I hope Theo didn't get locked out...
Search Posts
And a big thanks once again to everyone who let me take this journey with the group. I really thought that Rudrik was dead there several times (more than he actually was, that is...). It's always wonderful to have a party of such compelling and enthusiastic characters, whether they're dragons-that-just-haven't-gotten-out-of-human-form-yet like Theo, or redemption arcs where physical consequences are a mirror to spiritual malaise for Calendula, or our bubble-headed free-love champion Nime, or the ambitiously focused and yet strictly ethical Shenuska. Much love to you all!
I just posted Rudrik's epilogue. I was a little inspired by the Warrior Soul class feature that Rudrik had, which indicates that he had formed a sort of magical, spiritual bond with Tannaris.
It's finally over. Alaznist is undone. The changes to the timeline are unraveled. The Sihedron heroes and the champions of Sorshen couldn't remove all the ills of the world, but at least they could stop it from becoming worse. Rudrik is at loose ends for a bit after returning to Golarion. Somehow it all seems surreal. Chasing through the lands of the dead? Changing time itself? For a junkman's son from a shanty town, this is all a bit much. But he has a job to do, and he stays strong to that commitment. With Tannaris and his invincible armor, he cuts a forbidding figure as the bodyguard of the new Runelord of Altruism. His job takes him around the world, fighting various legendary threats, but also aiding in a wide range of charitable and recovery efforts. Tannaris may be a weapon of war, but Rudrik is only too happy to use it as a tool of peace: Cleaving through fallen rubble to rescue the victims of a quake, hewing trees to make timber for new homes after a fire, shielding small bands of refugees as they make their way to safe havens. For years he is tireless in his pursuit of the ethos of altruism. His likeness starts to show up in art dedicated to the new Runelord. While his armor cuts a forbidding figure, he is often shown in a compassionate light—helm and gauntlets removed, reaching out to provide a human (mostly) touch to someone in distress. But unlike his patroness, Rudrik is not immortal. Time takes its toll. He becomes a bit slower... his movements a bit weaker. Orcs burn strong and hot, but their flame flickers out so quickly. With Saersha's aid and the magical healing of the crusaders who come to join her cause he is able to recuperate from the wounds that he accumulates, but they start to add up. And he starts to fear that his age will prevent him from being able to do the work to save people. He spends some time repairing his old family home, long after his parents have passed on. His sister marries, takes over the house, has several children; he stops to visit from time to time, and to make sure that they are safe. Families are key targets for retribution from angry enemies, after all. But many years later, when his hair is whitened and his skin parched and his muscles constantly sore with aches and pains of phantom wounds that were healed long ago, he spends an evening sitting in the rocking chair that his father had fixed up long ago, with a blanket over his legs, though his feet are cold even though the fireplace is nearby. Tannaris sits on his lap, shiny as if it were the day it was made. He grips the familiar hilt with a sigh and closes his eyes and his hands move to the arms of the chair and he simply breathes. There is a slight rustling in the air. Even though age has dulled his senses, Rudrik knows enough to know when his friends have come. "Shen. It's time, isn't it? I can feel it. I knew you'd know, because you've become so familiar with time itself," he says in his gravelly, raspy voice. The Runelord nods, and says, "It's time. I have much to do still, but I made time for this." Nime has come too. She exits the kitchen and takes up a space behind his chair. "Don't be afraid, Rudrik," she says as she crouches down behind the chair and leans around to kiss his cheek. "I'm not," he says. "I just wish... we'd had more time together. All of us." He pats the blade of the sword. "This was my closest friend, for the longest time. We shared so much together." Outside there is a murmur of commotion in the streets. A dragon has flown over the town. A dragon sighted by Roderick's Cove? Such a thing has not been seen in years. But it circles and roars and then disappears into the clouds. Rudrik takes a labored breath and puts a hand on the hilt of Tannaris once more, then says, "We did good work. It was a good... life." "The work goes on," says Shenuska, as she gently touches his free hand. "But my part is done." And then Rudrik breathes no more. Nime backs away, dissolving into dream-mists, as Shenuska takes up Tannaris. The sword is light to the touch, but heavy with memories. Ageless and timeless, it must pass on to a successor. There are many candidates. The work of the Runelord and her champion has galvanized people, brought them to the cause. Many are worthy. One will be chosen. It is two weeks later that the sword is passed on. Under other circumstances it might have remained in Shenuska's chambers, or in a museum, for a month or more, taken out only for Rudrik's funeral. But times are hard, as always, and the blade is needed. A champion is needed, to insure the succession of the cause, to show people that there will always be a guardian in service to the Runelord of Altruism. One is chosen. The sword is taken from the mantle, gingerly, devoutly. It is handed to the aspirant. The blade is drawn from the scabbard. "I AM TANNARIS, THE SOUL OF ALTRUISM," the sword speaks. "MY CAUSE IS TO SERVE THE NEEDS OF THE MANY. THE HAND THAT HOLDS ME IS THE HAND THAT DEFENDS THE WORLD." The voice is Rudrik's.
Indeed! Now on to the next story!
Rudrik settles in to a cadence of just whaling on the beast.
Rudrik doesn't have much maneuvering room left. Stuck in combat with the qlippoth, he has to finish it.
Rudrik staggers over toward the qlippoth and then just falls over.
Rudrik likewise shifts to deal with one of the sinspawn to help clear the field.
Rudrik roars as he smashes Tannaris over and over again into the rune giant, his armor soaking up a nearly mythic level of battering while he simply ignores it and focuses on bringing the giant down.
Level 20 - Fighter 16 +1 BAB
Skills: +1 each of: Acrobatics, Disable Device, Perception, Stealth; Appraise, Knowledge (engineering) Bonus fighter feat: Greater Weapon Specialization (heavy blades)
Hoo-ee! I'll try to update tonight.
Rudrik fetches his sword back.
Rudrik drops Tannaris and falls out of the sky.
Rudrik barely feels the counterattack of the warmonger as he brings Tannaris down on it again, hard.
Now moving with alacrity, Rudrik launches himself into the air to race toward the warmonger with its automatic crossbow.
My wife has decided to have family over in spite of the pandemic, so I'll be away through the weekend.
"Thanks Blue," says Rudrik. "I sure needed that." Then he's off again to try to finish the turret.
Rudrik is detonated into an exploded bit of chunks.
Rudrik takes in the surroundings and replies to Calendula, "Well, repeated time loops seems to be a motif here." He launches himself toward the turret, figuring that it probably has some horrible spell or something that it means to fire. He brings Tannaris to bear, clanging the sword against the rotating metal in an attempt to simply shear it asunder.
Rudrik launches himself into the air with the flying boots that Nime gave to him, swinging Tannaris in a tricky maneuver to attempt to disarm the scepter.
"I like it when it's easy like that."
Rudrik ignores the damage and just lays down another punishing blow!
Level 19 (rogue 4/fighter 15) +9 hit points
Skills: +1 each of: Acrobatics, Disable Device, Perception, Stealth; Appraise, Profession (driver) Class Feature: Armor Expert 4 Feat: Greater Vital Strike Note to DM:
Rudrik's about to launch himself down toward the portal when Theo starts roaring and making angry dragon noises, so he instead steps over in front of his friend. "Whoa whoa whoa there big guy, fightin's over that way!"
Sorry for dragging my feet, will try to get level 19 updated tonight. Also need to put that +4 inherent bonus into my stats on my actual sheet.
Rudrik flips Tannaris around in the air a bit, which the sword seems to dislike. "Kinda weird knowing that there's a 'proper' way that time is 'supposed to be'," he says. His voice echoes hollowly through the holes in his helm, though it's easy to imagine his face taking on a somewhat faraway look as he dips into what must be deep philosophical thoughts for him. "Does that mean everything is preordained? Because there's a way that 'things are supposed to go'? So we don't have free will?"
"I'd ask if there's some way we can have some idea of what we'll face each time, but since we're already foolin' with messed-up time, that seems unlikely," grumbles Rudrik.
Rudrik ignores the waves of confusion and just keeps hacking! He's just a simple fighter, it's all he knows. He focuses until time just seems to compress to a single action, repeated over and over - Tannaris slashing at the portal anchors.
"Any way someone can keep Alaznist busy so he can't fix the portal?" shouts Rudrik as he winds up and hews into it again.
Rudrik keeps on his feet-his good sense of balance paying off-as he moves to slice another one of the portal's lanyards.
Yaaay! You are not actually turning into your character! :D
"Me too," says Rudrik, offering Nime a stabilizing arm. "Yeah. This time-manipulation stuff keeps making me feel like I've just gone through night and day. Might as well press on while we can."
Predictably, when the situation is grave, Rudrik fumbles Tannaris and nearly drops it.
Rudrik chops at another tendril. Quite clumsily, in fact.
Rudrik lurches into the action when Shenuska shouts instructions. Tannaris comes up and then skids sideways in an arc across the filaments connecting to Alaznist.
"You're the boss," says Rudrik, shaking his head to clear it after that sudden whirlwind of unexpected time-jumping activity.
Rudrik manages to shake off most of the life-sapping magic and starts really setting to chopping one of his foes to sizzling pieces.
Rudrik pauses in place and concentrates, and Tannaris starts to drip with sizzling acid!
"Well, crap."
Rudrik leaps across the room, jumping over the Sihedron etching and past several of the duplicates to land between two on the far side of the ritual. "Wish I knew how to strike two with one blow..." he mutters as he winds up and swings hard into the one to his right.
"Sounds like this guy blew his top, probably because he came from a crappy world with no magic," quips Rudrik.
Rudrik removes his helm and scratches his head. "Um. Hmm. I uh... I don't think I have any questions. At the end this all seems kinda straightforward. Time is all squiggly thanks to a Runelord, and we're gonna finish fixing it so that the universe-clock can keep on tickin'." "Also I did not realize there would be a recorded image of me an' Nime havin' sexy time and so that's awkward."
Fine with me! AC 50 comin' soon!
|