Lluvia Shade's page

Lluvia courtsies gracefully to the baroness as she enters the room and waits until she has introduced herself. "I am grateful that you grant us an audience, and would like to congratulate you to your son." Twelve years ago Lluvia herself was looking forward to having a child, until her husband was murdered when their embassy was caught in a net of intrigues in Absalom. "I am faithul he will be as strong, healthy and a grace to his house as is his mother."

She made a small pause to sorte her words as she sorted her words and indicated that she would be coming to business. "As you probably know we are adventurers who gathered to find the secret behind the strange disease which is haunting the village, which does not seem to have a natural cause. Alone, the trail we have been pursuing so far has been mislead. On your husband's advice, we tried to make contact with the chandelier, as she seems to have been busy with counter measures to the disease.

What we would like to know is whether you can tell us anything about Ilquis, whether you ever heard of a Lord of Light before - I doubt that's a reference to Sarenrae - and what whether you are aware of any necromancers within the barony, other than Father Miklos, who must be versed in necromancy as Priest of the Prince of Darkness. There are strong indicators that the tallowthroat may be necromantic in nature. Also, are you aware of any similar events in the history of this village? I am very sorry to burden you with so much sorrow in what should be a time of joy for you, your highness."

Lluvia's tone is humble, not loud but clear. She seems to be well versed with courtly protocol and demeanor. Every now and then she builds in a pause as she speaks to give the baroness the opportunity to oask questions and continues only when the lady shows no sign of objection.

Lluvia nodded. "I will provide her highness gratefully with a detailed report."

There were a few strange things going on in the village. That hardly anyone knew what was going on with their neighbours was one of them.

The elf waited silently for Gavril's return.

Lluvia did not respond to the religious remarks, but her green eyes were resting on those of Gravil with curiosity, not unfriendly, but intense. No, Ilquis had indeed not been a friend of the state, nor did she think was responsible for tallowthroat, not immediately, but he was a foul creature and his purpose and allegiances remained yet unclear. It did not help that he escaped.

The elf raised her eyebrow on the notion of the baroness. The elven woman had not even realized that the baron was married. She did not really know whether it would do any good, but she wanted to have a word with the baroness. Maybe she was more helpful and devote than her husband. "... and a conversation with the baroness would quiet the baron?" She remarked, gently implying a question with a slightly angled head.

"Then we should very much like to speak with the baroness first, unofficially." The games of power in such a court were delicate, she might talk more freely if the conversation was off the record. "Could you discretely relay a message?"

Lluvia listened thoroughly to the words that were spoken, and even though she wanted leave the couple their well privacy, they were in desperate need of a lead.

She rubbed her temples trying to see through all this, but there did not seem to be a connection. "Did you ever here of Ilquis before that happened? Or did you ever hear of a Lord of the Light? I don't think that's a reference to Sarenrae... possibly a fairy prince."

Lluvia smiles warmly as she saw the re-united couple and lowers her eyes as they kiss. "I am glad to see you two happy. We should give you some space. Ca..." She interrupted herself with a glance to Praetorix and nod to the couple.

"Anyway" she turned to her companions, "I don't think we have defeated the disease yet... We could talk to the father about your findings at the chanelier's body, Prae, or have a closer look at plague victims." As always she spoke soft and considerate, but there was hardly noticeable undercurrent of worry in her voice. The tallowthroat might well be of necromantic origin and the father responsible.

Lluvia won't take anything because she has severe problems with her carrying capacity, anyway - due to the lost strength point she carries a medium load.

However, I believe we can move, all seem ready to go to the castle.

Llucia was quite surprised when she found all that gear. "Have a look at this, I believe it might be magic" she lined up the weapons and armor in front of the box and had a closer look at the vials and the chain shirt.

"Anyway, we may leave now." With that the elf goes over to the traps at the cellar door and disables them.

Just to make sure that it doesn't lead to a misunderstanding again: Lluvia is not necessarily looking for traps or hidden objects, she is looking for any clue as to what's going on here. I am just mentioning the circumstantial boni so they won't be forgotten if the apply.

Lluvia listens to the argument and she is starting to wonder who that 'lover' of her is. It would be highly indiscreet to ask, though. An elf just doesn't do that.

The stealthy woman isn't quite ready to leave yet. "The mystery of this place is a puzzle we must solve, yet all the pieces may be elude our grasp if we leave early." Ilquis was still free, after all and who knows what other parties we involved in all this. Things did not add up yet.

She started moving slowly through the large room looking for clues. Every few steps she would halt and take the time to examine every detail, regardless how unimportant it appeared at first glance.

Search: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24
Circumstantial boni:
Canny observer: +4 to locate hidden or secret objects (including traps)
Trapfinding: +2 to locate traps
(both boni are untyped, hence cummulative if applicable)

Lluvia looked grim as she had to realize that they were only able to save one of the people in the vats alive. Nothing of all this made any sense at all and there did not seem to be any good lead. Nevertheless, she was glad that at least this human woman could be saved.

The elf in grey and brown picked up her equipment which she had left at the entrance, took off her cloak. She put the cloak softly around the woman's shoulders and handed the her the water skin from her backpack.

"This nightmare is over for you now, we shall bring you home. I am Lluvia; we are here to help. Does anyone have anything to eat for her?" remarked Lluvia. "It is curious that you have been captured while sneaking in the dark, though. On the other hand that made it simple to capture you without the kidnapper being observed themselves." It might have been Ilquis who had "frozen her in space", but it seemed unlikely that Ilquis brought her here if that was the case. She wondered "I wonder whether you were a target of opportunity or your captor knew where to find you."

Lluvia reached her hand out to help her up. "Can you stand and walk?"

For a moment Lluvia was paralyzed by the sudden change of the situation. Then she slipped her rapier back in its sheath and stepped to the next to her, trying to push it over. "Quickly, we need help whoever is inside of there!" she squeezed out as she pushed against with her full weight, despite the fact that her full weight was not particularly much and she was still weakened from the touch of the shadow creature.

Strength Check: 1d20 ⇒ 12

Technically you can't cast a magic missile on a target you cannot see:

Some spells have a target or targets. You cast these spells on creatures or objects, as defined by the spell itself. You must be able to see or touch the target, and you must specifically choose that target. You do not have to select your target until you finish casting the spell.

If he's got wings I might be able to bring him down to ground level next round... with a favorable miss chance roll.

It's not just the miss chance. You need to figure out in which field he is before you have even of hitting him. Field is not a square in the plane in the given context, but a cube in space, since he can fly.

He did "flutter" from the chandelier. He might be a pixie.

I honestly have no idea how Prae can be useful in this fight. Anyone have any suggestions?

Difficult.

• If you have any ranged attacks, you can try to locate him by ear and if you manage to find the proper field you have a 50% chance to hit him despite full concealment.
  
• Alternatively you can try helping Dario and me with the worker
  
• or to try and save whatever is in the vat. Pushing the vats over might help.
  
• Or you could make sure that whatever ritual he's performing is spoiled - he did utter something that sounded like an invocation and I am somewhat concerned about the connection to the first world.
  

I am somewhat curious what Lord of the Light he's talking about. I am pretty certain that it isn't Sarenrae.

Lluvia had to shake of the flash of searing light off. Isn't there any sane creature at all in this dark country? She was not with the Umbral Court, but she certainly wasn't with the strange abuse creature that Ilquis was. She would very much like to take him down, alive if possible, but she could not fight what she could see.

She wanted to help whoever was in the vast, but for now it was more important to defeat their enemies. She engaged in helping Dario to take control of the surviving servant - he was likely but another victim in all this, but they had to keep him under control until Ilquis was defeated, to which her comrades hopefully had a solution.

Lluvia tries to help Dario grapple the servant.
Grapple (Air Another): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Lluvia looked a little puzzled at first and removes the black brooch in the shape of a butterfly with splinters of glass across its wings*, which holds her cloak. While she puts her cloak orderly to the ground she asks: "You mean I am going to be the host for a creature of light? ...that's... exciting." Her demeanour raised the impression that she was willing to comply, but not particularly fast or focused.

Bluff: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

On his remark in Sylvan she translates with a lowered voice, but audible to the others: He said: 'Oh followers of the light, I have created this door way so that you may join us!' The light usually meant Sarenrae, but she had severe doubt that this was an invocation of Sarenrae. Fae of the unseelie court?

"I take it that your helpers are already blessed..."

When she noticed the arm coming out of the vat she immediately unsheathed her rapier and moved to it and tried to make anything out in it. "What was that?"

How many vats are there and what is in those which are not empty?

Lluvia looked a little puzzled. Now, what is this guy's angle? The elven woman resented dishonesty, but to tell him straight into his face that she had no intention to partake in his experiments whatsoever seemed very unwise and that assessment was not even considered that the strange creature had not answered a single one question.

She took a few steps to one of the vats she had indicated. "Would it help if I took off my armour? I don't usually bathe in full clothes." she remarked as she removed the knot from her hair and let it fall openly.

"What exactly is your work, and how am going to help?" She gave him a curious look over the shoulder.

The vats are empty, aren't they?

Lluvia lowered her bow, put the arrow back into the quiver and stepped into the light.

"An ghrian timpeallghearradh do cosáin."

She curtseyed respectfully. "My name is Lluvia." ... and I am unable to introduce my companions because I don't know all of their names. "We are interested in finding out what is haunting the people of this village - the tallowthroat as it has been called. According to our information there endeavours underway to combat it." She nodded to the wrecked rack. "Though I must confess, this does not bode well. Nor does the body of the poor chandler which we found. If I understood the remarks of my companions correctly, an undead creature... was hosted in her throat. Is that the tallowthroat? In how far was she lacking in her duties? It appears she made a lot of candles." She avoided the term "parasite" for now.

The creature had likely seen where they came from. Consequently there was no harm in admitting they had seen the dead body. "If we can make up for our rude behavior, please let us know."

She had heard that it was outstandingly dangerous to insult a fey and that what was considered polite and an insult sometimes deviated from elven ideas of politeness. On the other hand she might be able to make up for transgressions with a dance or a story of her past. If he was fey.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Lluvia switches to her longbow as silent as she can and makes a hand sign towards the glow she noticed. She rather tries to maintain her cover for now and leave the talking to the others. She may have been noticed already, but if not it would be unwise to give up her position.

She tries to make out the source of the voice. A high pitched voice, hiding in a chandelier 30 feet above the ground? An imp maybe?

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

On Prae's request whether anyone was injured Lluvia remarked: "I am still feeling a bit weak from the attack, some of this deadly cold is lingering within me... But I am not physically hurt."

She waited a moment for further comments or reactions and puts her bag with equipment down by the door, so it would not burden her, weakened as she is.

Then elven woman with sly features walked slowly into the room and tried to make out whether there was anyone operating the furnace. Her motions where smooth as that of cat and her steps soft as the paws of the same. She always held her rapier so that it would not catch the light.

She does not approach the most obvious item of interest, the broken rack and the pool of blood just yet, but clinged to the darker sides of the room and relyed on her elven eyesight now that she had her Ioun Torch removed.

Stealth: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23

In the front of the room

is a drying rack on which candles are hung while they cool. Broken and mangled, it sits in a circle drawn in blood and fat.

You mean the drying rack is "broken and mangled" and "sits" in said cirlce? Or is there a person?

Lluvia watches in silence as Dario unlocks the door. For a moment her jade eyes fixate his and she returns a mysterious half smile on his remark regarding locked doors. The most important and most dangerous locks cannot be picked. Especially if the enclose hearts, forgotten past and suppressed desires.

Without a word the elf lowers her eyes and positions herself next to it in the shadow once he's done. The elf lets the Ioun Torch disappear in a pocket after a moment of consideration.

One question:
Do the clothes in the messed up bedroom above us make sense for the young woman whose body we found?

Lluvia steps closer to the door and examines it closely. Someone must be working beyond the door, it likely leads to the workshop were candles are created. Strange that there was no reaction yet, but maybe their fighting got lost in the sound of boiling wax.

Perception: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (13) + 16 = 29
She's looking for traps at or near the door.
1 wisdom bonus + 3 class + 4 ranks + 2 racial + 4 canny observer + 2 trapfinding

I did not necessarily mean "right now" :D

Lluvia reaches with her hand out to make sure that the woman's eyes are closed. She had not expected someone so young; the elf offered a silent prayer to Pharasma for the woman's soul.

Turned to the half-elf she said: "No and yes. My guess is that the shadow creatures are being used." She could elaborate on what she meant, but the body's state already put her previous theories in question again. "Either way, we should analyse this candle thoroughly; also I would like to secure some candles which have been recently created, but do not seem special in any way."

"Her neck looks like torn apart from the inside." She said pointing to the body. "That might be the disease - they call it 'tallowthroat' after all." She shook her head. "Anatomy is not my field of expertise. A parasite?" She shrugged a little helpless and looked at her comrades to see whether anyone else had an opinion.

Yes, my questions are answered, thanks. Just one more: Given the description of the messed up room above us, I was rather expecting a middle-aged lonely man, not a young woman. Were the clothes through which we dug a young woman's clothes?

She looks around to see whether there is any way out of the room other than the ladder up, or anything else out of the ordinary.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12
Another +4 to overhear details of a conversation, or to find hidden objects (including doors and traps)

Lluvia was still busy with the body but briefly looked up. There was obviously a lot things going on her mind but she merely remarked: "Suppose you wanted to spread a small amount of residue in the air where people live, how would you do that?" She glanced at the candle, but then turned to the dead body again.

a heal check to further answer your question, Lluvia ')

Could I have a description, please: What am I seeing?

"In the corner lay a puddle of slick liquid and the remains of a slain humanoid." was the most exhaustive description so far.

What race does it belong to, is a man or woman, what clothes does it wear, what does the face look like, how old was it, what obvious wounds does it have, if any, is the liquid blood or not and if so, is it already clotted. Obvious things for which one does not usually have to make a skill check.

Keep in mind that Lluvia has low-light vision - her seeing as better than a human's in half light has no trouble discerning colours. If the liquid was blood that would have been obvious to her.

Heal: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Lluvia raises her blade to see whether there is any residue of the shadowy creatures on it and wipes it off, just to make sure. It did not seem like "Prae" had the intention to share what he had been talking about with the creatures and normally she'd leave it at that, but as far as the case was concerned she had to ask. "Was there any indication of what happened here in what they said?" her voice sounds calm and well measured, but it is apparent that the elf feels cold and her equipment suddenly burdens her - she even wraps her free arm around herself, but it's not the kind of cold that comes from the outside.

Nevertheless she turns to the body on the floor for a third time to have a look at it. The quiet elf maiden adjusts the cloth in front of her face, so that she does not have to inhale the possible fumes of decay. Even though she just cleaned her weapon she uses it to find out whether the liquid on the floor is blood, as she suspects. If it is still liquid this must have happened relatively recently.

(If there is indeed a large amount of non clotted blood she also checks whether the body is still warm and if so, she checks whether it is actually dead or the person might be saved.)

She also has a look at the features and clothes of the dead person and tries to make out possible wounds. Defensive Wounds? Weapon or claw wounds?

I am somewhat surprised that a 17 is enough to hit those...

I fixed Lluvia's inventory by removing the ring of deflection (2000 gp) and the cloak of elvenkind (2500 gp), which covers the exact difference of 4500 gp I spent too much.

Loosing one point of strength rends havoc with her stats:
She's now carrying a medium load => movement speed 20 feet.
She suffers -4 malus for attack rolls with her composite longbow because she does not have the minimal strength any more.
-1 on damage rolls with both with both rapier and longbow.

Lluvia fields the cold of death running through her veins as the creature touches her. But there is no worrying about it right now, it's do or die. "Beware of their touch!" she presses out.

Trying to keep the motion fluent despite the cold feeling in her veins and strikes again.

Attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17
3 base attack bonus + 4 Dex + 1 magic weapon + 2 flanking + 1 freebooter's bane

I can't take 5-foot-steps on difficult terrain, but it if helps to flank them Lluvia will risk taking a move action to reposition. In case she reaps an attack of opportunity the AC is 23, Touch 18. (She gets a +4 dodge bonus from Mobility which does not stack with the +1 bonus from dodge.)

Lluvia is now carrying a medium load, her speed dropped to 20 ft.

Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 Her Str bonus dropped to 0, but freebooter's bane
Sneak Attack: 2d6 ⇒ (5, 2) = 7 ... if applicable.

Base stats: AC 20 (incl dodge) Flat-Footed 15* Touch 15. HP 23. Fort 1 Ref 8 Will 2 (+2 vs. enchantments).
Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Immune to sleep
Combat Reflexes (5 AoE/rd)

_______________
* keep in mind that Lluvia is never really flat-footed, unless she is helpless as well, due to uncanny dodge.

Lluvia is not impatient with the conversation, but she had the impression that Praetorix was under attack and she is not one to strike second or wait in good will whether Praetorix would survive this:

... and seemed to surround Praetorix in a cloak of umbral darkness

By her assessment, if she hesitates but one moment Praetorix might die.

I noticed I made an embarrassing mistake with my character.. I must have slipped into he wrong line when I looked up my starting gold and spent 10,500 gp for a level 5 instead of 6,000 gp for level 4 character. I'll correct that within the next day...

so she does not have a cloak of elvenkind after all, which would have changed a few descriptions of her. For the sake of consistency she'll probably wear a normal mundane cloak.

I am a bit uncertain about the formulation that they surround Praetorix in a cloak of darkness. I can still strike at them without striking at Praetorix, right?

Lluvia angles her head slightly as the strange motions begin. The tip of the elf's rapier already raises when she's still formulating a plan: Try to fool them? No... Prae might not have the time for elaborate trap

From a position directly opposed to the pale man makes a lunge and a thrust forward with her weapon, so simple that it might be from a human schoolbook on fencing.

Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18
That includes +2 for flanking.

Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Sneak Attack: 2d6 ⇒ (4, 3) = 7

Since I don't know whether I got the one which has Freebooter's Bane on it, I might get another +1/+1

Base stats: AC 21 (incl dodge) Flat-Footed 16* Touch 16. HP 23. Fort 1 Ref 8 Will 2 (+2 vs. enchantments).
Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Immune to sleep
Combat Reflexes (5 AoE/rd)

Lluvia raises once she had a look at the dead body, but remains silent, her rapier pointing to the floor, but in the direction of the shadowy appearances.

Even though her face, as far as it isn't covered by cloth, shows nothing but calm confidence, there is something predatory in the way the unsteady light is caught in her green eyes and reflects on the weapon's smooth blade. Apart from those two features the elf's exact shade is hard separate from the shadowy half-light of the cave.

Well, I don't make a habit of clicking spoilers which I am not meant to click, so I didn't know what it was saying, but it does sound like we'll be smashing them after all.

Lluvia looks somewhat embarrassed as she lowers her weapon altogether and leaves her combat stance. "If you would kindly extend my sincere regret to the entity I hurt?" she asked Prae.

Leaving the conversation to him she turns her attention the body again.

Lluvia raises her rapier from a threatening to a defensive position and tries to give "Prae" the space to do his work. She certainly does not approve of his fondness of undead, but he was entirely correct that combat should remain a last resort and by no means used simply out of the fear of the unknown.

She listened attentively to his words.

No actual combat action.

Linguistics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
She tries to identify the language. Note that Lluvia does speak undercommon, which was one of several influences on necril.

While the strange manifestations' appearance surprises Lluvia, she is not as afraid as she objectively should. They don't even clearly appear to be threat and the situation has something unreal.

As the one who entered the room first and is deepest within it she might get into a flanking position. With the notion that they can be harmed with weapons, she tries a normal fencing thrust right into the middle of the one which Kraimir attacked.

Move into attack position, standard attack. She dodges the cloud she is attacking.
Attack bonus: 3 base + 1 magic weapon + 4 dex bonus + 2 flank = +10
Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
Weapon Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
If applicable: Sneak Attack Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 2) = 3
I don't know whether that's the one with Freebooter's Bane on it, so I didn't calculate that in.

Base stats: AC 21 (incl dodge) Flat-Footed 16* Touch 16. HP 23. Fort 1 Ref 8 Will 2 (+2 vs. enchantments).
Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Immune to sleep
Combat Reflexes (5 AoE/rd, even while flat footed and secondly she's never flat footed due to uncanny dodge - note that I would have gotten an attack of opportunity if a cloud moved through my threat range,)

The are black clouds... knowledge (metreology)?

Lluvia is using an Ioun Torch.

Lluvia approaches the body carefully to have a slowly to have a closer look at it and figure out who it might be and what the person died from. She stops near it and uses the tip of her rapier to check whether the puddle comes from dried blood, as she suspects.

"I know." answered Lluvia to Kraimir's remark. Her face showed no motion, only a grin hushed over it as she turned to Dario, to see what he found.

"Thank you." she answered his compliment and took a position besides him to see what he found. "That's strange. Might be plague victims..." She took a piece of cloth from her backpack and tied it around her head so that mouth and nose were covered. Then she started climbing down the leader. The setting was frightening, but liingering up there would not help.

"It is disarmed." Hopefully no silent alarm had been triggered. For a moment she set upright with eyes closed and called an image to her mind that always helped her finding peace: Steady rain glitterig in half light.

"You might want to have a look - it's a trap door." She assembled her tools and stowed them thoroughly. Then she opened the trap door, careful to not activate the mechanism after all, if only for a small slit - she didn't want the light from her Ioun Stone give away the her presence. Was this merely an in-door access to the workshop or was there something more to it?

As soon as Kraimir comes into sight - assuming that he does.
She maintains her typical nonchalant half smile, but raises in fluent motion to her feet and performs a curtsey. "A pleasure to meet you, Sir Kraimir. I am Lluvia."

"Clockwork, timed trigger. Hard to say, but stay clear of the room. Trying to fix." she said just loud enough so that she'd be heard while she tried to maintain her concentration.

I am not sure whether Lluvia would be comfortable with the description "Bedroom Scene". :D