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I know that I am posting YEARS after the fact, but I thought I would throw my hat into the ring and ask if you are looking for recruits. Sadly the GM had to back out of the game after a short while, and in the intervening years seems to have left the paizo boards entirely. But hope springs eternal that one day they’ll triumphantly return and give it a third try :)
Vagrant, when you get the chance can you set this campaign to inactive? Thanks :)
Just checked in after Christmas madness - sorry to hear the game's not doing it for you, Vagrant, but I'll echo Kromdor in thanking you for letting us know rather than ghosting us. I've enjoyed the game thus far, and if you get back in the PbP mode/mood sometime down the road and feel like giving it another shot, let me know, this berk'll probably still be around. I could even make a different character ;) To all: I hope your holidays go well, and best of luck in all your endeavors!
Lavinia peers intently at the small, ill-equipped figure by the water. Dwarf? I could make a better spear than that.
Hi all! I might be a bit spotty until next Saturday 12/15; I have finals next week that might eat up a bit of my time.
The halfling scratches her chin at the orc's words. Is the child hostage, or bait? Our prey almost seems to want us to catch them. When they're ready to pick up the trail, Lavinia does her best to oblige.
Outside, Lavinia cocks her head at Rius. "The body in the castle was of a half-elven boy, head or no. Could be they snatched this other boy for a stand-in, if they didn't notice the dead one's lineage. If so, they don't have long to use him before all Damara knows the real one's dead."
Glad to hear you're feeling better, Vagrant. I'll echo Kromdor: Do whatever you need to take care of yourself before taking care of the game; we can wait!
Lavinia nods in agreement with the orc, standing aside to let the humans and the musician try their hands - or their words - on the guards.
Lavinia listens to the information the others have gathered. "Could be the note was left by the boy for his father. Could be it was left by our prey for us. If so, it means an extra five hundred coin when we catch them." She mulls something over for a moment. "Only saw one set of tracks heading into the mountains, not two. Why hide one and not the other? Maybe this witch left town some other way. Or maybe she never left at all."
Just outside of town Lavinia stops to take off her left boot and strip off her sock. Carefully placing her bare foot in the center of one of the tracks, she closes her eyes and concentrates on what she knows of her prey: their length of stride, gait, likely speed. Tymora guide me. Boot in hand, Lavinia does her best to follow the barefoot tracks through the mess of days worth of village traffic, working as much by instinct as by skill, hoping to point out likely places for her new associates to direct their inquiries.
Lavinia follows the tracks without comment until their quarry's side-trip into the village is discovered. "Could be going to town gets us someone who saw our prey. Could be it just gets us farther from 'em." Lavinia shrugs at the orc's question, obviously unfazed by the weather; at the others' responses, however, she nods agreement. "Catchin' up won't be much good if most of us are frozen when it happens." Saves:
Sorry for my absence, I've been traveling for the holiday and didn't have time/internet access I thought I would. I should be home in 6 hours and will post then.
Lavinia peers down at the ground far below, nodding at Flarghin’s assessment. At the dwarf’s prompting, Lavinia unpacks a coil of rope and opens the tower window. She firmly sets the rope’s grapnel in the bottom corner of the window frame before tossing the rest out of it. Hopping up onto the sill, she grabs the rope in one hand and casually swings out into the crisp pre-dawn air, slowly making her way down the tower wall as she inspects the strange holes that have been cut into its surface. When she reaches the bottom she doesn’t touch the ground, instead looping the excess rope around her waist and tying it tight behind her back with one hand. She then lets go and hangs, suspended a foot or two off the ground, and studies the snow-covered turf for any signs of the presumed assassin's coming or going.
Lavinia keeps her mouth shut and her ears open as they're briefed by the elven steward. Seems this queen isn't her favorite. Once they're taken to the boy's room, she studies the scene carefully, shooing the big folks back from going too far into the chamber before they tromp over any tracks, and nodding her agreement to the gnome's observation. "An extra set of footprints here," she points, "bare foot, not the boy." She glances over the corpse, checking the feet just to be sure. "Boy was..." she pauses, nonchalantly eyeing the guards, "...beheaded." She points to the neck and shrugs before focusing on the odd tracks. Grunting to herself in annoyance she stoops closer to the carpet to try and suss out the pattern of footprints. "Tymora help me," she mutters under her breath.
Sorry for the brevity of my post, have a busy day and night :(
Lavinia jots down her name as requested. "I'll watch my share." She then finds her room and beds down until woken for watch duty.
Only one way to find out :)
Mouth full of meat, Lavinia nods her agreement to Cassius's sentiments. The magician has the right of it - best see what we're dealing with first. No point wasting time worrying about every possibility that pops into our heads.
No worries! I guarantee you that regardless of Lavinia's reactions, I'm unlikely to take anything that goes down in gameplay personally - and if I do, I'll PM you or bring it up here in discussion. Even if spelled/pronounced correctly, it's more someone she's just met adopting the use of her friend's nickname for her - she's not quite a trusting sort, and could under different circumstances regard it with suspicion as a social engineering tactic (not that she'd call it that!) meant to disarm her and gain her trust.
Lavinia nods at Flarghin's outburst, glad to see domestic life hasn't dulled his spirit. "Why look for something we have already?" she asks the gnome storyteller. "If our prey plots in secret, better we keep to our own."
Lavinia mulls over Flarghin's words as dinner is served, noting the empty chair but paying it no heed. One hundred thousand pieces of gold? Her fingers begin to count but she shakes her head and stops. That's not a real number. Still, must be a lot. "You know, if you're needed here to take care of your family...we all can go in your stead. I mean, Maggie is outnumbered ten to one. In any case, did you already make travel arrangements? If not, I'm sure I can secure a ride with someone from the market. Heck, we can take some brewed coffee and whiskey with us that I can heat up as we travel. A real bonding experience." She cocks her head as the human woman suggests to Flarghin that he stay home, studying her dwarven friend. "He was killed in Heliogabalus? Could be we go by boat, or horse, or feet." She grabs her bowl in both hands and guzzles broth from it, displaying little more table manners than the children, wiping her face on her sleeve when she's done. "I have feet." She picks a large piece of meat out of her bowl and begins chomping away at it, ignoring the Green One's attempt at a nickname and listening for Flarghin's answer to his question.
I'm fine with this being the first time Lavinia's met the others in person if y'all are. I do like the depth of the backstory that Scandalous and Kromdor have going, but I don't believe I have the time to work out something that detailed and keep up with gameplay. I'm a bit of a slow typer and tend to fuss over posts; for instance it looks like my gameplay post took me 59(!) minutes to write.
Lavinia peers at the house from the shadows across the street, checking it against the directions scrawled on the back of Flarghin’s letter. She still wasn’t quite used to the habit of city folk numbering their dwellings. It made sense, certainly, but somehow seemed almost like cheating to her. The numbers matched up, as had the street name, more or less. She’d spent some time circling around the block so as to approach from upwind. No need to startle a friend. After carefully folding the letter and stowing it back in her pack the huntress begins to walk across the lane to the front door, her smooth gait not disturbing the crust of snow that has accumulated to cover her furs. Her eyes pick out footprints in the snow, three - no, four - sets, all arrived within the past hour, none leaving. She sniffs four times then holds her breath. It made sense that Flarghin was assembling a team; with a bounty of the size he’d hinted at in his message, it would surely be no easy prey they hunted. But prey they will be. Now at the house she lets out a long, hot breath, squinting at the mist she blows as it's carried away by the wind, as if she might spy some secret within its wisps. Raising a small hand she raps on the door, staring up from the depths of her fur hat at the hatch well above her head. After being ushered inside she shakes off her coat of snow and proceeds towards the sounds of music coming from what she presumes is the den. Walking into the company of those gathered she removes her hat, her long braid of hair spilling from its pile atop her head to the floor with a thump. She nods to Flarghin. ”You call, I come.” She unshoulders her rucksack at the foot of an empty chair and hops up onto to it, using the vantage to get a better look at the others. ”I am Lavinia. What have I missed?”
Sorry for the wait - I've only had my phone all day and while reading the forums on it is tolerable, posting from it is much less so. I'm now back home with a proper computer and I'll have a gameplay post up directly!
Character update is complete! See below for more info, or this alias for complete character details. Backstory:
Lavinia's people have lived in the wilderness of the Great Glacier for over ten generations. Originally unrepentant Ghostwise halflings fleeing Lurien after their defeat in the Ghost War, the Frostwise Hin tell that their ancestors followed a beckoning blizzard northwards until they reached their new home, forsaking their god Malar for a new faith in his rival, Auril. Those born with the telepathic abilities of their ancestors, now a rarity among her people, are given over for initiation into the priesthood. Leading a semi-nomadic lifestyle, the region they inhabit has always held the danger of undead - every generation tells of a brush with the foul creatures - but over the past several decades the size and frequency of these encounters has been steadily increasing. Born into a respected family of hunters, Lavinia has been raised to serve as a scout and guardian against this rising threat.
Lavinia's youth was spent on the glacier's snowy slopes and icy cliffs where she learned to read the land and weather, to stalk prey unseen, to fell her enemies with a single arrow. This instilled in her a confidence and sense of freedom that grew into disdain for Auril, her despotic clergy, and their tenets of fear. She voiced her opinions to her father at a young age, who warned her that such thoughts would bring the wrath of Auril down upon her when she was alone in the wilds with no one to help her. Refusing to pay homage to the spiteful goddess, Lavinia instead sought protection and aid against the Frostmaiden's ire from any powers or spirits that might be listening, whispering prayers to the winds to guide her arrows, to the stones to ensure her handholds, to the shadows to keep her hidden. She also began attributing causation to unrelated events. For example, she drank a cup of icewine for breakfast the day a storm cleared, so that's good luck for foul weather; she fell while scaling a cliff-face after beginning her climb with her right foot, so now she always begins with her left. Despite the fact that oftentimes these practices fail her, the few times they "work" is enough to convince her of their efficacy.
She made her way to Damara, where she became a furrier for a brief time before being recruited as a guide by Flarghin Ironstone; hired to lead him and his companions to a group of bandits who had holed up in the Galena Mountains for the winter, she performed her task admirably, even taking down two men while they tried to flee the dwarf and his posse. Impressed, Flarghin took her along on a couple more such jobs and Lavinia quickly realized she could hone her skills and earn money much more effectively in this new line of work. Thankful to Flarghin, she soon struck out on her own as a professional bounty hunter, a trade she has plied throughout Damara for the past few years. In Damara she also made the acquaintance of a priest of Tymora, who insisted that her calls to aid were being answered by his goddess and blathered on at length about his faith. Asking around it seemed that many in Damara called upon Lady Luck in times of need. Though still dubious of organized religion in general, and not sure how she feels about Tymora’s seemingly heavy involvement in gambling (a practice she finds foolish at best and, at worst, madness) Lavinia has decided to pay lip service to the goddess for the time being and see how it works out. She can, after all, use all the help she can get against any revenge plots Avril may be hatching against her. Recently she has felt an itch to move on from Damara to see what else the world has to offer, and the recent summons from her old partner sounds like the perfect opportunity to secure some extra money for her travels... Afraid the trail will grow cold, are ye, Ironstone? No wonder ye sent for me. Mechanics:
Lavinia is a halfling ranger focusing on ranged combat and a scout skill set (survival, stealth, perception.) Her archetype sacrifices spell casting for bonus feats and damage to ranged attacks. She also has a luck bonus element from both alternate halfling racial traits and feats. Overall in combat my hope is she provides consistent moderate damage; though not a “boss-killer” she should be able to handle lesser foes and spellcasters, serve as an effective harrier against more powerful foes, and keep her allies clean of any pesky enemy skirmishers. Personality:
Lavinia prefers things be straightforward and simple. She's confident in her ability to survive without material wealth, and as such doesn't waste her time making too many plans - while she likes having money, she knows she doesn't need it, and is amazed at the lengths people will go to for it. She exercises the patience and focus of a skilled huntress when preparing herself for action, but once in the thick of things she favors spur of the moment decisions and actions as situations change; in her opinion hesitation is more dangerous than making the wrong move.
The huntress is wary of strangers of all races and works on the assumption that everyone is out for themselves and their own. She's willing to prove herself to those who doubt her abilities, just as she expects others to prove their worth to her, but takes umbrage with folk who disparage her methods and superstitions - she is convinced that Auril is only waiting for an opportunity to strike at her, and that the only things protecting her are her personal rituals and prayers. Despite her distrustful, self-reliant nature, she is a product of her clan-based society; given time, she could adopt a group or community that had earned her trust as her new "clan." While she doesn't disagree in principle with the more "settled" civilization she's found in Damara, she becomes uncomfortable after staying in large population centers for more than a day or two. She takes great pleasure in exercising her skills in archery and wilderness survival, and is always seeking to hone them further. Character Tie-Ins:
Lavinia has travelled all over Damara for several years as a bounty hunter. She can have worked with other characters in this capacity, met them through Flarghin, or even have just sparked an acquaintance by trading stories (especially with anyone interested in wilderness travel/survival.) About me:
Lavinia's crunch should now be up to snuff. Vagrant, I sent you a couple PMs with some ideas regarding tweaking Lavina's background. Let me know which ones you like and I'll update her fluff accordingly. Also, enjoy your tabletop game :)
You will have to reign her back a little since she leveled up. Also it will just make my life easier if you tweak in a religion. You know exactly why. I'll get to work on this!
Any restrictions on a participant in the first go-round applying again? With the same character?
The Tick in the Barrel here! Lavinia is what I'd be shooting for as far as the ranger archer. I'd just have to double-check her crunch to make sure she's adjusted correctly for second level and clean up her fluff (like, y'know, write her background). I briefly used two different versions of her in two different campaigns that bit the dust right quick; you can check out her previous gameplay posts to get a feel for her personality in action. As I said, I'd also be up for playing a magicky druid if we need to fill a divine/healer role. He'd probably be an old school, very ritualistic druid.
Shathira, I hope things have begun to look up for you. Drop me a line when you're back on the boards and feeling up to running again. Until then, I'm bowing out of our WotR game here. I have some opportunities that I've been holding off on in case this game started up again, but after 30 days it doesn't look good. Thanks to everybody who I played with here - I wish you luck on the boards and in RL :)
Right back at ya!
Wanted to give everyone a heads up that I'm travelling this holiday weekend and my posting may be sparse/non-existent. Will catch up on Thu 11/28 at latest. Happy holidays!
Curious, Lavinia stands on tip-toe to get a look at the cover of the book.
Yikes!
The halfling takes another chunk of bread in exchange for another handful of trail rations, then nods farewell to her young confidant. Re-shouldering her pack as she stands, she makes her way over to her companions and the blindfolded man, curious as to what's going on. Looks like the last day he saw wasn't a good one.
"My da says that you're the heroes that are going to chase the bad things away. I don't like them, they chased us away from our house. You should punch em in the nose!" "I am not good at punching. But I will put an arrow in one for you."
Lavinia takes a chunk of bread, sniffs it, then takes a bite. After a moment she nods appreciatively. "This picnic is good." She slips out from under her pack and briefly rummages through it, producing a handful of trail rations - rabbit jerky and dried berries - which she offers the child in return.
"Watching. Waiting." She keeps her voice a whisper to match the child's. "You?"
The halfling nods a greeting to Irabeth, trotting alongside her and Heinrick as the two make their rounds and chat. "Surprise them once, shame upon us." After checking her gear, she finds a comfortable table to squat under and watches the big folk go about their business. Living in one place for so long, I'm surprised this hasn't happened more often. Not much sense in building homes you can't move. Eventually something's gonna to come along and knock 'em down.
Sorry for my recent absence; despite my efforts, holiday stuff got the better of me.
Lavinia shrugs her agreement, keeping a watchful eye and ear out while valuables are gathered.
Lavinia gives a slight scowl as she carefully aims at the demon's laughing face and releases, followed by a satisfied nod at the result.
Seeing Heinrick's distress, Lavinia hesitates for half a moment before nocking a magic arrow and letting it fly at the demon harassing him.
GM Shathira: I'm good. Unless the situation takes a turn for the worse, Lavinia will trust the big strong holy men to deal with the vermin :)
Content behind the wall of metal and muscle provided by her two male allies, Lavinia carefully aims between their legs and sends another arrow flying towards the same demon.
Lavinia crouches and sways, trying to get a good glimpse of the enemy around her allies before finally loosing an arrow.
The halfling raises her eyebrows increduously. "Sounds like they are just breaking things. For fun." She shrugs at Heinrick. "Could be we open the door and catch them by surprise. Whatever 'they' are."
Lavinia squints in concentration, trying in vain to pick out anything familiar in what she hears. After a moment she gives a shrug and steps away from the door, knocking an arrow in Clearsky as she backs away. Drawing aim at the doorway, she puts her teeth to her lower lip and lets slip a quick noise not unlike the passage of one of her arrows, hoping to gain her companions' attention. "Fffft!"
While the others discuss matters of housekeeping, Lavinia moves to the eastern door and listens there as well.
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