Lydia Stillbourne's page

Hm. Where are our Cleric and Sorcerer (the former has apparently at least "dotted" in, but the latter, despite being first to sign up, remains entirely unseen)...?

Player I'm Hiding In Your Closet
Character Lydia Schwarz Stillbourne
PFS # 40025-20
Faction Dark Archive
Day Job Profession (Librarian): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12 Frigate, folio reroll!: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27
Progression: Standard

Lydia is a maniac - a maniac!!! - on the floor of any Research project. Got one of those books that you're scared to read for some reason? Let her take a look! She's a lot stronger than she looks, and while she is a...special-needs patient when it comes to healing, she does have a useful (if painful) implement for taking care of herself.

She has literally been to Heaven and back; didn't care for it.

She isn't much fun at parties...

Should I input Fomalhaut's initiative modifier too, or not?

...and place your token, initiative and perception on the >SLIDES<.

Would that I could; it's presently "View Only" for me.

Overheard in City of Heroes:

'THESIA': "Swearing is my hobby and also my religion."
'ANGEL WORMWOOD': "You're English, then."
'THESIA': "The Church of Samuel L. Jackson welcomes you."

“I saw a 'degrowth' speech this afternoon. Something made me do a mental spit take. Among a laundry list of woke buzzwords: 'Colonialism is oppression'. 'We must stop extraction'. 'Pass a Universal Basic Income'. What? We must extract less, consume less, but give away vaporware money to people so they can continue to consume mindlessly?

Economies around the world are collapsing. The math is simple - high profits, low wages, massive unemployment. We can fix that, but that would require lowering profits and promoting jobs, but the donor class won't allow it. So instead we print money and pretend the unemployed don't exist."

"Ultimately I think that social movements – Ecology, Identity Politics, Social Justice - have been hijacked for the purpose of sabotaging them. Life is like being a target in whack-a-mole – your head will pop up and someone will try to hit you with a mallet for not conforming to the moral requirement of this hour. SJWs are not insane zealots, they know exactly what they're doing: Establishing a world where no one can be accepted, therefore no one is worthy of being helped, even you.”

― “doh1304”, poster on another site

Pulg's innocently inept misdelivery of a special order of crazy-bread not only cost him his job as a pizza delivery-thing, but led to garlic wreathes being designated as a criminal “hate symbol“ in the Soho area (Soho, Westminster AND Soho, Florida, oddly enough).

Looks good, thanks much!

I was waiting on Lydia.

I'm sorry; I let Fomalhaut speak for me.

Of course, one could argue that my reason for not getting one might still qualify me for the Boon; can't say I didn't try! :)

Also, shouldn't I be getting Out-of-Tier (1,219) gold?

Eynmeb is very contrite and apologises profusely to each of you. Even so, he is taken away by guards.

"Wait," Lydia unexpectedly calls out before the guards haul poor Eynemb away. She approaches him with a shrewd look.

"It takes courage to question your own society," She begins. "Great courage, in fact. You were wrong this time - and I guess the consequences of your pride could have been, I don't know...very bad. You know what, though? I'm well over a hundred years old, and if there's one thing life has taught me, it's that most people are miserable cowards. I wish more people had your pride. You were dead-wrong this time, but you had your reasons for your conclusion. I've seen that kind of conviction before; its the conviction of someone who actually thought about what he'd been told, and wouldn't accept 'because it is said so' as an answer. I don't know where they're taking you now, but once they let you out-" Lydia looks over to the Mayor for a moment. "Um...they're not putting him to death or whatever, right?" Then she turns back to Eynemb. "ASSUMING they let you out, I happen to know more than a few people who happen to think very, very highly of a willingness to explore heresy: The Dark Archive. If you can make your way to distant Absalom - or perhaps to Goka would suffice - seek us out." She finishes by dropping a token depicting a lurid purple flame over a black book into his trembling claw.

Knowledge (Arcana), Faction Pin, to recruit knowledgeable individual for the Dark Archive (per Season 8 Faction Objectives), DC 18: 1d20 + 6 + 1d4 ⇒ (13) + 6 + (3) = 22 Qapla'!

...as does Lydia.

+2 Scythe, flank: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
damage: 2d4 + 6 ⇒ (1, 1) + 6 = 8

...and Lydia braves the monster's reach to attack with her scythe, now visibly glimmering with spirit-energy!

+2 Scythe: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22
damage: 2d4 + 6 ⇒ (2, 3) + 6 = 11

I'll take +2 to my scythe.

Lydia summons the spirits of the long-dead to swarm around her in a shield before moving toward the shadow-wolf...

Lydia advances on the insufferable Eynemb, wildly swinging her fearsome scythe...

masterwork scythe, flank: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
Damage: 2d4 + 4 ⇒ (3, 2) + 4 = 9

...while Lydia, seeing the show well in hand for the moment, attempts to send the obnoxious Wayang nationalist a good punch-to-the-mind.

Daze, DC 14.

Lydia Stillbourne wrote:

[dice=Will save]1d20+7 +2 if it's mind-affecting (among other modifiers)

What other modifiers?

+2 versus disease, -1 versus effects that damage, drain, or reduce physical ability scores, +4 versus written magical effects (such as glyphs, runes, sigils, and symbols) and any effect of any sort caused by reading any form of writing

Will save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14 +2 if it's mind-affecting (among other modifiers)

Allegory (Knowledge [Religion: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 Up yours, Dicebot.

Lydia seems demoralized by the proceedings. She finds she's glad to be wearing a mask. Is this supposed to be a farce??? "Umm...this reminds me of the time Asmodeus went to the Boneyard for a byegones-be-byegones graveyard-picnic with Sarenrae. So long did They picnic together that the sun set (that is to say, Sarenrae fell asleep face-down in one of Asmodeus's famous hellfire-tarts) and the moon rose over Purgatory - but that was no moon, it was GROETUS! Aaaaaahh! Now, Pharasma happened to be in the tub at the time or something, so Asmodeus and Pharasma had to think quickly lest Groetus do whatever completely-unknown-yet-guaranteed-to-be-terrible thing everyone knows He will do (perhaps the Lambada?), so Asmodeus said They should conscript a vast Army of the Dead from the graveyard around them to either beat Groetus back or at least satiate him with wave after wave of expendable sacrifices, but Sarenrae insisted she and Asmodeus alone should fly up to Groetus, look for a weak spot on His surface, and throw fireballs down to His core, but they could not agree, Sarenrae said Asmodeus's idea was wasteful and heartless and arrogant, Asmodeus said Sarenrae's idea was absurdly improbable and distastefully derivative, neither would relent, so they both took their fireballs and went home, and Groetus was left unstoppable as He OBLITERATED ALL EXISTENCE! And now here we are. I sure hope you learned something from that!"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Lydia shares her hunches on the audience's preferences (see spoiler above, obviously).

"I invited him in especially for it," Adds Lydia after a moment's pause. Some of you may notice that Lydia is no longer casting a shadow of her own....

Lydia and Fomalhaut follow Okaze and Oboskursuma.

Sorry, just can't think of much to contribute at the moment.

Upon seeing the venerable skeleton, Lydia contemplates her surroundings with her second sight; a place like this must surely have stories beyond count, to those who know how to read them....

I have another idea if nothing interesting comes out of that, but it will take a little more effort to pull off....

I...uhh...are they holding it digitally or something???

...and Lydia crosses her arms, lets down her shoulders, and gives Okaze a "welcome to my world" sort of look.

"Lydia, do you hear that? Either there is a ghost in this graveyard or I may be losing my mind. I am not used to communing with the dead..."

"Alright, alright, both of you," Lydia replies without breaking stride. She seems to be in a better mood than earlier. "It always gets to this part," She pauses for a moment, then adds, as if in reply, "Yes, I know about last time, let it go. Urrhg. No time like the present, right?"

Lydia turns around and centers herself in the chamber as best as the architecture will allow; as she does so, the muting of ambient hues that seems to follow Lydia everywhere she goes now intensifies and spreads, casting the already-gloomy Wayang crypt in downright-impossible extremes of black and white. She begins an occult incantation:

"As I travel Night's domains,
I see wounds gape through the planes.
Enter now this house of rot,
Fomalhaut,
FOMALHAUT,
FOMALHAUT!!!"

With the minutest flicker in the air, like a heavy eye suddenly blinking open, the light and color (such as it ever was) returns to the chamber, and all is as it was before.

With one exception...

Lydia tries the door with the mysterious geometric pattern.

Is it Boon yet?: 1d20 ⇒ 17...Probably not.

I'm in no rush.

Lydia emits a short, wheezing, laugh-like noise at Okaze's observation. "Find me someplace where there aren't, why don't you? Fine, sure, whatever."

Lydia sets out for the one place she knows she can always find somebody worth talking to: The local graveyard.

In a place like this, it must be a doozy, too...!

I've got a natural +4 to Sense Motive; I noticed when I joined this party could use some Wisdom. ;)

I've got Linguistics +9, several Knowledge skills +6, and Profession (Librarian) +11, for what that's worth.

I also intend to procure us some outside help in a bit here...and I do mean Outside.

"A group like that...are you certain they're not just adventurers?" Lydia asks dryly.

"A-ha. THAT," Lydia responds, pouncing like a predator on this last bit of information. "Please tell us more about this crater."

Ow, ninja'd by the DM's reply.

"Rituals...have reasons for being," Says Lydia slowly and awkwardly as she tries to sort through everything that is and has been going on around her.

Typical, she thinks as she looks over the 'offerings'. It's a good thing -she- wasn't hurt. From what she knew of the Wayang, part of her had been hoping they'd actually be the sort to cater to both sides of the veil.

"I don't know about any of you, but I...felt something in there," She continues. She then turns to the mayor with that sort of 'this feels like your job' expression every seasoned clerk inevitably learns. "This is a bit more than just some cheery hats-and-pies festival, isn't it?"

FYI, I've got a LONG plane trip tomorrow, so please pardon my absence for the next ~48 hours.

...I believe HE is. 8S

Seeing Yulau take a nasty hit (excessively so???) from Greencloak, Lydia moves to intercede, placing the wide flat of her kukri between them!

aid Yulau's AC: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

Lydia strides purposefully out to by Khoda's side, ebony mock-kukri in hand.

Now...what do I really know about how a druid would fight???

After a somewhat incongruous look behind herself, she turns around and makes a gesture toward the nearest visible Wayang warrior, thrusting her weapon rigidly downward in imitation of some bloody sacrificial rite.

Intimidate to demoralize Green: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

I'd suggest, regardless of our typical weapon preferences, picking weapons with wide threat ranges rather than big multipliers for this - less risk of anything going horribly wrong that way.

Lydia accordingly searches the armory (carpentery?) for a scythe, longspear, and/or kukri.

Flashback:

Lydia samples and appears to enjoy all the food, even having seconds, although the beverage doesn't seem to particularly agree with her.

She cheerfully tries the paper hats, the colors of which look downright garish compared to most of the rest of her; after a moment's odd pause, she takes a second such hat, which she stows...somewhere.

She approaches the booth offering skin-bleachings, only to be courteously turned away after the esthetician, speaking with a mixture of concern and awe, tries to ask her for advice on his own art.

/flashback

Lydia looks down at what remains: The mask of Ilyamakano the Druid.

She scowls, as though annoyed by something, but promptly softens again.

"I choose Ilyamakano," She announces evenly. "Sounds like a lot of what I do anyway."

That's okay but I'm not sure about switching characters after the adventure has already begun.

I've definitely seen it done before; it works so long as one isn't very far in, which we're not.

TO be honest, it's not really designed for wayang PCs. We are okay because Okaze is an unconventional wayang but you will note that the PCs are playing the part of the non-wayangs at the ceremony. The whole point is that the pathfinders do not fit in.

Good point. I'll try to stay in.

I am considering pulling out of this game.

I had no idea it was so Wayang-centric (and I have always adored the very idea of Indonesian shadow-puppets as their own PC character race), otherwise I would've wanted to field one of my several Wayang characters...the trouble being they're all too high for a 1-2 adventure.

I don't suppose a 5th-level character could be admitted into this game?

Knowledge (Local): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Lydia keeps quiet; she's no stranger to the Wayang, but this is the first time she's been anywhere near this far East.

@Miseria, I looked at your sheet, and I noticed you appear to have Shackleborn Tiefling modifiers wrong; their penalty is to Wisdom, not Intelligence.

Sitting near the back, in the shade of the upper deck, is a slight, pretty young woman - well, she certainly looks young at a glance, but it's almost like she's some kind of preserved fruit, simultaneously young and ancient - with a large scythe, a well-made sling, a bundle of leathery old skulls, and a few wands at her side. As one looks closer, a more striking thing about her becomes noticeable: She's virtually colorless. She has some kind of strangely attractive blue-and-lavender pox flecked sparsely across her face and arms, and a few spots of color amongst her equipment, but other than that, she's practically a charcoal drawing, nothing but shades of black, white, and grey - as she leans forward, you notice her mere presence seems to drain the color around her.

I'm Lydia. Also a student of esoteric knowledge. I'm looking forward to Iniyahi. It sounds much nicer than most of the places I've been so far."

Tier 1-2, huh? This calls for a change of plans:

Player Name: I'm Hiding In Your Closet
Character Name: Lydia Schwarz Stillbourne (and Fomalhaut!)
Society Number: 40025-20
Fast/Slow Track: Normal/Fast
Day Job roll: Profession (Librarian), Faction pin: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30
Faction: Dark Archive

Okay then, let's give 'er a whirl...

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

Shoot. Anyone else?

You still have to successfully ID it.

DC 27 isn't a given =)

Given the nature of many other Objectives on that list (like "retrieve a spellbook", "retrieve an artifact", etc), I would argue that, while the CL requirements are specific to me, it is otherwise enough that SOMEBODY in the party managed it.

Besides, with that particular Objective, I could envision, were that NOT the case, parties with multiple high-Spellcraft Dark Archivists getting into some ugly "South Park roshambo" scenarios, if you know what I mean.

Lydia Stillbourne wrote:

- Did I manage to identify a potion or magic item with a caster level of 3rd+?

Dalton had a feather token (bird) which is technically a CL12. Also, he possessed a potion of CMW.

Works for me.

Profession (Librarian), Faction Pin: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15

Let's talk Season 8 Dark Archive Faction Objectives:

- Did we recover a named text?

- is there "a named NPC scholar, knowledgeable spellcaster, or similar figure" around who could be solicited for recruitment by the Dark Archive?

- Did we recover a spellbook containing at least 9 spell levels' worth of spells?

- Did I manage to identify a potion or magic item with a caster level of 3rd+?