Samuel stiffens slightly as the magic settles over him, the unfamiliar lightness in his limbs making him shift his weight experimentally. One boot lifts an inch from the ground before he steadies himself again, brow furrowing in mild surprise "Well... that's a strange feeling"
He eases himself upward a few feet, testing the invisible current that now answers to his will, drifting forward and back with the careful caution of a man who has spent his life trusting solid ground. After a moment he lets out a quiet breath through his nose "Not as bad as riding a drake"
Samuel lowers himself again beside Letitia, voice dropping just enough that it doesn't carry far "Ten minutes for me, five for the rest" he says with a faint, knowing smile "Either you think I'm the one most likely to fall... or that frozen heart is showing some favoritism"
His eyes linger on her a moment "Either way. Don't worry" he adjusts the strap of his musket as he rises back into the air a little more confidently "The secret's safe with me, witch"
He then turns his attention back toward the distant fortress, hovering a few feet above the ridge as he scans the sky "Alright. Let's move up Bescalie"
"Oh, great, so I have to chose between the witch's magic and mounting on one of those drakes now?" Samuel sighs, and looks at the dragon with concern "You, know, my best friend, Alec, gave away his life to protect us from one of those beasts... I saw how he fell down the largest tower in Whitethrone well grasped to that creature... I am not fan of losing my life in one of those falls..."
Samuel looks at the exchange quizzical, then a smile appears on his mouth, before he focuses back on Bescalie "Drakeland patrols? What is that?"
Then not liking the idea of anyone becoming polymorphed, no matter how cute the whiskers, he adds "Could there be any secret tunnel? Or maybe you know about someone who can provide us a means of flying?"
"Interesting's one word for it" he shifts the musket more comfortably on his shoulder and gives Bescaylie a short nod "Aye. Ready enough. Standing still in places like this just makes it easier for something to sneak up and ruin your day"
At Thashara's question, the corner of his mouth twitches "If there's a siege, there'll be someone to fight. Armies don't cross worlds just to admire the scenery"
Then, he looks back to Bescaylie "So let's hear it. Numbers. Types. Anything with wings, breath weapons, or a bad habit of charging the walls all at once. The sooner we know what Spurhorn's up against, the sooner we can decide how we can help"
Ok, going through items is so much work, sorry for the delay.
To reach 62000 gp Samuel needs to spend about 43440 gp
Purchases:
Headband of Wisdom +2, 4000 gp
Cloak of resistance +1 to +3 improvement, +8000 gp
Celestial armor (+9 AC, +8 max Dex, -2 ACP), 22400 gp
Demonic Smith's Gloves, 8000 gp (+1d6 fire damage on wielded weapons)
Quick Runner’s shirt, 1000 gp (1/day extra move as a swift action)
"Right... planning instead of cards. Sensible" Samuel taps a knuckle on the table once before standing, slinging the musket back over his shoulder "And the sooner we know what sort of army is waiting outside Spurhorn, the sooner we can decide who gets to do the stupid heroics and who gets to brag they warned us not to"
Taking a few steps toward the path out of the hut, he nods toward Thashara's abandoned deck "Hold onto those cards, though. If we survive the briefing, I'm still learning Cripple's Gambit. Long as you promise not to hex the deck if I start winning"
He gives Letitia a brief, knowing look as he passes her "Alright then. Let's go find our scout and see what kind of trouble we're walking into"
"Sun Orchid Elixir, huh? That's no small errand. Your prince must've had deep pockets, or the kind of ambition that makes men forget how much gold they've got left"
Resting his musket against the wall, Samuel pulls up a seat near Thashara, giving the deck of cards a skeptical look "Cripple’s Gambit, you said? Can't say I've played it. But since we're stuck waiting for our friendly neighborhood merchant to finish his errands, I suppose I can risk a few coins and my pride"
"Point proven" Samuel gives a small nod of acknowledgment to fangs an all "Reckon we'll get along just fine, so long as you keep those teeth pointed at the other monsters"
He leans his musket over his shoulder, and looks over at Llewellyn "As for Spurhorn... I agree it is not our war, but it seems the only road left open. I say we go to the appointed meeting, assess the current situation, then decide our way forward"
A quick glance toward Letitia, his voice lowering just a touch "So unless someone's got a better plan that doesn't end in frostbite or fire, I say we get moving. Probably lend Spurhorn a hand. Maybe we even live long enough to regret it"
Samuel gives a short chuckle, resting the musket on his shoulder "Maybe its you who shouldn't be so quick to trust, miss. Around here, the friendliest smiles usually come with fangs"
He tilts his head toward Letitia, his gaze calm but edged with a faint smirk "Take our witch here, looks all refinement and cold logic, but cross her and you'll find out she's far deadlier than she lets on"
The tone is light, almost teasing, but the warning beneath it rings true.
Turning back to the two newcomers, Samuel's expression hardens "Now, if you still mean to join this merry band, you'd better know what you're in for. No salary, bad food, long marches through frozen nightmares, and the occasional dragon or eldritch horror for company. Chances of survival are poor, chances of fame even worse. But if you're after purpose, well, you might just find it"
He gives a small nod, almost a salute with his chin "Welcome aboard"
Samuel exhales through his nose, lowering the musket a fraction but not taking his eyes off the towering figure "Yeah, we are looking for her. Not that we wanted, but we have seen us forced to save our lands. The trail she left behind is cold, but it's all we've got, and it's led us through enough frozen hells already to make me think those Qadiran deserts are not that much ill"
He gestures with his chin toward the Nagubel "You said you were her friend once. Maybe you know something we don't, or maybe you just want something from her. Either way, we're after the same woman. So unless you're here to make our day worse, how about you tell us what business the 'Ineffable' has with Baba Yaga?"
He lets a wry grin touch his lips as he looks at her two companions "Could be you're the first useful visitor this Hut's had in a while"
Samuel's hand doesn't stray far from the stock of his musket as he watches Llewellyn talk. His eyes keep flicking between the tall, shimmering figure and the two women behind it.
When the bard finishes his line, Samuel speaks up, his tone dry and edged with suspicion "That's it, Nagubel the Ineffable..." he says, giving the name a wry twist "The lady of the house is... otherwise occupied, and we somehow got our asses involved in some sort of dragon wars. So now, if you would let us, we have our hands busy with that topic and cannot care for whatever business you have with our patron"
Bluff:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28
Samuel observe Zorka come and go "I will never get used to that one"
Nevertheless, he stretches through the corridors to reach the door and slowly opens it to see who is at the other side, but puts a foot on place to anchor it and avoid a forced entrance "Who is there who is knocking? Are you one of Baba Yagga's friends? The Hut seems to know you, why?"
Samuel gives farewell to the mercane, giving up on most of his desires to get new equipment and just focusing on the belt improvement "Well, then, we will wait for you here"
Other than that, he will follow Letitia and will wait to see the results of her new attempt to save Syvet.
My personal preference is to just keep going with whatever the adventure hands us and what we can trade. It is more immersive, and I find APs tend to get easy at higher levels if you go full gear up.
As for handing the campaign, we can wait a bit more. We really don't lose much for not having the control of the campaign, while moving to another thread is a big blow to the sense of continuity.
Samuel weighs the obsidian raven in his palm, letting out a dry chuckle "Well now... better than a calling card, that. Guess I won't have to shout into the void next time I need a new miracle"
Later, he glances toward the grove where Letitia leads, musket resting easy on his shoulder, ready for whatever is to come.
Samuel tilts his head, studying the towering figure with a squint "That's the part gnawing at me. Who in the hells goes to the trouble of stuffing a merchant into a ruby, and what did you sell them that made it worth the effort?"
He crosses his arms, voice dry but edged with curiosity "Don't much like dealing with ghosts in a machine without knowing the story behind it"
After a beat, he adds with a half-grin "And say we do cut you loose, any way to knock on your door again, should we find ourselves in need of a miracle delivery? Hate to think this is a one-time sale"
Samuel lets out a low whistle, shaking his head at the towering blue figure "Hells... locked in a shiny rock, just to pop out and start haggling? That's one way to keep a merchant honest" his grin is quick, sharp, and gone again as he steps closer to peer into the chest.
"Well, guess fate's tossing us a bone for once. Been meaning to put a bit more sting in my aim, see if I can get this belt tuned up. Maybe polish some of that protective trinketry too, before we go trading shots with dragon armies"
He crosses his arms, clearly savoring the thought "Yeah... I can live with this kind of miracle"
Looking here to improve the belt +2 Dex to +4.
Also his studded leather +1 to +2
And if possible:
cloak +1 -> +2
And if any gold remains...
amulet of armor +1 -> +2
ring of protection +1 -> +2
Oh, the gem, yes! Actually, that could be another way to introduce the new players. We break the gem, and they were trapped inside, trying to do the same quest as us :P
Samuel holds the stare for a few seconds, then his expression relaxes and he smiles "You will not have it so easily to get rid of me, Miss Witchery"
"Ok, let's do it in your terms then" the Taldan leans his musket over his shoulder "I wouldn't mind to test this one against one of those pure dragons. I wonder if their scales can be broken as for the one that took our friend Alec in that terrible tower back in Whitethrone"
As about Natalya joining the party, how about that red, swirled rock Natalya cherished as a child was one of the trinkets used by the hut or some other magical device linked to the hut?
The Hut could have recognized it and while using the rock for the teleportation, it magically pulled Natalya over with us.
This ties her past into the present: the thing that marked her childhood now sets her on this path. This gives her a reason to believe her phoenix patron wants her to fight the eternal winter, and see herself as being drawn to us as fellow wanderers chosen by destiny.
Should not bee too difficult to find a way to pull her on our way.
He spits into the snow "I swear this blasted land's got it out for us. Cold. Witches. Monsters. And now a flying fortress with scales and teeth"
His voice dips low, harsh but steady, as he answers Letitia without breaking his gaze "Hiding in the hut won't tell us where the trinkets we need are. We will have to trust the magic hut this time and believe if we have been sent here is because it is part of our goal..."
Sorry for the delay, I have been on holidays and had way less time to post than expected.
Natalya 'the Firebird' wrote:
Hi Everyone, (this is Nik)
I'm back home and working on crunch (profile is a WIP) but a question came up I thought you guys could help with.
How are you doing HP? I can see there's a roll but I'm not sure what the exact rules are!
Looking forward to joining you.
GM Red wrote:
at level 1 you will gain your full hit dice plus con. every level after first, both the GM and player will roll the hit dice, use the higher of the 2 rolls.
It is at the original recruitment thread. But at the end the GM was not rolling so the tradition has become to roll or get the HP/2 + 1.
I am fine to try that, though I would suggest to give them the chance of just creating their own characters. I think it will be better in the long run!
I am sure we can figure out an explanation to leave Callix and Ashling aside and stumble with a couple new adventurers in this plane motivated enough for our mission. Maybe some adventurers trapped here, perhaps even on quest given by Baba Yagga also :)
Samuel frowns when he does not understand the humanoid at first, but he gets surprised then about the second language "Hey, what, what is that language?"
The Taldan keeps his musket low "Look, we did not intended to enter into your territory ok, we are just trying to find Baba Yaga" his movements attempt to be calm and helpful.
Diplomacy aid:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (11) - 1 = 10
"Glad of Baba Yaga's hut... now that's a sentence I never thought I would hear or agree with" Samuel shifts his weight, boots crunching against the frozen ground, eyes on the dragon "But you're right. If this turns ugly, I'd rather be near that walking monstrosity than caught with my breeches down in the snow"
Still, he does not lower his guard, just his weapon. The greeting hand remains raised a moment longer "Let's see what sort of skyfolk this lands breed. I am getting tired of guessing what counts as hostile around here"
Samuel clenches his jaw as the massive shape of the dragon sweeps overhead "Son of a... another damned dragon" he growls through gritted teeth, spitting the words like a curse as he glares skyward. The glint of the rider's lance catches his eye, and his hand twitches toward his musket, but he holds.
Letitia's voice cuts through the wind behind him, sharp and irritated. He doesn’t turn "And how exactly are we supposed to uncover where the hell we are while holed up inside like turtles in a shell?"
Still watching the circling dragon, Samuel slowly lowers the barrel of his musket and raises one hand, not quite a wave, but a calm, open gesture of greeting "If they wanted to fry us where we stood, they would have done it by now. Hut or no Hut"
Sense Motive:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13
Samuel stares out over the frozen valley, jaw tight. He squints up at the distant, diminished sun, then across the alien trees "Far from home..." he murmurs, voice low, almost lost in the cold wind.
"Best to move quick, but careful. We ain't got the luxury to lose ourselves out there" his gaze lingers a moment longer on the horizon, then he steps forward into this strange world, ready to press on, but keeping the hut as a point of reference to avoid getting lost.
Survival:1d20 + 14 ⇒ (9) + 14 = 23
"They kept him secret... or maybe the voices are trying to mislead us, or talking again riddles" Samuel ponders, nodding in agreement as Letitia points the path to follow.
The High Sentinel strides towards the door, and after checking it carefully, listening at what might be outside, he just tries to open it.
Perception:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (13) + 15 = 28
We can use divination magic to know who is trapped inside or whether it will be a good action to break the gem or not. I lean towards open it, just out of curiosity.
"Only the gods know then what damned soul might be inside" the Taldan comments before the group proceeds up.
Perception:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (3) + 15 = 18
"I thought the crone only had girls. What is this about a son?" Samuel looks around a bit surprised and stares at the bowl "Maybe we are supposed to place the knickknacks into the bowl to proceed to the next destination"
"Hum. You say an angel might be trapped there?" Samuel looks down into the gem trying to see what is inside "How does it breath?"
Perception:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17
Samuel climbs back down the chimney and lands with a soft grunt, brushing ash from his hands.
"The trapdoor leads to a cabin. One room, from what I could see. Wooden interior, shelves packed with strange knickknacks; alchemical or arcane, probably. There is a cauldron in the center, and a cracked bowl on a table. Four windows, one per wall, letting in some gray daylight. No sign of hostiles, no immediate traps either. Ample space for an easy climb. Might be a safe exit... or just the eye of the storm"
The Taldan steps over to the others, eyes drawn to the ruby that's been carefully laid out. The glint of it, makes him raise a questioning eyebrow "...Is there something in there?" he asks quietly, gaze narrowing "A soul? How is that possible? Mmm... and do you know how to get it out?"
Samuel eyes the chimney again, then looks to Letitia and Llewellyn "Fair. But let me check the exit first, then return to regroup and harvest what we can, if the trapdoor I am seeing in the chimney even leads anywhere"
He slings his musket, grabs the first rung, and begins to climb "It should be possible to easily brace to both walls to make it up. I will check the trapdoor. If it's safe and opens to the outside, we have a path. If not, we keep digging"
Samuel narrows his eyes at the creatures, but after a moment, he exhales sharply and nods "Fine. If you haven't taken anything, then you're not my problem, for now" his gaze lingers on the Denizen of Leng "But if we don't find another way out, we'll be back. And then we'll be asking a lot more questions"
Turning to the others, he gestures toward the hidden ladder "Let's move. If there's something down there, it might be what we're looking for"
Without waiting, he moves towards it, and tries to find and check if it is safe and where it is leading.
Perception:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (2) + 15 = 17
Agreed, looks like we are a bit stalled out here, so trying to push here to find new action :)
"A hidden ladder?" Samuel looks at Letitia confused, then he looks back at the two creatures and tries to determine if they have maybe taken something, something like the traveling keys the group seeks "You have not taken anything from the hut, have you?"
Perception:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (4) + 15 = 19 Sense Motive:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13
K. planes:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19 Sense Motive:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16
"You can travel between planes, can't you?" his tone is measured, but there's an edge of urgency "That alone makes you worth speaking to. We need to discover where the Hut has brought us and why. If you have that knowledge, then there's reason to talk with words rather than powder"
He glances at the others, then back at the creature "What do you know?"
Samuel frowns, arms crossed over his chest, eyes still locked on the door where the Denizen disappeared. His fingers drum against the stock of his musket as he exhales sharply through his nose "Hell with that. We have been stumbling around this place with no real answers, and now we are supposed to just walk away from the one thing that might actually know what is going on?"
The Taldan's gaze flicks to the others, hard and assessing "That thing's master can walk the planes. Unless one of you suddenly figured out how to do the same, that is the best shot we have got at getting out of here. Maybe it is a risk, maybe it is a trap, but sitting here doing nothing sure as the Abyss ain't any safer. We go in, we keep our wits about us, and we see if this so-called master has something worth hearing"
His jaw tightens "Unless, of course, you all like being stuck here"
"You still have not explained who this 'Master' of yours is" Samuel asks, his voice clearly running out of patience "And this thing about walking the planes... you do mean we are in a plane? And you decided to come here voluntarily?"
Samuel then looks over the denizien's shoulder, trying to peek about whom he might be talking.
Perception:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33
Sense Motive:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27
"I do not care for your Master slave or slaver, stay there!" Samuel immediately raises his musket and readies the lock for shooting when he sees denizien approaching "State your intentions and what are you doing here or tell us how to get out of this prison or prepare to fight!"
Samuel tilts his head, giving the figure a lopsided grin "Now, I hate to be rude, but I seem to have misplaced my list of ominous overlords. Who exactly is this 'Master' of yours? I am just a poor woodlands sentinel caught in some tangled-up witch tales, so if there is no trouble, I would love to invite a few friends to the chat"
Without waiting for an answer, he leans back, peeking outside. With a few sharp hand signals, he waves the others forward, his expression unreadable "Got a welcoming committee in here" he murmurs "Friendly enough, for now"
