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Looking at the ominous clouds, Rath nods his agreement. "Makes sense. I wonder what exactly our drinking companions from last night are doing in town. It's clear they were holding something back." Turning to Johan, he gives a rare smirk. "The way Petus was staring at you, it's a wonder you didn't turn to stone."
"And I am Rath." Having finally broken his silence, he leans back in his chair and fixes Petus with a glare of his own.
The group's newfound companions have brought Rath out of his reverie. Having quickly evaluated Asko, Camlon and Petus, he wonders if it might be possible to pry further information out of the warrior with the aid of a few drinks and clever words, though he quickly realizes it would have to be done in isolation from Petus' more cunning companions. Dishing himself up a selection of food, he decides to wait to see how things develop and looks for an opportunity to speak discretely with his own party.
Grabbing another chair, Rath joins the group at the table, but remains silent for the time being, in part because he knows such conversation is better left to Johan, but more so because he is preoccupied with other matters. Late perception check:
Sure, no problemo.
"Sounds like as good a place to start as any." Rath agrees. There is something a little unusual about him today - his shoulders slumped as though carrying a heavy burden, his amber eyes slightly bloodshot. Though he remains his usual quiet self, he seems possessed of an inner turmoil that had not been apparent before.
"Not for me." Rath tries to discern if anything is amiss with Fealas. Sense Motive (untrained): "I'll take first watch tonight." He offers.
Thinking it over, Rath nods. He has nowhere better to be, this group seems tolerable enough, and he hopes that he'll have more luck finding work in either destination than he did in Chendir.
Rath remains silent and lets the others do the talking - after the debacle at Chendir, he figures to leave the conversation to Johan and Leco. Instead, he focuses on keeping watch, ever wary of trouble. Who knows what dangers lie in this wilderness. Perception check:
Just so you know, I've gone with the saving throw bonus (Will).
Rath examines the pair of strangers, keeping his wits about him. Perception check:
As Rath returns to The Stoop with the others, he considers this turn of events. Never one to be pushed around by those in authority, he is rankled by the Councilor's threats, but decides to let things lie, for now. Everyone makes one mistake. Given the Councilor's reaction, working at the behest of the town seems out of the question for the time being, but perhaps there is still some profit to be found here. Regardless, Rath intends to stick around to find out, and silently vows that if Censa and his cronies try to move him on before he's ready, he won't go quietly.
The character advancement system in your profile works fine with me, DM. So, is this a "character advancement opportunity"? Personally, I kind of like the way things have turned out. It's certainly more interesting than the standard fare. I like that the townspeople are realistic small-town folks, wary of strangers and not about to be pushed around by some adventurers - it's certainly different from the standard "helpless villager" archetype. You may laugh, but it reminds me a little of Rambo: First Blood. Will be interesting to see where we go from here.
Yeah, this is hilarious, and totally justified. I figured I was asking way, way, way too much even before I posted, considering the rough values given in the SRD - i.e. our "standard rate" being the price of one hundred sheep each, per day. In the interests of staying true to the character, I figured Rath would sooner ask for way too much than too little, since he doesn't really care about this festival (or its security) in the least and is proud/arrogant enough to rate his own services pretty highly. He's greedy, and he probably figures if they won't pay him what he feels he's worth, he'll look elsewhere. It all makes sense so none of it worries me, and I'm having a blast. Glad to hear you feel the same, Leco. Sorry if I went way overboard there, Johan. I think your character should definitely fill the party "face" role, having the only rank in diplomacy and a decent charisma score. Although intelligent, Rath is more of a thug who does the dirty work, and his self-serving nature could get in the way of any kind of diplomacy/negotiations (i.e. demanding prices that would bankrupt the town). I'll let one of you folks post first.
Sense Motive check (as requested):
Admiring Johan's cunning, Rath crosses his arms and looks thoughtful. "Well, being the pious men we are, and understanding the importance of the ceremony, we'd be willing to offer our services to you at a discounted rate." He lies. "Shall we say two hundred gold pieces each for every day in your employ, effective immediately? If you opt for our full coverage package, we'll only charge an additional fee of two hundred gold pieces, half of which we'll refund to you in the event of a serious mishap on our watch. I assure you, you won't find better protection at this price." "Of course, in order to do our jobs effectively, we have a few other conditions. The full cooperation of the council and permission to exercise necessary force goes without saying. We also require permission to confiscate and keep the possessions of anyone who might threaten our mission." He turns to his companions. "Am I leaving anything out?"
Thanks, sounds good. I've found one other fellow who's put his hand up, too, so there's around three or four people at the moment. Looks promising.
Thanks very much for the invite, checking it out now. Berik - when will you return to NZ?
Rath observes the 'knight' in silence, intrigued by the unusual set of plate she wears. He wonders how she is involved with the festival, and is reminded of the young warrior woman from the tavern the night before. It would seem this festival is attracting a good deal of muscle - perhaps the Councilor is going to great lengths to protect his investment. "Perhaps we should speak directly to this Councilor Censa, since he seems to be in charge. I'd like to know what is going on." And how I can profit from it, he doesn't add.
Shaking his head, Rath ponders searching the sleeping Joenso for anything of value, but just as quickly realizes that if he was willing to dupe a sword-wielding half-elf and his companions for a drink, he's not likely to have a bulging coin purse. Fantasizing about the many colorful ways he'd like to avenge the waste of time (and lack of reward), he returns to the bar with the others.
Haha, a wild goose chase (or rat chase?). I don't have a problem with the way things turned out - the signs were there from the beginning, but I guess we all got a bit excited at the prospect of doing a little monster hunting. You taking control of the characters doesn't bother me in the slightest when it's necessary/in the interests of advancing the game. I agree, everything is going well so far. As for another player, I'm easy either way, but as you said, things seem to be progressing well with three.
Rath's amber eyes narrow and he gives Joenso a stony stare. "Don't push your luck, friend." Intimidate check (if necessary)
"Can you describe the creature? Did it walk upright, or on all fours? Was it man-sized? Anything you can tell me might help."
Knowledge: Arcana check
No problem, will do. I've heard good things about Google Wave but haven't had a chance to use it. Somebody from another game supposedly sent me an invite but I never received it. If you would be so kind, my email address is as follows: Spoiler: hamishpatterson@hotmail.com
Rath's expectations have been lowered slightly by the description given by Joenso's companions. It wouldn't be the first time a superstitious farmer had imagined a monster to use as a scapegoat in order to explain away perfectly natural (if unfortunate) occurrences, then tried to enlist his aid and waste his time. The potential for reward is enough to keep him interested, however, so he decides to question Joenso directly in order to determine the truth of the matter. "I am Rath. My companions and I happened to overhear about your encounter with the beast. If you tell us all you know, we may be able to help."
"I suggest we follow this Ruddicrum's field lead. It may turn out to be nothing, but we'll never know unless we investigate further. If there is a beast, and we take care of it, perhaps Councilor Censa would discreetly compensate us - after all, there's an important festival going on, and he's gone to a lot of trouble. I doubt he'd want talk of monsters spoiling it." Having said his piece, the half-elf raises his tankard to his lips and returns to silence, ogling the barmaid as she goes about her business.
Rath nods, looking at both Johan and Leco in turn. "Seems reasonable - particularly the part about an equitable share of the profits. Provided there are any." He tries to recall any knowledge he has/rumors he's heard regarding Ruddicrum's Field and also Councilor Censa. Knowledge: Local
Looking up from his tankard, he meets Johan's gaze with his piercing amber eyes. "I am Rath." In contrast to the mellifluous tones normally possessed by elves and their kind, his voice is unpleasant. He nods silently to Leconair, taking a moment to examine him before responding to Johan's question. "I didn't come here for the festival. I'm looking for work." From his silvery chain shirt, the large, slightly curved sword he wears on his back like a quiver and the grim set in his eyes, his line of work seems fairly obvious.
Thanks for the advice - I'm unable to edit the post now (I guess too much time has elapsed) but will be sure to try the appropriate changes next time.
Vin - glad to have you aboard, welcome to the group. No doubt Leco's summoning spells will come in very handy in augmenting the party's numbers.
Calling all NZ-based Pathfinder RPG players - I know you're out there. I'm proposing the idea of an online Pathfinder rules campaign (campaign setting to be decided between players and DM). We'd meet once a week at a convenient time and have a live gaming session for a couple of hours, probably using some sort of IM program. There seems to be a good few Pathfinder players out there, but they're spread around the country and some are isolated. This seems like an excellent opportunity, since we're all in the same time zone. I've been a part of a well-run online live session campaign before, and I know how fun they can be. Is anyone interested?
Too bad I'm all the way down in Dunedin, otherwise I would've been in for sure. If you (and your friends) are at all interested, I've been trying to gauge interest in an NZ-wide online Pathfinder RPG rules (no setting decided on yet) campaign. We'd meet say once a week online and have a live gaming session for a couple of hours, probably using some sort of IM program. I'll make a new post, since I know there are other NZ-based players who'd likely be interested.
Standing with his back to the bar, a tall half-elf drinks ale from a chipped earthenware tankard. [bold] A tavern full of adventurers. Does that signify an abundance of work available, or none at all, I wonder?[/bold] He examines the white-haired human seated alone at the table carefully, before crossing the room and taking a seat across from Johan. As a half-elf (and a spellcaster at that) and a poor conversationalist, Rath doesn't deign to speak. In his experience, humans can be a temperamental lot, particularly in taverns where a few too many tankards can cause tempers to flare, as the vertical scar running above and below his left eye can attest. His keen instincts tell him that something is different about this white-haired human across from him - he doesn't detect any malice in his blue eyes. All the same, caution has saved his life several times in the past, and so he decides to keep his mouth shut, for now. [bold]Skill Checks:[/bold]
Sorry for the period of silence, folks - my broadband modem decided to die a horrible death and as I live out of town I wasn't immediately able to purchase a replacement. Everything seems to be fully functional now though, so I'm back and ready to go. Greyblade - sorry to hear this, but best of luck. Don't work too hard. :) Also, can anyone please explain what I'm doing wrong when it comes to using stuff like bold, spoiler, etc, as I've clearly demonstrated in the IC thread? Apologies, but I didn't want to edit in case it re-did the dice rolls, and thanks in advance for any help.
I'll make the appropriate changes to my sheets, and then I'm good to go.
Grufflehead - no problemo, in that case I'll just take scorching ray, protection from arrows and acid arrow. The Spellcraft DC should be 17 I believe (15 + spell level). I'll have a go at using the dice roller on here as an experiment - we'll say the rolls are in the order above:
Grufflehead, with your permission, I'd like to make a minor final change to my character - namely replacing the composite longbow with a few 2nd level scrolls: protection from arrows, acid arrow, scorching ray and blur. This will give me 100 more gp in my purse, and I'll try to scribe the scrolls into my spellbook (I'm happy to roll the appropriate Spellcraft checks). Please let me know if this is acceptable.
I'm in total agreement about the prohibited school system being crazy in 3.5E, especially with the rules regarding inability to even use items etc. from those schools. The Pathfinder system is much less limiting. I've updated my sheet accordingly and created an alias here, which you can view by clicking my alias name (Rath). There's some background information there on the character which I didn't have on my DnDSheet, including a couple of 'open loop' type things - i.e. what happened to his former adventuring party. |
