The rest was wonderful. Nichelle woke up a couple of hours later, more surprised by the quietness of the camp. As she yawned and stretched, she realized that the others were gone, and she turned to give puppy dog eyes to Sasha. "Awwww... They left again and didn't tell meeee.." she even sniffled a bit for effect. There had to be something to do, since boredom and her were things that did not go together at all.
Curious, she looked at the nearby trees and decided that she wanted to see if climbing to the top of one of them would give her any good vantage points to see if she could see anything. "Sasha, you think we might be able to see what kind of thing made that nest if we climbed a tree?"
Suiting action to deed, she did what she could to climb the nearest tree, an action that she discovered was pretty difficult if one did not know how. "Right! It can't be that hard!", she declared, attempting to climb another. Needless to say, that turned out about the same as the first attempt. "I was wrong.. It is that hard.. Or these trees don't like me.."
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Climb:1d20 ⇒ 2 Climb Retry:1d20 ⇒ 3 Camp Morale via Antics:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 Hmm.. maybe she's cursed...
Nichelle helped where she could with the setup and tried to make sense of the camp in relation to where they were, but she easily lost her way. She guessed that her sense of direction was not used to trees that looked all the same and lots of green. The second that everything was declared done, she went about setting up the Alchemy kit, and then promptly stretched out before it and went back to sleep. Just a short nap...
Trudging along, Nichelle's face darkened as she clearly wanted more sleep. Her fault, and she had no one to blame, but the lack of it was something that she could take out on something. "Bet I'll be more unpleasant with it than it will be with us..", she grumbled, more to herself than anything else.
With the sun waking them up as soon as it got too bright to stand, Nichelle was a zombie. It was what she got for watching the waves for as long as she did, she supposed. Repacking the lab was a matter of habit for her, though her packing was broken up with intermittent yawns, shuffling through the sand back and forth. The puppy-dog eyes for the small magic from Gelik was not as effective as they were before, but her smile was genuine.
"What's the new ~yawn~ campsite like?", she could not help but ask Lalaru, her curiosity getting the better of her, even when she still tired. A piece of fruit was eaten with little ceremony, but eventually, she was ready to move with the others. It was almost easy to forget that they were stranded here, if it were not for wearing the same clothing and foraging for food, and the lack of beds-- Okay, so she never really forgot, but it was something that she tried to do.
Curious, during her watch, Nichelle gets up from her position to halve the distance between her and the glowing tide, curious about what it might be. Not that she had any idea of any spiritual or arcane workings, but it was quite a mesmerizing sight. Pretty, perhaps.. It was something new that she probably ought to ask Jask or both of the Gnomes about. It seemed like something that she could watch for a while and see something new every time.
Nichelle was sprawled out near her alchemy apparatus, and raised her head as the others returned. "Oh hey guys! Any eventful happenings?" While she had not exactly lain around all day, she was tending to the apparatus more than anything else, and was feeling the fatigue of the heat that had faded and the cost of paying attention to something for so long. Her head flopped back down onto the leaf that she was using to keep the sand out of her hair. "Meet (and defeat) any locals?"
The tone in her voice was playful as always, even if there was a slight bit of fatigue there. Flicking the husk of one of the nuts that had been eaten previously, the triumphant smile of seeing it bounce off of Sasha's shoulder quickly tried to look innocent before she gave up entirely and looked up at the darkening sky. "I've been prodding for stories from us ne'er do wells-- but honestly, how well can you do on an island you're not familiar with? Jask, if I say 'clouds, glass, and rain', does that jog any thoughts of neat stories?"
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Obligatory "Nichelle being Nichelle" Charisma check:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
Ishirou looks at Nichelle, face somber, "My story. It's too long. I grew up on a ship. Didn't like it. I left and worked for the Aspis Consortium. Now I don't." He shrugs, turning back to what he has in hand. It seems he is sharpening a stick. After a few moments he turns back. He speaks slowly, as if he was thinking as he spoke,"And you? What is your story?"
The uncomfortable mien she had faded as she thought about the question, looking to summarize her story in a similar way that he had. A slight shrug preceded her response. "Mom's an Herbalist, Dad's an Alchemist. I learned a bit from both, and managed to gain the attention of a sponsor." Spreading her hands, she chuckled. "Of course, a celebratory trip turned into this." Thoughtful, she grinned. "I'm not too keen on starting a stuffy education, anyways." Remembering not to drag it on too long, she gave him a slight bow and a genuine smile. "Nice to meet you, sir."
The concoction was simmering. Nichelle disliked simmering, since that meant that the only thing that could be done was to watch it bubble fitfully, and that meant there was nothing else interesting to do with it until it was done simmering. It might be the same reason that she had not really taken to cooking either, but as with most things that were not immediate things to deal with, she shrugged it off. Still, there had to be something to do other than tending to the simmering liquid, and she realized that she had not quite gotten the measure of the others here at the camp.
Jask was polite and helpful, Gelik she enjoyed conversing with, and Sasha was.. Well, she was friendly to her, but she had her doubts. Aerys seemed prickly to her, and Ishirou was someone she had no idea about. Even thinking hard, she could not remember interacting with him much, if at all while she was on the ship-- for all of the couple of days that she was on the ship.
Maybe it was time that she fixed that.. After all, talking to someone potentially interesting was a whole lot better than just sitting and watching something simmer. It was getting warmer, too. So, she set the concoction aside, and stood, stretching her legs with a smile. It was a determined smile, eminently cheerful, to boot.
She meandered, which is to say that she let herself get distracted by a number of things as she made her way over to where Ishirou was seated in the shade, and graced him with a bright smile. Now that she had actually moved, she noticed that the sand was surprisingly warm, and the day was getting warmer. The nights were better, and while she knew it was not the brightest idea, she wanted to see the waves closer up.
"Umm.. Hi?" her hands behind her back, she fidgeted a little. "I was wondering, I mean, well.. I was kind of curious.." Sighing, she looked a bit uncomfortable. "I haven't really spoken to you-- well, you and Aerys-- and I was wondering if it was okay to talk to you.. Er, I mean, I'm curious about you? I want to know your story, I mean.."*
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*[dice=Bluff that uncomfortable "kinda like your daughter" approach!]1d20+6[/dice]
Nichelle was not a morning person by choice. Then again, she was not exactly an afternoon person, either. However, with the amount of chatter that was going on in camp about now, she could not remain blissfully asleep-- oh, she could remain asleep, but the "blissful" part was the main focus-- so she sat up, careful not to bump her portable lab. She had developed a habit of sleeping next to it, just in case something was being worked on that needed regular tending. The fitful bubbling was something that sent her right to sleep.
Groaning, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, pretty nonplussed by the view. There was definitely a few seconds of non-comprehension before some recognition began to dawn in her expression. Smacking her lips, she made a distasteful face, and managed something near her voice that lacked most of its usual cheer.. A "croak" would be a better term. "Oh Starsong, I have gold-- I think-- and favors for any of you magic-y types that can cast that 'cleans everything' spell, starting with me." Groaning, she stood half-heartedly, then in a sleepy look of mischief, she glanced over to see if Sasha was still unaware of the world.
Somehow, she reined in the impulse, and shook her head, looking around to see if anyone was taking her up on her solicitation. A few sleepy blinks, and she yawned, following it with a deadpan look. "..~aaah.. I'm not kidding.. Anyone?" She was blatantly switching her gaze between the two gnomes.
Sasha approaches Nichelle. I think I need to . . . What I mean to say . . . Sasha shuffles her feet, looking at everything but Nichelle. After a few moments she looks up smiling, You are such a brat.
Nichelle laughing happily was a natural response to the smiling Sasha, and before she could think to manage some sort of decorum, she was up on her feet and hugging Sasha tightly. Seconds later, she remembered her manners and froze, letting go of her and looking a bit sheepish. "Um, sorry.." making a show of composing herself, the smile that danced in her eyes and curved the corners of her mouth was irrepressible. "Ahem-- Non-spoken apology accepted." She tried to keep a sober mein, but that was a foregone conclusion, happy that she had the start of a friendship.
"I'm not going to be mad at you for feeling how you do about the Red Mantis, as I'm guessing there's a lot there, I can tell." She looked away and chewed her lip as she fidgeted slightly. "Just don't lump me in with them just because my stopover was at a-- umm.. 'less than civil' location, pretty please?" tentatively, she looked back up at Sasha, not quite comfortable with the treading on of uncomfortable subjects.*
"Pirate, I'm mostly okay with, though." The grin on her face was full of imagination as she mimed drawing a sword, and waving it around, surreptitiously making sure that Aerys could hear what she was saying. "I could be 'The Dread Pirate--' hm." In what was becoming her usual way, she got distracted with her declaration. "Um.. 'The Dread Pirate Nichelle' doesn't exactly work, but.. Oooh! 'Black Braid Crassior' could work!"
Realizing that she was getting carried away, she stopped, and calmed down. "Right. Tending alchemy." She sat back down and turned back to the simmering goo in one bottle. "You're welcome to keep me company if you like."
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*Oh dear dice lords, don't let me fail this Bluff:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24check... Whew!
Nichelle will easily volunteer for the role of Entertainer, maybe Guard.
Sasha sighs heavily, but stands to help Nichelle. She gingerly reaches for the stinger, but once she has a hold of it, she seems fascinated by it. Finally after some time she turns to Nichelle, I don't trust you. I have too many experiences with the Red Mantis' to trust anyone from that place. Their work finished, Sasha sets down the stinger and moves off into camp.
Knowing better than to press her luck, Nichelle watches Sasha go and pouts, before she realizes something. "Wait! You know what they're like?" The tone in her voice is full of curiosity and a bit of awe. "What are they like? Can you tell me? I love hearing stories!" She had started to get up, but one of the containers started to bubble over, and she squeaked, turning to save what they had salvaged. Minutes later, the rest of what she had said sunk in. "Hey!! I'm Varisian, not a Mediogaltian!", she shouted back. "Yeesh.. that's a mouthful", she said to herself. "I wonder if they shorten it to 'Galtian', or something.." Shaking her head, she turned back to tending what they had, starting the work on an antitoxin. It was likely not going to be done for a while, but just having some on hand would be good.
As she worked, a grin grew.. Sasha thought her declaration of "Sulky Sasha gets pranked" was just talk? Just wait until tonight.. She was laughing to herself rather mischievously, and she did make sure that the scorpion tails were not discarded, either..
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Stranded on an unknown island, survial in doubt? Just the thing to liven up the situation: PRANK WARS!
Well, since this post got eaten by the 1-hr edit timer, I'll try this again and not forget to copy this time!
~{During the 4-hour span}~
Nichelle bounced about between helping set up, setting up her portable Alchemy kit a little ways away in the shade, and bugging Sasha. She had cut the tails of the scorpions and was doing the best she could with what she had to see if any of their poison could be used to make the antitoxin that she had mentioned in her introduction. If Sasha was still being a sulky, uncooperative lump, she was going to find that Nichelle set up her kit close enough to talk to her, but just far enough away to give her a (tiny) bit of space.
"Hey Sasha", she started, holding up one of her daggers by the hilt and offering it to miss sullen. "You mind doing me a favor and helping me crack this shell? I'm trying to get to the poison, and I kinda need more hands." To illustrate her point, she held up the tail, all curled up as it was from the creature's death, and straightened it with one hand, and let it go, watching it curl up again. "I could maybe use my feet, but that seems a bit unclean, maybe?"
Nichelle's boots were in the sand next to her setup, and her setup, despite her personality, seemed very neat and ordered, rather than the haphazard setup that some might expect. "How're you feeing? I know we haven't had any water, that's why I've got that going!" A gesture was given to a setup where she was boiling some seawater, that was being carried through a hose to drip into another smallish container. Aware that what it might yield was probably insufficient, she looked a bit contrite. "I'm aware it might not be much, though..."
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Survival to harvest tail-goodies:1d20 ⇒ 14 Working that Natural Charm @Sasha!:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14 Ah, missed the "over four hours" bit. gotcha
Fortitude:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18 If it would make things easier, please feel free to roll anything reflexive (saves, init, etc.) if it would make things easier for you. I wouldn't have minded if you rolled this check at all! :)
Stepping back he holds out a hand, I'm Gelik Aberwhinge. Pathfinder extraordinaire. He bows deeply, flourishing his cloak. I have srurvived many strange adventures in the wilderness, though I much prefer to have company when I do.
Nichelle cannot help but laugh, as it seems a bit of her play was caught by the gnome, and she swept a tiny curtsy, taking Gelik's hand in a fair show of civility. "Very well met, Sir Aberwhinge. I would call you Gelik, if you please. I find humor to be a saving grace in many a situation, and it is wonderful to find a kindred spirit, let alone a Pathfinder." Releasing his hand, she straightened and looked at the others, nodding to Lalaru in recognition of her introduction (and eyeing her tail).
Sasha's expression return to being a wet blanket earned a bit of a frustrated glare from Nichelle. "I think I'm going to have to institute a personal rule: 'Sulky Sasha gets pranked..' I think it has a nice ring to it." Following that statement, Nichelle put on her best "innocent" look, that said anything but.
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Yani beats Bluff:
She did miss some introductions, though not as many as she puts on, and ease of her expressions make her pretty skilled at acting.
Curious, Nichelle walked up to the group and glanced between the lot there, trying to piece together what was going on before hearing any sides. With the lady with the monkey talking calmly, she directed a knowing look towards Sasha that was aiming for "accusatory", knowing some of her personality from associating with her on the Jenivere, and "expectant", hoping she would start with an explanation. That look only lasted a moment, though.
"Alright, I'm sorry, I admit I missed the introductions-- well, some of them-- and I'm horrible with names." Smiling cheerfully, she had the grace (or the skill) to look a bit embarrassed for putting herself on the spot. "I'm Nichelle, sorta-fledgling alchemist, and I have no idea how to survive on my own in the jungle or on any uncivilized island, really." The smile disappeared as she made her point on the latter half of her introduction, but was back as soon as there was enough of a pause. Her expression brightened as she continued. "I am one of the very few people that can make an antitoxin from scratch though, so I've got that going for me, at least!"
She looked like she wanted to clap happily at that declaration, she really did.
"I know Sasha, and I've briefly met Aerys. I infer that this gentleman in chains is.. Um.. Jask!" There was a longer pause as she tried to pull the other names from memory. "Sir Gnome, Sir.. erm, Sir.. I don't really recall your names, no offense intended. Would you be kind enough to remind me and tell me whether or not you can survive on an island like this on your own?"
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Diplomacy:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15 Bluff:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19 I like that given the personality she's displayed-- whether or not she's being a smartass or an airhead-- there's a bit of uncertainty as to how serious she's being about what. That would also explain why she has no ranks in Diplomacy. ^^;
Carrying what she could help with, Nichelle smiled brightly at Yanistah. "Don't worry about him being too good of a liar, I've got a bit of a nose when it comes to that!" When she got a few curious glances, she shrugged, and tried not to blush. "What? I kinda have to be", she mumbled defensively. "I got on the ship from Ilizmagorti.. pirates aren't exactly the most scrupulous of conversationalists, much less so when they're trying to hit on you.." Her face flushing more, Nichelle said nothing else and looked away.
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Sense motive @>Bluff:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25, see spoiler
Nichelle had begun moving the items from the larder up to the deck, to make it easier to move when they decided to leave the ship. Five of them in that cabin was enough, and she did not want to crowd them. As she walked, she idly wondered about Lalaru.. Could she swim? Could there have been anything that could be claimed that had sunk to the bottom? Was it worth it? Either way, it was hot, and the sun was not making it any better.
The food was a welcome sight, and she smiled even brighter, clapping her hands happily when the sounds of kicking drew her attention. When she noticed it was just Yani kicking the door in, she went back to examining the pantry. When she got to the cupboard, she squeaked and skipped back into the hallway at the body falling out of the cupboard, reaching for her dagger. When the body was not animate, she calmed her racing heart and looked at the rest of the group who might be looking askance at her for holding a dagger and looking rather skittishly into the pantry. 'I've been listening to too many pirate stories about dead seamen.. underwater zombies.. hah!'
Lalaru Thalassa wrote:
"You killed the first mate!"
"I swear I didn't kill the cook!", she shouted, still a little bit panicked 'of course, that I just "found" him on my own doesn't help my image any-- or that I'm holding a knife' Sighing to herself, she went back in and tried to drag the cook's body out of the pantry.
"You are not edi-- well, maybe you are, but I'm not going to eat you, nope nope!" Once she got him into the hallway, she stopped to look at his wounds.
Thoughtful, Nichelle looked at the large dead scorpion-thing, chewing on her lip for a bit.. Then, with a shrug, she took her knife to the base of the tail of the scorpion-thing, and then set it aside, still mulling over something in her head. She could not tell the first thing about eating the creature, but it was possible that she could make an antitoxin out of it.. It probably could not hurt to try.
Nodding to herself decisively, she looked up to see some of the others looking at her, probably curious at what she could be so distracted by. Grinning brightly, she looked a bit sheepish and put her knife away, giving a slight shrug. "I know we're not going to be on the beach at all too much, maybe, but I figured starting on some antitoxin pro~bably wouldn't hurt, right?"
===Down the stairs===
For all that her clothes were scratchy from the salt water (at least they smelled better), Nichelle had passed by the equipment pile to reclaim her items.. The larder was something that could help them later, provided there was anything in there worth salvaging. No point in letting it go to waste, right?
Tentatively, she knocked on the door, smiling at a joke she just thought of. "Hello~o? Any edible edibles in residence? Your liberators have arrived!" Giggling at her own silliness, she opened the door to poke her head in.
The number of people that were engaged with fighting the stinger-lobster thing was a lot, especially when Lalaru joined in. If the thing survived, it was a lot tougher than it was supposed to be, and that was the scary part. Since she did not know any of these people, she did not want to get underfoot, since doing something that that could be disastrous in a situation like this. So she moved closer, but just in case someone needed to move, away, she did not get close enough to be in the way of a wandering weapon or spell.
She was nervous, since this whole situation was a new thing, but she hoped that it was not something that would affect her later. In her hand was one of the daggers from her hip, and she was holding it readily, but was not going to move until she had a clear opening. Lalaru moving in to engage the lobster-thing made her hesitate again, but there was a clear space on the other side, and that was what she was looking at, once she saw the way things were moving.
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Move Action: Draw Weapon
Move Action: Move to Current position.
Nichelle returned to the group once her clothes were suitably rinsed out, though now they were wet.. again. At least they were cleaner. The scarf, rather than be wrapped around her neck in this heat, was draped over her shoulders, and her hair was unwrapped from around her neck as well, the tail hanging to the back of her knees. She walked with a bounce in her step, and her boots in her hands, content to go barefoot on the sands for now. At least the wet clothes would dry quickly, that was a plus.
The girl smiled at seeing Sasha(and the others) up. "I'm glad everyone is alive, and awake!" Her smile briefly became a bright grin, letting her boots fall to the sand to begin wringing the excess water out of her scarf. If her attitude was honest, this was clearly beyond a "glass half-full" type, she was more like a "I've got liquid enough in this cup to start a water fight" type. She gave a curious look to Malthu and the others, looking to the wrecked ship relatively nearby. "What's the plan?", she asked, recognizing that she was mostly helpless if she had to fend for herself.
Mischeviously, she flicked a bit of water from her scarf at Sasha anyway, then tried to look innocent when she got glared at, checking to see if Sasha bought it.
Nichelle levelled a flat look at Lalaru. "Soooooo not helping my paranoia there, lady.." The gnomes were not quite ignored after Malthu's intervention, but she refrained from agitating them for now. That knowledgeable gnome seemed like he would be a fun person to argue with.
Conforming with the introductions, she put on her best "nice to meet you" face and raised a hand in greeting. "Name's Nichelle, budding Alchemist and 'irrepressible scamp', I've been called, and it's nice to be stranded on this notorious island with all of you!" she even managed a grin, aiming for "annoyingly cheery". "I've made a mess of my clothing thanks to the things we just killed, so I'm going to go wash off in the sea!" Illustrating her words, she held up her scarf and indicated her shirt and pants. "Hope to get your names when I get ba~ack!"
With that, she began walking towards the shoreline, stripping off her armor and clothing, calling over her shoulder, "Modesty is overrated!", likely to forestall any of the protestations that might have been proffered. She took the dirtied clothing with her and spent the next few minutes washing and scrubbing at them in the seawater. Then again, she did seem to be of Varisian descent, so either her statement was a belief, or she had a method for defending herself from unwanted advances, or both. Given her actions on the ship, she was quite comfortable with herself, and if anything happened beyond the flirting that had been seen, there were no rumors. The wisdom of her choice of actions was something else, however.
Nichelle, relieved that the creatures were killed seconds after she awoke, stumbled over to the other passengers to see how they fared. She recognized Aerys and Sasha, and the others she had seen around the ship, except for one of them.. Still, she went to check up on them, to see if they were still breathing, but doing it a bit hastily, since she was fighting the growing urge to throw herself into the sea to clean up a bit. While the others were examining the footprints and tracks, she wanted to make sure none of the others were dead.
"Wake up? C'mon, don't be dead..", Nichelle was going down the line, slapping the unconscious ones and shaking them to see if that would rouse them. By the time she got to the end of the line of unconscious people, she was looking longingly at the nearby water. "I swear I'm going to come back and drip on y--"
Vazio Tanzer wrote:
...Spotting Nichelle, Vazio advances, pointing at her in an agitated manner.
You! Human! What is the meaning of this? What did you put into our food?! What is your game?!
Nichelle stopped and blinked at the advancing gnome with a bit of a surprised and confused look, having been intent on making certain that the others weren't dead. Both her eyebrows were bobbling up and down as she flickered between a confused frown and a bit of disbelief that she was being accosted by a short survivor. Her expression flickered back and forth as she considered several responses from flippant to menacing, settling for "cluelessly surprised". "Uhm.. 'get clean as fast as possible..?'", she hesitantly responded, not quite sure of the order of questioning as she pointed to the water line. "..Race you to the water?"
Then his second question registered, and her face took on an indignant expression, standing up with her hands on her hips to bend over and look down on the gnome. "I didn't put anything in anyone's food but mine!", she protested. "That it was poisoned before I touched it is not my fault!"
It was only then that she realized she was shouting, and looked up at the others with a bit of a worried and guilty look, to see if they had heard their exchange before trying to backpedal a bit hastily. "..notthatIwasgoingtopoisonanyoneIswear!"
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Bluff:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
Sense Motive @>21:
The bluff was in the clueless look that she had given him in the "cluelessly surprised" was definitely faked.
"It's allright Nichelle, I'm not sure anything could be done with this stuff."
Pouting, Nichelle looked over at Sasha, annoyed at her inability to improve even a simple solution such as this. "But it's horrible, Sasha! Even on accident should it be this ba--", a realization hits her and wide-eyed, she looked around at the others succumbing, her mind protesting the unfairness of the occurrence. 'Aw c'mon! I just left the island!!"Saasssshaaaaa.. itsh..craaaap." The words didn't want to come out right, but that was no reason for the deck to come at her so--
=========== ===========
HP 8/9, AC 15/13/12
Nichelle always hated the waking up part. The mix of returning mental faculties and that moment in pausing once she tried to recognize her body again was disorienting, and made her nauseous. She always compared it to swimming.. swimming with seasickness, where once you surface you still have that half-second where you are making sense of everything. The jab of a needle did not reassure her, and she reflexively moved her leg out of the way, sending a pathetic kick in the direction of the person that had jabbed her. "M'no'under'ny'pokinme'gain..Quiddit.", came the petulant grumble. She would just go back to sleep until she felt better.
Eizzach Bitterbalm wrote:
"STAND CLEAR!!"
The shout was what seemed a bit odd, and that it came just as she was rolling over onto the sand bed made her frown, snuggling her cheek into the pillow. "Mmnnnmn..'mclear..g'way." Why did she have to be the test subject again? She hated being poisoned, and they could have at least let her take off the wet scarf before they poisoned her and her clothes were hot and scratchy and sandy--
Her eyes opened with start, immediately wincing at the sun and sand and THING that was at her feet!! "Yaaa--!", she shouted, a strange combination of hiccup and burp slipping from her mouth while scrambling across hot sand away from the thing before her body reminded her that she would rather be sick at the moment. Indeed, her stomach proceeding to empty itself from her nonstandard position was certainly not the most flattering of sights, and it was only the training that kept her on her feet(albeit in a low crouch), fishing for the dagger that should have been in her boot. The contents of her stomach were thankfully absorbed by the sand, though the smell was never a pleasant thing and just made her a bit greener.
"--urp--aww..", she moaned, realizing her scarf just got dirtier. Why was it that in the most dire of situations, it was the little things that always got noticed? Her free hand pulled her hair out of her face, so she could see everything better and noticed that everyone was here, if not awake. Spitting to the side, she grimaced.
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Move Action to scramble 5ft (provokes), Stand up
Nichelle drew eyes when she boarded in Ilizmagorti, lugging her equipment on with a cheerful grin and words of greeting for all the sailors she passed. The enthusiasm that she displayed was slightly out of place for the location, some said. Then again, she was having a jovial conversation with some of the passengers as the ship was pulling into port, and it was entirely possible that she was just one of those kinds of people; Cheerily optimistic despite everything, even a bit annoying in their good mood. She had to have come via one of the other ships, and where the Jenivere picked her up was just another stop for her. When asked about her reasons, she had a smile and joke for them all, making light of the fact that a girl her size was left unmolested in a lawless port.
Then, once aboard, she found her way to their rum stores, and the rumors stopped. Whatever it was that she added to that one barrel had all the hands offering her praise, and several other offers that she declined with the same cheerfulness she carried nearly everywhere. If there were any thoughts to making her the target of unruly behavior, the one time she did not tend to the liquor quelled those thoughts.
Naturally, Nichelle gravitated towards one of the other passengers, a red-haired human that also boarded the Jenivere in Ilizmagorti named Sasha. Since leaving Mediogalti Island, the woman’s somber demeanor has gradually faded, revealing a boisterous and optimistic personality. Needless to say, the two are often seen talking together, their personalities playing off of each other, occasionally to the dismay of the sailor that is the target of some good-natured mischief.
Tonight, after a couple of swallows of the soup, Nichelle decided to approach her rapidly-cooling food with all the grace of something best fit for an alchemy table. Her fast hands had let her "accidentally" acquire a few spices from the cook's stores, and she is intently alternating between adding pinches of something to it, and tasting it before making a face and adding more pinches of something else to it. Judging by the ongoing progression of her expressions, she was not making much headway.
Tossing the hat into the ring with this character, a Human Rogue(Poisoner)
Gold:5d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 1, 2, 6) = 15x10 =150gp
Fluff:
Nichelle's family worked with plants. Even when she was little, and the memories were fuzzy, she could remember raising up onto tip-toes to look at the plants that were growing on the table, seeing Papa working so carefully with them. The funny liquids that were sometimes weird colors, and sometimes the smell burned her nose.. She was curious, and by the time she could see the table without having to stand on her tip-toes, she knew some of the plants by name, and knew what parts people wanted from helping her family out.
Once she had learned a lot from helping her family she was asked if she wanted to keep doing what the family did, to follow in their footsteps. If she said yes, her family would be paid well, and she was off to get training as well as more instruction. She had since learned and accepted that her family dealt with poisons, and despite what they could do, her father was still a kind and gentle man in her eyes. So she accepted the offer, laughing and cheerful. After all, it was not what they did, but how they chose to use it, right?
So she was taken away voluntarily. It was a long trip, and the training was tough and sometimes unfair on the island, but she kept on going. She would not let her family down. It took years, but once they finished the basics, she was back to doing what she had done before, tending plants, and learning to make various things out of them. Surprisingly, she found a facility with the alchemy that she did not know she had. More years passed as she refined techniques, gained knowledge and finally attained proficiency. Her duties here were done.
When her next assignment was issued, she was only told to board the Jenivere, and when it made port, she would be contacted. The method was nothing especially new, so following the assignment, she boarded...
'Chel remained near Gaius, well-accustomed to playing the part of hired help, and simply looked casually intimidating.
Intimidate:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
The bright-eyed sparkle to her eyes and the slight overtone of glee that was in her voice despite her attempts at hiding it said that 'Chel was anything but. "Well, if you think I should.." One hand was already undoing the tie on the cloak that she was wearing while the other hand reached for the-- her-- new hanging cloak. The old cloak was falling to her feet as the new one was swirling over her shoulders, spun there by a precise hand.
Those that were paying close attention would catch a glimpse of a couple of smallish pouches at her waist, several hilts under the vest that she wore, along with two more at the small of her back before it was covered by the cloak again, her tail starting just under those sheathes. It gave a fitful flick as the new cloak settled onto her shoulders to drape down her back. Turning to the group, her hands quickly tied it and she set one hand on her hip, giving them a genuinely appreciative smile. "Thank you."
A shrug of her shoulders settled the new cloak, and she looked in the direction that some of them had agreed on. "East?" Even though she was getting back to business, a smile still lingered about the corners of her mouth.
The robes were a point of interest to 'Chel. She spent several seconds examining the robes, and then looking at the-- "victim" of Gaius' warning. "Do you suppose he was a priest?", she thought aloud, "He didn't seem so 'priestly', to me..." Holding on whether or not it is announced that the cloak is magical, or who is storing/carrying the found items
Despite the situation, 'Chel can't help but quip, "If you ever feel the need to warn me, just skip the warning and tell me.." she eyed the formerly living thing on the floor with a raised eyebrow and a flick of an ear. "..I don't think I could survive otherwise."
Brushing past Gaius, she entered the room and begins to aid Alexi in the search.
Perception(Aid Another):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Nichelle knew better than to try to get between an armed (and armored) Hobgoblin, and simply cleared the way for Gaius. She was expecting that whatever it was that was trying to escape would have some difficulty after Gaius had his say.. That did not stop her from drawing another dagger from under her cloak just in case, though.
Delay until after Gaius attacks
Nichelle grinned as she heard the bar clank and fall to the floor, but that grin faded as she saw the darkness that the light did not touch. In fact, she was completely sober-faced as she kept her eye on the darkness and waved behind her for Gaius. "Sir Gaius," she began.. "I can't see anything.. Can you?" Using her ears, she tried to get a sense of the size of the room, at least.
Perception:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Giggling softly to herself, she shrugged, not having expected any reaction from her knocking at all, really. Looking closely at it, she tried to slip the knife between the planks that she saw, and tried to raise it as best she could. She did try to be careful, however.. It would not do to bend the knife.
This was a curiosity. A door that was barred from the inside... Now, the question is, could she manage to open it without breaking the door? A fishook and twine came to mind, but she was not in the habit of carrying those things... An amused laugh slipped from her throat at an idea that was so absurd that it just might work in opening the door-- without any need for breaking or circumventing.
'I swear.. If this works', she thought to herself, standing and rapping politely on the door with the hilt of her knife, unable to keep a disbelieving smile from her face and no small amusement out of her voice. "Halloo in there!?"
'That's what we non-magery types call, "casting Knock",' she snorted, her expression having changed to a silly grin.
'Chel was looking at her dagger and making a small face at the amount of things that she has had to kill in the past few hours. She was appreciative that her daggers were normal, everyday things, since she would hate having to clean various types of ick and yuck off of the blades. Even though it was cheap, she felt bad for the state of her cloak at the end of this. It was likely that she was going to have to burn it.
The extra dagger again disappeared somewhere under her cloak, and she approached the door, stretching her arms and hands lithely, nevermind that the motion may have made her form seem more enticing, despite the dim light. The flick and idle curl of her tail could be seen sweeping under the cloak briefly.
The door was hopefully just a door this time, and a few minutes to examine it curiously would hopefully benefit them. She looked over her shoulder to speak to the others. "Which way are we going now?", she asked, also heartened that the companions that were with her on this job were competent.
Perception(Take 10): 15
Once the three shots have passed safely over her head did 'Chel move, intending to bracket the thing with Gaius, so that they might destroy it easier. She had no idea about what the thing was, but if it was anything that once had a skull, then it was entirely susceptible in a number of places. Disgusting though it was, she slipped behind it and attacked, aiming for a weaker part of its wings, figuring that a grounded head would be much less of a threat.
Attack:1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 1 + 2 = 16, 1d4 + 1d8 ⇒ (3) + (5) = 8
Hearing the various ranged weapons being readied, 'Chel simply crouched lower, so that the others should have no difficulty firing over her. It had the added bonus of hopefully being out of the flying head's line of immediate sight, which would allow her to place a dagger in it unsuspecting. If the cloak were a bit more of a mottled grey instead of the uniform dark grey it was, she could almost pass for a rock in the corner of the hallway.
The mirror was withdrawn back under the cloak, where it disappeared from view as she turned to Gaius with a confused expression, leaning closer to the hobgoblin so she would not have to speak as loud. Her amber eyes were luminous in the meager light from the lantern "..a flying head of a monster..", she relayed with slight uncertainty and a healthy dose of fear. "..it is flying into a closed door repeatedly." She smelled like dust and warm oil and steel, the smell of an unfamiliar place underneath it all.
Another knife appeared in her off-hand as her cloak passed between them, turning back to the intersection to keep an eye on the... head.
Stealth:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
Pausing at the intersection of the two corridors 'Chel really wished she had that mirror that was sitting in her pack back in her room. She had not particularly expected to be down here, and the way the corridor angled meant that there would be less light when she looked. Cautiously, she crouched and peered around the corner, first west, then east, curious about the only sound they had heard so far.
Crouched where she was on the walkway, 'Chel was listening to the others debate and talk while she kept an eye out. There seemed to not be much going on beneath them, but she was thinking about the layout of the Ossuary so far, and this was turning out to be much bigger than expected. The dagger in her hand flashed around as she played with it, flipping it this way and that, rolling it around her hand and back while they voted.
'Chel would be the first one through the doors, letting the light from their lanterns spill into the room as she slipped to the right side of the door to see if anything moved to her eyes. Once again, she had a dagger in her hand, just in case-- and given the recent occurrences, she was not overcautious. So she moved enough to let her eyes adjust to the dim light, and then proceeded forward, slightly off from the middle of the room.
Not ever one to argue with a large, armored form, Nichelle does as he requests, stabbing out at not the spider in front of her, but the spider in front of the Half-Elf, intent on clearing a space to move into.
Attack:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19, 1d4 ⇒ 4
If the spider in front of Alexi dies, 5ft step into the position it occupied. If not, 5ft step East.
(using guidance)Attack:1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 4 + 1 = 21, 1d4 ⇒ 3, Dagger thrown towards the closest spider on the left.
Wasting no time with even saying anything, Nichelle's arm lashed out, hurling the dagger she had in one hand at the nearest spider that she saw, her other hand going under her cloak to produce another dagger like the first. "Spiders!", she called out, taking a step back and crouching as she held the dagger in front of her warily.
Remembering what happened the last time, 'Chel had a dagger in one hand and cautiously crept forward, trusting the rest of her senses to tell her more about than just what sight would grant her. It was the same way she could stand with her eyes half-lidded, playing "bodyguard" for someone in a crowded taphouse, and just get a sense of how things were moving around them. More than once had it tipped her to something that she was going to have to deal with, even though she could not tell anyone just what it was that let her know before anyone else.
Quietly moving until the grey of her cloak was almost blending into the edge of the shadows of the lantern, she progressively paid momentary attention to the alcoves as she passed them.
Looking at the surrounding engravings, and the scrawl on the wall, Nichelle was even less satisfied with what she had agreed to. "Would these be.." Thinking hard, she tried to find the word. "..Sins? Could this mausoleum have been repurposed-- appropriated-- converted! That's it!" Pausing, she shook her head, still thinking that something was odd, but unable to pin down what it was.
Looking at the blood on her dagger with a disgusted expression on her face, Nichelle smirked all the same and with a flick of her wrist, cleared what she could off of the blade before wiping the rest on the corner of her cloak. She let the cloak fall with a shrug of her shoulder and by the end of the motion, the blade had disappeared again. She began walking the room, looking for anything of interest. Around the doors, specifically was where she was looking, because if something like that had made its way into the stairwell of the sealed ossuary, then there went any feeling of security that she may have had.
It was her hope that, before.. Things had started happening, there was some sort of legend or map or guide on the stones. Wandering was not something that she was fond of. "So", she said cheerfully, "that went well. Which door first?" Perception(10): 15
Quietly hissing a curse, a seeming brush of her hand across her back produced a simple dagger, hastening up the steps as she moved forward to attack the creature, though she was more aware of the others that were also attacking, not wanting to bump into them, or be the recipient of an accidental swing. From the sound, Azrim was the closest, and she moved up next to him, closing her eyes once she entered the darkness and relying on her ears.
Encountering something that could make it dark whenever it wanted was a slightly scary thing, and it was currently between her and the rest of the party... She moved further down the stairs until she could see, and called out to the rest, "Who is between the thing and me?"
With a short huff of what may have been a sigh, or perhaps the adjustment of her nose to the dry and dust smell of the ossuary, Nichelle made her way to the front, mostly by sound and feel, rather than sight. She was mostly certain that there was nothing special that she had to be wary of just yet, and it was likely that there would be torches once they reached the bottom and the first chamber. It was a fair guess, at least. It was not like she had been in here-- or similar places before, no...
So she moved until she felt(or smelled) the Hobgoblin, and hit his shoulder twice with her hand, hooking a thumb back at herself before she took the lead. The steps were regular, though by habit she stayed to the right side, following the steps to the bottom. As for light, she was unconcerned, knowing one of the others would be producing a source soon.
