Sercha calms herself, entering her mystical focus state before stabbing at the nearest spider.
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"That's a lot of webs," Sercha comments, drawing her blade. She follows Lope's indicating finger into the town. "And I don't mind if the Eternal Maiden is watching us as long as she's not staring at my ass. I've heard she's into that sort of thing," she adds with a smirk.
"My good Baronet," Sercha says, stepping forward and bowing. "My name is Sercha and am a representative of the Lady Lucretia." She takes the man by the arm and turns him towards the displaced villagers. "We will do what we can for Araig, but in the meantime, you need to think about a longer term solution for your people. Stachys - the Lady's domain - is growing and in need of ready and capable hands. Your people could easily find a welcoming home there." She claps him on the shoulder. "You sound like a good man who wants what's best for his fellow countrymen. I respect that. And if we manage to bring the Baron back from his ... situation, then they your people can discuss whether to rebuild and reoccupy Jambis."
"So we were misled about who the Night Swan is?" Sercha comments, looking over the note. "We're going to have to keep a weather eye out for this person. They've got an interesting point of view that's going to get them dead." She shakes her head. "Baroness Voinum and Baron Okerra were at that soiree that Bartlebee threw, right? And we've already talked to them? Then we should pay a visit to the wildcard, Baron Telus. Find out where he stands and introduce him to our lovely selves. If he's going to stab us in the back, it might as well be to our face."
Shulamit: "I liked Lollia, a lot, but we weren't...I don't really do..." Shula struggles with words for a moment, then gives up and shakes her head with a rueful smile. "You want to have some fun? I'm down. You want to be, I don't know, wooed or something? That's not me." Her smile quirks up on one side and her hand (which was on Sercha's waist) drifts an inch or so lower. "If you're okay with that, then I'm all for getting to know each other better." There's a momentary flash of disappointment in Sercha's eyes, but it's quickly covered up by her confident smile. "Then let's get to know each other a little better ... later tonight, after the party, in my room at the manor." She winks.
Having acquired a taste for the locally brewed ale, Sercha issues a challenge to those in the surrounding area to produce their best product and have it judged at a local brewfest that she arranges. Appointing Onara as the single judge of the event relieves her of the burden of debating the finer points of hops growing, grain types, and brewing techniques and allows her to simply enjoy the various offerings and mingle among the locals. Later in the evening after the discussions have been had and the winner finally declared, musicians appear and a rousing celebratory dance ensues. Sercha makes a point to dance at least once with everyone she considers influential that's made an appearance, including her new companions. Lope:
As the song draws to a close, Sercha leans in closer to Lope as their movements slow. "I know you sent the rose," she whispers. "But it takes more than a single rose to keep my attention." She gives the man's earlobe a light tug with her teeth before stepping back and bowing as the musicians begin the next song. She steps away to find a different partner. Shula:
With a slower song playing, Sercha leads the two in well-known steps. "I've heard that you and Lollia were becoming close," she says quietly. "So if it's too soon or I'm not your type just let me know, but I'd like to get to know you a little better." She gives Shula a soft smile and quick wink before returning to the activity at hand. Victor:
As the duo sway back and forth to the music's tempo, Sercha eyes Victor with an appraising gaze. "So, does your 'friend' only come out in the middle of battle?" she questions with a playful grin. "If so, that must be very boring for her - she never gets to play."
Once the dancing has drawn to a close and the crowd has begun to thin, two of the musicians - both Varisian - linger, moving through the remaining celebrants slowly and carefully as if looking for someone. Their eyes pass over and away from a Kellid woman sitting at a lone, shadow-engulfed table. A purposeful throat-clearing causes their attention to return. As if bored, the woman traces a finger through a small pool of spilled ale on the table. The men's eyes narrow slightly, recognizing the sign she makes. "Sercha?" one of them whispers. She gives a slight nod and after checking the rest of the room they take a seat at the table. "It's a nice place here," one of them offers. "It's a long way from the city, though." "It is," Sercha replies. "But this is where the work's at. Glad you could make it. I wasn't sure if you'd want to take a chance on me again after the last time." "Oh, that wasn't your fault," the other man says with a grin. "The intel was bad - no way you could have known. So ..." He looks around again before turning back to her. "You still working for the Garundi?" he asks. "Nope. This is all me," she replies. "This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time and now I'm in a position to make it happen." "What's the job?" the first man asks. "Revolution," Sercha replies with a wink and a smile.
Sercha stabs as the snake spirals away.
She then raises her hand and it begins glowing blue as she speaks arcane words. With a few steps she closes the distance between her and the giant serpent.
With a thought, Sercha reaches inside herself and touches the part of herself where the magic resides. With a laugh, she then rushes forward to stab at the giant snake.
Sercha's mirth dies instantly. "Damn, that's not good," she says as her blade slides from its sheath. With a wave of her hand and a muttered phrase, a shimmer of force appears next to her.
Following Lope towards the body, she lets the man examine it while she eyes the surrounding area for concealed attackers.
"If they had just robbed them, wouldn't they have made it back to the temple by now?" Sercha questions. She avoids carrying that thought to its logical conclusion.
"Unless they took everything they had including their clothes and the priests are too embarrassed to travel in the nude on the open road." She responds with a nervous shrug at the surprised looks that comment creates. "Not that I would ever consider doing something like that to someone. Anything suggesting otherwise would be entirely unsubstantiated rumors."
"Killed by a mule?" Sercha says with a smirk as she crosses her arms. "What a humiliating epitaph." She cracks her neck. "So, let's let this guy go and then check out what's happening with the bridge."
"I'll talk to Mayne," Sercha says with a wink. "I'll see what he has to say." ~~~~~ "So, It sounds like you've got yourself into a spot of trouble," the woman says with a friendly grin as she grabs a nearby stool to chat with the detained farmer. "Care to tell me what happened?"
Lope smiles as Sercha brings the topic of the rose to the group "It would seem your swordplay and daring style have flowered the bleeding hearts of your manors fey" "It would seem," Sercha replies with a secretive smile. ~~~~~
"Troubling incidents? Well, I'm glad the news made it all the way to his ears," Sercha says with a wry smile. "It's unfortunate, though, that we've already dealt with them and he isn't able to demonstrate his capable leadership in person. Oozes in the lake? Ghouls in the well-house? Undead crab ... spider ... things?" She shakes her head. "What other horrors will these poor villagers face next? Sorry to say, but we've handled them. Not anywhere near as well as the Count would have, I'm sure, but adequately enough for the good people of Stachys. Would you care to join us for lunch?"
Later that evening as the group gathers for dinner, Sercha arrives freshly bathed. The splash of crimson from the rose over her left ear contrasts heavily with her washed-out appearance. "I offer my thanks to whomever left this for me," she says with a grin as she sits. "It's very beautiful." Her grin shifts to a smirk. "And if it was no one here then the resident fey must be finally taking a liking to me."
"I would picture someone called the Night Swan to look a little ... darker?" Sercha muses. Dismissing the thought, she nods at Lope. "How about just the bottle of wine first?" she says with a smile and a suggestive wink. "I preferred to be wooed." Her words are directed at the priest, but the target of the wink is less clear. She stands and stretches, keeping her balance reasonably well in the rocking wagon. "I can't wait to get back to the manor for a nice, long, hot bath."
Relaxing on the wagon as the group makes the bumpy trek back to Stachys, Sercha looks over the porcelain mask with an eye towards its auras. She looks to each of her companions in turn, holding up the mask and eyeing how it would look on each of them. "Hey, Lope?" she asks, "How secure are you in your masculinity?"
"That's what she said," Sercha says with a laugh.
"But I like flashy," Sercha replies without taking her eyes off the remaining small oozes. "What good is life if you can't do it with style?"
Hoping that the ooze doesn't split yet again, Sercha invokes another spell and sends three mystical bolts into the one that's engulfing Victor.
"I didn't know it could do that!" Sercha exclaims, hesitating with her blade. Noting that Victor's snowball seemed to have an appreciable effect, she tries the words to a different spell and reaches out with her hand.
Sercha grins and bows to the feathered lady. "We shall return soon with tales of a slain ooze," she declares. ~~~~~ When the ooze is spotted, Sercha draws her blade and approaches. "Let's see what this thing does with a few holes in it," she says with a grin. Sparks chase along the edge of her blade as an incantation flows from her lips.
"She doesn't look much like a ghost to me," Sercha mutters before raising her hands away from her weapons. "Whoa, now. Let's have everyone calm down, ok?" she says in a louder voice. "We were led to believe that a spirit haunts this lake, but you look quite lively if a spirit you are." She tips her head in a shortened bow. "My name is Sercha. This is Shula, Victor, and Lope de Vega. What's your name, if I may ask?"
"Sounds like the recipe for romance," Sercha says with a wink. As they make their way towards the haunted water, the swordswoman can be heard muttering words under her breath. "Ghost ... ghast ... ghouls ... girls ... host ... past ... jewels ... pearls?" She shakes her head in annoyance and continues muttering in an even quieter tone.
Sercha follows Shula as she examines the area of the alleged crime. Where the slayer sees a trail and clues, the kayal sees nothing but grass and trees.
She nods when the red-head explains what she finds, agreeing completely. "How about this ..." Sercha says, considering the options. "How about a month of 'hard labor'," she even uses finger quotes. "That labor can consist of working for one of the larger farms here in the village. Food for his family will be provided for the duration of his labor." She shrugs and smiles. "We solve two problems. The perpetrator is 'punished', and his family doesn't starve."
Sercha can't help but smile at the man's bravado, taking a seat across the table from him. "Well, Lope de Vega, my name's Sercha," she says, picking up a roll and tearing off a piece. "So now we've been introduced and we're no longer strangers." She slathers a piece of the roll with some butter. "Do you normally just make yourself at home wherever you go?" The piece of bread goes into her mouth, but she continues talking. "Yes, I believe we've been making a difference here; That's our job. But the more important question is 'what is your job?'" Her smile broadens into a smirk. "Who are you, Lope de Vega, and what are you doing here?"
Sercha nods and pats the woman's back in a reassuring manner. "It'll be okay now," she says with an envious eye towards Shula. "You're a great girl and just because your last boyfriend turned out to be a complete asshat doesn't mean there isn't someone out that that isn't perfect for you." She looks around helplessly. "Why don't you stay the night? An actual good night's sleep instead of traipsing around in some haunted garden should do you a world of good. And in the morning, who knows what the dawn will bring?"
"Magic to break enchantments or curses is beyond my capacity," Sercha says with a frown. "Perhaps we can talk to the local clergy or have Robert take a look at her?"
Sercha kneels down to look Sepsinia in the eyes. "Hey, uh, are you ok?" she asks, hesitantly. "I think we just saved you from a nasty fate, but, uh ..." She glances back at the others, confused at the girl's lack of response. Turning back, she invokes a quick cantrip to check the girl for magical enchantments.
Sercha Stabs at the creature as it moves away as well.
She then joins Victor in his assault upon the zombies, attacking with both blade and spell.
"You know, for the most part, I'm a 'Live and Let Live' kinda girl," Sercha says casually as she draws her blade and traces a finger along the edge. "But as soon as you bring dead bodies into the relationship, I'm gonna kink-shame."
She moves forward to stab at the spider.
"We might not get another chance to check out what this big-assed spider is doing in Crabbe's maze, though," Sercha argues with a frown. She looks thoughtful for a moment. "On the other hand, we could wait until tonight and come back when it's dark." She slowly grins as she warms to the idea. "Yeah, that could be cool. Sneaking through a neglected maze under the moonlight in search of a huge spider." She shudders in an exaggerated fashion. "Ooo... I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it! Count me in!"
"A large ...? But I didn't see anything," Sercha half-heartedly protests before frowning down at the cat. "I bow to your greater perceptivity," she says before bowing. "Lead on, Lady Leona."
Meeting back up with the others, Sercha doesn't have anything new to offer. "I went through the maze, but I didn't really see anything," she says with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's really strange that it's as neglected as it is compared to the rest of the estate, but ..." She shrugs again. "We can look through it again. Maybe someone else will see something that I didn't."
The kayal looks between the group moving towards the trucco field and the cat making its way towards the neglected maze before coming to a decision. Once she's sure that Shula has Crabbe's attention, she moves quietly towards the hedges.
As Dame Crabbe leads the tour of the grounds, Sercha falls back to walk next to Sepsinia. "I noticed that you didn't seem too happy when your mother was talking of suitors," she whispers quietly to the girl. "I imagine you have your own preferences in that regard?" She grins conspiratorially. "I know how that works. Not all of us fit into the mold our parents would have of us. Want to talk about it?" She gestures towards the hedge maze. "You could show me the hedges that your mother is studiously ignoring?"
I haven't been following along with this thread so I can't speak to the cleric that's being replaced but in our old game, Zileska was an excellent Calistrian, served at times as a party therapist and was no stranger to lust and vengeance both without being too bloodthirsty. A consistently deep and well written character.
Hey, Lobster! Oh, yeah. Zil didn't flinch from any aspect of the Savored Sting. :)
Strangely enough (or, perhaps not so strange), I find it easier to engage in such activities when dealing strictly with avatars.
What is it about this AP that seems to bring out the Calistrians? Not complaining. I just find it funny. For context, the character that we're replacing is a cleric of Calistria. And in our previous play-through of this AP, our divine was also a cleric of said diety. XD
Sercha watches Victor ingratiate himself with the Dame with a smile. At a lull in the conversation, she speaks up. "Forgive me for asking, Dame Crabbe, but is it just you and your daughter here all alone? There's no Sir Crabbe to dote upon you? That seems such a shame." She subtly watches Sepsinia for any reaction about her father.
Goals are good! We do surge at times to many posts a day, but that doesn't happen often.
Sercha laughs at the others' reaction to the Dame's invitation. "What about this woman is so horrible?" she asks. "I recognize the name, but I've never met her. And we should be schmoozing up all the local lords and ladies anyway, so this sounds like a good opportunity."
A divine/healing caster would be beneficial (speaking as the player of the character that succumbed to Terminal Manticore). However it wouldn't be absolutely necessary. We've got plenty of melee characters and Sercha is covering some of the arcane casting (as a magus). Support would be nice as well. By far the most important trait the incoming character would need would be an appreciation of the need for romance.
Uh ... and that's, uh ... all I have to add ...
Sercha turns and gives a mock bow at the compliment. "Thank you, My Lady," she says. "And thank you for protecting my arse while I stood there like an ancient war memorial." Like the others, her curiosity is piqued at the glow coming from the well. "Uh, you might want to ..." Sercha begins before Randi dives in without a care. She shrugs before glancing at Shula. "She's a bold one, then."
"...ing sucks!" Sercha declares as mobility returns to her body. Initially disappointed to have missed out on all the ghouls, her mood is improved by the appearance of the armored ghast. "Oh, ho, ho! Saved the best for last, did we?" she chortles
She dances close with her blade which is, again, sparkling with electricity.
"..." Sercha says, declaring her frustration with the situation.
"..." Sercha says, thanking the priest for his assistance.
With a growl of frustration, Sercha's motion ceases.
"Oh didn't we tell you? We have a strict 'All profits go to Shula' policy...or at least we do in my dreams. Unfortunately in the waking world stuff gets split evenly." Sercha chuckles. "Your dreams sound a lot like my dreams. Perhaps we'll have to swap some time." ~~~~~ Seeing Shula pair up with Victor's alter-ego, Sercha carefully approaches one of the other undead, casting a spell and then striking with her blade. Her strike is wide, though.
"Thank you," the swordswoman says with a grin. "He picked the wrong barge to molest." "That tentacled thing sure liked its shinies," she says when the coins and jewelry have been gathered. "We're splitting this all up evening, right?" she asks.
Based on Shula's inside information, Sercha arranges to pick up some fish from one of the local mongers and seeks out the resident felines out behind the manor. "Here," she says, tossing the filleted tidbits onto the back porch. "I hear that you folks are the means of avoiding getting my socks soaked, my laces knotted, and my knickers stretched. Put in a good word for me, eh?" ~~~~~~ As they approach the pump-house and Victor transforms into a busty maiden, the kayal's eyes widen in surprise. "That is magic that I haven't seen yet," she says to Shula. "Does he do that often?" Her eyes look over the new form and then notice the small dragon. "F%*# me! Even the cat changes?!" She looks around at the others. "Anyone else plan on doing a costume swap before we get there? I hate to disappoint you, but in my case, what you see is what you get." She shrugs and checks her weapon. ~~~~~~ Drawing her weapon, Sercha intones magical words and her right hand begins to crawl with sparks that travel across to the blade held in her left. She stabs at a nearby tentacle.
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