Aperture Science. We do what we must because we can.
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Protesecs is a unit of chaos.
Four phrases you need to know in any language: 1. Hi, my name is... 2. I do not speak your language. 3. Where is the toilet? 4. Where is the nearest establishment that serves alcohol?
Chuck Norris once got into a fight with James Jacobs because he feared the great T-Rex. James summoned the mighty Cthulu to distract Chuck. While Chuck was tearing old Cthulu a new one, James took the source of Chuck's power from him, his beard. Upon attaching the stolen beard James let out a mighty roar and punted Chuck into the Great Beyond, never to be heard from again. I know this story to be true as it was told to me by a blind man who witnessed the whole thing.
Looks like we are in for a real slobberknocker here!
But they taste like snozberries.
The dimmer switch on the pulse of life is set to stun.
One....two....Five!
This thread gets Prof. Chaos' stamp of approval. *stamps foot* Also, you left your refrigerator running so you better go catch it.
and then a step to the riiiiiiiiight!!!It's just a jump to the left... Put your hands on your hips.
It's just a jump to the left...
SNORK! Flerk the consabble. To where is the point of the return of the place where I used to know.
BAM!
Hey kids! It's time once again for Prof. Chaos A pencil is a utensil used to collect earwax. This episode of Prof. Chaos was brought to you by the letter & and the number ELEVENTY BILLION!!!!!!!11!!!111!!!
Dear Person in Peril, All you need to do is turn the wizzits turnwise and be sure to stand on the platform of the ninnies while singing a jaunty tune about laundry. Prof. Chaos
I paid for an argument!!!! No you didn't.
The OTD forum not interesting? That is simply unpossible.
I approve and/or fully endorse this product or idea or whatever it is. What is it again? Oh look, the weasels are bringing me my tea and crumpets again. Please be a sport and fetch the librarian from down the street. He's went and looked at the white again.
And we can make it in the shape of a shark.I don't see the point of building the sekrit moon base, without it!Will we have enough left over for the orbital laser platform?Shush you two. It's called a "secret" 'cause it's a secret.But I want to tell PMG we think we have imaginary funding for the sekrit moon base!! Don't forget your Flin-Flam Doozle Whatisits!
This Prof. Chaos post is brought to you by Skittles, taste the rainbow. Hey kids! It's that time again. It's Prof. Chaos time. Children yelling: Yay! Prof. Chaos: The checkers of the north are upon us. Stifle the hose with my other wheel. This has been another presentation of Prof. Chaos
Prof. Chaos says: White Lightsocket Cheesegrater Stool. This post brought to you by Prof. Chaos. May Chaos be with you...sometimes.
Many of the scattered papers on the ground were instructions for repairs on the large machinery hidden in the rock behind the Mine Control Panel. Others were ledgers detailing the amount of material retrieved on specific days. After spending some time sifting through, you found a set of papers which explained how to use the Mine Controls you saw before you. Another paper stuck out as important. It was a crudely drawn diagram showing a tunnel. The tunnel curved to the right. To the left, disconnected from the tunnel, it depicted a small chamber. The word “Myrmigi” was written in this chamber. Below it was written “Drownstone Key.” Mine Control Instructions:
Power Supply The elevator and pivot rooms are powered by refined, hot drownstone from the Temple of Kolls. A supply should be located in the Mine Control Room closet, they should last indefinitely in their packaging. Masterwork tools for replacing the drownstone are in the Mine Control Room closet. The old drownstone will need to be removed and replaced about every 100 uses, or after one year of inactivity. The power supply for the elevator is located in the elevator. The power supply for the pivot rooms are located in maintenance closets next to the pivot rooms. Elevator For the elevator to move, the brakes need to be released. Pull the safety pin from the Main Brake Lever, then push it up. Pull it down to engage the brakes once it has reached a new floor. The control to move the elevator up and down is located in the elevator itself. It will not work if the brakes are engaged or if the elevator is not powered. As long as the elevator is powered, its current floor should be displayed next to the brake lever. Approximate depths for each floor, in comparison to Pyrsa’s front gate, are as follows:
The elevator moves at a speed of 10 ft per second. The maximum load for the elevator is four carts of stone (12,000 lbs). Larger loads should be conveyed in multiple trips. Pivot Room F2 This room is not secret This is a rotating room on floor 2. In position 1, it allows miners to move between the ore rich area and the elevator shaft. In position 2, it leads to the safety room. It can also be locked off in position 3, preventing access to any room. To move pivot room F2, turn the dial labeled PF2 to the desired position (labeled Ore, Safety, and Locked) and then pull the adjacent lever. The lever should reset automatically. You can only move the pivot room from the control room. It is dangerous to breath the air in the ore rich area. Pivot Room F2 acts as an airlock. Backup supplies are located in the safety room, including healing potions, extra air crystals, and a sizable emergency fund. Because they are locked off at all times, these supplies should be safely preserved.
Pivot room F3 This room is secret. It blends in with the surrounding tunnel. This is a rotating room on Floor 3. In position 1, it allows miners to move to the ore rich area. In position 2, it leads to the Myrmigi habitat. The Myrmigi are not to be allowed out of the habitat. Only those with a King’s writ can visit them. Speaking Tubes There are three speaking tubes located on the back wall of the Mine Control Room. Words spoken directly into one end will sound clear to people listening at the far end. The far end of each tube is located near the elevator shaft on each level. Alarm System Pulling the far left lever will set off the alarm system. A magical Alarm will sound on each of the three floors of the mine. It will continue to sound for 1 minute, then fall silent. It will not work again until the Alarm spells inside the mine are replaced.
Beyond the two statues, a wide flight of stairs led upwards. Could this be the path back up to the surface?
The group moved forward into the new area Atash had scouted. To the right, you could see part of a larger room. Weapons and armor were stacked on rows of racks in that room. Straight ahead, there was a long, wide room. Two colonnades ran down its length, depicting the dwarven god Angradd smiting various types of foes. Moving left, you crowded into a small bare room with two exits. One, leading right towards the colonnade room, led into a very small room. That tiny room, almost a closet, had once been filled with carvings. These had been scratched away by something over the years, so much that they were barely intelligible. The other exit, straight ahead, was blocked by an ordinary wooden door, warped and aged with the years, but still able to close. The room also had two sets of stairs, one leading up, the other down. There was a dull thumping noise coming from the stairs that led up.
The group spent much of the day moving around town, selling the items they had prized from the dungeon. As they did so, they got a chance to talk to many of the dwarves.
"It's very brave, what you're doing. If you find my mother in there, put her to rest for me." "You'll only bring ruin upon us, once you take the castle. The armies of Autokratoria will return." "You should talk to Bain Ironhand before the day ends. He's concerned about what you're doing." "When Zenais follows you into the castle, I'll be there by her side." "Take this iron ring and bury it beside the Temple to Kolls. I was a priest there...once." After selling all their items, they divided the wealth evenly.
"You should be proud, I have seen few places so well kept." Guthlag curls his lips at the old woman. He closes his eyes and breathes in deeply. "I must meditate here, at dawn," he says sagely. The earth feels cool against his bare feet, loamy and fertile. "I do not mind the barn. Cann will be quiet if we are in a stall together." The half orc walks slowly through the garden, occasionally reaching out to brush his fingers against a soft petal or a springy stem. As he walks, Guthlag wonders what would happen if this place were left unkept for a few years. Would the bushes grow wild and decadent, if left unpruned? In even more time, the forest might cover all in dense canopy. Yet even then, some passing traveler might still spy an unusual patch of flowers, breath in the sweet smells that would still linger on, and pick this spot to rest. Guthlag closes his eyes and breathes in again. The moon has looked down upon the earth beneath my feet since the world began to turn. Each night, she will hallow this spot with her gaze once again. "It would be a shame, to see such a garden trampled by unwelcome bullies," he says quietly. "But the plants would live on. Life always finds a way."
Guthlag stiffens a bit and turns away, feeling as though everyone is staring daggers at his back. He feels the petals of a flower gently, wanting to bring them to his mouth. I cannot leave now, I must wait for them to bring me the tea, as is custom. The corner's of the half orc's lips curl downwards in a frown he hopes no one can see.
Guthlag took a step towards the door. In truth, he liked the cool air outside and the feeling of soft ground underneath his feet. He gave a long, low growling noise, and Cann took off towards the trees. "I am Guthlag, from the mountains." He leaves his scythe and walking stick outside, but carries his pack in. Once inside, Guthlag is quiet. He is willing to take a little food and water, but his real interest is the garden outside.
"Of course," Guthlag says to Naomi, watching her leave for the barn.
Once the others have finished talking with the prisoner, Guthlag quietly approaches. "If you tell me truly, I can let you live." He has left Cann in another room. He asks his questions one by one, waiting for a response between each one. "Did that wizard hire you to walk with him? I have heard he is unpleasant." "What did he tell you about where you were going? What did you hope to find there?" "Are there any other farm-people you fought on your way here?" "Where did you sleep these past three nights?" "How many others are in your band?"
Having found nothing around the house, Guthlag stays near the front, keeping an eye on the bodies. Cann keeps an eye on the chicken. Why would anyone target a family like this, if not to raid? He touches the dogwood of his scythe, running his fingers over the portion of the handle which has been sanded and brushed with beeswax. They saw something they weren't supposed to see. He walks close to the bodies, one by one, looking over the wounds carefully while glancing up at the woods around him periodically. Naomi said one was killed with a poisoned dagger. Who fights with a dagger, and not a real weapon? The burly half-orc imagines the reach advantage he would enjoy with his scythe against someone carrying a dagger. Maybe someone without a real weapon. But there were others, with swords and axes and hobnail boots.
Hey no problem. I think what you wrote about them having met before makes sense.
Will do. Ready to push forward, just wanting to let you direct things.
Planning to mostly react to you for this week. I may have trouble posting a lot on Wednesday or Thursday, but I should maintain a night post like I've been doing. If you want to push faster, let us know somewhere.
Karti: It is somewhat counterintuitive that flames prevent it from attacking. However, it attacking is unrelated to its state of stasis. Warm, bright environments cause it to wake up and move into digestion mode, but they don't affect its ability to attack. The spores are a disease, and are thus susceptible to anti-disease measures such as spells and antiplague. They can also be cured with two consecutive successful Fortitude saves. Resting in a particularly hot environment (e.g. right in front of a large fire) provides a +2 bonus on such saves.
Melira scurries up into the hay loft after Bez, moving fast and quiet.
As she climbed the ladder, Melira's mind went to work. What now? If we steal his horse and make off in the night, we might slow him down enough that he can't catch us. On the other hand, we might get caught stealing his horse, and he could probably just buy one of these other ones. Melira settles in behind a bale of hay, near Bez. What if we can sabotage his carriage. Maybe cut an axle or something. Ideally we could saw it partway so it broke the moment he went over a stiff bump. Then he'd be stuck a little way out on the road and have to walk back to town if he wanted to get it fixed. She checked her weapons idly, trying not to make the slightest noise. But we'd have to saw it just right. Leave it too thick and it wouldn't break, cut it too thin and it might snap while he's still in town. And we'd have no way of knowing if we cut it just right. She glanced around the barn for anything serrated. It would be so much easier to just kill him again. Do I even want to run off into the night right now? Melira's feet didn't hurt from walking anymore, but she was exhausted. The combat at the manor had taken one of her spells, and she desperately needed to sleep and process everything that had happened. I want to walk right back inside, order myself a hot meal and a pleasant drink, and settle into sheets in a bed someone else made for me. I suppose he might be a stronger fighter, now that he's dead. And he might have some surprises in that carriage of his. Maybe we can hide up here until they head out, eat some of those foods from that leaf thing, and take a nap. That idea didn't sound so bad. It didn't involve moving anywhere or doing anything right away. It's not so uncomfortable up here. Then we can sneak up to the carriage and see what's inside before making any decisions that might get us killed.
I am ready to start gameplay. If you want to wait before doing this, that's ok with me. I can provide more information or do other things before we start. But I think we have most of the major things covered. I'd like for us to make a collective decision about where to start gameplay. I mean in terms of physical location of your characters, but also in terms of prioritizing some gameplay experiences over others. Whether you are more interested in exploring a dungeon or interacting with a wider world should, in my mind, dictate where your begin. Interacting with the dungeon should feature more complex interaction with codified mechanics and tactical play. Interacting with the wider world should feature more character agency (although I will note that I have made an effort to build in some agency in the Dungeon), roleplaying, and exposition about the world. Personally, my preference is for Atash and Razaniel to start in Limbeyn. Karti and Torvi, our two Sundered Dwarves, begin in one of the two Sundered Dwarf villages nearby. As discussed, Atash and the dwarves know one another already. But I'm having trouble not imagining a moment where the Sundered Dwarves who are sympathetic to Karti and Torvi meet with them to tell them what they know of Pyrsa castle. And I don't think outsiders would be welcome at such a meeting. Importantly to me, this option also provides substantial verisimilitude. Ideally, this option would also provide a sufficient level of setting information and wider world play. It would allow me to differentiate this information according to the two groups of players, which in my mind might develop the characters. And it might be more interesting that other options for exposition due to options for roleplaying. Notably, the option to get to know all of your characters as characters would be welcome, and might help me provide a more immersive experience if I use the information well. Having two groups of players will slow things down on my end, so this process might take some time. I am open to other options. I have two such other options in mind. If you want, we can skip through to the part where you're actually at the most obvious entrance to the Dungeon. The gate to Pyrsa castle. This seems like the most extreme 'fast forwarding' option, where we skip a certain portion of gameplay at the beginning to get to other options faster and build momentum. Alternatively, in between that option and my prior suggestion, we could go for a middle route. We could start with all of the characters together, but already having received some information from the Sundered Dwarves who are sympathetic to Karti and Torvi. I communicate the most important pieces of this information to you in a different and more direct way that doesn't involve roleplaying. You have a few interactions on your way to the dungeon, but we focus on moving quickly. These two options both come to mind as reasonable ways to satisfy different goals. In conclusion, I'm hoping to get some kind of collective opinion about where we would like your characters to physically begin in the world of the game. I believe this decision carries some weight in terms of establishing gameplay preferences.
Karti Rumor 10:
You arrived home late one night after a long journey, half dreaming of the peaceful night awaiting you. You awoke the next morning to the sound of Rouda talking to a stranger. The stranger was asking your wife for advice about the road to Pyrsa, and to buy any potions that might be for sale. With their help, she promised she would steal the crown of the king and set the land to rights. The rich made brave adventurers. Not two weeks later and you saw her again, coming back the opposite way. While visiting a merchant to sell your pickings, you heard her talking about her trip. She went on about how hard the mountain road had been, thin and dwarven as it was, and then talked about the approach to the castle itself. She was talking about an alarm horn, or perhaps it was an alarm bell. You were quite interested by then. But when you asked for more details, she recognized you as your wife's husband. She got embarrassed that she hadn't lived up to her promise, and fell silent about the castle. It was strange, how people never believed you had always doubted them.
Rumor 11: Frulli's father, Alli, was staying with Vollí. The two of you weren't on great terms. Alli was older, and was one of the higher ranking dwarves from before the Sundering who still lived. Vollí, like you, knew little from before the Sundering. He had only just been coming into adulthood then. Alli was talking to your mentor about the Stone Gate. You weren't supposed to overhear the conversation. "...aye, it was a clever trick to disguise the gate like that-who is that?" He had heard you eavesdropping. "What, you think you'll just march into Pyrsa's main hall and declare our people saved?" He asked you, face flushed red. "You think this is just another old ruin of our ancestors for you to explore? This is Pyrsa castle I'm talking about. You pup, you, you'll never sleep a night in that castle, or I'll sell my armor and plant a garden." He wouldn't talk more about the castle after that. You knew he lived in one of the dwarven villages to the south, there were only three. Perhaps you could visit him again before leaving.
Melira eyes Bez briefly, happy to see that he's still nearby. She continues speaking to the monster, though. "Those vines would make a good splint for his broken arm. I saw them coming in, they're strong enough to destroy a fountain. They could just latch onto his arm and never let go." Latch onto his throat and never let go, more like. That means we have time, since no one is coming back to save this unfortunate creature. "But a leg needs magic, unless you mind lying on your back a few days. Or weeks." She moves into the bushes and begins to mime gathering specific leaves. "The water from this fountain looks magical to me. It might be a good ingredient. Have you ever drunk it?" While the monster is talking, she pushes her way into the bushes a little bit, towards Bez but still close enough to talk to the monster. "I disagree." She says to the rogue in response to his earlier comment. "I think they just want to make a splint for their broken limbs. That vine seemed like some kind of strangling creature to me when we came in. Would you mind sneaking over to see if that's the case, and if the already injured brother is has had the life squeezed out of him? I would very much like to know if he's about to return at any moment." She waits for a response. "And if you do go, please come back quickly."
"Do you live here or are you one of those great travelers I hear stories about?" "Do you know those puny weaklings by the gate? They were in my way so I had to sing them a sleeping song. If I'm going to come back here, I'd like to know who they are so I don't have to do that again." "Have you ever seen a big cat around here, not quite as strong as you, but with fur and huge teeth? There might be one wandering the grounds, and a little girl like myself would be a tasty snack for such a monster if I didn't have the help of some great warrior." "Have you ever been inside the house? It seems like a nice place to live." "Would you mind passing me your club? I need it to dig these roots. Once I have those I should have everything I need. Oh blast, I've just dulled my dagger. Do you have one of those too, or any other sharp tools?"
Here's what I'm thinking I'd like in the next couple of weeks. This week, say before the end of the day on the 12th. Most major build decisions solidified. You have enough numbers on your character sheet that I can put your attack, AC, etc into some spreadsheets and tweak my monsters. The week after that. You work on backgrounds and create a couple of NPCs who your character knows. I post more setting information. Sound good?
Melira glances from Bez's wound to his eyes. Is he just acting tough? "Ok, glad you're alright." She follows behind him, casually slipping into the lead so that she's closer to any danger they might encounter. ----- Melira looks around, from one piece of this mad garden to the next. "There's heavy breathing coming from inside the first door. Male; hard of breathing, perhaps like the sentries we snuck past; and doing something that requires exertion." She gulps. At least whatever is behind the door isn't some undead monster, if it needs to breath. "After we finish circling the house, before we try entering, let's check out that fountain." Melira points to the western fountain which had sparkled with magic.
Post incoming. Happy new year all! Glad to hear that you are mostly recovered DMG.
Melira doesn't register the green blood. All she can see is the very red blood that blossoms from Bez's chest.
Her sword flashes red in the light of the torch. Two fresh wounds open on the leopard's flesh. "You are doing fine, Bez. Finish it now!" She locks eyes with the rogue for a moment, and he feels the wild energy in her eyes.
Melira laughs freely at the performance. "I think purple and green would go well on you, maybe a topaz trinket to match the mischief in your eyes." He's not a bad man at heart, not really. "But then you'd have to deal with all the suitors." She runs her fingers delicately along a vine as they move closer to the mansion, looking for a grape to pluck. "Hmm. Withered." Her hand finds the hilt of her sword and stays there. "Part of me thinks we should just walk up to the front door and ask pol-, ahem, politely to come in." She shakes her head quickly, frowning. "You keep an eye out while I get a spell together, and then we'll make a quick circuit around the structure before entering. Sound good?"
Melira's nods enthusiastically as Bez speaks. She understands exactly what he is describing. She lets him take her drink, eyes flicking back and forth between the cup and Bez for a moment. The scale always tips towards power. This only strengthens my conviction that we need to find Vex. "No birthday? No one will ever be able to confirm that the prophecy is really about him, then." She gazes up at the stars. There was some significance to that fact, beyond the obvious conclusion that they were, as Bez said, mere pawns before the gods. "Your mother must be a kind woman. I'd love to meet her, should we make it through these next few weeks unharmed." ------- "I myself have always been a servant of temptation." Melira pointedly turns her attention to Bez for a moment. "We could at least survey the outer yard."
"Now why would you...and Vex...think they were the Harbinger...and not me?" Melira laughs. "So far you've only brought me safety." She pauses for a moment to drink again. "And besides, the prophecy predicts that the Harbinger will be at Grimmsgate." She looks at Bez again. "Hrm. I suppose that's where you'll be soon enough." "Do you have this prophecy memorized, or written down? Are there other sources we can look at? Merely to borrow. And return, of course, heaven forfend I steal from some cultist's library."
Prophecy stuff:
"I don't have it written, but I have a good memory. There are three important sources that we used." Melira raises her index finger. "One was an astrological chart we cross referenced to try to find the exact birth date and location." She raises a second finger, "The second was a set of books describing how to divine life events and character traits from astrological information. The knowledge from this source was that the Harbinger was despicable and evil, and that there would be some kind of important, consequential decision they would make that would affect lots of lives." She slows down just long enough for you to process. It is clear from her tone that she's not convinced the Harbinger is despicable or evil. "The third source was fascinating. There was a Hyperborean machine - the Hyperboreans created a massive empire a long time before even my elven mother was born - which was made to help people visualize prophetic information. It showed people's fates represented on three dimensional space according to mutable axes, which is another way to say that it helped wizards identify people who would be important in the future so they could learn more about them." She pauses to stroke her hair conspicuously for a moment. She likes the way it feels. "Now our source wasn't written by Hyperboreans, rather, it was written by Foerdwaith wizards who had found the Hyperborean machine and fixed it. They used the machine to identify a certain individual, the Harbinger. Then they used the much more developed astrological techniques of their time to understand what would happen in his life, which is what they were writing about. There were a few lines of verse that really summed up their main finding, let me think..." She hums a tune softly to herself for a moment. “The world will be weighed on merchant scales,
When this time comes, whose hand will it be that tips the scales?
Melira's singing voice is as perfect as her teeth. "I translated it myself, it sounds better in the original." She blushes softly for a moment. ---------
"What would be the worst that could happen if we stopped by this mansion?" There is a glint of curiosity in Melira's eyes. "To tell you the truth, Bez, I fear I've lost my wits in my cups. You've wisely kept yours, and you know your brother better. You decide if you think he's there, and I'll follow you."
"Eh," Melira shrugs. The Academy had been almost her whole life. "I'm not sure how much of a future I had there anyway, even before all of this." She had cried when she received notice of acceptance. "There are a few mentors I'll miss, but the whole experience was never that positive for me." "But that doesn't mean I'm done with my research. This whole thing started with astrological charts and old books I could barely read." Melira has a certain energy when she talks about her work. Saen's work, more than mine. "You wouldn't believe what they told me if you hadn't heard it from Rhen first. A Harbinger, a precursor to the rise of the abyssal lords. That's one interpretation anyway. That's who I'm looking for. That's my task." She takes another drink, spirits filling washing down her throat like fire. "It seems our fates are yolked."
"No, I'm thinking about Grollek's Grove. Back at the academy, there might be some interest in a place like that, one with some kind of arcane inflection, they call it." Melira raises her own cup, half full with a strong and foul smelling spirit. She barely winces as she swallows. "They would study the physical nature of the place, run elaborate tests, try to read old books about it." She shakes her head. "But they would never think to ask the people nearby what they thought. Customs, legends, wouldn't matter." Melira hasn't said much about Bez's ancestry since he revealed himself to her. A half-breed herself, she knows it's an important part of his identity, but she also knows that there's a lot more to him. She smiled deeply once, after watching him strut past a few other travelers, and she seemed in a good mood for the rest of the day. "If he didn't say anything to you, maybe he thought he was in danger. How would you feel if we got there only to find that we were too late?"
”If I am to tell you anything it will leave me in peril." So...so there is something bigger at work here. Melira tries not to let the revelation show on her face. Someone asked him to do this, someone he doesn't trust, who he fears. It's hard to imagine Rhen being afraid of anyone after the confidence he just displayed with a sword tip pressed to his ear. And whoever this person is wants to keep their involvement a secret. They could be connected to the book, too. A hint of sadness creeps across her face. If all this is true, then how will I be safe while Rhen lives? Melira wonders again whether she can trust Bez. If she's going to ask Rehn about the prophecy, the book, the torn pages, Rhen will find out about them too. He's just interested in finding this Vex. "I have no idea how we make you seem dead. Except with a sword." She takes a few steps back and motions at Bez to follow her. Assuming he does, she confers with him quietly, so that Rhen can't hear. "Listen Bez, I have my own task to complete, one which may be of dire importance. This Vex of yours, no idea who he is, but I'll help you find him, even if it means crossing Rhen's brother. You're wounded already, and if not for me you might be dead right now. You could use the help" "Of course, if not for you things could have gone poorly for me, too. If I help you find this Vex and extricate him from whatever trouble he's in, I want your promise that you help me with my own task. And before I tell you what that is, I need to know one thing." The half elf is a good half foot shorter than Bez, with a slender build. Blood seeps out from a wound on her chest, her hair is matted and torn, and her legs are still the slightest bit unsteady. But there is a calm, hard look in her eyes when she asks, "can we trust one another?"
Melira watches Bez work. "How does that note...what..." "Ok. Fine. But whatever we do, we question him as soon as he wakes up. We need to figure out if there are others still in danger before we do anything else." Is he connected to the destroyed pages? Was he just trying to get at Saen? There was no love lost between the elf and the half drow, but Melira wasn't sure how deep the animosity went. Saen had always been distant, even as a friend. Maybe there's a deeper conspiracy at play here... Melira's hand went to the hilt of her dagger for a moment, but she didn't draw it. She still had her sword out, and the weight of steel in her hand calmed her nerves. And who is this Bez I find myself working with? It was not every day that Melira met armed strangers sneaking through secret passages, though carrying weapons was common enough. She could try asking a more direct question, but perhaps it would be better to wait. "If you're ready to begin, I can heal good old Rhen here. Or we can wait for him to wake up the old fashioned way, it's not like anyone's going to be coming around anytime soon." The thought of the hacked corpse out in the auditorium made her nervous, so she tried to sound confident.
"Ok Bez, we'll catch up." Melira offers a hand to Saen. "Are you hurt? Do you need healing?" I've never really been in a fight like that, despite all my training. She misses her sheath three times before managing to put her dagger away, then feels at her head. Her hand comes away wet. Gods, I hope I'm not hurt. "Come on," she says abruptly, "let's go see what Bez is doing with the live one." Melira follows after Bez.
Melira hefts her sword, hacking at the corpse. She pants softly, sweat dripping down her forehead. "We should go back and make sure the other ones are really dead." She starts running back towards them, then stops. Her hands are steady, for the moment, but only because of the magic. "Nice job Saen," she says offhandedly, moving hesitantly back towards him. "Who are you?" She asks, still looking at Saen. A moment later she glances up at the Tiefling rogue.
"That's just the point: such a person would be highly unusual. Exactly the type of person a whole prophecy would be built up around, someone touched by forces we don't fully comprehend." Melira is filled with energy when she gets interested in something, her whole body animating in a way that tends to excite the people around her. "Besides, like you said, the deterministic interpretation is not generally accepted. The whole thing could be some elaborate metaphor we don't understand yet, but which will become apparent when we find The Harbinger." Melira pauses for a moment, having noticed that her hands are now covered in dust, though she can't remember touching the table. "What do you think, Saen?"
I did manual. WOTC are very good at mismanaging high quality games.
I grew up with it as 'gender neutral' as well but yeah, so many other options that are better. Thanks for asking Grimmy. I really like the Paizo profile pic I got to choose, so I'll just stick with that for appearance.
@Albion my character should be ok at dealing ranged damage. I think our druid also has the outdoor thing covered. If you take forge domain, you're a solid frontliner who can hand out tons of huge buffs. That seems pretty good for the party composition to me.
I made an alias and a name for my character and started filling some stuff in.
I filled out a character sheet here. Should we also put all our stats and stuff on an alias? I tried to avoid skill overlap a bit. I went for maximum dex and decent con, so I should be ok at using weapons/being attacked when necessary.
Ok cool. No worries, I was already leaning in that direction anyway. As far as how pleasant he'll be...he's going to be reasonably polite in public at the very least...just arrogant and impatient. While quite smart, he'll think he's smarter than he is. One of the things I want to play up will be his grudging/growing respect and feeling of protectiveness for your character, since you're obviously overcoming a disability, and have come to him for help. I am assuming that when play starts we've already known each other for a while, so our relationship would already be pretty developed at that point. My character would cultivate respect, but she's not made of glass and doesn't need protecting. If someone looks down on her, she'll look right back down on them, and if they're in a position of power over he she'll forge her own path somewhere else. Still, if Saendithas helped her she would come to trust and perhaps depend on him. I probably have other stuff to say but I had a couple of drinks recently and I'm a tiny bit fuzzy :).
Thanks for keeping us in the loop Grimmy, I'm still excited. @Nevets do you have any ideas on how we met? Obviously at an academy together, but like, how exactly? I will work on developing my character a bit more if you want to wait and see what I've got. Maybe you helped me with some reading assignment (as I had imagined my character being dyslexic) and in exchange my character helped you make a friend or get laid or something like this. And then from there we were just friends. Don't want to box you in so let me know if that doesn't work for you. @Albion maybe we met at a tavern or whatever and my character just loved teasing you a bunch. And then when Nevets and I decided to track down the prophecy person we asked you to come with us for protection, plus maybe you also took an interest? Or not? Maybe something completely different? Again, don't want to box you in. Just some thoughts for now.
Shouldn't we just smite the lad? To be sure...? Great idea! Perhaps when we're done I can write a song about the extremely noble and dangerous deed. How do you think they would view the thiefling? A threat to all existence? A key to save the world? An annoying baby-sitting task? Haha. My character would probably view them as...a person. They've known, well, heard of, a lot of impressive scholars and powerful wizards who turned out to just be flat out wrong. It's better to investigate for yourself and come to your own conclusions rather than trust the prophecy of someone you may never even have met. And if the person has already been alive for 27 years and the world hasn't ended, then it's obvious that this person themselves isn't going to be a cause of great destruction. But then on the other hand, my character would still be wary that there might be some hidden danger associated with this person. And their ultimate views of the thiefling would end up being based mostly on how that person seemed when they interacted.
Guys I had an idea last night that I really liked. What if Trifty's bard and/or Nevet's wizard are researching a theory that the banished demon lords are striving to return to the material plane. They are convinced that a harbinger has been born with a demonic taint. By studying astrological charts or something they track the birthtime and place and go searching to find... Axolotl's thiefling! I like this idea. My character would probably be skeptical initially but also deeply interested. I see them as being the type of person to want to personally search out, verify, and study firsthand the types of things that learned people are interested in. I also think my character would think that some person with horns committing petty crimes would be a hilarious and a fitting conclusion to such a prophecy. Edit: and I don't know what Nevet's wizard would think. But if they were super worried about the prophecy and taking it seriously and such, that would be a strong contrast to my character's skeptical curiosity. Also I realized that maybe you meant we found the theifling as a baby, in which case we wouldn't know how they would later grow up to be at the time.
There is a university in the small town where the investigation adventure takes place as well, so a scholastic type character could have occasion to travel between these two points. Ok, that sounds good. I'm thinking my character may have spent some time in the academy, but is dyslexic and so didn't meet the standards of success defined by the academy. Maybe they encountered a wizard of the type proposed by Mr. Nevets. Maybe they have spent some time teasing, making fun of, and laughing alongside the grumbly dwarf fighter/cleric types such as the one proposed by Albion. It's even possible that my character could have done some scoundrelish stuff alongside a rogue type character, though not with particularly malicious intentions.
In a perfect world I would recruit players not PC's. There are a few other things you said that I liked, but I especially like this comment. You've got me excited!
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"My strength is already enhanced by my belt, but your spell would still be welcome." "Dexterity would probably be most useful, in certain circumstances. I am fast, but if we expect to face large numbers of enemies, the extra speed would allow me to catch more of them when they neglect their defenses." Gregor tapped his steel breastplate. "Sadly, my armor is not the most mobile, so I wouldn't really get any better at dodging. "Constitution is always helpful, but...I'm not exactly a delicate flower." Gregor grins, flashing his perfect white teeth. "'Nic' is not how I think of myself or introduce myself to others, but if it will put you more at ease, I will not take offense." Gregor nods. "Very well, Niculaie. I shall think of you the way you think of yourself, so long as you are willing to do the same for me." Gregor didn't normally reference or even acknowledge his bizarreness, and you couldn't quite be sure he was now. But it was impossible to deny that he looked aberrant, almost buglike at times. And the way he held himself as he spoke seemed to draw attention to his arms, which dangled long below his hips.
For those who might be having trouble logging in, I logged in by clearing the cache/cookies on my browser. Someone in my game said that might be a good thing to do.
My own past/culture... that's an interesting concept in and of itself. I'm a white American, so...I don't really know if I have a culture, in any meaningful sense. I just wanted to respond to this because, despite the fact that you said you wanted to set it aside, it seems central to developing a harm-reductive philosophy. We do have a culture. We have a specific accent and word choice, we dress in a certain way, and we have certain social expectations as a result of our identity. Our people have a history which is taught and celebrated in schools, and we are assumed to be able to trace our lineage back to Europe. We have taste in music, food, movies, literature, and games that is influenced by our identity. We have the privilege of not even perceiving our own culture, because we are not used to having other people perceive it. Our own culture influences the games we play. I'm not talking about King Arthur and his knights, who are distant and remote to us, I'm talking about J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Bruce Willis, Clint Eastwood, and Richard Nixon. I'm talking about Game of Thrones and Chinese Restaurants, oriental rugs and rap music. 9 to 5 jobs and big, empty houses, college campuses and national monuments. We are who we are, and we aren't just anybody.
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