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Welcome back, DM Goldstool. Unfortunately just in time for me to be leaving for 3 weeks. :) I'll be out between March 6th and March 24 or 25th. I won't have internet access during this time. As far as proceeding with next steps, I think the only things of interest are checking on the success of the operation after killing the vine. Raphael also wanted to check on Estelle (Bellerose).
Sorry, I was unexpectedly without internet access the last couple days. :( I'll be travelling the next few days, so my posting will continue to be a bit spotty. Bot me as needed and/or keep things moving as needed.
Locked'n'loaded.
Roderick pales as the telepath explains what the newcomer had gone through. Swallowing his gorge, he distracts himself by trying to recall what he could of the surface world and its lizard denizens.
Roderick spends the week hidden in his corner of the outpost, now even more thoroughly hidden beneath reams of paper and alchemical equipment. He apologies, halfway through the week, when the entire outpost is inundated by the stench of rotting eggs and rancid cheese. "Little slip of the wrist, but I hope you'll understand that if not for my quick reflexes it could have been considerably worse. It'll clear in a day or two... probably."
Roderick listens with interest as Alsatia explains their next destination. He cocks an eyebrow at Connor, "Icy dark wingless elves? I suppose there is another mission behind that particular worry? And I suppose I'd like to know if there's anything else we should be trying to 'deny' other then ship. Any shipbuilders for example? Are there any particular... requirements with how they are dealt with? Another denial of assets, is it?" There's a touch of an edge to Roderick's voice as he asks the last question, though he smiles disarmingly (after a fashion) at anyone looking at him.
Updated my character sheet fully (in theory). Picked up a +2 INT headband, another pistol, and some misc small stuff.
Willing to go in with Roderick for a alchemist's lab, portable. I actually have a portable one, the kind of lab I was asking Alsatia about was this one: Alchemist's Lab They are room sized, which is a bit inconvenient for travelling with, but if we're going to have a long term base of operations, this would be handy. :)
A few weeks ago with Connor (not secret, just spoiled for length):
Roderick doesn't seem to notice (or ignores) Connor's hesitation as he starts handing him papers. He does, however, answer the humavian's questions almost as quickly as they are asked, "I don't believe it is a physical damage, given that I can direct my powers through my liquids. Perhaps there is merit to further investigation, but that is a digression." He watches as the psion thumbs through his notes, "Standardization would certainly be worthwhile, though I've had to make due with the wild ramblings of a mad alchemist to get this far. My notes are... let us say a derivative, of his. I keep meaning to go back and rewrite them, but there is little time. As for the infusion, my studies so far indicate that while I could in the future imbue a potion with some of my own psionic power, allowing the powers contained in the vial to be drunk by anyone, right now it must be me who makes them and me who drinks them. I haven't found the right means by which to stabilize the containment of the raw power, so that it may later take form directed by the potion's formulae. As it stands, the duration is nearly infinite. That one here has been in my bandolier for nearly a month, for example." Roderick gestures to a vial filled with a sickly green looking liquid. "Gaps in my formulae?" Roderick pulls a few sheets from the pile Connor had been sifting through and glances over them a moment before adding them back into the pile, "I do not see them, but I have also written many of my notes in a short hand. Perhaps here-" He taps one of many clusters of scribblings of the page, "-you are missing the harmonic effect between the crystalline particulate and the rest of the alchemical ingredients. It amplifies what would normally be not at all noticeable." Shaking his head, he starts to explain but Connor interrupts him. He listens for a moment, then shrugs, "For a time, before I felt the need to pursue this more promisingly line of work. I've forgotten most of the exercises from my youth in MacIntyre. My potions require no particular mental state, they simply work so long as I can fuel them. There may be merit in seeking such a trance, though it seems futile to pursue another path after having walked down this avenue of research for so long."
Roderick joins the others without a great deal of ceremony, taking a seat and accepting a plate of food with only a muttered, "'Ello, m'and thenk hu." If it has registered in his mind that Alsatia is the one serving him, he doesn't show any signs of it. From his rumpled, soot-stained clothing and bloodshot eyes, it seems unlikely that Roderick slept in his bed the night before. Taking the steaming carafe filled with piping hot coffee, Roderick pours himself a mug, downs it despite the scalding heat in a few quick gulps, then pours another. To the second mug, he adds the contents of a vial produced seemingly from nowhere and drinks it more slowly. Seeming to perk up as he finishes his second cup of coffee in as many minutes (and whatever he put into the second), he digs into his food, watching Connor relay their story. He chimes in with a surprisingly chipper voice, given his appearance, when the cannons are mentioned, "I do have a theory, but my notes are in the lab. After the rest of the story I c'n grab em." "In addition to blocking all magic and psionics, the field's a ticking time bomb for the island. Any that destabilizes it is likely to create a very large arcane backlash. I would prefer to be very far from the island when that happens." Despite the scale of the destruction he is describing, Roderick is nearly nonchalant as he continues to chew on a piece of bacon. He interjects as Connor summarizes, saying, "I think characterizing our cover as blown is overstating the situation. We were held by a harpy with a propensity for skinning alive or beating to a pulp her enemies. We had a demonstration of the latter, by the way. We simply told a few half-truths to lend some credence to our story." Finishing his meal around the same time as Connor finishes talking, he listens with rapt attention to Alsatia's explanation of the political blowback from the situation. "At the least, I would like to think that in killing Klivant's crony, we've delayed whatever Stalmortan plans were being hatched. If the harpy can win a crushing victory, that would certainly resolve the situation. Have I mentioned I've a strong distaste for House Stalmorta?" To her last question, he replies, "Another gun or two wouldn't go amiss. Perhaps a few more psionically attuned supplies for Connor. Depending how long we will be unoccupied, I might need more alchemical supplies and crafting equipment. If you intend for us to be here long term, a proper lab room wouldn't go amiss."
What exactly is Alsatia asking at the end of her speech, with the telepath? I'm not really getting it. ""Before I decide what to do with you, I need to know what you know. I could call in a telepath, if you prefer... Or is there something specific you want?" She seems to be talking about needing to do some sort of memory swap? But the last bit about what we prefer trips that up for me. Either way, replies tomorrow after I finish parsing Conner's monstrous post.
Roderick, having unpleasant memories of the authorities in the council's control, stays out of the way belowdecks when they make their inspection where possible. With the ship in working order, he is left to his thoughts to the task to which he'd been set. I hadn't expected it, but there is a a degree of excitement to this work. The onerous authority imposed on us still chafes, but to see theory put into practice has been enthralling. Perhaps this assignment is not so bad as it might have seemed at first. It certainly beats rotting in a cell.
The discovery that Rory and Elara had fed squashed some of Roderick's good mood and he grunted a sour reply in agreement with Alys, "After saving that blowhard's arse, you would suspect that he'd have the courtesy to do that at least. I suppose that was not was of his defining traits, but it's still annoying. I might have expected better of Elara, at least. Either way, I'd rather not have someone with doubts guarding my back, so their departure isn't entirely tragic." He shrugs in reply to Connor's speculation, "I was belowdecks with the engines avoid the Council's finest where I could. It's possible they charmed their way aboard, but who knows. I doubt we'll have heard the last of Rory at the least. I suppose this makes you the Captain, boss?" Roderick flashes an exaggeratedly innocuous smile at his 'cousin'. "Either you or Alys are the natural choices, of course."
Roderick, finding that he would have a few weeks in which to work largely uninterrupted, happily took over a sizable corner of their accommodations with his lab. He could be found, for hours on end over the three weeks, adjusting bottles above flames, mixing oddly colored and foul scented liquids in flasks and bottles, and generally fouling his corner of the house. When not occupied with his alchemical creations, he discussed a few theories that he had been mulling over in his limited free time with Conner, "So as you're aware, my psionic ability is... suppressed is perhaps the best word I have found. I can tap into this latent power through the alchemical formulae that so dazzled you earlier. My theory is that I have some bizarre mental block, likely as a result of my childhood or heritage, which doesn't allow me direct access to this focused power in the same way that you can access your own powers." Roderick continues to ramble, not paying any particular heed to Connor. "The formulae are able to tap this power, and with a disciplined study I have been able to create a multitude of effects as these formulae tap and then manifest the power for me. Of late, it seems as though there should be a way for this power to be infused into the very alchemical liquid itself. This would require a focused study on my part, but the theory seems sound. This would, in theory, allow anyone to consume these potions and manifest the particular powers that I have infused in the potion. I think the practical applications are obvious, so for the theory..." Shuffling through a journal, he pulls out a soot stained sheaf of notes, which he thrusts in a heap in front of Connor. Rifling through the pile, he finally spots the paper he wants and he taps a finger on the scrawl of arcane figures, "These were notes that I had taken before my... ah.. abrupt departure from my home. There was some means of doing this, before the Fall. I have begun to work on this in my free time, but where I struggle is with the actual infusion of my power into the liquids. Breaking down whatever mental block I have in place will be necessary, I think, before I can infuse the potions properly. I would, if you would be interested, appreciate your assistance. This is a largely untapped area of alchemical and psionic study and it seemed to have piqued your interest before." Roderick trails off and waits for a reply.
I don't have any at the moment, so it might not be bad to add some. Up to you if you need to add more powers to Hero though. :) I can heal myself ok-ish. Level 6 - Investigator (empiricist)
My sheet should now reflect all of the above.
"I'd imagine our employer's will have someone capable of seeing to Flick's-" Roderick pauses, seeming to debate his choice of words, "-wounds. If not, perhaps they can get us in contact with such a person. And, as Adran has said, I'm ready to be gone from this city as soon as we can. There's a storm brewing between the harpy and the clans and I would hate to be here when it breaks. Crewman are also something we can request. I'm not a sailor by any means, so adding a few who know how to see to things makes good sense." On returning to the ship, Roderick immediately makes his way below decks to inspect the ship's engines and structure for shoddy work.
Glad to hear everything went well, Alys. @Rory/Tark: Sad to see you go, but the burnout is a real thing. I wish you the best. Take care! Edit: As for supplies for Roderick, I wouldn't mind another pistol of the sort I have at some point. I seem to recall those being fairly expensive though... Also maybe some alchemical gear so I can make some alchemist's acid/tanglefoot/antitoxin/antiplague/etc.
Roderick fights to hold back a breath of relief (unsuccessfully) as the captain clarifies that the work they've done fulfilled the harpy's terms. His relief is short lived, as he learns Wrathborne's plans for 'Flick'. He glances at Adran, then Conner in turn, then slowly nods his agreement, mutely. "We appreciate your advice, Captain. It's understandable that prices are wildly inflated, given the uncertainty in the city. Perhaps we will be able to negotiate trades which may be more equitable. If there's nothing else for us, we should see to our business and you to your paperwork. Or your lieutenants, perhaps."
Roderick declines the seat and remains standing, allowing Connor first opportunity to speak. The simple truth, which doesn't leave a great deal of wiggle room with the truth, but we crippled them fairly badly so that may serve well enough. He nods his agreement with Connor, generally, though he interjects, "To clarify, that field is hideously powerful and may be an existential threat to the island, if it was ever to destabilize. It's almost certainly an artifact from before the Arising. Those ruins must be taken by force of arms, not psionics or magical trickery. And even then care has to be taken with any explosives." He continues to listen, adding to Connor's story about the battle on the beach, "Our efforts directly led to the destruction of the skyship, though against a numerically superior foe we regrettably could not take it to be brought back. Given the lack of further explosions, it's safe to say they had no magic items of interest in their hold. This should cripple their ability to smuggle any goods around, as they're now stuck footslogging through weeks of jungle not only to move their goods but also to gather supplies."
Shrugging as Adran takes off, Roderick jumps aloft and begins to follow after saying, "I'm fairly sure it would be best if I accompany him. I represented us before and my negotiating skills may be required." Roderick nods to the man politely, if coolly, "Yes, we're alive master Rathborne. Not a prisoner of ours, no, but one previously held by the Stalmorta smugglers we'd agreed to hunt down for your mistress. He's not spoken, so I'm not entirely sure what there is to know about him. Either way, we'd like to speak with your employer."
"We do have the weapons that the lizardmen were using to great effect. I can imagine they'd do well in the close confines of the tunnels assuming we can use them. If we need supplies, and Connor has made a fair argument for needing further gear, then let's simply go and do our shopping as quickly as we can and leave. If need be, we can explain to the harpy that they're holed up and we needed supplies for a frontal assault. If they're gone, we can cross the bridge when we come to it."
"Did you got banged around escaping from that burning wreck, Andran? I will recall for you the massed Stalmorta fleet that was turned into scrap and floating death traps by this very city. I mislike our chances of running with the glorified scow we call our ship. Elys? And... Flick? Did you have any thoughts?"
"From what I recall, being shot is unlikely. The citizen's and governor here seemed to have a fondness for the knife and club instead, not that that's really any sort of comfort. That said, I doubt we'll be able to evade notice for too long. She wanted the contraband, of which we might have little to none, so I'm at a bit of a loss. Perhaps we SHOULD simply try to slip in and out quickly. I can always try to talk us out of a bad situation should it arise. I suppose I throw my reluctant support in with Rory, then."
Roderick nods his assent, helping to finish loading the second boat and then to see it to the beach again. After reaching the beach, he helps to search through the bodies of the slain lizardmen on the beach. Having gathered what they can from them, he gestures to the collective corpses and says, "Macabre as it might be, we should ensure that anyone who searches for these unfortunates do not find them. Fire of a hefty stone or two should suffice, I would think. After you've gathered your goods, cousin, we should perhaps consider making our way away from the beach." He glances at the newcomer and his drawn face, he asks in a quiet voice to Alys and Connor, "And what of your friend? He seems to be in a state of shock, at the least. Was he always so taciturn or do we need to worry about his sanity?"
Roderick shrugs off Connor's surprise as he steps back to make room near the wounded man, "My psionic elixirs are more than capable of keeping me alive should need be, cousin. You'll also observe I only shared my weakest manifesting tattoos. Not that I don't want to help your friend, but we're in the middle of the jungle and as you've observed, we're low on supplies. I'll cede to your medical judgement though, as I've next to no training in the field. Relocating, away from the campsite, might not be a bad idea. We don't know what magical items they escaped with. For all we know, they might already have informed their friends of the ambush." Roderick, having made his point, assists in loading what little they looted from the ship into one of the serviceable dingys.
Roderick scowls at the prone halfling as his healing tattoo takes effect but the man doesn't stir. He reaches his arm out again and taps another tattoo, and then another, sending them off to the prone creature. He touches them one after another, giving a moment for the halfling to stir before touching the other.
Was flipping through Path of War and noticed Deadly Agility. Given that how Slashing Grace changed, it may make sense for me to replace the former with the Path of War feat. Just a thought. :) As far as items go, Sharpened Edge is best for anyone using 18-20 range weapons (preferably 2H). That'd be Rory or Elara, I think. I can use it too, but I don't get the cool 1.5*stat mod that a 2h gets that gets multiplied. Dimension Swap for Alys sounds right. Claws of the Beast for Elara may be good (non-reach weapons on demand). Mindhunter is a non-combat thing that might come in handy. With all his bonuses to Knowledge, Roderick is probably best to get Call to Mind (free inspiration on Knowledge). Do we know what the dorjes Roderick picked up do?
Roderick looks between Connor and Alys, clearly perplexed, "You're acting like you know this halfling. Flick? Elrohir? In any case, I suppose we'd best see to his wounds." Roderick kneels down next to the halfling and pokes one of his tattoos, it 'walks' down his arm and onto the halfling, where he proceeds to touch it.
Roderick scowls at the burning wreckage of the ship in between swigs from his canteen. Soot blackened and feeling scorched, he sidles up alongside Alys as she calls for Connor and studies the halfling who he'd helped to rescue from the flames. He replies offhandedly to Adraniel, "I imagine the bruised halfling is Flick, though I've not the slightest idea why he's called that. I take it you know him from somewhere?"
Gathering the dorjes and healer's kits into his bag, Roderick leaves the smaller room and checks the condition of the deck below, staying at the top of the stairs. Rushing about a ship in the process of burning to the ground is certainly not one of my better ideas.
@Conner: Could be helpful to help hold the fire at bay a bit longer. Who else can help search?
With a satisfied flourish, Roderick pulls the last of the manacles from the injured man's body. He nods silently to Elara as she takes the injured man away. He moves to the doorway, seeing Adran fighting the fire. He shouts above the roaring of the flames, "I'm going to see what else I can find in here. Let me know if the flames are making too much progress, we should get out of here soon." Turning, he resumes his search of the room, looking for signs of magical items or other items of interest.
Hope everyone is feeling better soon, MDT. Surgery is no fun, speaking from experience.
Blinking in surprise as he finds a lone man chained in the cabin, he calls out mentally to Hero as he starts to undo the man's bindings, "Hero, tell Conner to get his constructs or our squalling oaf of a captain down here. There's a surface worlder who's not likely to make it out on his own." Unsure if his attempt to alert the rest of the party was effective, he focuses on unbinding the man's shackles.
Ah, I see my mistake now. Hello then to Flick(story there?)/Elrohir.
Come help search and carry things out? Also, hello Flick(?)/Selvan!
Roderick, seeing the powder kegs already in hand, moves away from the flame and towards the bow of the ship. He opens to door to the cabin and moves in, quickly rifling through any storage. Hopefully we can find some papers or a manifest of some sort. If we can, that will give us some insight into the their schedule.
Roderick dives into the hold in a remarkable show of aerial acrobatics. Flairing his wings at the last moment, he lands lightly next to Elara. "Right, gunpowder and flames don't mix if we want to preserve the ship for a few more moments. It might prove useful after as well." He stoops to pick up a barrel and begins to leave the ship.
Arriving at the wreck of the ship, Roderick drops towards the deck and enters the hole where had seen Elara disappear. Looking about, he spots Adraniel disappearing up the stairs with a barrel. Spotting the other, and guessing its contents, he gathers the barrel and turns towards the stairs.
On review, I'm a little confused. I thought Elara were with Rory/Conner and I was with Alys/Adran (I gave Alys my tattoos). Is that right? I assume my drinking the potion is the same round as Adran flying down to the ship?
Roderick jumps at the sudden intrusion of the psicrystal's voice into his mind. Scowling, he 'returns' to the voice, Hurry over here if you want to find salvage. We're going to need your help if we want to find anything of value in the wreckage. It's liable to burn down around us. "I've sent for the rest of the group through Hero, but if we want to see whats in the ship we had best do it quickly." Roderick draws and downs one of the potions hanging from his bandolier in a gulp before returning the empty vial to its place. As he turns towards the wreck of the ship, the blood oozing from his wounds stops, though the gashes and bruises don't disappears.
Roderick rushes after the ship, watching futilely as it begins to crash into the jungle. He curses as he sees Adraniel drive towards the ship, only to cheer as he sees him pull free of the ship with Alys in tow. He hardly slows as the ship gouges a thick burrow through the trees, splintering into pieces and throwing up a cloud of steam. He slows his crazed pursuit as he nears Adran, pulling a vial from the bandolier around his chest. He commands of his companion, "Hold her steady and I'll see what I can do about healing her." He reaches his arm out and pokes one of the tattoos inscribed on his arm, struggling to maintain the psionic focus necessary to force the tattoo to transfer to a new recipient.
Roderick focuses on breathing, hurrying after the ship as quickly as he can beat his wings. [ooc]I was outta range to take a shot at the big lizard, so he 'runs' after the ship.[ooc]
Roderick hurries after the ship, beating his wings furiously in an attempt to catch up with it.
Caught off guard as the ship slews hard to starboard, Roderick spots the slumped form of the helmsman. Realizing the opportunity, he resumes his frenzied pursuit at a slower pace, studying the motions of the ship in order to perfectly time his shot. Coming into a smooth glide for a moment, he sights down his revolver at the large back of the fleeing lizardman. He resumes his pursuit after having taken the shot.
Cursing as the ship gains speed faster than he had anticipated, Roderick watches the fleeing ship futilely. Pulling into a hover, he tries to take aim, but the distance and the speed of the ship render hitting anything an impossibility. He hovers for a moment as the ship begins to fade into the distance. Damn, we should have had them. I believe this will render our task more difficult then we would have liked. Hearing Rory's shout over his shoulder, he looks towards the beach and shrugs. He turns to cast one last look at the fading ship.
Hey guys, sorry for going radio silent. I did some holiday travelling and had a technical breakdown that left me (unexpectedly) without internet access. I just got back this evening and will post in a bit. I will be a bit spotty through the rest of the end of the year between work and holiday stuff.
Hey MDT, no apologies needed. I hope your dad gets to feeling better soon. Take all the time you need.
Roderick makes a banking turn to match the ship's movement, focusing on getting ahead of and above it in order to effectively intercept it. He holds his pistol at his side, focusing on flying as quickly as he can instead.
As the lizardman in front of him falls under a flurry of blows from Rory, the constructs, and himself, Roderick sheathes his twinned blades. He leaps into the air, drawing his pistol and calling out to Connor, "On it."
So many modifiers to combat with this guy. :P I'm liking the ability to be flexibly superaccurate/damaging quite a bit. I'll have to keep messing around with that.
Roderick gasps in pain as his back cracks under the heavy blow that is only partially turned away by his armor. He grits his teeth and anger, hissing in reply to Rory between closed teeth, "I'm working on it, you great lummox. It's damned hard to concentrate on fighting with you roaring in my ear every second." He swings his blades in glittering arcs, stepping to face the lizardman behind him as he finishes the first one.
So where are we in the initiative order? Rory -> lizardman -> Connor? I'm having a little difficulty keeping track.
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