Jinx spends the majority of his time organizing the defense and studying with the priests of Quellious. He quickly discovers that favor from the gods comes not from learning dogma. The history and stories of the gods are important to understand them, but it is the guiding principles of your heart that dictate which one to follow. In his case, the realization that chaos and battle often lead to strife and destruction has lead him to follow the tenants of Quellious.
As he spends more and more time in meditation, he becomes more in tune with the will of Quellious and he begins to show signs of divine favor. He can heal with a simple touch as well as call upon the goddess' aid in battle. For while he acknowledges battle is to be be avoided whenever possible, there are times it is not. Jinx takes an oath dedicating himself to the service and protection of all those who desire nothing more than a peaceful existence.
Jinx nods at the dwarves' plan, seeing the obvious defensive benefits, "My only worry is that by the time you finish, we'll be in the teeth of winter by the time work would be finished. Seeing as I don't have anywhere else to go, that's not a real problem for me as long as there's food, but for those wanting to get home, it could mean an even longer stay. I'm also not sure Revery can stomach me that long," he concludes with a grin.
Rising unsteadily from his brief prayer, Jinx turns to the only follower of Quellious he knows, Revery. Seeing the confusion in the Erudite's eyes, he whispers to him, "Of course the gods make mistakes, perhaps in this case to teach us how to rectify our own. Now, tell me of Quellious. I've never been one to venerate the gods before and who better to learn from that one marked by the goddess herself," gesturing to the scar left by the holy symbol.
Jinx can't help but feel a bit of a smirk as the group staggers out of the maze to meet the dwarves. He has proved himself in as tough a situation as any dwarf has faced. That pride is tempered as he realizes how many have lost their lives as a result of this twisted place. All his life Jinx has wanted to prove he's as tough as anyone, but seeing the devastation lifted around him he finally understands the consequences of seeking battle for its own sake. Battle is the highest form of discord, and the lich's lust for discord led to all the lives lost and ruined by this curse.
Kneeling down against his earthshaker, for the first time in his life, he whispers a quiet prayer of thanks to Quellious.
"Heh. Did we win? Of course we won! For all that spooky talk, he was still just a corpse wearing a dress! You think we'd lose to that?" Patting his earthshaker he grins, "You really think some fool in a dress will stand up long to this? I don't care if he's already dead or not, hit him hard enough and he's gonna fall down!"
Jinx ignores the holy water at his feet and lays into the monster with his trusty earthshaker again, hoping to end this once and for all.
Of course he says that, then suggests a paladin wouldn't be a bad idea because the cleric is leaving:) If I go with the paladin I'll retire Jinx because I just can't picture him as a paladin.
"HA! Just like anybody else! Hit the bastard hard enough and he'll fall down too!" Jinx's face breaks into a grin as he realizes this fight just might be winnable. His doubts finally fading, he hefts his earthshaker to strike another blow then lets out a whoop as his weapon strikes true.
Jinx feels the confusing sensations of both weakening from the ghost's supernatural presence and Gwen's spells strengthening him at the same time. Shrugging that aside he draws his earthbreaker and charges into the fray shouting, "We're gonna kill us a lich!"
Jinx looks up at the Vah Shir as the rumbling grows louder. "Sounds better than here." Turning to the full group he whispers harshly, "Move it!" He waits half a beat to make sure the others start moving and then follows them out.
Jinx grabs Noggy's hand and scampers out of the window just as the doors come crashing in. Checking to make sure everyone else is OK, he looks up and says, "Welp, if we had any sense, we'd get out of here now, but it's us, so I say we go try to find this ghost. It's supposed to be the spirit of the dwarf, right? Maybe he knows something we don't about how to get to this lich or how to remove the curse from the manor. Question is, would he be willing to share it with us?"
Climb: 1d20 + 11 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 11 - 2 + 2 = 16
Shrugging, Jinx moves back to the windows, covering the others until they can get out.
Drawing his earthshaker Jinx moves to cover the southern door. "Sajeek! Cover the other door!" Jinx feels more at peace now than at any time since they entered the chapel. He may not know about breaking curses and sanctifying temples, but he knows exactly how to handle a good fight.
Just did that because Jinx was taken, had to come up with something quick. I'll worry about it if I decide to keep him.
Gwendalyn wrote:
@Torchbearer: Loot is chancy in this game. When selecting spells for your paladin, I recommend that you also look at the next spell level or two. (I'm doing two.) You can buy the scrolls and scribing materials now, or just leave enough cash free.
Thanks for the heads up. After talking to Xenh I think I'm going to go with a warrior. He wants to test his changes for pure melee classes and I'm always willing to be a guinea pig:) It was a tossup between the warrior and paladin anyway, so not a huge deal either way. It's possible I may even keep Jinx, I like the little guy so far.
Even in this holy place, Jinx cannot shake off the sense of dread that has gripped him since entering the estate grounds. This may be holy ground, but the dais still slick with blood and the remains of the fallen priest lying there is enough to convince him this room is no safer than the rest of this hellhole.
Without saying a word he pats the earthshaker on his back for reassurance and takes up watch at the door as the others go about the business of cleaning up and deciphering the mystery.
Will Save vs. DC 20: 1d20 - 1 + 10 ⇒ (9) - 1 + 10 = 18
I apologize, Jinx's fort save should be 2 less. I forgot to add in the shaken condition.
Swatting the webs away, Jinx forges ahead to the bottom of the stairs. He spits the spiders out of his mouth as he waits for the rest of the group to catch up.Fort Save: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
Shaking his head at Kwen, Jinx chimes in, "I'm with Gwen. As much fun as jumping down the side of the house and kicking in the door sounds, even I don't want to attract too much attention in here."
Jinx paces back and forth, frustrated at his inability to attack their tormentors directly. "Damn gods and their scheming. Make a mess, then send us to go clean it up."
Sighing, he looks over at the cleric and shaman, "I don't know much about this stuff, but seems to me if we take out this lich and find the dwarf's body, the problem is solved. The problem with undead is makin 'em stay dead once you kill 'em"
"For the damn gnome, do any of you have a way to prevent him from getting away? If so, I promise I'll make quick work of him."
Reaching back to grasp his earthshaker as he resumes his watch, he mutters, "They won't be gettin' up once we're through with 'em, will they?"
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