Male Human LG Zen Archer (Monk) / 3rd | HP:20/23 | AC:17 T:17 FF:11 | CMB:3 CMD:19 | Saves F:+4 R:+8 W:+4 | Init:+7 | Per: +7
GM Warah wrote:
Since this is my first time GMing outside my family and over PbP, I'll probably make mistakes and do things in less-than-ideal ways. Kindly point them out so I can improve. :)
You’ll do great, Warah; you roleplay your characters well and I’ve noticed that’s a trait of several good GMs I’ve played under. And don’t worry about making mistakes; I’ve GM’ed a decent bit and I still make ‘em a decent bit…
Inlé Ebnalli wrote:
Character name: Inlé Ebnalli and The Black Rabbit
I love this name, Eeeeka; Watership Down is one of my favorite books…
Sakitu snuggles into Fin and falls to sleep almost immediately. Strange images of walking rocks and exploding trees fill her dreams yet she is able to sleep soundly.
As Sakitu snuggles into him, Fin smiles contentedly. As she falls quickly back to sleep, he can hear her murmur lightly, and assumes she’s dreaming…while he wonders what she might be dreaming of, he drifts off, and soon dreams himself…and a disturbing one as well…
Troubled Dreams:
Fin dreams back to his first brush with death…the images of the mummy come back to him…ripping out his father’s throat and then backhanding him sending him falling in the pit…and then darkness…
He is back in the forest of Kyonin, not long after they moved after his father’s death, gathering herbs with his mother, when they are ambushed by 4 goblins…warned by his faithful hound, Huan, Fin drops one goblin with his bow while Huan dispatches a couple. The remaining goblin rushes him before he can bring up his bow, so he ducks but gets grazed with the beast’s club, dazing him for a moment. It sneers at him drawing his dagger and starts to stab sown with it, when Huan, in a flash, come flying out of nowhere, his jaws locking on to the goblin’s throat, crushing its windpipe, killing it quickly; all the dazed Fin can do is breathe heavily before darkness takes him…
Fin is breathing heavily after dropping what he thought was the last Razmiran, on his knees, bleeding from a bolt in his right shoulder and a scimitar wound in his side. He turns to see the Razmiran patrol boat captain letting loose a bolt meant for him…too fatigued and wounded, he cannot move fast enough…but Keshia can and jumps in front of him catching the bolt in her left breast…Fin screams in agony as this vision too fades to black…
Both wounded, Fin and Bulvi are blockading the stairs, the zombies in a frenzy trying to reach them. Fin alternates between healing Bull and firing over him, fighting the clock as Quasit, Sakitu, Ibona, and Alexia are all out and perhaps dead or dying. As they finally dispatch the last undead, Fin swings down p from the stairs, reviving all but cannot reach Alexia in time as she bleeds out…another anguished yell and this too goes black…
He is struggling in the Maiden, in the grasp of that bastard satyr’s giant plant creature; heavily wounded and fighting though barely conscious, when the creature is slain, Fin falls into the murky pool. Seeing Kezhia pull him out of the pool, he thinks he must be dead…till he realizes it’s not Kezhia but Q…and then he’s out…
He is defending the Dragon Legion’s castle, when several evil dragonkin triple charge him, wounding him nearly to death…in shame, Fin has to tuck tail and withdraw…or he will die…
Rasputin glares at Fin. "I grow tired of your archery skills. Die."
A coldness washes over Fin and for a moment he cannot breathe…but he withstands it…not knowing what just happened Fin feels he has neve4 been this close to death before…
His near death visions end…but his father, ripped throat and all, along with Kezhia, bolt still in her breast, appear. They smile initially, then turn grim…
His father says, ”This Rasputin is powerful, my son…he can kill with but a word…”
Kezhia continues. ”Yes, my love…more deadly than anything that has come close to killing you…tread lightly, Uncle Fin…”
And then they too fade away…
Fin awakens in a sweat. Not wanting to wake Sakitu, he quietly moves to the next room, still in his skivvies. He nods to Bones, murmuring lightly, ”Bad dreams, Bones,” as he goes through his monk forms to clear his brain and ponders his dream…
Living in pine country, I know if you plant a pine cone, you nestle the bottom of it in the soil with most of the pine cone extending out of the dirt. I was guessing, when this particular pine cone was exposed to fire, its seeds would be released into the soil…just assuming that, aside from the fire, things work the same in Golarion in that respect…but I could be wrong…
Ah, so ghost salt causes full damage to incorporeal but doesn’t count as ghost touch…I never made that connection before. And, if I recall correctly, a couple of my previous GMs didn’t either… ;)
@Kalchine: Fin was yelling for you and Chest Thumper to run to Sakitu; she’s gonna read her scroll of dimension door so we can escape and we need to be next to her (within touching distance)…
I didn’t see this coming either, Grunjar; giant worms aren’t known to be particularly smart, so I’m assuming it was either nearly dead ran away or this Jathyl creature is controlling it. Too bad I couldn’t get a full attack in last round, think I could’ve dropped it then…
I don’t think we have to worry about it coming up underneath us by surprise though; it caused a lot of commotion before when it appeared so I’d assume it’ll do the same unless it comes up by the same hole it created before….
If you don’t find a better use for Greater Invisibility, you could cast it on Daedin; if he’s firing from invisibility, his sneak attack would kick in and he’d get an extra 4d6 on damage…
Wincing, as he’s hit with several bullets, he quickly assesses their situation. Recalling the scrolls they’ve acquired, he knows, We must retreat…
Seeing Kalchine and Chest Thumper start to move north, he cries out, ”Kal, you and Chest Thumper get near Sakitu…Selena, wherever you’re at, get your butt over here!”
Turning to the tower where his friends reside, he yells even louder, ”Q…SCROLL…HANDY HAVERSACK!” Then he puts the haste spell to good use, running north till he’s out of the spotlight, then circles east around the building Sakitu’s at, joining them…
”Hlao-roo, retrieve that scroll of dimension door and read it; we must escape and rendezvous with the others at the Hut…”
I recall one PBP session several years ago that I got to play with him, Debt to the Quah; I distinctly remember his gnome cleric in that one as he was such a witty and quirky character. I can still recall his name: Glastor Gilderhoff III. His character and mine had some witty repertoire about seemingly missing vowels in my name…and he also saved my character in the big boss battle at the end. T’was a memorable session with a most fun and memorable character of his; very fun to play with…
That’s a wrap, y’all! Hope y’all enjoyed it and thanks for hanging in there with me. Definitely the most challenging session I’ve ever GM’ed, ‘preciate y’all’s help with navigating the rules…
I’ll leave this open for a couple of days to see if there are any issues with the Chronicles; the reporting was done at the close of Gameday but you can let me know if you have any issues there as well…
Janira agrees enthusiastically to buy rounds for everyone; it is clear that she was here for the shortest amount of time and didn’t suffer quite the depredations of the ones who had been held longer…
Osprey informs his saviors that the Insatiable Queen has been questioning him extensively about the Pathfinder Society and specifically about the Decemvirate, with whom the Pathfinder has a unique relationship. He assumed Izmiara intended to indoctrinate one of the Ten, and fears she may already have done so—a fact made nearly impossible to investigate given their anonymity behind their magical masks.
Utomo describes to you how he witnessed Izmiara break one of the strange statues littered about while he was looking out from the mirror. The shattered figurine emitted an eerie light and a visible burst of raw magical energy. What the statues do or mean, however, he doesn’t know. In fact, these are mindbind figurines—unique statues linking the Insatiable Queen to some of her most highly placed sleeper agents on Golarion. The intact figurines located here represent a Vudrani maharajah; a sinister looking Chelish man in the raiment of an Asmodean cleric, who is a high-ranking member of the House of Thrune; an elegant female drow; a Mwangi chieftain; and a male dwarf whose skin is etched with runes. In addition to the intact mindbind figurines, the shattered remains of many more statuettes, some centuries or even millennia old, lie strewn about the chamber or displayed like prized trophies (these are the ones Agata identified with her History check)…
Then the lillend you rescued early on, Vintari, who followed you a little while only to mysteriously disappear, flies towards you and lands next to you, a look of contrition on her face. ”Sorry for abandoning you…but you have no idea the things they did to those of us imprisoned…I fear you did not have the strength to prevail and I feared being under her torture again…
“To show my gratitude for my rescue and your efforts, I can offer but a small service…I was nearby when you set off the disjunction trap and noticed it destroyed several items. While my magic is not great, I have enough to restore one broken item each back to you, if you wish…”
Any if you that still have broken items, can choose one to restore at no cost…partly in recompense for that impossible to avoid trap and partly because I forgot about the lillend after awhile…
The prisoners shake their head at Marta’s pursuit proposal, Osprey saying, ”Izmiara has more resources than those you faced here; I presume she’ll be back and in force. And while you performed most excellent, I doubt the lady will underestimate your abilities next time. We should head back as soon as possible; you have a way back, I presume?”
You can RP the end a bit if you wish but, regardless, I’ll post the conclusion this afternoon…
No more encounters from here, just the matter of finding Janira (which I don’t think’ll be too difficult); working on your chronicles, should have ‘em ready within the day…
@GM Otha - It would seem that you are playing fast and loose with the action economy for our opponents. It is generally not possible to Teleport (a standard SLA for a Succubus) and then cast a standard action spell (Vampiric Touch) in the same round. Likewise casting a spell and then negative channeling (without a feat like Quick Channel) is also not possible as you are combining two standard actions together in the same round. Also a mounted archer who did not have line of sight/line of effect at the start of his turn should not be able to Full Attack.
The mount and the rider are essentially sharing the round (they act together on the rider's initiative count) and their actions need to be synchronised with each other.
Finally made it to Texas…I’m wore out…
First off, bad choice of words for the succubus on my part; she flew up from the pit as well…Izmiara has a telepathic link to each creature in this fight so they know where everyone is…as for the succubus ranger, she knows the layout of the fight via telepathy and I didn’t see why she couldn’t delay her turn till her mount moves…as for Izmiara, she has the Quicken Spell-Like Ability feat; did I alter it a bit to make it fit for her? Yeah, I did… is all this playing fast and loose with the rules? Perhaps but it’s a cakewalk as written, so you can choose…
Look, guys, I ran this module because Alie mentioned she’d like to have this as a retirement session and I’ve enjoyed playing with and GM’ing Gerald’s characters over the years; I thought it should be memorable. I found out pretty quickly 95% of this module’s encounters would not challenge you at all; for example, survivors of previous encounters showed up for the finale (not as written). In fact, I gave most creatures you’ve encountered (that didn’t already have it) the advanced template (not as written). I could’ve hand-waved just about every fight as written…but I didn’t think that’d be enjoyable for any of you, perhaps I’m wrong…
If y’all want me to retcon the finale, let me know, and I’ll hand-wave the rest of it as you’d have killed Izmiara in the first round since, as it was written, Betcezia wouldn’t have been around to give her displacement; it would’ve just been Izmiara and her mount…
Y’all let me know how y’all wanna play it out; I’m beat after that drive and I’m gonna crash…
The General had a Cape of the Mountebank that allows him to use dimension door on command once a day…the spell itself says it’s only a verbal component so I don’t see, nor could I find via Google, anything that would prevent him from activating it while shackled & bound…
That being said, let me know if I missed anything…
Fin shakes off Potatohead’s shriek and unloads on the vines, first on the one attacking Bulvi till it drops and then the one attacking Kalchine; if it drops as well, then the next closest one…
I’ll correct that Marta. Sorry, went away for the long weekend and catching up at work and play…will get a post up this evening…we are closing in on the end…
Arriving back at the hut after an overnight celebration at the Centaur camp, Fin was in a great mood. Upon leaving cursed Artrosa, he had been able to send Oparal a message via Tezuzu’s magic, letting her know approximately when they’d be arriving; she promptly responded saying she would be there. To top things off, Fin was able to dance at the Centaur camp, one of his favorite activities…
After freeing Ratibor from Baba Yaga’s hut using her book they retrieved from Artrosa, Fin went out to the porch with Izzy, sat down, scratching between the croc’s eyes, and watched for Oparal’s approach. A few minutes later, Ratibor came out on the porch, all packed up and ready to leave the hut and journey back to his home…
”Fin…I’ve already thanked the others and said my goodbyes. I know we didn’t get off to a good start…but thank you…”
Fin grinned at the man. ”No worries, my friend. I didn’t like you much either to start with; many a time I wanted to put an arrow in your eye. But then I figured if I’d been guarding this damn hut for a thousand years or so, I wouldn’t be pleasant either…”
Ratibor grinned slightly before going on. ”Here, meant to give you this when you arrived…but when you mentioned you had the book, slipped my mind,” he said handing him a note with a wax seal. He saw the his name etched in the Elven style, knowing it to be Oparal’s handwriting…
Sensing ill news, his heart sank. Sighing, Fin looked up to Ratibor, somberly asking, ”When did it arrive?”
Ratibor answered. ”Less than an hour before you arrived…I saw her approach and toss it on the porch, but she had disappeared by the time it took me to open the door…hope it’s not bad news…I’ll be going now…”
Fin clasped arms with him. ”Farewell…safe journeys, my friend…”
As Ratibor walked away, Fin sat back down, staring at the letter, turning it over and over between his fingers, as if delaying reading it would make it go away…finally, he opened it and began to read…
My dearest Findurêl,
Where to begin? So many things have happened in the days since I replied to your message. I was truly excited to receive it and couldn’t wait to see you again…and the others as well…but mostly you. My good friend, the gnome I told you I traveled with previously, Kromgnite, had miraculously recovered from his injuries due to our crash, so it seemed nothing could prevent me from joining you…alas, I was wrong…
When I had packed my things into my backpack, I went to tell Kromgnite goodbye…and he cried. When I went to comfort him, I cried as well; we had journeyed long together and he had been my friend for many years…
He confessed that he loved me…and didn’t think he could go on living without me…I was surprised by his passion…but then it dawned upon me, that I loved him as well…and I could not leave him alone…I knew if I tried to tell you this in person, my resolve would fail and I’d leave with you, hence this note…
I will not try to justify this to you…but I want you to know my feelings. My feelings for Kromgnite are no stronger than my feelings for you…but I’ve known him so much longer. And, while I know you’re very fond of me, I know he loves me…and his occupation at present is a lot less dangerous than yours, Fin…
I will say so long, for now, but not goodbye…we Elves live longer than gnomes and other humanoids…perhaps we’ll meet again in later years…or decades…or even centuries. If so, you’ll find me much the same as I purchased a ring similar to yours…
Sorry for disappointing you…
Till we meet again,
Oparal
Fin doesn’t realize till he’s finished this letter that he’s been weeping…drying his tears, he hears this faint, flute-like music coming across the wind from the south. He perks up hopefully, and then, after murmuring, ”Izzy, stay,” he goes dashing off to the south, following the sound of music…
As Fin gets closer to it, the music suddenly stops…and so does he, listening for it to start again…but it never does…and, after a while, he knows it never will. Knowing Oparal from before, he doesn’t bother trying to track her as she never left much in the way of tracks before, she was too skilled for that…
Morosely, Fin walks slowly back to the hut. When he arrives, he sits on the porch, looking off to the south, his eyes red. Unconsciously scratching his animal companion between the eyes, he murmurs lightly, ”Everybody leaves, Izzy…everybody…leaves…”
Was thinking Galadhan would use stealth to follow the party, just in case things go awry with Farrar’s plan, i.e., the guards make their save. He could try to start a distraction or something…
Quasit nods and shrugs. ”Sure, why not? What’s a little pain? We get stabbed and slashed and clobbered on a daily basis. Tattoos aren’t bad, no worse than a sunburn.”
Fin's eyes light up. "Awesome! So, Q, I just finished up with Bull, you can go next...then Saki...and then Kal and Selena, if they wish...we can put the keys in the cauldron after the tatts then, if that's amenable to everyone."
Fin sterilizes his needles with alcohol and starts to work on Quasit. "Where would you like your tatt, Q? And would you like me to personalize it with a dagger or a dragon’s fang, perhaps? Or I can do some other item if you'd prefer?" Once she lets him know, he'll swab the area with alcohol and then get to work applying the tattoo. Once he has the chicken hut finished, he'll add the dagger/fang or other item, if she wishes...
Craft (Calligraphy):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
...checking it out afterwards, nodding. "Done and done...not too shabby, methinks…hope it’s to your liking…whadda you think, Q?"
Looking up at Sakitu, he gives a fond smile. "Ready, Hlao-roo? It won't take long and I'll be gentle. Would you like me to add a fox tail to the hut to customize it for you? Or you can let me know if there's something else you'd like. Now just let me know where you'd like it..."
Fin goes thru the same prep work as he had with the others, but he goes just a little slower and uses a little more ointment on Sakitu, so she might not feel as much pain. He talks with her a bit while he etches with the needle to keep her mind off things, looking up to give her a reassuring smile after a longer line. He'll add the fox tail, or whatever else she might want instead, if she wishes. "Almost done, Hlao-roo, you're doing so well," he murmurs lightly as he finishes up...
Craft (Calligraphy):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
…Fin looks it over and looks to Sakitu expectantly. ”That wasn’t too bad was it? I hope you like it, Hlao-roo,” he says softly as he leans forward to brush his lips lightly against hers…
Looking to their Dragon Legion friend, he says cheerfully. ”Looks like you’re up next, Kal…we’ll try to find a spot where your hair is a bit sparser…might need to shave a small area to apply it…if you want me to personalize it for you, I could add a small paw to the hut that resembles one of Chest Thumper’s?”
He preps up Kal, shaves and cleans a small place of his friend’s choosing, and then Fin goes to work on the tattoo, adding the paw, or something else, if Kal wishes…
Craft (Calligraphy):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
…he nods to Kalchine as he finishes. ”I think that came out well…hope it suits you…”
If Selena wants the chicken hut tattoo:
Fin looks to Selena and asks if she’d like the tattoo. ”I could add a wolf’s tail or perhaps a wolf’s head…or something else if you like…”
If she agrees, Fin’ll prep and get to work on a spot of her choosing…
Craft (Calligraphy):1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
…and he’s pretty happy with this one as well. ”Hope it’s to your tastes, Selena…”
After Fin cleans up and puts the tattoo gear away, he looks over at Quasit. ”Whaddaya say, Q, ready to light this chicken coop up? Let’s put those keys to good use and see where we end up…”
It’s not official at all, just an idea I had that I rolled with. When you mentioned seeing a GM using a DC20 fly, I thought that was too low for this situation; so I used 10 as a base, took your roll, subtracted the creature’s CMD from it, and added the difference (17) to get 27. Kinda made sense to me that it should be tougher to stay flying the ‘harder’ the hit…
Alie easily dispels the blade barrier allowing Agata to provide much needed healing to Zaarah as well as stopping her bleeding…but she is unable to pierce the marilith’s SR with her spell…
Theodric flies fiercely into the Marilith slamming her with his shield into the wall…
Fly Check vs DC27:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (12) + 18 = 30
…but she somehow manages to stay aflight and gets a pre-emptive strike with her sword…
Strongly Chaos-Aligned and Evil-Aligned: Nonevil or nonchaotic creatures take a –2 circumstance penalty on all Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based checks in the Moonscar. This penalty stacks with itself for creatures that fall into both categories (-4).
Impeded Magic: To cast a spell or use a spell-like ability with the good or lawful descriptor, a caster must make a concentration check (DC 20 + the level of the spell).
Sakitu leans into Fin's touch. She turns her face to brush her lips against his fingers. "Well, " she says softly. "I was hoping you would show me." She reaches up to caress the back of his head, her fingers entwining his hair, and she guides face to kiss her.
After an eternity, she pulls back and catches her breath. Looking at the clothing covered bed she asks, "Shouldn't we clear that stuff off?"
After the long, passionate kiss, when Sakitu pulls back for air, Fin whispers lightly, ”As you wish,” as he swiftly tosses the clothes on his bed over onto Bulvi’s, then drops his towel and playfully pulls her on top of him as he sinks down on to the bed. He then proceeds to gently ‘show’ her as deftly as he can…
”Q’s right, Bull, I wouldn’t worry ‘bout it too much. We killed their archenemy, the great and feared Yrax and they’re honoring us; we could likely go naked and they wouldn’t be offended, especially if they drink too much of that swill they brew. I jest, I jest, but I doubt they’re too concerned with what we wear,” Fin conjectures. ”Even so, I’m interested to hear from Kal as well about the particulars of their soirées…please tell me there’s dancing?”
Fin pauses briefly. ”I’ll be wearing my grandfather’s old court outfit that was given me when he passed; that is if Maka doesn’t mind heating it slightly to remove any kinks and wrinkles. It’s the only formal attire I have; it’s made of darkleaf cloth and spider-silk, blended in greens and greys and browns, as you’d expect from wood elves. I haven’t worn it in years,” he says as he thinks back to that time…
A memory:
=====================
”It’s called a cotillion, Kezhia; a country dance held by the gentlemen in the surrounding town,” Fin says as they walk towards the assembly hall. ”A local pub owner that I’ve traded with over the years was kind enough to invite us; and you’ve come along so well with our dance lessons, I thought this would be a good chance for you to meet some respectable and eligible bachelors.” He paused for a moment as he looked at her before continuing. ”And I must say, they will be interested; you look quite stunning in that dress…”
She smiled as she twirled around in it, causing the dress to rise to her knees. ”Do you really think so, Uncle Fin?”
He smiled in return as he said, ”You know me well enough that I would not’ve said so otherwise…”
She looked up at him demurely, with a pleased look. ”Thank you for the dress…and you look quite smart yourself…I’ve never seen you wear that outfit before…it’s so very nice.”
With a misty look to his eyes, Fin nods. ”T’was my grandfather’s left to me upon his death and I’ve never had a reason to wear it for a long time; I haven’t been back at the Elven court for many years now, nor am I likely welcome there anymore…
“We’re almost there…remember your lessons, to include your manners. Now try not to break any hearts!”
She grinned at him and punched him playfully on his shoulder…
The night went well as many young men asked to dance with Kezhia; she danced with several for the first hour or so of the cotillion. Fin was proud as her dancing was excellent and she always remembered to curtsy and thank her partners for the dance. While Fin tried to keep an eye on her, he saw a few women, a couple of them young but not so pretty, and a couple of older widows, that were not as fortunate in having dance partners…so, in turn, he felt obliged to ask them to dance…and he enjoyed it too as he really did love to dance…
Kezhia approached him after he had danced with the last of the widows, a mischievous smile on her face. ”Uncle Fin, you’ve asked all these other women to dance…have you forgotten about me?”
He mock bowed to her, saying, ”A pox upon a clumsy oaf…will you do the honor of dancing with me, m’Lady?”
She curtsied and he led her to the dance floor…and they never left it. It was glorious; he found himself laughing, complimenting her on her dancing, participating in witty repertoire…until he heard them make the call for the last dance…
As they walked back to where the raft was docked, they made small talk about the dance…and until they made it back, he didn’t even realize that she had entertwined her fingers into his, as they had held hands all the way back…
As the boarded the raft, Fin led her to the lean-to. ”Kezhia, you were marvelous tonight…and I’m sorry, I think there were more than a couple young men upset with me for hoarding you by dancing away the last hour or so of the cotillion with you. But at least I hope you met a couple of prospective beaus there…”
She smirked then leaned up to give him a light kiss on his cheek. ”Fin, I’ve already found the one I want to marry,” she said softly and then entered the lean-to…
A stunned Fin stood staring at the lean-to, unsure of what to do, as that was the first time she had dropped her pet title for him. No Uncle? It just cannot be…she needs a steady man, one who can provide her a good future…not a wanderer with no purpose…and an Elf old enough in man-years to be, at the least, her great grandfather…Erastil’s antlers, what am I to do? Staring at the crescent moon, he recalled all the times Kezhia had hinted, teased, and outright asked about him taking her as a wife…but he had always joked, brushed it aside, or talked about long Elven engagements. Maybe he had been kidding himself all along, but this was the the first time that he realized he just might feel the same way…perhaps he had the whole time…
Kezhia was dead a month later…
=====================
Snapping out of the memory, feeling his eyes begin to redden, he quickly submerges his head into the water once more to hide it. Gathering himself before rising back up a moment or so later, he turns to Sakitu and smiles warmly, placing a hand on her knee, giving it a gentle squeeze, taking much more comfort in the present than in the past…
Fin sighs. ”After hearing Q’s awesome team song, I won’t even attempt to try to top that with my unfinished and not very good song…but since Maka asked and I do like to sing, I’ll try this silly tune about one of my favorite activities instead…”
He starts to rise, remembers he has no clothes on…he catches himself as singing standing like that would be awkward indeed, so he sits back down, murmuring, ”I’ll just sing from here…”
Perform (Singing):1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20
♫ If you see a wooden sign at the side of the trail that says
Fifteen clicks to the hot bath, hot bath, yeah
I'm headin' down the Triaxian highway
Lookin' for the bath getaway
Headed for the bath getaway
I got me a hut, it's as big as a whale
And we're headin' on down to the hot baths
I got me a Cluckers, it seats about seven
So join us and soak in hot bath heaven! ♫
♫ Well the hot bath is a little wet place where
We can get together
Hot bath, baby yeah
Hot bath, baby hot bath!
Hot bath, baby hot bath! ♫
♫ Soakin' and a-washin', talkin' and a-lovin'
Wearin' next to nothing 'cause it's hot as an oven
The whole bath’s steaming
Yeah the whole bath’s steaming
The whole bath’s steaming when everybody's all soakin’ wet
Soakin’ wet, soakin’ wet, soakin’ wet
Everybody's soakin’, everybody's smokin' baby
Folks linin' up outside just to get wet
Everybody's stewin', everybody's cooin' baby
Funky little bath
Funky little bath ♫
♫ Hot bath, baby hot bath!
Hot bath, baby hot bath!
Hot bath, baby hot bath…yeah…♫
I thought After Yu was cute, but Quasit would never agree to it.
Yeah, that wouldn’t have been in good taste; it was just an after…wait for it…thought…
Quasit* wrote:
And as this adventure began, she was actively on the run from Taldan authorities, and so using a phony name had some utility.
Curious, Q, you probably mentioned it before but I can’t remember…what did the Taldans want Quasit for?
Maka Na'Shota wrote:
Mina's Marauders! The shadowy boss pulling our strings is hiding in plain sight.
Yeah, Mina’s Marauders sounds good…and would fit well since Q’s our leader…but I’m good with whatever y’all like…
Maka Na'Shota wrote:
I have so many real life friends where I only knew their nickname and was flabbergasted to learn their real name after months or years.
That reminds me of a friend in college, Pugsley. He got tagged with that nickname (he looked just like the kid in the Addams Family) our first night in college and it stuck with him over the next 5 years. I was going to turn in our softball roster to the intramural department during my last season there when one of the girls that hung out with us asked to see the softball roster; upon looking at it, she asked me, “Who’s this David guy? I don’t know him.” I started laughing, saying, “Carol, that’s Pugsley!” She had known him for years but didn’t know his real name…
Sorry, unexpected (but most welcome) company dropped by yesterday and will be here a couple of days. Going golfing this morning so probably won’t get a chance to post till later this afternoon…
Fin watches in wonders, hiding a grin, as he watches Quasit confidently pull off her bluff, with Cesseer finishing it off in simple fashion…his expression turns reflective as this situation brings memory of another bluff to his mind…
Flashback:
=========================
”How long will you be, Uncle Fin?” the young woman asks as the Elf guides the raft to the small dock and ties it off, as night darkens.
Fin arches an eyebrow. ”Uncle, is it? Not long, Kezhia, just need to pick up some supplies in trade. The trading post is just a click from here…and it was the only one near, two days in either direction…”
She smiles winningly. ”Can you pick me up a brush? The old one has been shedding bristles by the dozen…”
He mock bows in response. ”Your wish is my command, m’Lady. You’ll be safer in the lean-to till I return.”
Fin hoofs it to the trading post; the merchant nods in recognition as he enters, ”Fin, my friend, been a while since you’ve been on this side of the River Kingdoms, what do you need?”
The Elf greets the man with a smile, showing him the furs and fish he has to trade in exchange for the supplies they need, to include a brush if one is available. The man looks ‘em over nods and gathers the supplies, smiling as he hands Fin the brush. ”For your fine Elven hair, m’Lord?”
Fin snorts. ”Mayhap so, my friend, mayhap so…an Elf’s vanity has no measure, I’ve been told…”
The merchant grins go wider as he puts the goods in a burlap sack and hands them to the ranger. Fin slings his bow over his shoulder so that he can better carry the bag with both hands. He bids the merchant farewell and heads back to the raft.
He arrives at the dock, frowning as he sees no light coming from the lean-to; moments later, he realizes why, hearing a gruff voice behind him. ”What’s in the bag, Elfboy?” Slowly turning around he sees three large men, the speaker with a wicked curved blade, his two companions, one with a drawn shortbow, the other with a light crossbow, both trained on Fin…
Cursing himself for his lack of alertness, Fin says, ”Nothing you’d be interested in, I’m sure…but they are yours if you’ll take them and go…”
The leader sneers. ”Yes, Elfboy, we’ll take ‘em all right…after we gut you…cover me, boys I’m going in…”
Fin tries to calm himself, knowing he can’t draw quick enough…but also knowing he has to do something, and quickly…
Then, suddenly, a light shines from the lean-to, and Kezhia emerges, with nothing but a small wrap around her waist, nude from the waist up. ”Uncle Fin, what have you brought? Three handsome men…and all for me? OK boys, who’s first?”
All eyes on the three men were on the half-naked young woman…but the Elf’s eyes remained on them. As the leader started to stutter an answer to her, Fin dropped the burlap bag; before it even hit the dock, he had his bow in hand, and the first arrow was buried in the crossbow man’s throat. The second arrow took the bowman in the stomach as that man’s shot went awry…by that time the leader recovered, stepping up and swinging his blade. Fin ducked under it, swinging his bow like a cudgel, cracking it on the man’s skull…as he dropped, the ranger drew his dagger and finished the brigand off, murmuring, ”I’m no Elfboy…”.
Fin quickly picked up the bag, looking up at the woman, blushing while saying, ”We must leave, in a hurry…less questions that way…we’ll sleep on the river tonight…
“Thank you, Kezhia…you saved my life…and most likely your own. That was good thinking…gave me a fighting chance…and for Erastil’s sake, cover up…”
She shakes her head with a smirk. ”This is not the first time you’ve seen me naked; we bathe in the river every day…and as for those men, I knew they wouldn’t live long enough to enjoy the sight…”
Fin smiles reluctantly. ”Well played, Kezhia. Remind me to never play poker with you…”
=========================
Once the dragonkin and rhyphorians have left, Fin nods to Quasit. ”Well played, Q. Remind me to never play poker with you…
“I’ll scout ahead till we get clear of the patrols and can send up a signal…”
Theodric boldly charges, blindly, towards the succubus, shield up; he felt the impact and a hiss confirming said impact. While still unable to see his target, hearing a thud and an ”oomph,” he’s reasonably certain the succubus is on her…behind…
Strongly Chaos-Aligned and Evil-Aligned: Nonevil or nonchaotic creatures take a –2 circumstance penalty on all Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based checks in the Moonscar. This penalty stacks with itself for creatures that fall into both categories (-4).
Impeded Magic: To cast a spell or use a spell-like ability with the good or lawful descriptor, a caster must make a concentration check (DC 20 + the level of the spell).
Thanks. Back from the procedure, it went well, and resting. My friend’s visitation is tonight and his funeral is tomorrow, so I’ll try to get the next post up NLT tomorrow evening…
Hey y’all, I’m gonna try to get a post or two in this afternoon and evening but posting might be sparse the next few days. My longest known friend, from pre-kindergarten thru high school and beyond is in the hospital and not doing well; they’ve called the family in.
In addition, I’ve got a colonoscopy scheduled for tomorrow and today is prep day…
