Apologies for being way for the last week. First week of school, wasn't fully ready for the classes I was teaching... and the first week of PbP gameday, and really didn't want to lag behind on the special table I'm running.
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"It has survived because it's magic," Orrik says. "It has an enchantment on it that will bolster your skill with climbing, jumping, and swimming. This seems rather a nice item; one of us should wear it as we explore the forest and rivers around here. I am probably not the one who would benefit most. Or, rather, I probably would benefit most, as I am not terribly skilled in those sorts of things. However, when it comes to these sorts of athletic feats, we will be calling on one of the others of you to perform them, and so the ring might be better used by somebody other than myself."
"Interesting," Orrik says. "I wonder if this is some noble house's sigil? I don't recognize it." He will cast detect magic to see if the ring is magic, taking 10 on Spellcraft for a result of 19.
Orrik says, "Barbarians often bury their dead with items. Although I do hesitate to disturb the cairn, eventually somebody else will if we do not. I suggest that we take a look, and see what's there."
Orrik ponders, wondering what he knows about this area of the woods. He also looks closely at the burial mound to see if there's any indication as to the faith tradition of the person who built it. He doesn't believe that likely, but he looks anyway.
Orrik says, "I will take either the first or last watch, whichever is darker. I see well in the dark, thanks to my heritage as a race that came up from the Darklands."
We still going?
While were here, Orrik looks around for any sign of Perlivash and Tyg-Titter-Tut. Unlike some of the others, he'd actually rather hoped to run into the two small fey creatures.... Consider whichever of the following are appropriate:
If he does't make contact with them, when we set up for the night he'll leave out some of the food we brought from Oleg's just for this purpose.
Orrik dismounts next to Jhod. "We all need to be very careful. If you see what looks like a nearly skeletally thin bird with bat wings, close your eyes, avert your vision! If you meet its eyes, you will start to calcify, and eventually turn to stone. The same will happen if it bites you. Foul creatures."
When Jhod says the word "Cockatrice"...
"Indeed," Orrik says. "And if we find some corn on the way, we should note the location so that Svetlana might make use of it in her still...." "In the mean time," he says, "If we might bring some bread with honey, that might be a small token of friendship for the merry fey pranksters. I do think it worth getting over any grudge we have for their past behavior, as having friendly eyes in the forest could be quite valuable." Orrik finds Nicholas and gives the lad another silver piece. "Thank you for taking good care of my horse," he says. To the horse, he says, "Come, Triaxus." He will load up the horse and get ready to head back out into the Stolen Lands.
I'm confused -- if I look at the map right now, the whole thing is revealed. Which hexes have we explored? --- EDIT: Duh, right, in the Campaign Info tab. There's a list. It says at the bottom "* - known, ** - explored", but there are no stars next to anything. I think that list is all explored though, yes?
Orrik lifts one eyebrow at the mention of a competent mage being able to cast Haste. "I once saw the magic formule for that spell. I do not have it scribed in my spellbook, and I fear that the complexity of that formula is beyond my current abilities. With continued experience and study, one day I hope to be competent enough to cast that spell." Once the group is ready to move on, he says, "As for what to do next, I say that we look at the place with the hot springs and the giant frogs that our mischievous but friendly fey told us about. We may wish to check in with them again to see if they have learned anything further. We should also bring them a gift. I am told that most fey like bread, honey, milk, and alcoholic beverages... Oleg, could you brew us up some small portions of a honey ale or some such we might gift them with?" Orrik is willing to pay for the brews.
Hey guys -- I was off at PaizoCon last weekend (Thursday through Tuesday), and am just now catching back up. Sorry about failing to warn you that I was going to be away!
"Who is this Bokken the Potion Master? Have the rest of you met with him already? If so, it was before I joined you."
Is anybody keeping a list of explored hexes and what we found in each one somewhere? Oleg's is in hex B10, correct?
Orrick tosses the lad a silver, and hands the bridle of his horse to the lad. "His names's Triaxus," the dwarf says.
Orrik agrees. "Let us return, and then escort Jhod back here. The Stolen Lands are dangerous lands, and he might not be safe travelling on his own." If we do head back, as we pass through the area with Perlivash and Tyg-Tytter-Tut, Orrik will be on the lookout for the two diminutive creatures.
Orrik says, "Frequently the behavior of fey creatures is capricious and difficult to understand. Look, for instance, at the Grig and the Faerie dragon we met -- friendly as they are, they spent quite some time playing pranks on us before we finally talked to them." He shrugs. "Hard to say if these forgotten ones are going to be a threat or not, if that's in fact what they are. Maybe we'll see them again... and maybe some of us will remember if we do. For now, though, yes, let's check out that huge cave. Then, after that, do we want to continue our trek to explore, or do we want to go and bring news of this temple to Jhod back at Oleg's?"
Orrik's brow furrows. "Mahdrig, either you are imagining something, or something communicated just with you -- telepathically, perhaps -- or something has modified the rest of our memories." (Does Orrik recognize the twig man from Mahdrig's description? Taking 10, he gets 18 in all Knowledges, except for Arcana and History, in which he gets 19.)
Orrik turns to Mahdrig. "What's that?" Looking at the dagger, he says, "A holy symbol of Erastil." He looks around the area of the temple as a whole. Does he recognize it as likely to have been a temple to Erastil? (Take 10 on Knowledge (Religion) for a result of 18.)
Orrik says, "Pull it out, let me take a look at it."
Orrik's eyes glaze over briefly. He then looks at the pool. "The water seems to have cleaned up when we killed the bear. And, there's something in there...."
"...can anybody else see it? All I'm seeing are glints of sunlight reflecting off of ripples in the water."
"It looks like we might have? Somehow that man was trapped in that bear, and from the looks of the rest of this temple upon the man's release, it may have been connected to a corruption of the temple." How much can Orrik figure out?
Orrik raises one eyebrow at what Mahdrig says. "This bear -- you think we can help it? Killing it probably wont help!" Although what the druid has said has given him pause, the fact that the bear is attacking the group overrides that. Orrik holds up his hand in a fist, speaks some arcane words, and a magical bolt of force shoots unerringly out of the ring on his hand towards the bear.
"Something's off about this bear!" Orrik says. Can Orrik tell anything else? Challenged by the bear, Orrik will summon a glob of acid over the bear which (if he aims it right) splashes down on it. (Casting Acid Splash.)
After the others have gone through, Orrik grunts. This is going to be unpleasant. Before going in, he casts a spell on himself, summoning a barrier of force to protect him as would armor. He does not know if this will protect him from the thorns but he figures it is worth a try. (Cast Mage Armor.) That done, he starts tearing his way through the thorns....
"In any event," Orrik says, "we will want to get to the temple itself, in order to study it! Those of you who can follow tracks, where does the bear get through the brambles? Unless the bear is a druid or some such (which I wouldn't expect), given that bears tend to be larger than dwarves... and humans, and so forth... we should be able to get through any path it can get through."
Orrik thinks about what he might know about gods that have a bear as a favored animal: He keeps his eyes open as they approach the area that the fey told them where the temple was:
Orrik says, "I have never met a Tatzlwyrm myself, I have only read of them. But I do not believe that they breathe fire, or anything else that causes particular damage. Or... other effects, such as Perlivash's euphoria-causing breath."
Orrik says, "The dragoons that Perlivash is talking about are probably the Tatzlwyrms, based on his description. That's for the best! If they were actually Drakes, who are also similarly more beast-like dragons, I'm not sure we would be up to the challenge! Tatzlwyrms are still pretty ferocious, and even more animalistic and beast-like than Drakes." He muses. "I would love to meet a true dragon some day, though. Bronze dragons, in particular, I've read, are interested in history and lore."
"Wardens of the Reborn Forest?" Orrik muses. "Yes, let us inspect this temple, and see what we can learn from it. Perlivash, Tyg-Tytter-Tut, do you want to come with us?" Based on Knowledege (Arcana) 19 (from taking 10), is Orrik able to guess what the Dragoons are from Perlivash's description? (He's thinking Drake, maybe, but the poster about the Tatzlwyrms is also a possibility.)
Hey guys, sorry about the long silence. Coming back from the trip, not having really had a spring break, the daily routine hit me pretty hard, and I just failed to keep up with things. Going to catch up with the game now.
"An old temple... what does the temple look like? Do you know what it is a temple to? How old does it look?" "Also," Orrik asks, "how many of the mean and dumb biggens are there? What does their camp look like?"
Orrik says, "We can probably find those items for you. We will do our best to do so. In return, perhaps you can tell us what you know of these woods? Indeed, if you wish to travel with us, perhaps the company will be amusing, and mutually beneficial."
Orrik raises one eyebrow as the small dragon approaches them.
Looking at this creature, does Orrik know anything about them? (Take 10 on Knowledge (Arcana) for 19.)
"Hello, Perlivash. Hello, Tyg-Titter-Tut. We are exploring this area of the woods. Are you the ones who have been... playing with us?" Orrik also wonders if he knows anything about the latter creature. (Take 10 on Knowlede (Nature) for 18.)
Orrik responds to Mahdrig's question. "I master my magic through study and hard work. I'm always fascinated by those who have it by nature, as just part of themselves. I am also quite fascinated by the connection you have to nature. Myself, I do have some talent for it, and while I was always perhaps of a shamefully weak stature for a dwarf, my mind has been sharp. It takes me hard study to learn and improve my craft, and even each day I must prepare my spells and fix them in my mind." And, indeed, Orrik spens some quality time with his spellbook the next morning. The next morning, he will say to the others, "The rations I left out last night are gone. Whoever it is that is playing tricks on us, it is possible that we may still be able to contact them. Again, they haven't harmed us, although it's clear that they could have if they had wanted to. Perhaps all of this is a threat, but it doesn't seem that way to me. I would like to make contact with them if it is at all possible. If they are natives to these woods, they may be able to provide us some guidance and information."
Hey guys -- I'm currently on the road. An unexpected family issue came up a couple of days ago, so my wife and I made sudden travel plans. I'll be back next week. I think that I'll be able to keep up with the game, but in case I'm slow posting, you know what's happening.
Orrik grumbles. "These tricksters will be hard to talk to. Still, they haven't hurt us, and given that they took our food and were watching us, it's possible we may be able to talk to them and convince them to stop causing us trouble. If not, sooner or later one of us is going to get hurt, and then things could turn ugly. I'd rather that didn't happen." Not knowing anything about these tricksters in general, but knowing that fey like magic and shiny things, Orrik will leave out another trail ration a short distance away from the camp, but will modify this one using the spell Prestidigitation so that it's bright pink and pulsing with a faintly glowing light. (Not enough to actually increase the light level, but enough that could be accomplished with Prestidigitation.)
Although Orrik sees the beginnings of the explosions and covers his eyes just in time, he begins to get a bit grouchy, and begins to shout into the woods. "Oy! Whoever out there's doin' that, stop it! You'll get us killed!" After he gives himself a few moments to calm down, he inspects the food that was left out earlier, to see if it's still there.
Orrik watches the fire burst: Orrik nods to Nedyr. "As good a idea as any. If they ignore it, they ignore it. The spells they've been using on us are basically cantrips. An imaginative use of them; it never occurred to me to use the open/close cantrip on the buckles of a saddle. However is doing this may not be a powerful spellcaster, or if they are, they're just using their most basic magic to play with us."
(From before we left.) Orrik nods appreciatively at the mention of a gold mine. Although not his primary interest, there is enough Dwarven blood in him that his eyes can't help but light up at the mention of it. "A gold mine is a good solid resource. There are mountains to the East of here, if I'm not mistaken; I would have expected to find such a thing more there than in this area, but Golarion's bounty can be found in many unexpected places." (On the road.)
Seeing the pranks played on the horses, Orrik says, "There are rumors that these woods are haunted. But, I suspect that's not what's behind this. Mischevious fey are known to be in the woods around here. Some are deadly and hostile, some are just merry pranksters. Given that what has happened so far has been inconvenient rather than outright deadly, we may well be dealing with the latter, in which case, I would recommend not starting hostilities if we don't have to. Still, it would be nice to find out who's doing this, and kindly ask them to stop, for what to a fey can seem a harmless prank will sometimes become accidentally deadly to a mortal." What does Orrik know about mischevious fey creature that might help us find them?
...nothing.
Usually that would be Profession (Sailor). Which might not be a bad idea for some of us to invest a point or two in if we're going to be living in a place called the "River" Kingdoms :) I don't have it now, though. (I do have some "Ride", as I came with a horse (named "Triaxus").)
Orrik says to Mahdrig, "I am interested in history of all sorts. Ancient Thassilon has always held a special interest for me, but that's just one interest. Did you know that the Elves -- well, most of them -- left Golarion shortly before Earthfall, the same calamity that destroyed the ancient civilizations of Azlant and Thassilon? They were gone for millenia. Nobody knows where Sovyrian, the realm to which the elves are said to have retreated, is. Or, if they do know, they are not saying. I came to this area of the world looking for old elven ruins." He looks back with some embarrassment at the others listening. "I apologize; I can go on for some time about the history of Golarion, given the opportunity." When Markov reveals the additional gear found at the kobold den, Orrik sees the scroll and says, "I may be able to identify that for you." He will cast Read Magic and inspect the scroll.
"Given my interest in elven ruins," Orrik says, "I would like to push farther into the forest. But, I presume that we will explore most of the area in time, so I am content to move in any direction. I do like the idea of expanding out in such a manner that we explore regions closer to our base of operations first."
Ah, got it!
Is there a list of hexes that the group has already explored and mapped?
Sorry about being quiet -- very busy week. (Had a talk to give to the rest of the faculty.) Orrik doesn't know Keep Watch, but he could put that on his list to look for. He does have Read Magic, so he can figure out the unknown scroll.
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