Naji bin Caedmon's page

Hey.

First, I owe everyone apologies for vanishing without a word. I've come back to try to apologize for doing so, and to let you know that I have no idea when I'll be able to meaningfully return.

That's as far s anyone needs to read. If you're curious, you are free to keep going, though.

Why did I vanish? My wife had started an evaluation of her knees, scheduled to run for about 2 months. First appointment was on a Monday. Late that same Thursday we were told the evaluation was over and they were going to schedule her for a full knee replacement in her worse leg. We found out that next Monday that surgery was that Thursday, a week after we were told she would be having surgery.

I took some sick leave to help her through the surgery and earliest recovery stages. I've been working half days, taking sick leave for the rest, for the past couple of weeks, trying to keep her from doing too much with the live-in grand kids and doing her exercises, with only partial luck.

She's doing her exercises while I type, and the grand kids are down for their naps. Today is going to be the last day I PLAN to do the half-day thing. Thing is, even having been home so much more than normal, I've been going non-stop. We were two weeks past her surgery before I even got into the office where my computer sits, and we're over three weeks past it now and I've had to steal the time to let people know what's going on.

I don't know how long it will be before I can reasonably expect the leisure time to properly contribute to these games again. I am sorry for vanishing, but I have to focus on my wife's actual needs before I play.

"Seems the best path. Interesting that the giants have refugees fleeing as well. More interesting that they are bigger giants than the ones causing problems for the country . . .. Shouldn't the bigger giants just beat the smaller ones into submission? Isn't that how their society works?"

Recognizing the peaceful nature of the exchange, Naji relaxes quit a bit, as he patiently waits for someone to have the time to explain the discussion to those who don't speak giant.

Naji looks about cautiously, trying to understand why giants would claiming refugee status in an area they had razed . . ..

The generic post to share before attempting to recovery post:

So, I got the flu. Not really over it, yet, but past the worst of it.

I went to get tested to verify it was flu, and the care providers went down the "better safe than sorry hole" a might to far, in my opinion.

Standard questions, designed to check for other, deeper concerns/problems, right? "Do you have any tightness in your chest?" "I've been coughing for about three days at this point, yes, I have a tightness in my chest!" So, they stopped everything about verifying the flu in order to check for a heart attack. Thing is, my fever had just started to break, and I was not only DRENCHED in sweat, but I was still actively sweating that hard. They couldn't get a good EKG read because the contact stickers wouldn't. Stick, I mean.

They called an ambulance and transferred me to an ER, to make sure I wasn't having a heart attack. The ER team was focused on EXACTLY one thing, for obvious reasons. First thing they did different? They took that super medical tape and taped the sensors down. EKG told them almost immediately that there was no heart attack going on. I was still in that ER for nearly 15 hours . . ..

IV fluids. Roughly 2.4 liters of fluid pushed into my system. Breathing treatment. Seems when I arrived in the ER, my O2 saturation was around 82. They started to admit me in order to watch my O2 saturation levels, but after I sat in their ER for that long without any further dips, they accepted it might not still be required and discharged me instead of continuing to wait for a room. Having an asthmatic wife means we have a nebulizer at home, and that helped sell the release, too. Still spending more time asleep than awake, for now.

Missed a couple of Santa gigs the family had lined up. Went to a photoshoot with a family yesterday. I was there for about 10 minutes, just needing to sit and smile, but I stumbled into the house when I got home, completely exhausted. I'm supposed to go get caught in a neighbor's house tonight. Very worried about going. Just as worried about denying their kids.

Do they appear to be headed towards us, or by us? If towards us, then it is time to start (quietly) waking others. If they don't look to be coming very close, I think I would rather let the others sleep and track them once everyone can armor up. . ..

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

The shapes clearly get Naji's undivided attention.

"I would prefer last watch. I say my prayers as close to dusk as possible. It is out of the darkness that our fate arrives, after all."

Hey. Real life.

I live in a 3 generation home.

This last weekend, both of the youngest generation (one is 2 the other just had her first birthday) got sick. So did their mom. Monday so did their dad. Somewhere in there, grandma got sick, too. Now I'm sick. At least the youngest seems to be over it.

If you need to bot me to keep things moving, please do.

I'm sorry, but I'm not even managing to focus to play spades on my phone right now, and that's amazingly brainless.

"We were given a guess, and told to find our own way. We have breadcrumbs, now. Better than what we had before. We should accept this gift for the opportunity that it provides."

Unconcerned, really, about whether the group walks or rides until the horses all break their legs, Naji watches and listens as the conversation flows. As Karl starts moving with more purpose, the young Baklun chooses to support Ebixus, and help watch for anything in the area of note.

"How many rocks? They had to bring them, so that speaks to an organized supply process at some level. Unusual pattern forming."

"Assume they have faced some defenders along the way. They should have some tricks up their sleeves to deal with anything they've already seen. You do, after all, right? But, yes, we should start focusing on being ready to fight the creatures."

"The vultures always come out, but they tend to avoid anything that appears too lively. It never hurts to watch, but a group that is well armed and armored is unlikely to be seen as worth the risk."

"I doubt everyone here is provisioned as well in the middle of this widespread starvation. Unless you are saying you have enough for everyone for three weeks?"

"Thank you, Prefect Randos. It is good to see not everyone involved is driven by power. We will do what we can. Other than possibly some standard supplies, I am uncertain of anything we should request. And supplies seem to be in short, uh, supply."

"We are a group of adventurers, come in answer to your King's summons. I am Naji, priest of The Colorless and All-Colored." He looks to the others to introduce themselves.

"Well, that part is easy enough." He takes the time to conjure another yurt made of webbing. "Everything dies. Including us. Be careful about which thread you are actually cutting when we attack this thing. It is far easier than you might think to cut your own by accident. I can help with that, some, but only some."

"The pattern is unchanged. Refugees flee the horrors of war, telling the simple truth until it sounds too horrible to be believed, and then they begin exaggerating. No idea if that has begun, yet, though. 'Giant creatures of destruction' seems a clear enough description of the King's foes." He's still in his desert robes, though he may have added a layer or two for warmth. He pokes around the fire, and tends to an overly-simple pot, unless someone else moves to cook.

"Looks to be a nice night. Want to sleep under the stars, or would you prefer shelter?"

Weird 24 hours. Saw the selection and announcement post as I was putting my phone on the charger and I went to bed. Work. Grocery Shopping afterwards. Made dinner. Played with the grandchildren until their momma got home. Just now getting to look at the messageboards. Will post before I go to bed. I promise.

By definition (off the top of my head, honestly, been playing the set of systems using the alignment rules for about 40 years, now):

A Good person takes risks and makes sacrifices for the benefit of others without expectation of pay or reward.

An Evil person abuses, manipulates, or kills others for personal benefit (or entertainment) without the need for any other motivation (like they were threatening my sister).

A Neutral person worries about herself and her close associates/family, doing what she must to protect them and keep them safe. Many neutral people will help others in need, but they will not weaken themselves or their close associates in order to do so. They may steal and cause harm to others, but only while trying to meet survival-level needs on Maslow's hierarchy.

I was trying to point out that Naji's behavior in the discussion thread didn't reflect textbook Good behavior.

I'm reusing a profile. All of the stats are in the profile.

Cleric ((Ecclesitheurge) of Istus, 7

Former slave and half-breed (human mutt). Typical negative background for most priests of Istus.

You could argue that his actions in the discussion thread were more Good than Neutral. Thing is, none of those actions really cost Naji anything . . .. There was no inherent sacrifice in how he assisted those around him.

As it becomes obvious there is a chance to affect more threads than the people in this refugee camp, Naji goes to the stockade. Curious how large the knot there would be, and how the threads would play out from it afterwards.

"It does appear such a path would be leading towards the center of the web."

Shortly after dawn breaks, Naji stirs and finds a little space. He kneels and begins his prayers. She knows the limits of where she has placed me better than I. The point is never to easily show devotion, but to find ways to show devotion despite the challenges.

"من خودم را به خواست شما ، به برنامه شما تسلیم می کنم ، و پرواز می کنم هر جا که رشته های شما مرا بگیرد. من می دانم که می دانم راه هایی برای بهبود زندگی کسانی که شما در مسیر من قرار داده اند ، بدانم که آنها در آنجا هستند زیرا یا من به آنها آموزش می دهم یا آنها به من آموزش می دهند. من چیزی را که شما فاش نکرده اید می دانم. من چیزی را تجربه نکرده ام که تصور نمی کردی. من نمی توانم کاری را انجام دهم که توقع نداشته باشید. بخاطر نفس مستمر و اطرافیانم متشکرم باشد که موضوعات ما دقیقاً همان اندازه که باید ثابت کنند."

"
در جهل من ، نمی دانم چه چیزی در پیش من است ، بنابراین باید حدس بزنم چه نعمتهایی را درخواست خواهم کرد ، و امیدوارم که بتوانم جلوه های مورد نظر خود را برای کسانی که ملاقات می کنم ارائه دهم. امروز ، من می خواهم. . .."

By the time he has completed his prayers, both of the web shelters have faded back into the ground.

Naji picks up rotten scraps of food, trodden into the mud, gathering as much as he can, before providing another prayer, restoring the food to a fresher, more palatable and more nutritious state. He hands the food to a woman standing near him, and begins gathering more as he moves. He nods to the olf as he continues this pattern, taking one bite from each of the purified collections he then passes on. It doesn't take long, and a few people start bringing him piles of rotten food they gathered, and he provides them the same blessing, making the walk back to the tavern rather slow.

Yeah, I saw the bit about food being delivered. That's one of the things about going to the far corners of the camp, though. They may not hear of it until the food's gone.

Having chosen to listen to the negotiations and posturing instead of continuing to participate, the Baklunish priest nods. "Yes, I suppose it is time to seek what shelter we can through the storm. I imagine some will stay here and pay for a dry corner, maybe near the fire. I believe better men will help those huddled in the cold, under little more than soaked sheets, find a better way to spend the night, at least for now." He gathers his things and heads for the door, bowing against the wind and rain as he begins his slow trudge through the storm.

When he reaches one of the back corners of the refugee camp, where the resources are poorest, he stops, reaches for his silver holy symbol and prays, briefly, in Ancient Baklunish. A mound of webbing grows from the ground near him, pushing up until it looks like a traditional yurt, far bigger than a traditional traveling yurt, but just a little smaller than normal permanent ones. He opens the door and turns to the people close to him. "Please, come in. It is dry. It will be warm once we are inside. Please, come get more comfortable, at least for one night."

After he manages to fill the temporary, magical yurt with refugees, he starts walking to the other out-of-the way corner of the refugee camp, away from the river and other resources, but still crowded with people going cold and hungry. He repeats the conjuration of the webbing yurt, and the call for people to join him in the dry warmth it will provide. This time, he crawls into the yurt with the refugees, and tries to get the rest that he can.

"Skotti's gold, apparantly. It is asking you to help these people return to their homes. But you don't seem to care enough to consider why the money is being offered. So, you don't forgive yourself for being a greenskin? You throw your life away with no worry over why."

"You should do nothing that you think is wrong. But if you don't want to help them, why would you risk your life against their enemies? Go home, and their problems are not yours. For now, though, your strand is here, intersecting ours and theirs. If you choose to do nothing, then you have no impact on the pattern. If you have no impact on the pattern, then your thread has no connections. With no entanglements, will you have ever really existed?"

In response to the dwurf, Naji says, "Yes, we can give them water from the gods, but unless we intend to stay here and slave ourselves to giving them water, we need to find a solution that will let them fill their own needs." He then turns back to the olf. "If you can find someone who can convince this man to see past his contracts and into the heart of need . . .."

"Yes, the ones pushed furthest from the river by the rest of the refugees aren't getting the water they need. I've been trying to get the keep here to donate some of his empty casks for the effort, but he is unwilling to release them. Something about a deal with the brewery to send them back. As soon as we help them get the water they need, the next problem is only slightly less urgent: enough food. The gods provides us with the ability to take ruined food and make it edible again, but few priests have the gift required to create food for so many. Istus hasn't blessed me so. Starvation is not a distant threat for these people."

Dude. Quit judging others' play, and let the story happen. You are going to get BOTH of us removed from consideration arguing about this kind of thing.
Nobody wants to play with people who have established they are going to spend the time bickering. That's not fun.

Depends on what you expect to do in the space, right? Pi*Rsquared. 10' radius is over 314 square feet. Backpacking tents today assume roughly 6'x3' (18 square feet - or less) per occupant. But you seem to have focused on insulting another's choice of spells instead of considering how many magical options exist to fulfill the need, which is the point I was trying to make. In character, even.

"There are many ways to find shelter. It is easily provided."

2nd level spell Web Shelter, here, provides a 10' radius web dome (with door) that sticks and leaves and such will stick to for camouflage if desired. There are several spells available to cover the basic shelter need.

After being dismissed by the keep, again, the youngish Baklunish man responds to the dwurf. "Hunt giants? I am not here to hunt giants. I am here because it is where Istus put me. There are strands out of place, the design of the web is being compromised. Our Lady of Fate would have things set right. So, my strand was placed here. Tonight, our threads intersect. Perhaps several will weave into a stronger rope which will serve the Colorless and All-Colored by making the required adjustments?"

He wears only a single dagger, and no armor, but he has a silver spindle clearly visible hanging from a chain around his neck.

He places his hand on his chest. "I am Naji."

"But it is true! The refugees are having trouble getting water from the river to the furthest points of their camps! Old women and babies are starting to dehydrate, as if they were in the deep desert and not next to such a major river. Surely there must be some empty barrels and a cart we can use to get water to them before it is too late? I believe some of the boys will pull the wagon, so there would be no risk to your animals?" The thin Baklun in traveling clothes is pleading with the owner for some assistance for the people he was tending to earlier in the day. It is the same plea he made yesterday, and the same as he expects to make tomorrow. While the stone does not move when the wind blows, the wind never stops and eventually the stone is gone. He hopes the owner's will is made of softer stuff.

As requested, an image to better represent Naji compared to the Paizo selections.

hustonj, here, with a reused profile holding my 7th level Cleric (Ecclesitheurge) 7 of Istus.

Naji is a Healer, who believes Fate brings him to the people he should assist. He isn't a combatant, though he can try to help, but he keeps a few spells prepared that might. If he knows to plan for something different, well, then he can.

I guess we have been abandoned. Eltonj's still posting, just not here.

Yes?

"Then let us prepare camp. I will attend to my prayers now, and take the watch shift you all prefer afterwards."

"Do we want to camp near the river, or go into the caverns at night? I have a preference, and it has to do with sleeping . . .."

"And this time they are really done. The threads crossed twice in quick succession. Not sure what these were meant to show us . . .."

Third day in a row for me that when I've gone to post, I get error messages from the site instead. Seems up now . . ..

Naji provides the Stirge's target with a +2 Sacred bonus to AC.

D'oh! I mean Talenvere, just to be clear.

Third day in a row for me that when I've gone to post, I get error messages from the site instead. Seems up now . . ..

Naji provides the Stirge's target with a +2 Sacred bonus to AC.

Still first round, I think.

Naji blesses Fergus' next attack. +2 Sacred attack bonus

So, continuing down the trail . . ..

"As long as we move AROUND them, we should be fine, right? Getting closer just means being closer to their weapons."

"We should acknowledge their presence, and make it clear we are going around, not looking to start a fight. No need to get close enough to converse.
Maybe bow and make a point of moving a hand away from a sheathed weapon as we turn to the side?"

"Pilgrims are like anyone else. Some do useful things. Some do selfish things. Some are going through the motions. Some are more than they seem. Every thread that touches yours alters you somehow. If you choose to work at it, you can make more of those contacts growth than loss. But, that choice is yours, so . . .." The priest continues walking along, following trail.

"My condolences on your losses during your pilgrimage. But we have all gained the experience of seeing one of these creatures, now, and hopefully we've all learned something which will aid us in dealing with what The Colorless and All-Colored puts in our paths in the future."

Naji is ready to move on with the group . . ..