Rosella was used to others not sharing her faith; worship of Iomedae wasn't too common in Varisia. She felt it important to act as an unofficial ambassador for her religion. She replied to the Ulfen woman, "I serve Lady Iomedae. I respect the good deeds and kind hearts of the followers of your goddess.
"I'm coming to Sandpoint to talk to the mayor about the recent reports of giants mobilizing in the region. It's a troubling sign, and one that we should take seriously."
She said to Izomandakus, "Each of us has our own path to follow. Mine is in service to the Inheritor. Your heart will tell you your calling."
Perception:1d20 ⇒ 5
When the word of goblins spread, she scanned the hills, but couldn't make out how many there were. She didn't know too much about the tribes in this area; she presumed that they would be apprehensive about attacking such a large group, but you never knew. She moved to the side of the caravan closest to the goblins and drew out her sword, so they would see that she was armed. Her movements were calm and deliberate; there was no need to spread panic. She asked those near to her, "How aggressive are the goblins in these parts? Should we be concerned about an ambush ahead?"
__________
@GM Euan: I added a note on Rosella's profile about my philosophy on role-playing a Paladin.
Rosella thanked the other women in the practice matches, "Well fought. You've given me a few things to think about for my next practice session." In the eyes of Iomedae, a worthy opponent should be honored; they offered an opportunity for self-improvement.
Rosella replied to Izomandakus, "I do serve the Inheritor, as the Knights of Ozem do; I'm just not a member of their order.
"Saint Lymirin said I should be at the Swallowtail Festival. I can't say whether that means that something bad will happen during the festivities. Perhaps I will meet someone there who will help me on my path. It is not my place to question Lady Iomedae's will, but to serve."
Further along, she found herself walking next to a blond Ulfen woman, whom she had seen in the caravan, but not met. She recognized the holy symbol of Desna. whose worship was very common in Varisia. Deciding to strike up a conversation, she said to her, "Hello, I'm Rosella. I presume you're on your way to the festival? It has something to do with your goddess, does it not?"
Rosella wasn't sure exactly why Vin was so nice to her, but he seemed like a pleasant person.
The next day she rose at dawn, so she could get some practice in before the caravan got moving again. The sparring session had revealed some things she needed to work on. As she began she recited, "I will learn the weight of my sword. Without my heart to guide it, it is worthless—my strength is not in my sword, but in my heart. If I lose my sword, I have lost a tool. If I betray my heart, I have died."
She practiced her lunges and footwork for an hour, reciting a prayer to Iomedae between each set of exercises. Afterwards she washed up and joined the others for breakfast.
The air was cool as the group got underway for Sandpoint, presaging the coming of autumn. When Izomandakus, walking beside her, mentioned the Knights of Ozem she replied, "No, I don't belong to them yet, although I'd like to one day. A few months ago, Saint Lymirin visited me when I was tending to my sheep. She told me to come to the Swallowtail Festival.
"I need to talk to the Mayor about the militia training, and methods for fighting giants. A couple of them attacked the village near our farm when I was younger, and caused a lot of damage. I need to make sure Sandpoint is prepared."
She turned to the young man and told him, "Something from the past is stirring. Exactly what hasn't been revealed to me yet, but it is my duty to protect Varisia from it." This was an outlandish thing to say, but she said it with deeply held conviction, believing it with all her heart.
DC 13 Knowledge Religion:
Saint Lymirin is a former priestess of Iomedae, and sometimes appears as an eagle-headed winged humanoid.
I don't know if there's a way to nest this inside another spoiler
Do not worry what the others are playing as it doesn’t matter. If we have all halfling bards, we’ll make it work, and likely have a lot of fun along the way. Build what you want to play. I’m more worried about balance between party members than I am balance between the party and your foes. More importantly, I will not be selecting players primarily based on what they’re playing, but rather who.
Rosella was both embarrassed and flattered when Vin kissed her hand. "I'm sure you'll get lots of tips when you perform during the festival."
Not sure if it's reasonable for Rosella to roll sense motive here: she doesn't have any ranks, and wisdom is her dump stat. She likely wouldn't feel that it was her place to pry in any case.
Rosella clapped at Vin's performance. How does he do that? She was embarrassed to be called a giant-slayer when she hadn't actually fought one (or even seen one), but this didn't seem the time to set the record straight. She raised her mug of ale (fairly weak — just enough alcohol to render it safe to drink) and called out, "Let's hear it for Vin, our travelling bard!"
Rosella replied to the woman with the unusual name of Tot, "I'm Rosella, pleased to meet you." She extended her hand in friendship.
Rosella knew there were various different types of parring competitions, so she asked Rastaf, "What will the rules be?" She carefully wrapped her sword to avoid seriously injuring someone.
She participated in the group melee, holding back a bit at first and observing how the others fought. The dark-haired woman called Tizzy seemed to be particularly adept at deflecting blows directed at her team-mate.
When it came time to face off against Meg, she help her sword before her for a brief silent prayer to Iomedae, Let me become one with my sword, and conduct myself with honor. She a saluted her opponent and focused her attention.
Meg thrust first; Rosella barely dodged, and replied with a stroke of her own blade.
Longsword:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
Rosella has AC 17. I presume we're attacking AC, not touch?
Rosella was tired from the long walk to Sandpoint, but she didn't want be seen as someone who passed up on training. "Sure, why not?" she replied to Vin, with an enthusiasm that she didn't feel. She approached the other participants and offered to join in the session.
Rosella is a mobile and agile combatant, emphasizing speed and footwork over raw power.
Rosella admitted to Vin, "No, I haven't. I've only heard accounts of those who survived the attack. But if a raid comes, it's far too late to be working out what to do. When people are scared for their homes and loved ones, they need training to fall back on.I pray that I'll keep my head, and make the right choices when the time comes.
She was weary from all the walking, and longed to reach their destination. But she reminded herself that she'd done plenty of walking in her life; a little more wasn't going to kill her. She made a silent prayer to Iomedae to boost her resolve, even though it felt silly to make such a trivial request.
After her recited his poem she exclaimed, "That's amazing! How could you come up with that so quickly?" The skills of composition were a mystery to her, beyond her ability to even imagine.
She indulged the elderly gentlemen's flattery, replying, "I'm from the Galduria area. I'm going to Sandpoint to talk to the mayor about the local defenses. There have been signs of increasing giant activity of late, and the militia needs to be properly prepared."
Seeing his questioning look, she went on to say, "The village near my home was raided by a couple of giants a few years ago. A dozen people were killed, and the livestock eaten or scattered. After that, we started training to fight giants, so we'd be ready to defend ourselves if they came back."
Her demeanor turned deadly serious, "A great trial is coming, and it won't just be two giants this time!"
Rosella, cool! Learn something new every day. Are you also building toward the riposte and the like? They can be tricky in PbP due to the reactionary nature of the abilities.
The archetype gets panache and opportune parry and riposte at 4th lvl (replaces spellcasting). I would declare the parry ahead of time, and put it in a spoiler, along with the riposte (if appropriate). She likely wouldn't riposte too often, as that requires spending panache, which is quite limited (maximum points is charisma modifier).
I can't claim that as an original idea. Rosella is inspired by Joan of Arc, who claimed that she had experienced her first vision in 1425, at the age 13, when she was in her "father's garden" and saw visions of figures she identified as Saint Michael, Saint Catherine, and Saint Margaret, who told her to drive out the English and take the Dauphin to Reims for his consecration. She said she cried when they left, as they were so beautiful.
Rosella Marcu, a teen-aged Varisian farmgirl, trudged along near the rear of the group. Her dark hair was cropped short, which was practical if you needed to get your helmet on in a hurry. She wore a leather jerkin for protection, which was light enough for her to dodge enemy blows. She carried a sword by her side; she'd only swung it in training so far, but she'd been disciplined in sticking to her practice regime.
She'd had no luck getting a meeting with Lord-Mayor Sabriyya Kalmeralm of Magnimar, to discuss the giant problem. Still, Saint Lymirin had actually told her to go to Sandpoint, so she wasn't too concerned. She was looking forward to the Swallowtail Festival, which sounded even bigger than the fair in Galduria.
When the cart slowed down momentarily, she walked up beside it. She asked the elderly man riding on it, "What sort of games do yo think they'll have at the festival? I used to run the three-legged race along with with my sister."
Magnus the Magnificent wrote:
@All: Anyone else feel their conversation is ending and would like a new partner or group member?
Rosella, welcome! I think you need Weapon Finesse prior to Slashing Grace, unless I’m missing something.
The Virtuous Bravo archetype gets Bravo's Finesse at lvl 1, which counts as Weapon Finesse for meeting feat prerequisites:
Archives of Nethys wrote:
Bravo’s Finesse (Ex): A virtuous bravo can use her Dexterity modifier instead of her Strength modifier on attack rolls with light or one-handed piercing melee weapons (though if she carries a shield, she applies its armor check penalty to such attack rolls), and she can use her Charisma score in place of her Intelligence score to meet prerequisites of combat feats. This ability counts as having the Weapon Finesse feat for the purpose of meeting feat prerequisites.
I've seen some people call this archetype the unchained swashbuckler.
This is my application: Rosella Marcu, a 17 year old Varisian farmgirl on a mission from god!
All the information should be in her profile.
Note: Archives of Nethys refers to her archetype as both as the Virtuous Bravo and the Virtuoso Bravo on the same page. I'm going with Virtuous Bravo, which seems more fitting to me.
I started playing PBP on these boards in spring 2017 (I've been playing D&D for many years). So far I've completed one PBP AP: DM Brainiac's Ironfang Invasion - (1567 posts over 1208 days, for 1.3 posts/day).
