I'm not lost, just super busy getting things sorted with the new place (and getting rid of the old place).
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Took a couple of tries but it posted. And also a little fair warning, I'm going to be moving the first week of September; so I'm going to be busy with the packing, moving, and settling into the new place. I'll post when I can (if the forum lets me).
Lavinia slumped into a chair, once the deputies had been locked up where they belonged, and she had collected her portion of the pay. Between the chili and the deputy ambush, she started to get a realistic idea of how the coven's reign would go. Still, she couldn't help smiling at least a little... Tomorrow would be an interesting day.
Lavinia's expression soured at the deputy's ambush. "With behavior like this, I'm not surprised the Archbaron fired you..." She said, staring down the female. She wove her hand in a simple pattern.
Lavinia breathed a genuine sigh of relief once the sheriff and her deputies had departed. It hadn't been a long day yet, but their task had been more exhausting and much less fun than she had anticipated. She expected reactions to be bad -- but she hadn't expected a face full of chili, or a deputy drawing his crossbow. Alyssa's suggestion made her laugh, though. "Perhaps later...a simple arrest is much too mild for that ruffian," she said, savoring some twisted thoughts on how she wanted to handle the tavern keeper. Her grin faded to a slight frown. "But I guess we shouldn't arrest anyone until our promotion is official. We should lock this place down, and take anything we don't want stolen just in case any disgruntled peons break in. Then we can report in to Razelago."
Lavinia gave a sour look towards the varied citizens. "Wretched people," she mumbled to her coven sisters. "Let's got visit the sheriff... I'll clean off on the way."
Lavinia shrieked at the hot chilli, momentarily stunned and blinded until Alyssa began to help. "That wretch!" She snapped, while trying to clean some of the spicy mess from her face and clothes. She nodded slightly at Alyssa's offer to come back and burn the place down that night. "Can we? Please?" she asked, hopefully. She shook her head a few moments later though, knowing it was probably a bad idea in the short term. "No... Some other time, maybe. He knows who we are, and where we're staying...it'd be too obvious." Lavinia looked around as she stepped off the porch, hoping there had been plenty of witnesses to the tavern keeper's assault. What the public saw mattered -- and how they interpreted it mattered more. She hoped the oaf had made himself look like a cruel monster with his actions.
Not seeing any shield worth covering, Lavinia took Alyssa's wisdom to heart and nailed the decree to the door.
Lavinia said little as they hit the gate and the ton square, but took stock of the two unhelpful guards and the woman with all the questions. She imagined she would likely see them again at some point. At the Last Stand, she looked over the wooden shields and all the antlers. She pursed her lips at Friday's question. "We don't need permission to carry out the Archbaron's orders," she said. "But nailing it to a shield would be better than an antler, I think..." Lavinia looked at the shields, hoping to find one with an Iomedae emblem. Covering that up would add a little salt to the wound.
Lavinia bobbed her head from shoulder to shoulder while weighing Razelago's words. "Okay," she said with a shrug. "We'll want to be going soon then, if we're going to be finished by noon."
Lavinia giggled quite a bit at she read through the decree, imagining how many holier-than-thou feathers would be ruffled. The prospect of relieving the sheriff of her duties was fun enough to think about, but the addition that she and her coven sisters might replace Staelish was almost too enticing to be true! "Oh, these are beautiful!" Lavinia remarked. "Are we sticking together, or should we split up? Hit the church square, the tavern, and the gate separately; then convene on the jail and do that one together? If so, I call the the square! I want to see the look in the sword knight's eye when she reads it!"
Lavinia could not have been happier with the way the day's events had worked out. She felt like they'd given the Iomedaeans a black eye, and earned a tidy profit as well! There were still dire things on the horizon, but tonight was worth celebrating. Lavinia wished to do some shopping in town; some new clothes, if nothing else. She volunteered to buy some provisions while she was out, seeing as the Ash House had little left for them to eat. A few hours later she returned, with a few bottles of the priciest alcohol she could find, and naught but a loaf of bread and bit of cheese to eat. Not the most responsible purchases, but she seemed pleased with herself nonetheless.
costs 88.22gp Someone responsible might want to buy some real groceries. :P
Lavinia looked around frantically as the situation devolved into near-chaos -- but brought with it a glimmer of opportunity. She doubted she'd be much help stealing the helmet, and it looked as though her coven sisters were handling it soundly. The best she could do was to put eyes on herself, instead of them... "Look!, look at the Sword Knight's cowardice!" Lavinia shouted to the crowd, while staying away from the table and pointing at Allamar's sons. "She cowers from a witch while leaving her own sons in harm's way! She doesn't seem to care about glory, now!" She cast a side-long glance towards her sisters; eager to seek her own getaway once they were out of sight.
Lavinia spent most of the speech with her hands casually on her hips; a semi-aggressive stance that made certain the sash was visible. Whenever Allamar looked her way she made certain to lock onto her gaze, never flinching nor wavering. Lavinia frequently huffed, snorted, and rolled her eyes throughout the assembly. Its contents were troubling, and her obstinance soon became less of an act and more of a genuine, souring mood. She was actively grinding her heels into the dirt by the time they were touting a pretty helmet as a sign from their petty goddess... "There's nothing glorious about putting people to the sword, and forcing your bloody faith on them!" Lavinia heckled, in the wake of the well-acted presentation. "You could feed everyone in Longacre for a year with what you spent on that fancy helmet! Typical Iomedaeans! Shiny on the outside, rotten to the core inside!"
Lavinia wasn't too surprised that people clammed up around her. While it meant she wasn't gathering much information, it also meant she was having the desired effect on the crowd. She didn't quite expect the Sheriff to single her and Ahreni out so soon, though. Even so, she weathered his questioning with a polite smile and a slight flutter of her wide, innocent eyes. "I'm just here for the public announcement," she said, with feigned sweetness. "We're sort of new in town, yes. I wanted to come down and see what all this fuss was about."
Lavinia mingled with the crowd as well, but opted to keep her shash on. While she didn't wish to instigate anything so soon, she didn't mind letting people see her affiliation while they had time to ruminate and rumor-monger before the announcement began. Meanwhile, she tried to overhear any rumors she could.
Lavinia smiled even more impishly when Razelago clarified his intentions. "Ah, we're just there," she said, turning her attention to her coven-sisters. "If any trouble happens, it will be because the Iomedaeans started it." There was something wistful, almost nostalgic in her voice.
Lavinia was a little put off by the ghostly halfling, a perhaps a bit cranky from an unpleasant night's sleep. The creaky old house and their host moving about upstairs had woken her a few times during the night, leaving her half-tempted to throw something at the ghost...but she minded her manners and just scowled instead. --------- Once upstairs, Lavinia listened well to the next job offer. Her mood was brightened some by the amount of coin that was offered. She she mulled over the specifics, she fetched one of the sashes to half-heartedly examine. When prompted for questions, Lavinia hmm-ed thoughtfully. "Two hundred gold each? To wear a little sash and listen to a speech?" She giggled, impishly. "For that much I'd be willing to throw a few rotten vegetables at this priestess..."
Lavinia accepted the dagger and the pouch of coin, while looking around their new digs. She wasn't sure if a half-burned manor was a step up or down from the barn, but it was different, and that was almost as important. Food and wine were even more important at the moment, and she poured a cup for everyone before she sat to eat.
Lavinia didn't know what to make of their meeting place. She didn't waste time dwelling on doubts, however. She stepped forward at Ahreni's gesture, and kept her eyes on the screen where the voice originated. "Louslik lives, and we have his lockbox right here," she said, gesturing to the box Alyssa carried.
Lavinia smiled as both dog and man succumbed to slumber. It was a little sad that both doggies had to die, though...and even sadder that they had to let the old bastard live. She held out an arm to help Alyssa along; her eyes shone with a genuine look of concern and sympathy for her injured coven sister. She caught the keys, and went inside to scrounge around. The lockbox was easy to find, and her eyes went wide when she saw the numerous pouches, concealing the glittering goodies within. It was a shame they couldn't keep all of it, but a deal was a deal... Lavinia brought their prize outside, but frowned when Ahreni heard the cart approaching. She thought about staying for a few moments, but without any idea of who they were or how many people it carried, she shook her head. "Alright, lets get out of here," she said, ready to follow Ahreni's lead.
Lavinia grit her teeth against the dog's bite, wincing at the pain. She carefully plotted out where to cast her spell, and wove the magic gently trying not to provoke the dog any further.
Lavinia saw the bolt whiz by and strike Alyssa. Her mood went from whimsical to wrathful in one heartbeat... "Help her!" she shouted to Friday, stepping aside and in between Louslik's line of fire. Lavinia glared daggers at the man. "A tisket, a tasket, you're gonna need a casket..." She said in a dark, sing-song tone.
Lavinia ignored Ahreni's comment, but kept up her humming and concentration while their little scout dispatched the sleeping pup. When the deed was done she stopped her song and let her spell lapse. Eager to get away from the awful vats, Lavinia crept her way over to Ahreni's position...
Lavinia eyed the dog, seemingly already asleep, at Alyssa's prompting. She mulled it over for a few moments, then started to sway slightly, as if to music that she alone heard. Her hands waived and fingers twitched out a simple spell, while she whispered a soft lullaby into the night. "Hush-a-bye doggie, go out to the shed,
Lavinia continued humming and swaying to the tune, and waved the others onward, ready to follow their lead and hope the dog kept dreaming...
Lavinia tried to look around the yard, but her eyes began watering from the horrid stench...
...and she gagged horribly for a few seconds, feeling the rats coming back up with a vengeance. She managed to keep herself from retching, but the smell and her stomach's unease remained.
She noticed the crate nearby, and wasn't terribly concerned with armor -- it was too constricting. And itchy. And ugly. She pointed the crate out, specifically to Ahreni, and shrugged. If anyone was interested in armor, she guessed it would be their not-so-witchy ally.
Trying to ignore the smell, Lavinia crawled through the gap in the fence...
...She wriggled and grunted at the tight and uncomfortable squeeze, quietly cursing herself for the noise she made.
Lavinia rolled her eyes at Ahreni. "Fine, no killing... Maiming optional, but leave him able to work." she conceded, but muttered sarcastically under her breath; "Anything else fun we should avoid?" Not expecting a response, she quietly followed Alyssa to the gap in the wall.
Lavinia smiled conspiratorily as Alyssa reported her findings. "Sounds perfect!" She whispered. Ahreni's mention of the light, and the likelihood of the owner still being awake, didn't dash her spirits any. "And you said our new friend doesn't care what happens to the guy, right? As long as we get the money, right?" Half a dozen dark possibilities ran through her eager, sadistic thoughts.
Lavinia made her way back to Friday and the others. "The yard looks clear," she said. She offered a slow, pensive nod at Ahreni's report. "How not-quiet do you think it'll be? Loud enough to wake a paranoid tax-evader too cheap to buy a lock?"
Lavinia usually liked the rain, but the night's downpour was too much. After dinner she had utilized her prestidigitation to clean up, but no simple magic would make her look presentable now. She tried to blow a few strands of stringy hair from her face, but it was a futile effort even after the storm had subsided. She pinched her nose and gagged as the horrid smell of the tannery wafted over. "Are they really behind on taxes, or did the collector just want someone else to come collect them?" Lavinia joked, then pulled her scarf up, covering her mouth and nose. "I'll try to get a look through the fence..." Maneuvering some to get a better angle and a closer look, she kept her eyes peeled for anything of note. Even Khloros poked his head out of his satchel, his tiny tongue testing the air.
Lavinia had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, off by herself, when Ahreni returned. She had a small makeup kit out and was busying herself trying to paint lips on her tiny snake, Khloros, while cooing sweetly to the reluctant little viper all the while. Ahreni had her rapt attention, however -- eager to hear every shred of news their little scout had brought. (Khloros, meanwhile, took advantage of the distraction to slither back into his private satchel.) "We get to leave the barn and go someplace?" She asked, almost in disbelief. "We're going! I mean, we'll do it. Alyssa, can we please?" Her coven-sister's comments were a little perplexing, but the point was clear -- they were taking the job! "We should go right after dinner," she said. With a fresh exuberance in her step, Lavinia came over to the fire and sat herself down, taking one of the rats off the flame. She didn't bite into the charred meat; instead she set it on the ground and tore open its belly with her claws. With a bit tugging and tearing, and making a bit of a mess, she plucked out the half-cooked organs and ate greedily; enjoying the little pop each one made when she squished them with her teeth.
Reporting in, and thank you for picking me! (...and hooray!, I'm really creepy!) I think Lavinia will get along just fine with Ahreni, and her coven-sisters. She might even have a sense of respect toward Queen Abrogail.
Sorry - I missed this. You still have a hex, so yes you can. Just because it wasn't the hex you chose doesn't disqualify you, at least in my opinion. No problem, I went with Combat Casting anyways. Waiting until next level to grab evil eye won't be too big of a deal, and she's going to need to grab a couple feats to qualify for Souldrinker, so it seemed more sensible to grab combat casting early. ^_^
Crunch is up now, a couple minor details were edited in the background. I *think* my entry is pretty much complete now; let me know if I missed anything.
This is Zaboom!'s entry for the Witch/Mesmerist. My 10-minute background is up in this profile. Crunch in coming soon. Still need to tackle feats, equipment, spells, and her familiar. I do have a feat-related question. The Seducer archetype "replaces" my first level hex with the Charm hex. Can I still qualify to pick up the extra hex feat, so I can take Evil Eye now? So what type of hags are people basing their characters on? Night Hag. I was planning to go with the Winter Hag, but the Night Hag seemed more thematic with her eventually going for the Souldrinker prestige class.
Eagerly standing by!
This is Zaboom!, partnering with PaleDim. Character blurb: Kalishka is a Strix child/teen, in the care of the PaleDim’s character, who killed her parents. Some defect or injury has given her the wing-clipped racial trait. Like most Strix her roost was in Devil’s Pass; her parents had a harsh world-view, were somewhat ostracized by other Strix, and they were strongly into some sort of demon/devil worship (Pazuzu comes to mind). Her family lived on the outskirts of Strix territory, and roosted low to the ground partially due to her difficulty taking flight.
PaleDim’s character was tracking down some manner of criminal/bandit/etc. in Devil’s Pass when he was attacked by her parents and killed them. (He probably had to fight/kill other Strix along the way, too.) He tracked the criminal to Kalishka’s roost, where the criminal had already killed her siblings, and was rooting around for supplies and valuables. She had no idea why PaleDim’s character -- a human -- would come to her aid against another human, and was wary but willing to accompany him. She was devastated upon finding the scene with her parents dead further down the trail, but has no idea that her new caretaker was responsible; wrongly assuming the criminal did it. We might wish to explore her somehow finding out what really happened, later on. Kalishka is probably CN or true neutral, and will have some sort of spellcasting class, probably divine or witch, stemming from her parents’ faith and teachings. She will not know Common as one of her initial languages, but would likely slowly learn it along the way. There’s strong themes of misunderstanding, mistakes, friendship, and broadening one’s worldview between the two characters. For her specifically, she’ll be a fish out of water; growing up in the world of those she was taught to hate, not understanding human society or customs, and she’ll have to deal with un-learning her more monstrous habits, like the faith she’s still trying to practice. |