No worries, hope everything is going as well as it can! I fully agree with Filiana, you've got to take care of yourself first. Hope to see you all again! :)
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How are things going DM?
Agreed, do what you need to do! Losing a loved one is hard, take as much time as you need. We will be waiting for your return! :)
Good luck, hoping everything turns out for the best!
Nostro tenses a little at the overwhelming amount over words spoken at him by the salesmen. I pray there is at least work for us to do here. Even if the ring does what they say it does, I couldn't afford it. I've heard of such things though, they do have their uses. With a slight grimace, he responds, "No thank you. I came for work. Have you any?"
Nostro will take one holy water. If it is all the same to everyone else, it might be worth it if we spread out the holy water and haunt siphons. My thought process being that if we fight something that we want to use it on, each of us using it will be more efficient (in terms of combat rounds required) than if one or two people are using it.
Sleeping in a little later than usual, Nostro wakes up to everyone already downstairs. An uneventful night is a good one. Rising, he prepares for the day and makes his way downstairs. "All. Harrowstone deserves a raid in two days time. Are we in agreement?"
Once the group has spoken, he will eat breakfast and then spend an hour or so maintaining his equipment. Satisfied that he can no longer make improvements on it's condition, he will go back inside to speak with Ms. Lorrimor. "Zombies attacked you. Will you require protection?" As Gregor heads to the study, Nostro addresses him, "The Book will try to consume you. Don't let it. Check the Unfurling Scroll and meet with Alendru Ghoroven when you are finished. Innkeep said he has books." You get the sense that he isn't trying to give you and order, but simply making a suggestion.
DM, just checking in to make sure you're alright!
GM, Nostro has every intention of staking out the memorial with Viktor.
Nostro spends the rest of their meal in silence. He methodically eats the chowder, it's warmth slowly spreading through his body. Nothing out of the ordinary. Pretty tasty too. He rises with the former guard. "Viktor. I will assist you. We shall all meet this evening at the Lorrimar residence." If we finish early, we could look for work to be done tomorrow. He thanks the bartender on his way out and makes a mental note of the places that may be looking for additional help.
I'll approach the smith tomorrow and see how much gold we are talking. Perhaps I could work towards it. Their progress is good, access to the records is important. After Viktor's comments on Harrowstone, Nostro adds, "The rest comes later." The 'law' here hates us, no need to risk poking the bear. Unamused, Nostro stares at the bartender as he lists his options, his face a stonewall. Attempts at humor are appreciated, but this is ridiculous. "Culled Corpse Chowder. Whiskey on the rocks," he says flatly. Once in relative privacy, he adds his thoughts to the groups. "Unlikely the bartender is a cannibal. Would run out of food more quickly or risk attention. Poison and drug work is plausible. Temptation is difficult to resist over time. Especially gold. Harrowstone should be investigated at night. Even hearsay may hold merit." "Viktor. I will accompany you. One man is easily surprised. Even with a goat." Nostro seems pretty firm in his belief that you shouldn't be alone, but not that it has to be him that guards with you. He looks hard at Ladruca. A zombie in broad daylight? Bold. Very bold. Are we too late already? "We must act soon. Two days at most. I fear for the town if we wait longer." When he is absolutely certain that nobody else is within earshot or paying attention, Nostro recounts the events of their day.
"To the tavern. We will consult the others." Tonight we plan our raid for the glory of the Inheritor! Nostro walks with renewed purpose at the thought. Once they arrive at the tavern, he throws the door open and steps in. Spotting his companions, he makes his way towards them and seats himself. "Any news?"
Time to go clubbing!
"We could climb those walls. Viktor. Filiana. Let's head back to town. There is naught but an overgrown shell." Disappointed, Nostro starts to make his way back to town. Nothing lost, but nothing gained either. We may have to mass our group and bite the bullet. A day or two of preparation should be enough. "Two days should be enough to prepare a raid. Thoughts?" His stride is as confident as ever, clearly unfazed by the thought of pressing deeper into the fortress.
Nostro glowers at the abandoned prison. This place must be full of abominations. What a miserable stain on all that is holy and lawful. Another reason for this town to be restructured and educated. It should have been gutted and restored. Repurposed if needed. Wishy-washy laws, negligence towards bastions of order, and ignorance is no way to defend yourself against the horrors of Ustalav. He spits on the ground in disgust. "Filiana. We will not enter. The Inheritor demands the cleansing of this stain, but not with our numbers. Search the perimeter. No closer than the gates, but only if we must. This is reconnaissance, not a raid."
Frowning at the mixed results of their actions, Nostro starts walking towards Harrowstone. "To Harrowstone. There is much to learn." I'm done with talking for now. That ordeal was disappointing.Action will clear my head.
DM,harrowstone scouting is where I'd like to go next
Are we supposed to be capturing Gibbs? It sounded like the Sheriff was going to do that
This passes for law in town? Pathetic. "Your station demands you examine the evidence and act with accordance of the law. Nothing more. Nothing less. We ask nothing of taking sides." Nostro crosses his arms, his brow furrowed. This is going to be one hell of a week. We have no way of being proactive. Even if we patrolled at night, anybody who saw us would accuse us of foul play. Maybe my allies have better ideas. We may be forced to act on Harrowstone sooner than we hoped after kicking this hornet's nest. When the sheriff leaves, Nostro faces Filiana and Viktor, "We should leave and plan our next moves."
"Sheriff. What do you make of this? Who lives out here?" Nostro's stare drills into the Sheriff while he waits for a response. The scum who did this will meet justice.
I took a haunt siphon as well iirc
I'm ok with character tampering in the name of the plot as long as we have the option of vetoing.
When the Sheriff agrees, Nostro turns in silence and walks with the group back to the monument. Hearing his accusations, Nostro opens his mouth to speak but is too slow on the draw to beat Filiana to it. He remains silent in light of what she says. I suppose I should get used to her surprising me with her boldness. The sheriff would not have appreciated what I had to say. "The shack is this way," he says, as he leads the way to the shack. As they approach, he points to Viktor and identifies him to the sheriff. I'll leave the talking to them. My temper has yet to cool for this pathetic excuse of a law enforcing official.
"Our lead is near the monument. We will accompany you there. As Filiana said, the two are related." Hearing Filiana get to the point, Nostro remains silent and awaits the Sheriff's answer. She is bolder than I gave her credit for. Good for her. Diplomacy Assist if needed:
Hope everything is going ok! Have fun Viktor! I'll adopt Gunnar as my trusty steed, don't you worry.
The laughter strikes him like a hammer, flinching at the sudden outburst of noise from the tiny woman. By the divine, she is more naive than I thought. I don't even know where to start. I will do my best to protect her until the time comes where she sees the harsh truth. Iomedae grant me the strength to teach her before it is too late. "Filiana. I disagree with some of your points. Our discussion will have to wait. We have arrived at the jailhouse." He punctuates the end of his sentence with a strong push into the structures door.
"As you wish," giving Viktor a short nod in response to claiming guard duty. "Filiana and I shall retrieve the sheriff. Viktor. Pride is not worth dying for." Seeing his travel companion waiting for him, he turns to follow her in determined silence.
Unless it is a blunt weapon! :)
Ladruca: I would greatly appreciate a morningstar. Ideally a silver one. I do not have any money to pay you back though. If it is ok with you, I'd be more than happy to pay you back when we get some gold. Totally understand if you'd rather I just buy one myself when we get gold. Ladruca/Keydas: Better hurry to that sheriff, he might be checking out a shack if you're too slow ;)
Nostro watches Filiana leave out of the corner of his eye without a word, still continuing his search through the dingy shack. Probably doesn't have the stomach for this. She seems to have lived a sheltered life. Everyone eventually learns there is darkness all everywhere. The earlier the better. Alone in the house, he mutters to himself, "I'm no Sir. One day I'll be an Officer perhaps, but not yet..." His search not turning up anything useful, he will make his way back outside. "We should confront the owner on their return. This heinous crime cannot go unpunished." They did seem particularly concerned with keeping everything in house though... "An alternative is to send for the sheriff. We should not abandon our post here though."
"Naught but wildlife are nearby," Nostro says as he waves the group forward. When their search reveals evidence of the dark deed, he stops in his tracks. This is all we need to prove guilt. "There aren't tracks indicating he was framed. This was the owners work. I will search the house.
Viktor and I understand the rules in the same way. Edit: Imo, spells that require an attack roll shouldn't provoke. The way it is now, a spell that requires a ranged touch attack provokes TWICE. Once for casting a spell, and again for making a ranged attack. Rooting for team zombie killers. Filiana, your suggestion to have Kendra guarded just saved all of our sorry butts!
Seeing the shack, Nostro halts the group. "The tracks lead there. Wait a moment." His eyes grow hazy as he sweeps the area with his deathwatch and relays what he finds to the group.
"Be on your guard. Either of you know this place?" he says as he warily approaches. A decrepit shack is better than a cave, but still not comforting if the owner exsanguinates dogs. I will bring them to justice.
Ignoring the man's tone, Nostro stands motionless as the boy absorbs the gruesome scene that Tuft was forced to be in. He is too young to be forced to experience such a monstrosity. "As an agent of the Inheritor, I swear to you that I will do all within my power to discover who did this. They will receive the justice they deserve." He says darkly, hand gripping the hilt of his sword. There will be a day where Ustalav will no longer be the prey for darker entities... this I promise you, boy. There are bound to be tracks nearby. There must be clues here. Dogs don't just appear with throats slit and words don't write themselves. THERE MUST BE SOMETHING HERE.
Ladruca, if I understand the touch attack rules correctly, you could have cast your spell, moved, then touched him as a free action (negating the need for a concentration check). That may be a magus thing though. I'd look it up more in detail if I wasn't on my phone.
Nostro stares on, absorbing every detail from the scene that he can before approaching further. Gaze falling to the dog, he discerns what he can from the corpse and his eyes begin to cloud with an ethereal haze.
Grizzly stuff. Why the letter V? "Both of you. When did you arrive? What is the meaning of this?"
Iirc, the chest has been stowed away at the house somewhere.
"Viktor. I will circle the perimeter of the prison. Get a feel for the surrounding land. Delving inside with two people is a fool's errand, but I will not shy away from opportunity to cleanse this land further. A prison so large requires the strength of all of us. Observing the exterior might indicate what lies within." Of all people, I know what atrocities occur when entering a cursed place as an overconfident pair... We haven't been the same since... His gaze turns to the items on the table, "Provisions would be wise, now that we have them. I have means to heal myself. My morning prayer granted me strength to do so, praise be to the Inheritor. A healing potion or two for yourself should be enough. Do you know how to use a haunt siphon? Lacking a priest, bringing one for each of us will work to our benefit." The cost of preparedness - measured now in gold, later in blood. "Ladruca is right. For now, Kendra should only be seen with the least offensive of our group." Lest we stir more rumors and bring her down with us. Armed with a plan and his gear, he stands up. "Viktor. I will wait outside. Kendra. Thank you for your hospitality." Nostro moves to the door and waits outside. Shortly after the door closes, the rhythmic sounds of a whetstone honing a blade can be heard.
As the rising sun's rays peek through the window of his room, Nostro awakens. Sun is out. Time for work. Silently, he begins the task of cleaning his armor and clothes, and sharpening his sword outside. His intense focus on sliding a whetstone across his blade is broken by the smell of more tea. Perfect timing. Another few strokes should do it. Gathering his gear, he reenters the house and sits down for breakfast, prepared for the day. "Good morning." He says a little flatly, eager for some food and drink, but not necessarily for company this early in the morning. Nostro spoons some porridge into a bowl and begins to chow down. His focus remains on the meal in front of him until talk of plans for the day reaches his ears. "I will explore the location of our battle. Search for signs of anything useful. Then I'll investigate the perimeter of Harrowstone. Time permitting, the tavern will be next. Will anyone join me?" Easy work to go alone, but with the oddities abound it wouldn't hurt to have a traveling companion or two. Thinking a little more, he eventually turns to Kendra. "Are there maps of the Restlands?"
That all sounds good to me. If we don't get to something, we can easily do it the next day too. IMO, we should prioritize things like telling the mayor and befriending the locals. We could even split up again to cover more tasks.
As far as the plan for the day, I'd like to throw a couple things out there: What do you all think?
"It was a long night. Worth it though." Nostro says as he enters the house. Claiming whatever room space is open, he changes and then hangs his wet clothes to dry. Of the skin that is now exposed, much of it is littered in scars. Even the ghoul's bite marks seem to have left jagged marks across his arm. Without his armor, it becomes apparent that his size and the sound he makes when he walks doesn't quite match up. Almost as if he was much heavier than his build suggests. "A watch would be wise, if we have the manpower." Tomorrow brings a new day, should the Inheritor grant it. There is much to do. I must rest now. Finally laying down in a bed after a draining day, he drifts off to sleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.
Nostro makes his way back to Kendra's home with Keydas. Near the door, he puts his hand on Keydas' shoulder to stop him. "Keydas. I will see you in the morning. I am returning to the Restlands to hunt. Please inform Kendra of our late return." Alone, he moves back into the rain and picks up his pace to steady jog towards the Restlands. It is late, but we can't let zombies stumble around the town. It is unfortunate enough that they appeared, let alone that it coincided with the arrival of a necromancer as well as the death of an alleged one. The rumors would be our undoing. Approaching his destination, he searches for lights in the distance. Ladruca has yet to prove he is fool enough to hunt undead at night on his own, so the group must have some form of illumination...
Posting to say I am here, Nostro is just listening to the conversation Keydas and Jominda are having. Unless something crazy is revealed, I'll post again when Keydas leaves. Edit: Ladruca getting fresh with a priest of Pharasma! His reaction will be interesting.
Viktor is correct, I have every intention of getting my face punched in every fight. Better me than you!
How disturbing. I hope to make enough of an impact to replace sickening things such as this. Inheritor grant me strength. "Very well." Nostro remains seated and drinks the tea, the steam warming his stiff face after hours in the cold rain. Not as hard a drink as I'd like to end my day with, but it warms the belly either way. As the pair continues to speak, he listens intently, determined to gather as much knowledge about this town and the late professor as he can. There is so much more to be learned about this. How deep does this mess go?
I know there is an app called wayfinder that some people post from, but it "isn't available in my country" so I can't tell you more than that :/ iirc, it is a British app.
Nostro moves in behind Keydas and takes a seat if it is offered, careful not to track mud in. Once Keydas is through with his questions, he chimes in with one of his own, "The children sing a morbid song of murder. Lopping heads and feeding stirges. How did this come to be?" As he speaks of the topic, his jaw tenses and his brow furrows a little, clearly bothered by the situation.
The purple light relieves the aching burn of the wound on his arm, the flesh quickly sewing together again. What a wondrous gift. One I will never possess... "Ladruca. You have my thanks." The wind causes his armor and clothes to rustle as he turns to address Keydas, "Keydas. I will return to Jominda too. Completing our business, I will join Gregor in the Graveyard. " Zombies will be easy prey. Clumsy fools wallowing in the mud. Nostro then follows Keydas, collection of moss in hand, to the alchemist's shop.
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