Marius Rizallo's page

It's as GM Angelina says; Marius is still new to this whole religious thing and doesn't really think of himself as angel-touched or on any holy mission or anything of the sort. In his past experiences with religious folk things didn't go particularly favorably, so he's a little wary of all of this. He trusts the group not just because of the dreams, but also because we've survived trials and tribulations together.

If it was solely an OOC decision, I think the cathedral would be a better option if only for defense.

"Just put me down as Marius," the woodsman shrugs. No sense in sharing more than needed. "And better put Rex down in the record too. You'll know who's who when you need us." Marius offers a slight grin, imagining Rex taking the leg off of an annoying governmental clerk. He shrugs, then follows the others out.

Sorry, been traveling the past few days.

Marius would definitely prefer the Talking Turtle, even if the Cathedral makes more sense from a defensive standpoint. He just doesn't trust you holy rollers enough :)

Marius bites his tongue, knowing that anything he wanted to say would certainly not help their reputation. This man was exactly the sort of reason he stayed out of cities. He remains near the back of the group, watching the mayor's guards for any signs of foul play. Everything about the Lord Mayor was practiced and artificial; there wasn't a hint of sincerity in any of it. Marius makes a mental note to never turn his back on this man...

Politicians were no more Marius' forte than religious leaders, but at least the man could be counted on for some degree of practical reasoning. He hoped. "Let's get this over with," he sighs, following the others in and keeping Chap's warning close in mind.

Marius grumbles, nearly mimicking Rex's whine. "Fair enough. We'll be sure not to ruffle anyone's feathers too much."

They couldn't be done with the city fast enough. This place was already getting to him.

"I agree, though I still think the General is going to be of the most real support in any matter of defense. Talking about protecting the city and actually doing it are two very different things."

Rex glanced up at Marius with a soft whine, sensing his friend's unease. Marius pat the wolf gently and he settled down, little different from any other canine wandering the streets. In truth, he hadn't the slightest idea how to go about protecting a city of this size from a threat of indeterminate size. Too many people, too much brick and mortar.

Marius nods in greeting to the church-going group as they return. "What's the takeaway? Sister Az filled us in a bit when she grabbed the ring... but what now? Is he going to help us or what?"

The sight of the cathedral is impressive, nothing less than Marius expected from the city. An exercise in excess. Somehow he doubted the religious folks within actually cared for the vast majority people in Resplendent. He'd seen enough of the dregs of society--both the people there willingly and those otherwise--to know that they often slipped beneath the notice of supposedly beneficent men.

He contains his enthusiasm for the whole endeavor and sets up along a wall next to Chap. "I'll help keep watch. No sense in crowding the place."

Cities didn't really agree with Marius. Sure, there was some comfort in civilization, but any number of those people out on the streets were thugs, criminals, and general ne'er-do-wells. And unlike dealing with a rabid dog or angry red devils, it was impossible to tell them apart at first glance. Combine all that with a lack of natural places to disappear from sight and pompous nobility tooting their own horns... Cities just didn't agree with him. He falls towards the back of the group and walks alongside Shyness, who also seems rather off put by the city.

"The temple seems as good a place as any to start," Marius grumbles as he glares at passerby giving Rex dirty looks. "Though I think speaking with General Garrund would probably get more results quicker. If there's an army of these things at the gates, then we need to respond in kind."

Marius would be most inclined to speak to the general, since he's the one with the most practical ability to help deal with little demon things running about. His second choice would be Gerry, simply because he doesn't care for politicians or popes, and while a good bed is a good thing to have, the Innkeeper might not be very helpful.

Sorry for the delay, I hope the mothers among us had a good holiday!

Mending is very, very slow at 10 minutes per casting and mending 1 lb per caster level. Technically speaking it's one object of up to 1 lb per caster level, so it may not even work on the wagon as a whole unless you're dealing with individual parts/boards/whatever in the whole thing (which is what I usually do with complicated doodads players want to fix in my games, but obviously table variation applies).

Either way, the wagon's going to be out of commission for a while.

I'm inclined to agree that dumping it is probably the more sensible action... but then again, it's magical and shiny and powerful, so what else really matters? I'm sure nothing terrible would happen wearing it around your neck with a bunch of pyromaniac imps on the loose!

We really need someone to identify it before we try wearing it into the next (literal) firefight.

After getting the mules somewhat calmed ('calm' may have been a bit of an exaggeration, given the circumstances), Marius sat down beside the wagon and sighed as he surveyed the damage.

"We could probably get her fixed up... but it's going to take a while." With a bit of spit, Marius rubbed his hands together and called on that strange power within himself. It was starting to make a lot more sense, given the circumstances of the past few days... but it still made him a little uneasy. Angelic power and demonic fire was all a bit above his pay grade.

Slowly--very slowly--the pieces of the wagon begin to knit back together as the magic takes effect.

"A long while. I'm inclined to agree with Chap, unless we really need this thing..."

Marius does indeed have mending! But it's a little slow...

Marius once more wakes with a start, reaching for his weapon as he instinctively rolls to the side to avoid the blow he only imagined was coming. A sigh of relief escapes when he sees the battle has ended. He gladly grabs Eli's hand and pulls himself to his feet.

"Guess so... Thanks. What a flippin' day. Feel like I had a front row seat for the burning of Endurant."

Rex sat panting near where the imp had fallen. The wolf's eyes were locked on the creature, as though in disbelief it was truly dead. Marius offered a pat upon his friend's head as he headed to try and calm the mules.

Handle Animal: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Marius is obviously still a bit shaken up.

Yes, I would definitely say that is happening. Also having a single round where we're not all on the brink of fiery death so I have time to cast resist energy...

On a semi-related note, GM Angelina inspired me to throw my players a curveball with a particularly tenacious and extremely irritating imp this past weekend. No fireballs, though. Not yet :)

Okay but seriously? Ouch. Just ouch.

Next time we need to carry some fire to just ignite the whole thing. Let's see fire resistance stop that.

As soon as the imp hits the ground, Rex takes off at full speed. The wolf charges towards the creature's scent full speed, teeth bared.

RexCharge: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Dmg: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
/facepalm

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
Unsure if the animal focus stays active while unconscious. It doesn't say anything about not working, only that it is used in 1-minute increments, so the following roll is with the +2 Con from it included.
Stabilization: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

Marius can use his animal focus ability on himself for 1 minute per level as a swift action. While it doesn't specifically say what happens with the extra HP, I imagine it works like a bear's endurance spell would. I've also just realized I never applied one to Rex, and he gets to use it all the time for free! Oops.

As for Rex, I haven't the faintest idea, maybe 5 feet? I figure the imp probably isn't that low, but canines can do some pretty impressive stuff when they're determined. Any dog owner can attest to that :)
RexAcrobatics?: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Ha! That settles that, then.

QQ

I'm sensing some serious death coming...

Fumbling down off of the bucking mule, Marius reaches for the other silver arrow. Saving it for later seemed stupid, considering there might not be a later if this thing did that again...

Marius was not a particularly religious man, but he sure hoped all the saints in the sky were watching right now. He took aim and said a prayer to anyone and anything that might be listening.

Bow: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Concealment: 1d100 ⇒ 18
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 4
ArrowBorked?: 1d100 ⇒ 9
Zzz. Low is good right? Like golf?

How low does the imp appear to be flying? If it's low enough for Rex to do a charging leap at it, he certainly would try. But the smoke is likely billowing quite high, so... yeah.

I'm not particularly confident about Marius' Perception roll... not a heck of a lot he can do with 2 hp on the back of a panicked mule, either. Already used up my super-awesome 'use animal aspect to avoid being staggered' trick, too.

Hmm...

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Marius' eyes shoot open to a wave of flame washing over the group. Wracked with pain, he can only turn his head enough to see the flaming remains of all of their supplies a dozen feet to the right. Beneath him the world shook in panic. Somewhere, Eli is shouting for help. Elsewhere, Rex is barking like it's the end of days. It sure felt like it.

Gritting his teeth, the hunter digs deep and tries to pull out some of the hardy constitution he'd always had. Of course, he'd never been burnt quite this badly before. He could feel his skin - what was left of it - crawling all over his body. Steeling his nerves, he pulled what was left of himself together. His friends - his family - was burning alive around him.

Using a swift action to apply aspect of the bear to myself, giving +2 Con and the accompanying +2 temporary HP.

Lifting his head, he can see a bat-winged creature flying high in the sky above. The mule he was riding on was still alive, somehow. It was terrified and bucking, but Marius was so out of it he could hardly feel it. He spotted Eli, pointing a bow skyward. It was all Marius needed to know. He reached for his bow, acting on instinct, and found it where he'd left it, somehow still in one piece. He brought it up while his hands sought the silver arrow he'd been given. Putting shaft to string, he took aim and fired skyward.

Longbow: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Not sure what penalty I get for firing off a panicked mount and... oh. Huh. Well, that's Marius' luck. Nevermind.
Broken?: 1d100 ⇒ 27

-1... so close. Rex is just mildly singed and quite angry at 18.

Preemptive Stabilization: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

Perc: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Rex Perc: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19
Ini: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

Hope it's nothing too serious. Take care!

Option B. Marius would rather have a horse than a mule for MANLY reasons.

Also of consideration is that with a longer journey, training the animals for combat riding might(?) be possible, depending on how much downtime we have between rides. It might also be worth buying and training a courier bird for our own use, depending on how many long-distance journeys we expect in the future.

Marius nods his thanks to the guard Captain. "And do make sure to stay... well, vigilant. There's no telling what's really going on here, and your people might still be in danger."

"Sending a message ahead would be wise. Perhaps a courier bird, if they are available here in Vigilant. I've seen some fellows have great success with such things, though I've never tried it myself." Marius turns towards Natanja and raises an eyebrow at Oko. "Unless Oko cares to volunteer for the task," he laughs.

Marius has no transportation of his own, so he'd be relying on whatever mules/carts we have as a collective.

Marius will offer his and Rex's services as the nightly guard dogs. He's tired of feeling useless with all this talk... He's nothing if not a man of action.

"Sounds as good an explanation as any," Marius grumbles. He didn't pretend to understand the machinations of devils and their kin, but knew they always had some kind of agenda behind their actions. Destruction for destruction's sake was one thing - but that would make them no better than a common vandal. No, devilkin were always up to something more. "It's not like we found any indication otherwise. But why?"

I do love me some old fashioned regicide.

Happy Holidays [whichever one(s) you may or may not choose to celebrate]!

Woo! That's great news! Have a happy Turkey Day, everyone - even those of you who are trapped in turkey-less lands like myself.

Life happens. There's nothing to apologize for!
(Also, those are totally the kind of surprises I get. Woo.)

Seriously, wishing you guys the best in a time of seriously crazy stuff. Make sure to send happytime wishes to GM Angelina as well. Try to find some time to relax so that you both don't go completely insane! Even if it's 5 minutes here or there, that's 5 more minutes you get to hold onto your sanity. Probably.

Everyone's favorite hunting buddy Marius checking in with a good 'ol "I hope everything's good!"

At least it's the happy kind of surprise delay. And not the 'Oh no, I lost my job,' or the 'Oh crap, natural disaster,' or the 'Why is my house full of water?'

Those are the only kind of surprises I get ;.;

Congrats!

He should be named Marius, imo

Oh no! I hope everything's alright!

Marius yawns and stretches, pushing away from the wall of the stable. Not really wanting to pile back into the inn, he'd decided to wait alongside Sister Az and Poterol. Poterol was good people, as at home in nature as himself. But Sister Az... Well, he really hadn't had much of a chance to talk with her. And, honestly, Sister Az scared him a little. With her strange weapons and religious fanaticism... not really his type. When people like her came calling, Marius usually knew enough to step on out. But now, somehow, they were family.

As it turned out, though, the horses didn't really care to have a wolf amongst their company. Marius couldn't imagine why, but he and Rex were left leaning along the frame of the door, half watching the passerby and half watching the others inside the stable.

Finally the others return, apparently having decided to hunt down half the town and inform them what was what. "And I suppose someone's got to stay here and babysit?" He gestures towards the sleepy fellows in their company.

I know that feel, Az. Waking up to 30 posts!

Marius also votes to finish sleeping. No point in chasing more ghosts.

I'll be out of town this weekend, so silence from me for the next day or two.

Marius looks at Rex, confused. "You jumping at shadows again, Rex?" The wolf cocks his head, as though considering this prospect, before laying down and closing his eyes.

Which pretty much meant 'yes, yes I am.'

Looking to Chap and the others on watch, he shrugs. "What the hell was that all about? Playing fetch in the middle of the night?"

Even in his half asleep state, Marius jumps at the sound of Rex barking. Grabbing his sword and drawing it in one smooth motion as he leapt to his feet, he peered through the darkness, trying to find the source of Rex's ire.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
"What the hell happened?"

Marius is stirred from his sleep, the last image in his head something about a storm, a cake, and a woman he'd never even met. Strange dream.

Eyelids heavy, he rolls over and looks up. "Uh... still dark. Wha..?"

Average morning.