I'm having a very hard time keeping up with this game, so I'm going to drop out. Thanks for giving me a chance!
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Sethiel's elf ears twitch painfully in the mummification room as the screaming subsides again. "Clearly this is some sort of effect created in this room, not a person in anguish. We should be cautious nonetheless."
Sethiel's exploratory (and a little rebellious, given that he isn't strictly speaking supposed to be here) mood sours instantly at hearing the screams of pain coming from the next room.
Sethiel follows the others, though having no training in being quiet or moving unseen, he hangs toward the back.
Regarding secret rolls, I'm fine with requesting one and having you do it for me. Are there any other rolls besides Perception that you'd like to remain hidden like that?
"Word is that there is a spy among the ranks that works for Wido… I’ll let you know what I discover when you return.” "A spy? Then we must be cautious. Mind what you say and do, and who might be watching, until we find out who it is." Sethiel wonders just how deeply this spy's cover runs-- it seems unlikely that a true believer of Darlen would work so duplicitously. Should be easy to suss out who it is with a devotion test. * * * * * "Here is where I will leave you. Do you have your own lanterns and torches?” "The best kind, in fact." Sethiel brandishes the small shield strapped to his wrist. Before anyone can question this, he mutters a brief spell. Light shines from the shield, unnaturally white and unwavering. "The kind that, in a pinch, will never run out." He glanced around at the other packs, though, hoping some wooden torches are in tow-- his spell may be renewable but it doesn't last long, so really a common torch is preferable.
Will purchase a backpack, 50 ft rope, a grappling hook, and chalk.
Sethiel leaves the others to their dancing and merriment. A few glasses of wine can be overlooked, but he surely would hear about it the next morning if he made a spectacle of himself. [I[At least these men know how to have a good time.[/I] No doubt such companions will make whatever their job entails on the morrow a bit more interesting. When the rain lets up, Sethiel pays for his drinks and heads-- somewhat reluctantly-- back to the temple. The next morning, he manages to convince his superiors he needs to go to the market. "I'm not sure it's a good idea to let the new acolytes out on such an errand just yet. Their self-discipline is... a work in progress." He has no armor to prepare for he owns none, but as he straps on his sword-- as much a symbol of the church as the sunrise on his white fine-- he takes a long look at the small shield leaning in the corner. After a moment he grabs it and attaches it to his wrist. If I were in the paladin order I would not think twice about a little extra protection, he tells himself in an effort to stop feeling just a bit foolish. At the meeting point he recognizes a few of the tavern-goers from the previous night and hails them. He notices Dargys seems armed for battle, and Sethiel can't help but feel relieved. Perhaps he wasn't wrong to grab his shield after all; in fact the human makes him look, if anything, under-prepared. "I see we had the same idea: luck favors the prepared."
Sethiel perks up at the mention of a sealed-up chamber. He turns to the group eagerly. "Take me with you, gents, won't you? I would very much like to get away fr-- to take some action, that is." Never know who might be listening. Sethiel is fairly certain none of these boys had close ties to the temple, however. He gestures toward the sun on his chest with a sheepish smile. "Those in need, you know."
Works for me. I'll protect our flank!
Sethiel is a much less frequent feature of the Dancing Bear, but the pouring rain outside makes him all the gladder for his choice to come here today. It isn't what drove him to it, though. He finishes off his first glass of wine with a contented sigh. If his traditional white robe didn't immediately mark him as a member of the Darlen temple, the rising sun sewn onto it certainly would. Serving as both a holy symbol and rank insignia, its permanence indicates that he was no mere acolyte but a full-fledged priest, while its size and placement indicates he still has a long way to go. The real reason he's here-- well, two reasons-- are the newly-minted acolytes placed under his tutelage a few days ago. Green as spring clovers, both of them, he inwardly complains. Was I ever so... useless? "Another glass, please, Nurlon," he calls out.
Checking in!
Sethiel also has Knowledge (history & local) so he might have picked up a few things already. As for marching order, Sethiel is fine wherever. He's a front-liner in combat but has to buff up first, so probably not in the front row.
Backstory:
Rejected.
The word stung. Twice now Sethiel had applied for selection to the holy paladin order of Darlen, and twice he had been passed over. He felt sure he was ready this time. He had the knowledge, certainly-- well, knowledge came easily to elves. He had the devotion-- he had surpassed the acolyte rank to become a full-fledged priest at the Watcher's Spire, with all the magic and authority it entails. Well, magic came easily to elves too, he supposed. Is it because I'm not strong enough? The paladins of Darlen demanded top fighting prowess in all its initiates, if they were to carry out their sacred mission. Here, Sethiel fell short and he knew it. His sword swings were sloppy and telegraphed, his aim unsteady. Worse, his priestly duties left him little enough time to train. If this was what kept him out of the ranking, then he would simply never make it. Something had to change. Here's my elf cleric of Darlen, a guy who dreams of being a paladin but can't quite measure up. In combat he's a battle cleric who uses buff spells, out of combat he's a healing font and source of information via Knowledge skills. (If the Cloistered Cleric archetype had been allowed he would totally be one.) I'm really hoping there will be a paladin in the party, I think that could be a lot of fun. (I don't plan on actually taking any paladin levels, it's just for RP purposes.) It might be cool if he gets chosen for the Order of the Watch Eternal, but who knows. My intended story arc for Sethiel is for him to embrace the calling he's been given rather than chasing someone else's.
Sethiel casts a spell on his bow, to increase its deadliness.
Bow at the ready, Sethiel heads toward the northern entrance. He mutters a brief spell to illuminate the tip of Angus's weapon. "May the Inheritor's light pierce the shadows."
Oh! Sorry, no I missed that completely. I fix.
Sethiel draws his bow and rides closer. "Looks like our intuition was good. And they certainly match the description of the pests we're after."
"Do we have time to examine the tower? It's possible someone has just skillfully replaced the boards and is actually using it as a hiding place." Sethiel nods. "I was thinking the same. Just because those boards aren't new doesn't mean the place is empty."
Sethiel steers his horse up the hill to get a better view of the surroundings. "Few enough places to hide out here. If I were a bandit I'd choose somewhere that takes less effort."
"Leave it. Doubtless this land is full of hungry creatures; one more won't make any great difference. And now we know a place to avoid; those we're hunting may not." Sethiel steers his horse closer to Angus. "Are you hurt?"
In my opinion 5 is a nice sweet spot, especially for PbB. Enough characters that you'll always have someone to play off of, but not so many that it makes the game easy. I would definitely be in favor of bringing someone else in. Unfortunately I don't know anyone in particular for this.
Striding forward, Sethiel draws his bow but thinks better of letting an arrow fly. I don't have a clear shot here, and I don't want to hit anyone. He touches his sword-and-sunburst symbol to release some of his goddess's healing energy.
Sethiel pricks up his ears when the horses get nervous, but he sees and hears nothing unusual himself. Odd. "What's out there, my friend?" he asks his horse quietly, his eyes scanning their surroundings.
With no desire to purchase volatile chemicals from this volatile person, Sethiel returns to his horse. "All right. I'm vaguely familiar with moonradish, not at all with fangberry, so let's see what we can come up with. Hopefully we can dispatch a few of the other pests along the way."
Sethiel blinks in confusion. "I... have never collected those things. What is your business, again?"
Sethiel reins in his horse when they get close, and he can clearly hear the wild old man's rambling about centipedes of all things. "Take it easy, citizen," he adds, trying not to smile at the absurdity. "Are there centipedes in your house too?"
Sethiel watches the changing colors with interest. ”That’s odd,” he says, drawing attention to the smoke in case anyone’s minds may have wandered. ”It seems someone is up to something extraordinary.” At the banging and shouting, he spurs his horse forward. ”And dangerous! Onward, quickly!”
"No reason we can't compromise. Since Sneeg could be anywhere, we journey southeast for a time to see if he turns up, then we loop around," Sethiel indicates the proposed path on the map in front of them, "and investigate the elk shrine."
The captives problem seemingly resolved for now, or at least in someone else's hands, Sethiel turns his attention toward their next move. "You're right, and I think we should make it a goal of ours to help provide updated maps of the region. Since we're exploring it already." He studies the map and frowns. "Our commission is the bandits, so I think we should track down this Sneeg. We don't have much to go on though."
"Thank you for the warnings!"
"So it is you." Sethiel relaxes somewhat, having decided the two troublemakers (probably) aren't actually dangerous. "This where you live?"
Sethiel nimbly hops out of the way. "Hey!" he calls up into the tree. "We might have been friendly, you know!"
Angus points out a tiny patch of red up in the giant tree. "Hang on," Sethiel says. "Is that a... door? It is! There's a tiny door in the tree!"
”Whoa.” Even having been born and raised in a metropolis, Sethiel feels a kind of ancestral thrill at seeing such a natural wonder. Is it instinct? Racial memory? He can’t say for sure. ”Now that’s a tree.”
Huh. For some reason I was getting no notifications from the Discussion thread. Fortunately, clerics at even levels have basically no decisions to make so my leveling was quick and easy! +1 rank Knowledge (nobility)
Aaaaand that’s pretty much it. Some numbers went up, but not because I chose them.
Sethiel keeps up a steady barrage against the bandits.
He very nearly hits his own ally this time.
As his allies move in, Sethiel keeps up his cover fire.
Unfortunately, it only hits the cover.
"There they are!" Sethiel returns fire at one of the bandits.
"I'm out of spells for today," Sethiel says, drawing his bow. "But I have plenty of arrows."
"Must be. Perhaps I'm used to seeing more traditional depictions, I couldn't even have named it for who it was."
"This is amazing! I certainly never thought to find something so exquisite in the middle of the forest. I thought such artisans only lived in cities."
"I am not afraid to speak the language of moral righteousness, and indeed I strive to at all times. And i strongly want to prevent another Kressle from rising up in her place. But if you want this man as your charge, then I won't press further." Sethiel shrugs. "I'm not in charge of this group, so I can't make its decisions." The elf blinks. "As it happens, who is in charge? I assumed someone would tell me, but I haven't been able to figure it out."
Some deep philosophical questions this game! FWIW, Sethiel's opinions aren't necessarily my own, and whatever disagreements he has are with characters only and not their players. So far it's been fun for me to play him as an "Iomedaean who's definitely not a Boy Scout," but if anyone thinks I should back off a bit I will.
"My two pence? He tells us or shows us what he knows, then we take him back to the trading post where Kesten and his folks can keep an eye on him. He helps them clean up there abouts for a few months, pay back some of the damage he did." Sethiel nods. "Fair. Repentance means more than a bit of bowing and scraping. You must work to right the wrongs you inflicted." He slings his bow over his shoulder. "Some holy orders emphasize mercy and second chances. Mine isn't one of them. So if you want one, you must earn it."
"Oh, hang on I can fix you right up." Sethiel mutters an incantation and traces a holy rune over Tiff's wound.
"Afraid that's all my spells for today, but my medallion has healing magic too. When we regroup."
"So you admit," he says coldly, "that you deserve to hang. What gave you the right to victimize people like Oleg?"
"Not so tough without the rest of your gang, I see."
"Boss," eh? So that confirms who we're dealing with. "Is this all that's left of your gang? I'd have thought there were more of you," Sethiel taunts.
"Wrong answer," Sethiel responds simply, and looses his arrow at the woman.
Unfortunately the arrow gets stuck in a nearby tree branch and doesn't come close to hitting its target. |