Ner 'The Rat''s page

Ner hated letters. He hated reading them and, most of all, he hated making them! He liked talking, when people were looking like they wanted to listen. This meant he was quiet most of the time. Words and especially letters seemed to always be kind of jumbled up and some people used the same words for the same things and some used completely other words. He couldn't figure out why humans used the word 'insect' while greenies said 'shavij'. It was like everyone spoke the same language badly.

Used to not being understood and used to straining to understand others, Ner listened to the sounds the creatures had made. He tried gesturing with his whole arms as he mouthed some noises back at these creatures - loudly and slowly. He did so for a while trying to find something that might come close to 'Hello'.

He looked like an idiot.

linguistics - there really isn't an option for understanding a spoken language but I expect the roll to be poor anyway: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
bluff to send a coded message - the skill clearly states you must be speaking the same language in the first place but I'm hoping a sense motive on their behalf will allow them to understand the basic message: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

Ner is 30' away from Matheus. He will go around them in longbow short range or 100' if he can - but stops to see if Tivli gets anywhere first

Ner stood up so that he was in clear sight. Snow avalanched off his heavy cloak. He tilted his head and stood there for a second and then started to walk away. "Wat are we gonna do now?! Go to Abslolom??? Follow the path the blob was going? Lets go to that place where Matheus told the story about all of us an think ... and, you know, while we're there we could eat somethin'. After that maybe we could go get the gem of Oral-thingy?"

If we fight then Ner is going non-lethal. They haven't dome anything to anyone and may only have a tangential relationship to the blob. If Petronia gets into it - she can count on Ner's support.

They seem humanoid - any guess at what they are?
knowledge local: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Ahh ... they are obviously ... ummm ... Philosophosauruses ... from the merchantile lands of ... ah ... ludacreecia ... where the coffee beans come from.
Ner hunkered down flat in the snow and unhooked his sap from his belt.

Sorry about the glacial pace of this....packing/purging is turning out to take up way more mental energy than I suspected it would.

Ha, glacial ... I see what you did there.

So glad you found a place. Don't worry - everyone is busy.

Ner tried to keep within a bow's shot of the Matheus man as he watched the creature's reaction.
trying to get and stay within 60' of Matheus

Ner used what little cover there was behind Petronia to hunker down in the snow again. His unshorn sheepskin cloak slightly matted in snow itself was good camouflage. He watched Bubbles go to their left so he cut right, making sure not to get too far ahead of Petronia, Tivli, and the man Matheus.
stealth - using soft cover to hide: 1d20 + 18 - 10 ⇒ (14) + 18 - 10 = 22

She turned her head slightly to speak to Ner who was back in their pack, "Could those creatures have made the tracks you found? I thought we would have been following possible survivors of the crater, not a new threat." ...[/b]

Ner looked up and to the right, his eye unfocused, as he placed his hand on his chin and stuck out his bottom lip in thought.

Ner uncovered a bit and looked to Tivli. "Are these the kind we try to make friends with ... or the kind we shoot arrows at?"

Ner swiftly slipped behind Petronia and climbed into the sack. They might need to move quickly and he wanted to be wherever she was.

Ner watched the blob rise up impossibly fast as he lay there in the brittle snow, and sighed. Then he sighed again just to hear the sound of it. He stood up to look at Tivli and gave her a tight lipped expression like 'I'm not going to say anything'. Then he turned around and tried to find the tracks again.

Ner bundled himself against the cold. He checked the bandages on his toes quickly. After looking at the others to gauge their intents, looking at the tracks, then to this new dark monster cloud, the Halfling started trudging after the monster. He mouthed words soundlessly, 'How is we supposed to keep up?', forgetting and not noticing that they couldn't hear him.

Ner waved to the others from the far side. He called out - no sound - and then remembered. Concern crossed his face. He waited for the others to join him.

Ner ran to Petronia's side and started tugging at her jacket hem. The tugging at first panicked got slower and slower as he noticed the great crater and he became entranced by the horrible fate of the Snowmask clan and how narrow the margin was before their own tent.

When he regained his senses he stomped in the snow without a sound. His eyes on Petronia. He looked to Tivli and saw her writing. He became instantly crest-fallen. 'We have to make letters now?!'

He shrugged at Petronia, visibly worried about the soundless world and the open earth, he started to walk the edge of the collapse to look for survivors.

perception to look for tracks?: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18

Thanks to Sarah and some online advice from Angie - I'm back
solemn ceremony
Ner watched the Snowmasks take their leader away. The halfling stood up and took a spot next to Petronia. "They aren't going to take him home?" One scalding look from his companion told him to BE QUIET. This is a solemn ceremony and she had serious thoughts of her own right now. He whispered as quietly as he could, almost to himself, "I thought he'd like to go home ... now that he's..." He followed the others as they laid Hiryla to rest and watched confused as Matheus closed up the keep. These were matters too big for the little man.

Later, at the village, Ner could sense the strange dual atmosphere. He stayed near his friends and waited for the Matheus man to speak. He would know what to say.

When Tivli brought him the necklace his eyes went saucer shaped, he dropped the food he was holding, and took it. He put it on and sat there staring at it, not eating.

The next morning
Ner didn't get up over the night. He didn't do any packing. He slept late. When he finally got up he was half hibernating, frozen to the bed by his sheets. He broke them off like breaking his way out of an ice fort and noticed they didn't make noise as he did so. He looked about the tent and could see Tivli looking about. And he couldn't see Petronia ... or Bubbles. He called out "Where are they?" but nothing.

NEr's cheeks and nose red, his face white, he bundled himself in his cloak and got out of bed. The snot was frozen in his nose. His hands just couldn't get warm. He rubbed his chest like he used to do in the lone-times, like in the mountains. It wasn't like this. It wasn't working.

He went outside and looked for his friend.

Sorry, took me a while to figure out how to get back into my account - thank you Sarah;)

A) 7
B) 5
C) 6
D) 3

Ner plunked himself down in the snow and pulled out some meat he kept from the feast. 'Good work deserves good food' As he sat there chewing on a long cut of venison he looked over at Bubbles eyeing the halfling from over Melkorka's perforated corpse. Ner froze for a moment, meat clenched in his teeth, then fished out another piece and tossed it near the giant badger.

That's odd - I had a description of the life force drain - huh
The halfling could feel a kind of tightening throughout his body and then an overwhelming tiredness. He felt - old - out of nowhere. He breathed in deeply and pushed himself forward.

The ice cube is brilliant
If bubbles is attacking Melkorka (the map isn't showing them in base-to-base) can Ner flank?
The halfling could feel the life Ner rolled forward and around the edge of the pit to slash at Melkorka. His upper teeth buried into his bottom lip as he slashed horizontally at the woman's belly.
short sword +flanking: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 10 + 2 = 17
damage: 1d4 + 6 + 3d6 ⇒ (4) + 6 + (2, 3, 1) = 16 Doesn't feel like a hit but Ner is using debilitating injury if it connects - she would be at -2 to her attack rolls, -4 to her attack rolls on Ner until his next attack. The bauble is still in his left hand.

I will be watching event unfold in the states and may not post today

I see Petronia is near Melkora and Ner has held off on his initiative to go after Petronia.
acrobatics: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27
Ner feels Petronia stop running and then a sudden slam! as she seemed to punch the ground for some reason?! Confused but ready to move he pushes the wavy lined pin on his baubble and leaps out of the bag. He breathed in deeply, remembering what Oksana told him, and breathed out. He looked at the two archers tucked against the wall and noticed one of the other three out of the corner of his eye ... he hoped to catch all three but wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen.
Leaps to the square next to Petronia and uses the cold blast breath. He may be able to reach the beige, the pink, and just get the green.

You should all have an e-mail with a like to some basic info about my homebrew world. Please take a look and dot in when you can (Angie and Sarah have already). I will add info as I'm able.

I'll get started and see.

The stem-the-tide games sound fun also.

I'm not in love with option 1.

I love Ner but option 2 might be interesting. I'd like to play with another character (as for running a campaign, I haven't figured out how to do that yet. I could give it a crack but this would require a fair amount of set-up time. I would be using my homebrew world of Aerde, perhaps something based in Zahyalamar - the desert capitol)

I still have room for developing Ner and of options 3a, 3b, and 4, I think I like 4 best.

Ner didn't drink much alcohol as a rule. He knew the practicality of wine as water was often from questionable sources. He could pack away a questionable amount of food though, and yet he ate little. He knew instinctively that the work wasn't done and eating was for after. He tried to look like he was eating and began pocketing food into every pocket. He smiled at their new friends in his industrious endeavour.

When the call to move came the halfling rushed to the haversack. He knew his legs wouldn't carry him fast enough. He tucked himself in and made sure his bow was at the ready. His head bobbed up and down as Petronia rushed to the fray.

As soon as the watch towers come into view, they realize they're too late. A dark-skinned woman, swathed in orange and blue like a desert sunset, is standing between the towers, a flaming greataxe in her hands. Five Shadow Lodge agents stand behind her, weapons in hand.

Ner sunk down into the haversack, his eyes peering through the slit.

Happy Birthday! Ill see if i can't get Ner to steal you something nice ;)

Nice roll!
Ner watched things unfold. When he heard the Matheus man speak it felt like all of the tensions in the room were turning, turning towards a single decision. The halfling's eyes darted from person to person until they rested on the elder in the centre of the group. His ears, however, were trained on Teyma's voice.

Ner let out an involuntary "Ooooooooo"

Ner stood quietly and, although he couldn't understand a single word anyone was saying, milked as much as he could from the tones of peoples voices ... which was very little. His efforts in gleaning some information kept him from fidgeting and he perked up whenever he heard the words 'Ner' or 'Matheus' or even 'Bubbles'. He watched the elders and their people to see if they were listening and happy.

YEs, a very Merry Christmas!

;)

oratory: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (5) - 1 = 4
Ner stepped forward and dropped his bag to the ground. He wrung his hands in suplication. He knew the moment was solum and desperate. When he spoke he spoke to the elders. "Scabknee said we had to go 'Cuze there was no one else and we wuz the only ones close when the Shadow Logs they already left from the goblin basement with the ice dragon, yup, they had a whole dragon and they still wanted a dark power thing even though we were supposed to read the chest with Scabknee but instead we went an' fought with a ramirez that we gave to the dried-up lady until we found the bear-verine an' all those dead people, well except for the guy who got up and left and he wasn't happy about it. Um ... I think we're late but I'm not sure what time it is." Ner stopped and looked to Teyma. He waited for her to translate. When everything stayed quiet he walked backwards to where he started. Confused, he looked to Matheus.

Ner opened one eye and saw Petronius was ok. He scuttled down the wall and ran over to hug her leg. ”I knew you wouldn’t be stampeded.” He was a bit hard to shake off but after a bit he followed the others on their way forward.

Ner clung for dear life to the icy cliff face his left ear pressed hard against the wall. Through the surface of the ice it was as if the stampede was amplified. He didn't look around. The last he saw was Petronia sliding back down to the gorge floor. His eyes tight he waited for the creatures to pass but continued to cling for an uncomfortable amount of time after they had gone.

I'm guessing at stampede over avalanche
Ner rushes to the wall of the gorge. He fished out the climbing spikes from his kit and, as treacherous as it might be, he started climbing.
climb: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 11 + 2 = 18
OOOO - Tivli ninja'd my post - stampede it is!

Ner tightened his lips and held his chin, his other hand supporting the first's elbow like he was about to make a very shrewd decision. He weighed what everyone was saying and nodded, so much to consider. Probable danger or possible danger or difficult danger were the options he could hear. He took a deep breath in like he was about to say something, then he went back to following Petronia.

Ner looked concerned, "Do we have to fight people again, or can we jus' keep going? You did say we were supposed to make friends. I liked the part of the last time where we stopped fighting ... maybe we could jus' do that right away??"

Have at it ;)

Ner looked in the direction of the bison and unhooked his sap.

@Ner - did he pack Tivli's bag? If so he would have come across some bizarre items, I can send you some info if you like

Yes, he would have gone to town on packing, cleaning, and mending.

Ner isn't interested in any of the magic items - at least until we find out what the cloak does
Ner knew better than to get in the way when Petronia got focused, hunting, so hr stayed annoyingly close behind her.

Ner nodded, though Petronia couldn't see the gesture, and gingerly climbed out of the bag.

Ner sat by Petronia and watched Bubbles sleep. He listened, nodding to every word the others said as the conversation drifted directly out of his other ear. He could remember a red axe and a white beard, or was it a red beard and a white ... oh whatever. All this high talk of foreign beards and lands of the '!!! Wait limnormal kings! That's what that lady said! Discovering Carcadia and the Glory of the Limnormal Kings!' Ner drew the book out of his backpack. Nowhere on the cover did it say Discovering Carcadia! The lady wasn't gonna be happy. He decided to look about the cave for the flower she talked about.
perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27

That night, with Bubbles sleeping off her food, Ner finally got to pack 'everyone's' things in peace. Then he fell asleep contented.
profession valet: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
stealth: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (14) + 18 = 32

bluff: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Ner kept the huge plate of dinosaur meat next to him but to the opposite side of Bubbles, a little like he was protecting it from the great badger. He gave the badger a serious look like 'You want some? You'll have to pay the toll'. The halfling, however, left every opportunity for the companion to steal from the pile. He threw suspicious glances trying to catch the creature chewing, but somehow always missed. Bubbles was clearly getting one up on him. All the while, in his head, he thought, 'Go ahead. Eat. Eat you're fill. Be sleepy. Tonight I pack in peace.'
-----
Nothing else for this cave

Ner dug the dinosaur thigh out from where he buried it with the low fire. He cracked the clay coating that he had placed over it and dug some of the meat out. It tasted roasted and earthy but he was glad to have some of the Druid's help. The addition of a stew, so thick with fresh mushroom, made it seem much more like a meal. Ner was sure to wrap some of the cooked meat for traveling however.

@ALL - Thank you very much - a lovely day was had indeed!!!

Ner hadn't been paying attention to the wall or the bones but worked away to remove the thigh of one of the dinosaurs. He smeared it with mud from the softest part of the cave and buried it in with a group of stones, hot burning grass, and whatever sticks he could find. Every once-in-a-while he gave it a stir give it oxygen. As he did this he sang under his breath a song he could barely remember. He wasn't mindfull that he was doing it.
<in Halfling>
"Are we not the shtilmench, oh, the little kynd?
And of bitzunkratz are we not experts?
Many things in the world, we have eaten,
But to this field our hearts have been smitten.
For there they were spread out for every mmmmm -
bitzunkratz, bitzunkratz!

Now, stay to the path, watch out for greenies,
As we head west, the new earth seeking
mmmm mm our mother tilled land.
The Shtilmench spirit in me is renewded
There in sour cream, swim my dear heart,
bitzunkratz, bitzunkratz!"