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Muraisa watched the fight, frowning. She knew the Lord was...not the friendliest ruler in history. But this was extreme, surely? She made a strong note to suggest violence, or anything else that might amuse the man until she was free and clear of whatever in the bowels of hells this strange game was. Apparently they were to be disposable pawns.
Muraisa bowed her head, largely to avoid looking at anyone or anything in case there was someone she knew, but also to avoid the lord of the city seeing her smirk at the Strix's joke.
Well, hell, Muraisa considered. On the plus side it didn't seem like it was the possible...other thing...that she was being dragged before the Governor for. Not if all four of them were getting dragged into this. On the other hand, the attention of the Governor himself seemed like a really, really bad thing, all things considered. It wasn't like most cases weren't more likely to be handled by judges, or magistrates, right? Without a weapon or booze Muraisa wasn't sure she could fight the guards, and was pretty sure she didn't want to. She was in deep in enough that she wasn't at all certain that her family would bail her out of whatever was happening. She was absolutely certain that assaulting the guards would mean she was left to her fate. After a look around at the others, she knelt on the cold stone and put her hands behind her back.
Heyo. Apparently Paizo ate my post in here. I have no intention of going for anything but Anger Management Failure, but it'll be nice to have someone who can also take a hit. Oddly enough, Muraisa also has semi-decent Charisma. And we also have a sorcerer. Alas, Imp cannot join in the strut...
"How drunk do you have to be to not remember why you're in a cell?" Muraisa asked, wishing for once that she could close her eyes. That special quirk of biology was less fun when you had an evil headache that may have escaped from a netherealm to exist right at the base of your skull and make your mouth feel dry and horrid.
The headache was normal enough, Muraisa considered. It had happened before often enough. The hot, itchy feeing just under her skin was never fun, the feeling your eyes had been lightly pickled in vinegar - which, she supposed, they had been after a fashion, just before it was vinegar. The groans and curses of others was less common, but strange things happened in the dead of night, and it wouldn't be the first time she'd woken in odd places with odder people. Normally just the one, but eh, she was always up for new experiences. This one didn't seem to be that fun, though. It was cold and chill. As Nagaji, she wasn't fond of the cold, really. "If we're lucky someone can light a fire," she muttered, rolling her hand from over her eyes. Her eyes darted around, and she grimanced. "This...does not look good. This looks like a cell." The memories of...everything flooded back, and Muraisa swallowed down the panic and bile. She couldn't have been arrested. Someone would have come to get her out. She wouldn't just have been left to rot in the cold, with these people.
Glad you're feeling a bit better. No rush about posting, we can wait. I'll be sending you a PM about my ideas for getting Muraisa more functional in a bit.
Ack, that's not ideal. Good luck to everyone.
Other enemies will be lovely, but since Apoc Zombies are the theme of the game, and that grapple is haunting my nightmares, I need to work out how to deal with it. We might fight other stuff, but that problem isn't going away. ...hmmm, but I do have one idea for how Muraisa could work without becoming the world's worst archer. Would it be possible to get Muraisa's axe modified into some kind of reach weapon? I'd really like to keep Teinntean, as part of her character, even if it's damage is toned down to something else (perhaps the stats for the Dwarvern Longaxe?). If not, I can buy a new one. It'll just be sad. If I can combine that with Pushing Assault and a couple of level of High Guardian fighter I can simply keep batting Zombies backwards until they die. Away from me. Far, far away. Little sods can't grapple what they can't reach, right? Perhaps re-training levels 2 and 3 once we're finished here, if that would be allowed, and go back to my Barbarian Ways afterwards?
Yeah, looks like we're not gonna get much protection from the disease. It's a bit of a hiccup, but whatcha going to do? It certainly makes this a little less certain as to what I'm gonna do. +1 Armour and Dodge might help, but maybe Weapon Focus and Bane would end fights faster?
Guess we should probably upgrade armour, to deal with the bugs, and then weapons. To make more disease go pop.
Yeah, unfortunately, a big part of the problem is Muraisa's just built badly for this. She's too focused on offence and tanking out hits. The apoc zombies are anathema to that plan, and since they're our main villain I'm not sure how viable the build is. Unfortunately, while I probably won't be grappled every fight, I think I have been in almost all of them, and I don't see a way to change that beyond simply not fighting in melee - which is the opposite of what I'm good at. Hence why I'm thinking a new character might be a better bet. Those are definitely good options to take on armour. I'm somewhat loathe to do it, since I'm very good at rolling 1's and 2's, and I'll definitely hold off until we're outta this scenario before doing so, but they would help a lot.
I think I suggested using one of the Death thingies that got dropped to make Muraisa's axe absorb the plague of the zombies she killed, yeah. It didn't happen, as it was around the time the tables got merged. The otherside of the issue is the constantly being grappled, but I'm not seeing how to deal with that without loosing my action until I can simply avoid being hit. I'll see how things are at the end of this section and make more decisions then.
Depressingly, it wouldn't work, I think. Even if I'm allowed to skip the Orc requisite, the Butchering Axe is only Orc via fluff it doesn't have it in the name so it wouldn't qualify. Probably a step too far to ask for that much House Ruling. Honestly, Muraisa just wasn't built to be that hard to hit. As much as I dislike the idea, if she survives this mission, it might be time for her to stay at home and look after people or something. I love the character, but she isn't patient, and her fighting style will get her killed sooner rather than later. As for now, yeah. Dodge looks likely.
Good question. I think originally I was planning to go for Weapon Focus, but I might see what I can find to boost my AC instead. The Apoc Zombies hit + grapple combo is a nightmare, but if they can't hit as often then it becomes a lot less unpleasant. As it stands I'll get one, maybe two rounds of fighting before I'm stuck grappling constantly.
Muraisa grunted as yet another of the things grappled her. She hated the thought, but they were going to have to slow down, use ranged weapons, blocked doors and some other tactics to slowly grind through the rest of this place. It frustrated her, which was perhaps why her mouth wasn't closed enough when the zombie got her in the face. Cursing inventively in Elven, she tried to keep the thing grappled but harmless. Another dose of its infection was doubtless coming. The work she'd had with the antiplague was certainly undone, and probably more. But if she was going to die to these things it could at least wait until she has got the children out.
Shuddering in revulsion as the creature burst once again - she'd truly hoped to be done with these things for a while - Muraisa took advantage of its shattered remains to step into the space where it had been, and attack the last of the creatures.
So, thought I needed to wait to see the results of having another dose of Infection added in.
Hopefully, but ideally, I'd like to give you a chance to break away. Muraisa's already pretty badly infected, so additional doses are gonna suck, but better than having someone else also infected. Unless you're also infected. Unfortunately, that hit+grapple attack is super distinctive, and a massive pain in the butt, so I doubt we'll be able to do that.
Now that she's literally got one in her face, will Muraisa be able to recognize the apocalypse zombie type and warn the others that they're the explodey kind and they need to keep there distance, or will I need to roll a knowledge (religion) to be sure?
Considering the options for a moment, Muraisa moved with moderate hesitancy to the gap left and took a swing with one of the zombies with her axe. Hopefully these weren't the kind with grunk in them, or some other problem.
Feel free to do so, if you'd like. Also, I may have made an error, depending on how you handle moving through allies space. There seems to be a split of people who decide that, given there's no mention in the rulebook, that moving through an ally's square isn't difficult terrain. Others feel that an ally would qualify as an object taking up most of the square, making it difficult terrain. For now, I've deleted my post until I'm sure which way you want to play it.
Muraisa's natural inclination was to move in and destroy the undead. But rushing in wasn't the wisest choice. So instead, she tried to work out what the clanking noise was, and what the released chain was doing.
"Might be something down here," Muraisa notes to the others with a nod at the well, "But I reckon they most likely went that way," she gestured down the Western passage with one hand.
Muraisa wondered how they'd been able to pile so much behind the door, but it was a brief and moderately annoyed thought. Following behind Maria with her fingers flexing, she looked down each corridor to see if there was any trace of the right path. As an afterthought, she checked the cover with the rust covered bars. Maybe the rust was more cosmetic than it looked. This place seemed full of stupid tricks and traps.
Gritting her teeth in frustration at the noise, Muraisa wanted to continue after the children. But this might not be the right path either. The pile was large - perhaps larger than would be simple to do in the short time since the children had been grabbed - which might mean that this way wasn't the way they were taken. She glanced at the cloud of dust it had kicked up, to see how large the cloud was. The larger the cloud, the less likely the children had been taken this way.
This was taking too long, and they'd wasted too much time with the upper floors. "Stand back," she muttered, before ripping it open.
Muraisa isn't especially interested in the box, but she'll start messing with the door soon if someone doesn't deal with it.
Muraisa glared at the figure one more time. "If you know where the children are, now would be the time to say," Muraisa muttered, but turned and nodded to Ysildaë.
Swearing at the sudden bolt, Muraisa glared at the figure, seeing if they were reacting at all to the sudden noise.
I knew I was forgetting something, thanks for the reminder.
Impressed, Muraisa took a look at the figure. Whatever it was. It might be a statue, given it seemed neither alive nor dead. Unless it moved it wasn't why they were there, and could wait again. Instead, she waited until Ysildaë was in a good place and tossed her the rope so everyone else could get up. Muraisa was not bouncing her way up today.
Muraisa began pulling out a couple of javelins and some rope, intending to use them to try and get up, but paused as Ysildaë started bouncing around the room to get up. Muraisa watched, momentarily entranced, at the other woman's agility.
Muttering in mild frustration at the lack of light, Muraisa pulled her sleeve further up to expose more tattoos and lights, and held her axe in the other hand in case the additional light caused whatever this was to react.
Old blood was another mystery for later. Instead, she focused on the figure. There was silent, and then there was silent. She listened for the figure's breathing, seeing if its chest or back moved with the motions needed to do so. It didn't seem likely this was a living being, but perhaps a caregiver had been grabbed with a child.
Whatever was in the box could wait, Muraisa decided, and headed up the stairs as well, checking once again for danger.
Staring at the stairwell, as the obvious way to go, Muraisa quickly checks the sack. Someone else could do the reading, she didn't have the patience for it. She was smart enough to move with a little caution.
Thank you to Ysildaë for mentioning we'd gone up a level. Paizo wasn't showing me any new messages in discussion, and if it was in the game thread I missed it. I'll try and get it done tonight.
Unless someone had a better idea Muraisa moved forwards and past Ysiladae, moving with as much quiet haste as she could muster. She could feel stupid for not trying to open the door later.
"I hear nothing," Muraiasa murmured to the others, "But there still might be an undead or a trap on the door or the otherwise. Can anyone open it subtly, or shall I smash it down?" Faint whisps of smoke rose from the massive weapon as she hefted it, clearly eager to put it to use.
Muraisa raises her axe, whisps of smoke rising from the terrible weapon as she made it clear her intent was to remove the door in short order...but after a moment she paused, and grounded the butt of the weapon again. She looks at the others in clear impatience, waiting for them to finish what they intend to do only begrudgingly. She wanted to work with the others, but wasn't going to wait long. While she did she too scanned the area and the door, to see if there was anything else.
Muraisa was already moving towards the trail they had found. "~Change on plans,"~ she called in Evlish. "~Some b****d spellcaster had started raising undead and kidpaning children. We're going to get the kids back,"~ or an unholy vengeance on there behalf, the barbarian considered.
"What madness would drive an idiot to create more undead? You cannot shake an axe without taking ones head and being covered in its poisons." Muraisa shook her own massive weapon to demonstrate. "They can expect us all they wish. The faster we follow the less time they have to prepare, and the less time to do whatever it is they wish with the children." The Barbarian was clearly not in the mood to move slowly on this, and was eager to follow the trail. "Besides, unless they are very close to town we should overtake them before long. The undead are rarely famed for speed."
Muraisa quickly gathered the others, tense and clearly riled up. "They went down that road there. I'm not sure what happened, but we need to go now. There's blood." If it was a child's blood then there was going to be...consequences. Whoever had done this would survive, Muraisa would make sure of that. Death would be far too swift. They needed to live a long, painful existence to full appreciate what they had done.
Muraisa said several nasty words in various tongues as she scanned the ground for signs of where the children had gone. If this was some kind of mass kidnapping it wouldn't be hard to spot the path 20 odd children had taken, or the people carrying them.
Wiping her brow, Muraisa frowned at the zombies. Did it mean something that these were weaker, less infectious than the previous ones? Or was it simply that the others had...matured. Maybe they needed time to fester before they became as unpleasant? And where did they come from, exactly? When she heard the shouting she started looking around for the shouting. Hopefully, it wasn't time to play 'Is that zombie my child again?'
Muraisa looked at the elf in mild confusion, as she didn't quite get what she meant. It sounded...hopeful? "What kind of resources will you need to make such weapons?" she asked the alchemically inclined duo.
"I don't mind more permanent lodgings, so long as no one else needs them more." She looked at the chest for a moment. "Same as Bjorkus, I can hit it with an axe, but if none one has any skill with locks then maybe we could buy some acid, eat the lock without destroying the contents?" Looking at the map, she added, "And this Dhampir is in the prison?" She looked at Ysildaë to confirm. "She mentioned the issues you folks faced. About how you had a little bit of a kerfuffle. And that the child wasn't born one of the half-turned." And the wine, but Muraisa wasn't going to mention that unless she had something useful to trade. "Could someone be infused with one of those Essences we've found?" she asked. "Maybe that would turn her into what she is now?" The Barbarian shook her head. This was all...hoodoo and magics she didn't understand. |
