:Ri'el:'s page

Yipe, I missed alot whilst I was out, it seems. Congratulations to Alkyd. Hope you guys have fun. =)

"Gold and knowledge are both resources, friend, and each has its own value," Ri'el replies with a faint smile.

Pushing from his mind a wry query of how the Sargavan intended to weigh knowledge for its value in gold, he extends his hand to the newcomer and nods in greeting.

"Ri'el. Pleased to meet you. Are you perchance looking for crew members for a ship?

Submitting Ri'el, an Aasimar animist shaman from Tian Xia who has taken to the seas to escape his late father's enemies - after all, it's easier to keep your trail cold when most of your time is spent on the high seas. At the moment he relies on anonymity as a means of evading off his pursuers, but he believes that it will only be a matter of time before they catch up with him, and thus seeks to surround himself with powerful allies to dissuade would-be pursuers, and to establish with them enough of a reputation for being something other than a contender in the pugilistic world. Having taken to the life of a sailor, he is open to building his reputation as a privateer or buccaneer (well...and there's a part of him that doesn't mind the loot that comes with such a profession). For the moment, however, he is just seeking some coin to see him through the next couple of months.

Though reasonably skilled as a sailor, he often prefers to take the role of a ship's doctor or healer when he can get it, using the gifts granted to him by the spirits to achieve more than he could through medical skills alone.

Background is in the profile with a link to the character sheet. =)

Would Shamans be an exception to the rule that divine casters need a specific deity seeing as they get their powers from the spirits they commune with rather than a deity per se?

Ri'el flushes a little at the sudden attention, though his brow furrows at the suggestion that Tengus in general could fly.

"Unfortuantely, that would be another instance where rumours and speculations have deviated from the truth. Tengus are a minority in Tian, but still far more common there than they are here, and almost all the Tengus I have known are not capable of flight. A few are able to use their winged arms to glide to a very limited degree, but only once have I ever seen a Tengu fly with wings, and this is the intriguing bit. He sprouted a pair of of new black wings from his back rather than using his arms to fly."

"The tales about their beaks are closer to the mark, however. Let's just say that a tengu generally has the advantage in a "face-to-face" confrontation, if you get my drift. And I was once told a tale about Lu the Little Phoenix, a tengu swordsman who became famous for his special technique of stopping and trapping an opponent's blade with his beak...well, that and his predilection for bedding maidens behind their parents' backs..."

"Yes, well, most of them have black feathers, though a rare few have feathers of slightly different hues. And of course there are more than a few who dye their feathers, not unlike how other men dye their hair. Many of the best swordsmen in the monastery I grew up in were Tengus. They seemed to have a thing about swordplay. In fact, I hear that the way of the Sohei was pioneered and developed by a Tengu who sought to blend swordplay and martial arts, though as with most rumours and legends, that may or may not be true."

Ri'el grins at Alkyd's talk of songs and legends.

"Heh. If there's one thing I've learnt in my brief life, it is that songs and legends have a tendency to be exaggerated. After all, people want to hear of how the mighty hero overpowered the evil warlord through skill and cunning, not that he snuck in through the cistern, disguised himself as the latest concubine and gave the half-blind codger a lap-dance before shanking him from behind. Don't get me wrong, I love a good tale as much as anyone. It's just that...life tends to be a little more drab than stories would lead you to believe."

And life gave me reasons aplenty to lose faith in legends long ago. Where were the heroes wh....

Before Ri'el could dwell any further his melancholic memories, he is interrupted by the large thump made by the falling elf from above. He stares wide-eyed at Suny for a moment before turning to Alkyd with a raised eyebrow.

"Then again, Alkyd, if you have a legend or two about elves that fall from the sky, I might be inclined to believe them today."

Ri'el smiles at Sven's proclamation.

"When in the wilds, your priorities are water, shelter and food in that order, though depending on the climate and ambient temperature shelter may become more of a priority than even water. Generally a man can survive up to 3 weeks without food but only about 3 days without water, and that's assuming shelter and no exertion. When you're actively trying to find food, shelter and water with the sun beating down on your head, you're more likely to last little more than a day without water and maybe 2 weeks without food, though you'd be thoroughly spent in the second week. Exposure in the worst circumstances can kill you in a night, but in these parts, the danger is more getting soaked by rain by day and freezing from the subsequent cold by night. With the constant rains in the shackles, I'd estimate that exposure would take you in a week. When at sea and facing a lack of clean water, the most common and most fatal error one can make is thinking that drinking sea water would be better than nothing, because the salt in the water would dehydrate you even quicker."

Ri'el winks cheerily at the large Ulfen.

"Not all of us would be helpless outside our cities, my good man."

Ri'el gives a bemused smile at Alkyd's bold proclamation.

"Whilst I admire your gusto, pirate groups and corrupt lords tend to be formidably defended. And though I favour your choice of targets in general, we will probably need to start with more modest pickings and build up our resources and manpower. And since corrupt merchants and petty slavers don't exactly advertise themselves...we may regrettably need to take whatever pickings we can get. Hopefully with as little bloodshed as possible."

"That said, if you already know of corrupt merchants and petty slavers whom we can take on off the proverbial bat, I would be quite eager to mark them as our first targets. Well, if we can get ourselves a ship and a crew, that is."

The idealist vs the pragmatist. XD

Exiel smiles as the sounds of the early-morning conversations waft into his room. He had asked for the closest room to the taproom in order that he might not miss out on any announcements about hiring opportunities, but it was also good to wake to the sounds of conversations of the rather interesting individuals he had met the night before.

"I could do alot worse for fellow crew-members," he thinks to himself with a smile.

Collecting his meagre belongings, he opens the door to his room and makes his way towards the others, dodging a couple of hungover patrons along the way.

"Good morning, gentlemen, milady. I see you're all up early."

"Well I do...I mean I have had some contact with the spirits before. A couple of them have been my closest friends and companions since...well, from a long time ago, and they helped me through a difficult time in my life," Riel replies with a sheepish grin, which breaks into a full guffaw at Carious' joke

"Alas, it appears that this is where our spirited discussion has taken us. Well then...to the spirits...to all the various kinds of spirits?" he asks as he raises his tankard.

Realising that he was speaking slightly louder than he usually would, Ri'el quickly recovers himself and takes a moment to inhale deeply before addressing the group again.

"But from your words, friend, it sounds like you may be one whom they might be inclined to reveal themselves to, if that is a path you wish to explore. In a way, spiritual training in the sense to which you refer is a communion of sorts with the spirits of life and battle, even if you do not realise it, and mastery of such techniques could be seen as having achieved a form of communion with such spirits. Or perhaps cognizance of the spirits involved in such a venture could serve to advance you in your training," he adds with a smile.

Ri's second-level ability allows him to actually talk to various spirits of affliction and ask them to depart. Mechanically it's status-removal via a diplomacy check, but I'm more looking forward to seeing the party members give Ri'el wierd looks when he talks to a nauseated ally, only to be surprised when said ally suddenly recovers. ;)

Until that happens, it's also entirely possible that right now everyone just thinks that Ri'el has had one too many ales...notwithstanding that he is still on his first one!

"Gullible? I would hardly say so! The spirits are indeed real, and always with us, even now! They are the knowledge that people hold in their minds, the creatures and forces of nature, even the very life-force that sustains us. In fact, many of the spells employed by pursuers of the arcane arts and the various servants of the gods do nothing more than wrangle and bind spirits to temporarily do their bidding, whether it is to impede, bind or even to slay."

A hint of passion mars the aasimar's previously calm demeanour as he continues, the subject matter evidently one that he feels strongly about.

"But of course most men are oblivious to this, for they are often concerned only with the results that can be wrought by their spells. It is for precisely this reason that the spirits often choose not to reveal themselves to men - men who either fear them from lack of understanding or see them only as a source of power to be exploited. I am told that there was a time once when men and spirits enjoyed a better relationship, but man's selfishness and desire for advancement strained that relationship time and again till it was all but permanently sundered. Now the spirits hide themselves from the sight of man, and only a rare few will even consider revealing themselves before men."

"A monastery in the Shackles? I had no idea that the practice of the pugilistic arts had spread so far beyond our lands." Ri'el says with a smile, as much from friendliness as from relief at the revelation.

Well, the good news is that members of his monastery are unlikely to rank amongst my pursuers. I only hope the same can be said of his grand-masters school. I shall have to note his stances when he gives his demonstration.

Deciding it was time to change the topic, Ri'el turns the conversation to the other word Travis had used that intrigued him.

"And when you say 'spiritual arts', can I take that to mean that you also commune with the spirits?"

I have never met another who spoke with the spirits as I do. How much more will this mysterious stranger intrigue me, I wonder?

Catch ya later, Alkyd. Have a good sleep. =)

"Of course. I apologise. It has been awhile since I have seen the art practiced for love of the art itself, and the mention of a life in a monastery brought me back to... a simpler, more peaceful time. I do look forward to seeing your forms at a more opportune time and location."

Though I also do hope I do not see in your demonstration a familiar form. Things might get complicated if members of your monastery were amongst those whom my father had challenged and...subdued.

"This monastery you mentioned, however. Was it perchance located in Golarion, or did you have to travel to Tian Xia to pursue your art?"

"I would assume that Travis sought to master the pugilistic arts whilst at the monastery. We had several back in Quain, each specialising in a different form. Though I never got to train in any of them, I did find them fascinating. Exponents from the different monasteries and traditions would regularly seek to spar against each other. To 'swap pointers', as they would insist, but everyone really knew that it was a competition to prove that their style was superior to the other's. Perhaps that was why I never felt inclined to train in those arts. To avoid being a part of that whole competition for supremacy."

"Nonetheless, I do find the art itself fascinating to behold, and would love a display, if you would. Not against me, or indeed anyone here, of course. Perhaps a kata, good sir?"

Yet two details intrigue me, mysterious one. Text in lower-case italics, for me at least, refer to Ri's inner thoughts.

"At least you still have the hope of a reunion with your mother and sister. If I may ask, what made you part ways with your father in favour of the monastic life, and how did you come to learn of his passing?"

Ri'el attempts a discreet peak under Travis' hood as the mysterious stranger shakes his head, but the gloom of the tavern prevents him from catching more than a passing glance at his features. His curiousity frustrated, Ri'el instead turns his attention to the conversation topic at hand. At Travis' recounting of his life story in brief, Ri'el is unable to hold back a wry grin.

"Ha! Our lives appear to be a curious inversion of each others'. I was raised by my parents in a monastery, but my father took me along when he left, and I travelled with him until his passing, after which I took to the seas. I'm beginning to wonder whether the spirits that brought us to this meeting were motivated by some wry sense of humour."

Ri'el slowly opens his eyes as the performances end, the renewed discourses returning him to the present moment.

"An inspired performance indeed. Most evenings all I hear in the watering holes around these parts are tuneless ditties of vain erotic fantasies or empty boasts of ludicrously-embellished bravado. To have such a gathering of genuine performers in one evening...tell me, is there something stirring of which I have managed to remain ignorant about, or have the spirits simply chosen to favour me this day?"

Sensing a momentary lull in the conversation, Ri'el leans back against the counter, content to let the music wash away the present concerns, if at least for a moment.

I wonder what the hooded one seeks to hide? Does he fear being recognised, or does he seek to hide some aspect of his features?

I'd do a perception check at this point, but I won't have time to work out Ri's crunch till Saturday.

Ri'el leans against the counter as he takes a sip of his ale, though he barely tastes his beverage as he turns a keen ear to the exchange between Alkyd and Travis. He considers their words for a moment before offering his own opinion.

"Sticking with deserving targets also has the advantage of ensuring that the un-deserving targets and the legal entities that protect them will not be hunting us in turn. Since those we may deem 'deserving targets' are not likely to discriminate in their targets and see us as viable prey anyway, such an approach to sea-faring potentially halves one's list of adversaries on the high seas."

"As a personal anecdote, I myself have little taste for slavery or needless bloodshed, and I would rather make friends than enemies. Miss Bier, if...when you come to own a vessel of your own and come to consider your crew, should yourself in need of a healer, a skilled sailor or even just a keen eye on your vessel, perhaps you would keep me in mind?" he says politely as he raises his tankard slightly in her direction.

Ri'el is pretty easy to accommodate. He wants to be out of this port and on a ship as soon as possible, and also to earn some coin for food and lodging before his coin pouch empties. As long as the work is not too unsavoury.

"Indeed, one of the greatest gifts afforded by life is that we can learn as we live. However, Alkyd, I perceive that despite your regard for heritage, you are determined that your destiny not be dictated by your heritage, and have chosen to live accordingly. Are you then not living proof that each man's heart is his own?"

Turning to Travis, he adds, "it is as you say. We can live up to it, or live it down, as our hearts choose. It is the clay that we are given, but how we mold it is for each man to decide."

And from the way you wear your hood, it appears that you too have a past you wish to leave behind.

With that thought in mind, Ri'el extends his hand to Travis. "I do not believe we have been introduced, good sir. I am Ri'el."

Ah, this was my mistake. Ri'el does not usually advertise his celestial heritage, but his eyes are iridescent, and he wears his straw hat in an attempt to obscure it. But I'm happy to assume that Carious noticed his eyes once Ri'el got closer and quickly drew the right conclusion. =)

Ri'el will be a single-classed Shaman (my first single-classed character in awhile) with the life spirit, so he'll be taking the healer role. I'll also stat him so he can get some spells from the wizard list through the wandering lore spirit. Skills-wise, he will focus on sense-motive and perception- he plays the straight guy who observes as his companions get into their various shenenigans, and interjects with a critical observation or a timely spell when the situation calls for it.

At the mention of his celestial heritage Ri'el absently pulls the brim of his hat a little lower over his eyes, though he retains his genial smile.

"The blood of our forebears determine our features and our physical characteristics, and for some even our powers, but the heart of each man is his own, and each responds to the spirits as he is wont. If your heart inclines to you to do good, it is to your credit," he says to Carious with a nod of approval.

Eager to change to topic from that of his heritage, Ri'el turns to Alkyd and extends his hand. "But I apologise, for I have not introduced myself. I am Ri'el, itinerant sailor and sometimes physician. Who are you, good sir, who puts such stock in the heritage of men?

Ri'el hasn't heard Alkyd introduce himself, if I'm not mistaken.

Between the music and chatter drawing almost every eye and ear in the room, few of the patrons notice the door opening just enough to admit a slightly-built man of Tien descent. His clothes are worn and weathered, and in the gloom of the tavern's lanterns his frayed straw hat casts a long shadow over his weather-beaten face.

Well now, this is a surprise. The Maid is a little more crowded than usual. Several new faces, though that's hardly uncommon in the shackles. Now then, I wonder who's hiring?

As Ri'el surveys the room, his attention is caught by the small gathering by the bar and their toasts to "family". He winces a little at the toasts and the memories that it brought forth unbidden. But he allows himself a moment to dwell on the past before gathering them up and pushing them to the back of his mind.

"Like an old book no longer worth re-reading," he mutters to himself.

Returning his attention to the scene before him, he notices that the elf had already left. However, a quick scan of the room quickly leads him to conclude that the remnant of the gathering still held the largest concentration of general capability in the room by far.

"If there's place on a crew to be found, I reckon I'm most likely to find it hanging out with them."

With that thought in mind, Ri'el steps towards the group, returning Suny's wave with a smile and slow nod of his head.

"Greetings gentlemen, milady," he says genially, "is this a private gathering or can anybody join?

I get that Ri'el is a little more polite and formal than what one might expect of a pirate. The contrast is deliberate and intended to make him stick out a little. It also comes from and alludes to the fact that Ri'el spends more time speaking with spirits than the people around him, though those conversations will mostly happen 'off-screen'.

Submitting Ri'el for consideration. He'd previously been in a S&S game, but the GM dropped the game after the very first..."test" on-deck, so I know next to nothing about the campaign beyond the intro.

Ri's backstory is in the profile, though the crunch will need to be reworked. He is an Aasimar Animist Shaman with the life spirit. Fleeing a difficult past and the numerous enemies his father had accumulated, Ri'el seeks either anonymity or enough of a reputation to dissuade any would-be avengers for his father's misdeeds. He has chosen the life of a sailor because he reckons he would be harder to track if he spends most of his time at sea, and he tends to jump from crew to crew in order to keep his trail cold. Pirate, merchant, privateer, the type of crew has come to matter relatively little to him as he sees each stint as a temporary thing to tide him over till the next opporunity comes along.

Ri'el is quiet and soft-spoken, though also a little world-weary, and because he feels a closer connection to the natural and spiritual worlds than the world of men, he is sometimes mistaken for being cold and aloof. The reality is that he just feels more comfortable around beings that most other mortals cannot see or tend to overlook, and it certainly does not help when he speaks of the spirits in the presence of other mortals as if everyone could see them. Nonetheless, his words are often also considered and deliberate, and he is often the voice of reason and advocate of peace amongst the crews he serves on - something of a rarity on the high seas.

Getting off work now, will make an in-character post when I get home.

Watching and waiting. =)

I should probably confirm something. Is this meant to be an S&S game without the white-washing of what life on a pirate ship is like (along with all the unsavoury elements), or is erotic roleplay supposed to be the aim of this game?

Putting in an application with an aasimar shaman from Tien who has fled to Golarion to escape his father's enemies. Background and crunch in profile, reproduced here for your reference:

Hi Elektra, I've sent you a PM requesting character building guidelines.

If this character fits, I'll be using him. He's built on a 15 point buy and avg starting gold, to be revised per rules set by the GM for character creation.

Background and tentative crunch in profile, reproduced here for your reference:

Ri'el is made with 1 drawback and 1 extra trait, as well as a 20pt buy. If either of these assumptions about the character-building rules for this AP are wrong, let me know and I will amend accordingly.

Presenting Ri'el, a dour Shaman seeking to loose his pursuers by traversing the high seas, or rally a crew around him strong enough to permanently impress upon his enemies that that he's not to be trifled with. But damn his eyes if he ever lets his guard down so they get the chance to stab him in the back. (Background is in the profile.)

Below is an in-character post reflecting this campaign trait.

With its fearsome reputation as the 'capital' of the Shackles, Port Peril was hardly a place one would expect to find beauty. But as Ri'el stood by the docks and gazed upon the setting sun lighting up the sea in a dazzling blaze of crimson and gold, he found himself marveling at how the beauty of the natural world could brighten (albeit just a little) even this sordid cess-pit of humanity.

"Or maybe I'm just well and truly sloshed."

"Hmmph. Port Peril, they call this place. I've heard the other sailors talk about it, but I gotta say, I ain't too impressed. Isn't much different from most of the other ports we've been to. Loose women and lying braggarts at every corner, watered-down ale sold for too much and 'friends' sold for too little."

He pauses in the middle of his slurred soliloquy to spit in disgust, then moistens his mouth with another hearty swig from the bottle in his hand.

"Well, at least it's honest, in its own bloody screwed up way. Least they don't pretend they're any better, unlike the bast**ds in the imperial courts and royal palaces. At the end of the day, all these cities and ports are alike. As long as people inhabit them, they will always be cess-pits."

The rather feral-looking thrush on his shoulder cocks its head towards him, regarding him curiously. "If you hate these ports so much, why do you keep stopping at them, might I ask?" the thrush cooes softly.

"Food, repairs, supplies, and coin, my feathered friend. We gotta cash in our goods and restock so we can go out there again to get more goods. It's the way of world, Thali. Just like in that forest of yours'. The strong eat the weak. It's just that for us, the seas are our hunting grounds," Ri'el replies as he gestures to the waters before him with a sweep of his hand, "and we drag our catches to these here ports to eat."

"You almost describe these ports as if they were your home dens."

A spray of grog spurts from Ri's mouth at Thali's observation.

"Bahahahaha! Home? Not unless you have a habit of sleeping on a bed of venomous asps and scorpions. No, these ports are hunting grounds too, in their own way. Men here would gut you for your coin if they thought they could and get away with it, even if they'd called you 'brother' 2 seconds ago. Hell, they'd do it even as they called you 'brother'."

"Should you be drinking quite so much then, Ri'el?"

"Hmmph. I've been around. I can hold my own and I know how to take care of myself."

"I assume then that you are aware of the men coming up behind you."

"Yeah I uh...wait, whu..."

Ri'el struggles to rally his senses as he realises the significance of Thali's words, but his limbs feel heavy and he is barely able to move his neck before pain explodes in the back of his head and the sea rushes to meet his face. His last thought before passing out is that if he survives this, he will make sure to gut the lowlife that sold him that bottle of grog.