My bet is that we run into the bandits soon. We know they are somewhere to the south, and we've been making our way in that direction." Kryolani nods and begins to set up the evening campfire. "Bandits and/or dragons-ish things. Hopefully not both at once."
I like it! Another! *smashes drinking mug*
"Thank you Father, truly. We'll keep an eye out for the apprentices and the elk both. Heck, once you've got some trained, I wouldn't mind buying one myself. Never ridden an elk before. It could be fun!" Kryolani smiles to himself, imagining how he would cut a heroic figure against the horizon, cape flowing, battle elk standing proud! It is a ridiculous image. A cape light enough to flow in the wind would be worthless against the cold, and why on earth would one just stand on a hilltop staring into the middle distance like that? The Elk, though. The thought of a battle elk was pretty cool.
Kryolani joins in the prayers to Erastil in a sort of perfunctory way. He certainly offers Deadeye his due respect and worship, especially as he is currently traveling the wilds, but does not hold to those beliefs more strongly than he does any other god. --- The sorcerer picks his way gingerly through the collapsed cottage and takes a closer look at the mace, whispering an incantation to Detect Magic over it briefly before shaking his head. "I don't know what the initials stand for, a name presumably, but I'm amazed that it has withstood the weather and chill for so long. It's obviously of superior make." He peers into the gloom, trying to make out details beneath the collapsed beam. "Did you see a body? I'd be surprised that such an item would just be left here to rot, though I suppose the original owner could have been killed while out hunting or something." --- Kryolani enjoys the serenity and natural beauty of the temple, as he walks through the damp grass surrounding it. It's certainly not a place he would choose to live, but then, he's no wild priest like Jhod. He wonders what will become of the place if they manage to truly settle these wilds. Making it part of some kind of park seems unimaginable, like trying to cage a lion with cobblestones. A problem for a later time, perhaps. They've many more immediate concerns. "Will you be ok to stay here with those were-creatures wandering about? I don't know if that kind of curse would prevent them from entering holy ground."
Yeah, everything is good on my end, though the sale hasn't helped much. My buddy in the shipping room said that they weren't expecting this much buy-in with the humble bundle, and it's slamming the servers in a hilariously energetic fashion. It's all good though. I like having sections of the game be a slower paced travelogue to contrast with the frenetic battle scenes. It's good.
Kryolani shivers involuntarily. "If there is a lycanthropic infection running through these woods, we should also try to be ready to counter the curse too. I hear that there is a plant that helps if they bite you. Hemlock, or something?" Kryolani huddles closer to the fire, watching the woods with newly nervous eyes, "I'm glad they didn't get their teeth into anyone during your last encounter with them. That would only have made getting me back to Oleg's even more difficult, I'm sure."
"Huh. Better than mine, to be certain. I come from Port Ice. Not really a lot of hunting in the city. The closest we get is boar hunting in some land a cousin of mine owns near the Golushkin mountains." Kryolani trails off, staring into the campfire. A chill late winter breeze crosses the campsite, but the sorcerer doesn't seem to feel it. "We'd gather up there at a lodge, every few years. It was an old family building that a great uncle of mine has kept up ever since he got out of politics. Everyone with the family name gets an invite, though usually only the cousins who aren't in charge of anything actually go. Dad took my brother and I one year. I was, what, thirteen, I guess. When the boar hunt came around, they handed me a spear, dropped me off in the woods, and said they'd drive some wild boars to me in a little bit. Then they rode around to the other side of that patch of land and released a bunch of hungry dogs with pig-scent in their noses." Kryolani shakes his head, clearing it of the memory. "One of the dogs attacked me when it came out of the woods nearby. Had to kill it with the spear. Never did see the damned boars. Last time I really spent any time in the woods before this."
Kryolani is antsy to get on the way and, unusually, doesn't even contribute much to the discussion of wands. "It'll be summer soon, and would be nice to have on a hot day." is all he says on the subject. Instead, he paces. When asked, he claims to be stretching his legs. It's obvious to most of the people at the trading post that his recent illness bothers him more than he'd like to admit, perhaps even to himself. Helplessness does not befit a Surtova. His mood does notably brighten when they discuss returning to the forgotten temple of Erastil to re-establish it as a place of worship. The idea that the group is making real progress in claiming these wilds as their own is enough to break the frown from his face.
Kryolani staggers, slowly, out of the darkened hut where his healing had, at last, taken place. He is using a rough-trimmed branch to steady himself, he has lost perhaps a dozen pounds that he did not have to spare, and his limbs look to be weak as those of a kitten, but there is a fire in his eyes, and a fierce grin between his sunken cheeks. "Well. That was quite unpleasant, and my trousers fit loosely enough that I had to poke another notch in my belt, but I'm tired of beds. Thanks for dragging me back here and getting me healed up. I'm sure that couldn't have been pleasant." He shuffles over to a bench by the tables and sits, leaning heavily on his makeshift cane. "So, what's the plan? I miss anything important?"
Yeah, I'll take the fly scroll. I'll actually be able to cast it from the scroll one level before I can actually cast it in person. Stupid, weird sorcerer levels...
Kryolani attempts to swallow, but it feels like he spent the last week drinking salt and sand. His vision blurs when he tries to focus on anything at all, but that doesn't stop him from dragging himself into a sitting position in his sick bed. His throat is dry and raw, and when he tries it out, he can barely manage more than a dry whisper. His stomach aches like a giant fist is crushing it. But he is awake. He leans his back against the wall to rest. He'll stay in bed, sure. But for now at least he can do so while sitting up.
hey, it happens. The dice gods, they are not kind :D For the record, I like this exploration plan. I also heavily suspect something else will try to eat me, but NOW I have a wand of Magic Missiles! I can fight from RANGE!
For the record, I'm still here! Not dead yet! Unconscious body, possibly a little slimmer due to the Red Ache Diet!
Kryolani slumbers, blissfully unaware of the danger. ______________
Wait, that Erastil Priest is still at Oleg's, right? I wonder if he's high enough to cast Remove Disease, or at least some Lesser Restoration, to give me Strength back, so I can eat.
Like, if we'd had foreknowledge that I'd go down? I'd still vote for getting me back to the trading post. We might be able to send for a cleric from there.
Yeah, we had no way to know things were going to get worse until they did. This is cool.
As I am now unconscious, I have three days of not eating till I start starving to death (I assume they can pour water or soup down my throat to extend this a little). While starving, I'll take 1d6 non-lethal a day until I hit zero, then I'll take 1d6 regular damage till death. These hit points cannot be healed till I eat something. All I really need are two rolls of 10 or above in a row to overcome the disease and start mending. C'mooon dice!
I'll take the wand and the bracers, if only because I don't think anyone else CAN use them.
I'm fine with that suggestion Jacobus. Hey Giuseppe, I'd like to groom Mik-Mek to be a follower when I take leadership. As I mentioned before, I'd like to have him be someone who "holds down the fort" back at wherever we make our base, and attends to my business while I'm out, rather than have him actually adventure with us. If this is ok, it'd be cool if he could be a cleric of Apsu, but that I leave entirely up to you.
Kryolani nods at the suggestion to start heading back. "I agree. The disease makes me feel pretty terrible, and I'm weak as a kitten, but those factors don't actually make me much worse in a fight. We should get on with our exploration, and that means stocking up back at Oleg's." He coughs dryly for a few moments. "Err...I reserve the right to reverse that choice if I get much worse. I'd be more hindrance than help if you guys had to lash me to a saddle." Upon considering the offer of Mik-Mek as a squire, "As a warrior? Perhaps not a huge boon, no, but he knows the area, he's brave, he's loyal, and I am awfully curious to see if I could train him to call upon to power of his blood like I do my own. Instead of having him tag along, why don't I ask if he can undertake some exercises I was taught when I was first coming into my power. They're just meditations and such, but you can't really do them while travelling. Perhaps they come to nothing, but perhaps he awakens as I have, and I learn a bit more as to where all this came from." he finishes, gesturing into the air about him, as if to imply an aura of some kind. ---
"Chief Sootscale, we thank you for your offer, of the warrior Mik-Mek. I'd like to request something else, however. With your permission, I'd like to teach Mik-Mek some meditations, and give him some knowledge about where my power comes from, to see if he can learn to use it too. Whether he does or not, it should teach me something about where my own power comes from. He would have to remain here, though, as we are travelling, and that does not offer much of the practice time he'll need." If the Chief accepts this, Kryolani spends their time among the Kobolds alternating between teaching Mik-Mek to clear his mind, focus on his breathing, and count his heartbeats. He intersperses that with telling the Kobold warrior what little he knows about the history of dragons, and the dragon god Apsu.
--- Kryolani spends a little time saying farewell to Mik-Mek and the chieftain, asking them to come by the Trading Post if they ever needed anything. He hopes the little creatures will keep out of trouble, now that an alliance has been brokered. At the least, having someone deep in the wildlands that they could go to for rumors and assistance if needed couldn't hurt their attempts to fulfill their charter.
Kryolani nods wearily to Serolt, "Almost certainly true. I feel like a withered old man with a fever as it is, and at least we are out of the elements down here. It is...cozy." The sorcerer seems to be serious about this, as if the enclosing caverns were actually quite comfortable to him, despite the vague scent of lived-in-by-lizards. He gives a slight bow to the chieftain. "Your reward is most generous. And my accociate," Kryolani gestures at Jacobus, "has a good point. We would like to explore these lands, and deal with the bandit threat. Surely some kind of peace can be made here, now that wisdom and strength rules the Sootscale tribe once again?" Kryolani carefully pockets the wand and straps on the leaden bracers. Surely they only feel so weighted due to the illness sapping his strength. Perhaps the locals had something that might help him get over the illness and put him on the mend. "My lord Kobold, do your people perhaps indulge in trade? It would be nice to be able to obtain certain supplies without needed to travel all the way north the Oleg's establishment, if we were to be in need of something."
Kobolds are awesome. I say we retain them as scouts-for-hire, or something!
It's all good, plus with Jacobus out, it's no bad thing to slow down a touch for the day, methinks.
Kryolani moves in behind Serolt and slaps him on the back. Lightly. "I appreciate the concern, but physical weakness isn't going to keep me from helping. I don't really fight with my muscles anyway. For the record, I was right. The shaman is the problem here, if he's been pushing these Kobolds down a darker path with threats of a curse. This could have really been an issue if left to fester." The hike through the tunnel system has Kryolani breathing hard after only a dozen paces, but he forces himself not to gasp, trying to hide how tired he is from both his allies, and tribe of Kobolds they seem to have aligned with.
Something feels undeniably right about these Kobolds to Kryolani. When he sees the charcoal and blood reptile graven upon the wall it jars the impression slightly. The reptilian look is right, but the devil in it throws something off. Kryolani shakes his head at this, and focuses on the tiny lizard people surrounding them. That this is a tribe at war with itself is immediately apparent. Such circumstances are opportunities for those who would grasp them, and as uncomfortable as Kryolani is with his currently weakened state, it looks like the tribe of Chief Sootscale is going to resolve things soon one way or another. Kryolani thinks to the altar, and to the look of anger Mik-mek gave it, and hopes he judges the situation properly. Draconic:
"It may belong to you, but that altar, and that statue, they are not worthy of the dragon-tongued, mighty chieftain." ______________________
Kryolani hesitates, not willing to possibly doom the little kobold, after it had dealt with them according to it's word. "Because you're not going to bring the idol back to the Shaman...are you? You don't trust him not to curse you?" he asks quietly. He turns to Jacobus, "He hasn't lied to us. He dealt honorably in the mite pit, and fought when he could have run. Kobolds are a lot of things, but they tend to truth. If they try anything, we'll run, or fight, as we must, but he's honestly scared, and I think maybe this Chief can explain more."
Kryolani, shuffling along through the Kobold corridors, hears the kobolds muttering amongst themselves. He touches Mik-Mek on the shoulder, and says quietly in the dragon tongue, "Can you get your chief to meet with us outside? My companions worry, and I don't want to have any misunderstandings between us. Are you... are you safe down here, Mik-mek?" __________
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