Soren Marsailles's page

Hey everyone, sorry I've been super quiet lately. Work was hectic for quite a while with me training several new people, and I've just been kinda overwhelmed with a lot of stuff. I sort of bit off more than I could chew on some self-improvement projects, to give the short version. Then you throw in me launching a Twitch channel and buying a new computer while looking for somewhere new to live... yeah, it's been a lot.

Just wanted to say I'm still around and ready to go/discuss plans/divvy up loot whenever we get to it.

As a side note, I only have Craft (Alchemy) to be able to craft alchemical cartridges for my pistol. I will likely never put any more points into it since that's good enough for my purposes since I can always take 10.

Havelyn is a recent convert, also I might somehow be related to his dead wife; if I recall, I not only look exactly like her but Soren was born around the same time she died. Not sure how exactly that's related, but we've got a much better chance of controlling him both because he's an Asmodean and I can probably keep him doing what we want.

As Grumble shatters the ice golem, Soren wavers with her pistol in the air for a moment before a few words of Infernal sputter across her lips.
"Κύριος του Σκότους, εκτός από τον αέρα, ώστε οι προσευχές του φωτός να πέφτουν σε εκκωφαντισμένα αυτιά." With a wave of her off-hand, a menacing glow centers on Grumble Jack for a moment before the air around him feels eerily still; no longer does he hear the sound of ice shards crashing into the floor, or even the huffs of his own breath in the throes of battle. Before the bubble of silence completely encapsulates the half-ogre, she shouts "Go! Their pitiful god will hear them no longer, show them the wrath of Asmodeus!"

Casting Silence with Grumble Jack as the center of its area of effect. By a strict reading of the text, only Grumble gets a Will save (which he can of course choose to fail) as the effect is centered on him, other people within it do not; as far as I can tell, that seems to be the general consensus anyway. At this point, with a 20-foot radius, I think the magister and the acolytes, maybe the archon too, are all within the area of effect.

Hey GM, did my Arcana check reveal to me what his spell was? Depending on what it is, the effectiveness of my attacks to interrupt spellcasting might be severely diminished. If that ends up being the case, it might be a better idea to have Soren try to help clear out some of the mooks sitting around so they can't keep casting spells or attacking us. If Grumble can close on the magister this turn, he could beat the snot out of him instead.

I mean, of those three weeks the boards were only accessible for maybe three days. So you can’t take all the blame there.

THE FORUMS LIVE

Hey hey, don't jinx it!

Depending on whether the magister gets healed again, I may forgo trying to interrupt his casting and just go for a full-attack and wipe him off the map. Three attacks all powered-up could very well just kill him outright, considering I did less than average damage on my last hit. If he gets a lot of healing I may just shoot to interrupt though.

I'm not sure what spell he cast, but I'd bet money on Stoneskin or Barkskin considering the description. Of the two, Stoneskin seems more likely since Barkskin won't protect him from my bullets at all. Come to think of it, I'm going to roll Knowledge (Arcana) as it's a non-action so I can be sure of that before I do anything next round.

Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (19) + 11 = 30

Okay, so that ought to do it. Once we know that we can make a better plan. If it is Stoneskin, maybe I ought to try to outright kill him still since my individual damage will be much less and thus his concentration checks are easier? If I can possibly wipe him out that might be the better option.

PS: Regardless, someone remind me to buy some bullets made of special materials assuming we survive.

Once again I forgot Haste is not single target. I always forget that and am then amazed that a spell that powerful is 3rd level.

Okay, for the time being I'll just pump the sucker full of lead every time he tries to cast. I'm moving up to within thirty feet while still being out of melee combat so I'll get Point-Blank Shot. Where I'm positioned it looks like anyone who tries to reach me will eat an attack from Grumble before they can reach me, too. I'll just roll here.

Attack; Touch: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (9) + 13 = 22
Damage: 1d8 + 3d6 + 5 ⇒ (1) + (4, 1, 4) + 5 = 15

I'm throwing my Destruction judgment in here after I move, and spending a grit point on Up Close and Deadly. His concentration check is going to be DC 25 + spell level, so I'd bet money he's going to fail the next thing he tries to cast. I took a decent beating from that storm, but since Grumble is positioned to keep me from taking too much damage from melee I should be alright for now. Another hit though and some healing might be appreciated.

Alice, I might cast Haste on Grumble both for the tiny AC boost but more importantly the additional attack? Another one of those massive swings from him a round will easily start to shatter that golem. Good damage rolls might even kill it this round that way, depending on its HP. Soren getting an extra shot would be nice too, but if Grumble can kill the golem and put pressure on the magister we'll have multiple ways to prevent his casting.

Didn't Grumble attack the Magister, not the golem? Or am I confused? He declared the magister as his smite target so my assumption was that he was attacking him, not a summoned creature or anything. Am I missing something about this golem? Can we not reach the magister directly?

Also, I'll ask the group here. Do we want me to cast Silence to try to stop his casting completely, or ready an attack to attack him when he casts? I'm fine with either, just let me know what you want me to do.

Sure, I’ll just cast it on Grumble and let him go beat the snot out of him.

I forgot I actually had this spell, but as soon as possible I'd like Soren to cast Silence with the goal of catching the magister in its area of effect. If I remember correctly you only get the Will save if it targets you directly? If not and he gets one regardless, just slap him with Silence and hope he fails so he can't cast anything with verbal components.

Also, I completely forgot I had Rapid Shot. Since I'm against Touch AC on what I presume to be a wizard, please have Soren use that every time she attacks for maximum damage output.

Thanks, guys. The short version is my girlfriend of five years and I have split up, but it's... a lot more complicated than that. She's not sure what she wants and I'm not sure what she wants and the whole thing has become sort of a cluster f&~% that I'm trying to figure out so regardless of how it ends up playing out I can try to get my life on track with or without her. A lot of my future plans involved a plus one, and while it's possible we'll be together again when the dust settles, I need to at least be prepared for the possibility that we won't and I'll need to go it alone for a while from here on out.

I appreciate the offer to talk, though. I'm just trying to deal with what seems to be the very confused and constantly changing mind of someone whom I still love a great deal, and I don't have a lot of energy to do much else.

Hey guys, I'm having... some very serious problems with my personal life at the moment that I'm still trying to figure out. It's just been a mess and every time I think I know what's going on I seem to go deeper down the rabbit hole.

My point is, sorry if my posting falls off. If you need me and I'm not posting, bot me. If we're in combat, Soren prioritizes the most powerful enemy unless one of the party is in danger from a more immediate threat, in which case she'll shoot at them. If a target seems low she'll use Up Close and Deadly for a grit point if it seems likely she'll get it back from killing them. She'll pass on using Judgments for right now but would like to use Bane if the magister stays alive past a few rounds.

I should be okay to post, it's just everything has really, well, gone to s!+&. While I try to pick up the pieces I don't want to hold you guys up.

Personally, I say we fight here. We can reinforce the Lamashtans, and Soren has the Angel Slayer trait so she's pretty well adapted for taking out the celestials. If we can kill them, I'm guessing other than the magister they're the most dangerous thing in the tower and we'll have the Lamashtans to help slay the magister. If I pump enough resources into killing the celestials I can probably kill one a round between Judgments, Bane, Rapid Shot, and my grit abilities; if not, they'll still likely be weak enough that we collectively can finish them off.

After that, we can get everything ready for Sakarrot before finding the magister. If we kill everyone here he won't know we're not who we say we are, so we could even launch a surprise attack using the Lamashtans as bait by pretending we've captured them and then killing them all.

Soren freezes as she hears the voice of the guard, for a second realizing she hadn't dropped her disguise. Before she turns to speak to the guard, she utters a silent prayer to Asmodeus that the guard wasn't able to see her face. She spins around breathless, pointing to the dead soldiers strewn about the room. "These men were caught setting fire to the watchtower! There are traitors still amongst our ranks! Quickly, can you take us to the magister? He needs to be warned!" Soren's eyes catch the sick and unconscious soldiers behind the door, and barely suppresses a grin.

'Everything's going according to plan.'

Bluff: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (10) + 18 = 28
Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22

Really sorry to hear about your dog, that's never an easy thing to deal with. If you need more time, I don't think any of us are going to complain.

Instead of attacking, Soren chants under her breath in Infernal, and casts a glowing hand toward one of the soldiers attacking her compatriots. "Be still," she says, grinning as she finishes her incantation. "We just need to ask you a few questions."

Soren casts Hold Person, with a DC of 16.

Sorry for my absence, I forgot to post here. I was away for a little over a week visiting my girlfriend in Memphis, and then my connecting flight got canceled and screwed everything up, including me getting back to being nocturnal for work. So, I haven't really been up to posting for the past few days since I got back. I'm back in the swing of things now, though.

As for humidity, can't disagree that it sucks. I live in it 24/7; I live right next to the ocean meaning it hovers around 99% humidity at all times around here. I love feeling like I'm swimming through the air all year round. When my girlfriend was down in Panama as a research assistant she found it hilarious that the humidity was lower in an actual rain forest than where I live.

Ignoring the growing blaze as the embers dance about her and Jack, Soren cocks her head not unlike a dog before looking around. "Did you hear that? It sounds like there's someone following us... but I don't see them." Soren pauses in place and sniffs at the air, before zeroing in on a seemingly open patch of unburnt grass. "It's the Lamashtans," Soren says in passing before approaching their hidden location. "No use in trying to hide from us. I can hear your clumsy footfalls from a mile away and I smell the old stew that's dried into your pants. Are you here to help us, or are you trying to sneak away unnoticed and back out on our deal?" She gives a slight grin after her second suggestion, enough to make it seem like it might only be a joke.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (13) + 12 = 25

I'm not sure what Jack was thinking, but I figured there was little reason to try and avoid them. We can just say we're headed to the tower to help take command.

Back in her disguise as Lydia, Soren strides confidently toward the the keep with her pistol out, doing her best to look the part as someone on the lookout for danger. Unless they stop her, she tells any soldiers she encounters that she's headed to the tower in order to help organize their defenses and take control. "Well, what's the plan?" She looks over at their fake Sir Balin, and runs her tongue along her teeth while in thought. "Should we sent them away from Aurex for the time being? It'll draw out the time until the potion takes effect, and it'll give Nate more breathing room before he runs into trouble. We can reconnect with Morana and Alice from there. We should find the magister and deal with him somehow as well. Perhaps send him and more men to the inn and see if he and the Lamashtans will wipe each other out?"

I'm fine with us finding a new ally after we finish Book 1. I know some people who might be interested in joining.

I'm fine with us finding a new ally after we finish Book 1. I know some people who might be interested in joining.

I'm still here, can't wait to see this start up again!

Four of us have posted in the last several days, so at the very least most of us are still here.

Same here. I'm glad stuff is getting a little more normal for you.

"That's not a bad idea. It'll draw them away from where the bugbears will be entering the town, and it means they have nowhere to run. It'll also draw them away from the fort, which isn't a bad idea on its own. While you two do that, Jack and I can try to sow some more chaos in the fort."

I’m sorry to hear that stuff has been so rough for you. I don’t know how you feel exactly, but I know the feeling of using this to escape reality. I did it myself a lot to try and escape the pressures of college. At one point, I think I was playing in or running about thirty concurrent games. So, I guess I understand how you can end up in that position.

I completely understand havng to shut some stuff down. I’ll agree with the sentiment that this is definitely my favorite game I’m in at the moment, possibly ever. It’s been amazing to play in, this kind of game is what I love to play. I will completely understand if you have to cut the game, though. Life always comes first. As much as I love this game, I would also give it up in an instant if it made life easier for you.

I hope things start to work out for you. I understand having to drop my game too, but just know that you’re always welcome back if you can manage it. Also, let me know if you ever want another set of eyes on that book, okay? It is what I went to school for, after all.

Soren, back in her disguise as Lydia, heads toward the tower to wreak havoc from the inside. "Where are we sending Aurex?" she asks the group on the way there. "Wherever he's going, we'll send more soldiers in the opposite direction. They'll be spread even thinner, and it'll make it easier for Nate and Aurex to sweep back toward the fight once it begins."

"Regardless, we need to get out of here. We can't be here when or if the maigster returns. It will raise too many questions. Let's get out of here and see what we can do in order to help take control of the tower." Soren looks over at the high priest and the cultists. "If you don't want to have the full weight of the tower crash down on you, you might want to leave too." Afterward, Soren heads out the side door and does her best to get away from the building before being seen by any onlookers. Once they're away, she turns to Grumble Jack.

"I didn't want to say it in front of them, but make sure Raaven tells them not to kill the Lord Commander. He might still be afield, and there's no reason to have them kill him. It may not be needed, but it's better to be safe when we're so close."

"If not now, then soon. Get Raaven to figure out how long it will take them to arrive, then time accordingly. We should be done with this within a few hours, I should think. We want their arrival to coincide with us taking control and clearing out threats, after all. They could still be useful for clearing out the remaining soldiers." Soren looks out at the tower, before shifting into her Lydia disguise again. "After that, you can recall him to your side, can you not? He could be useful in disabling the siege engines, or even just causing chaos."

"That's a... surprisingly smart idea. The magister still has no idea we're connected to these attacks, he has no reason to suspect us. We can send the soldiers out hunting, and once they're gone we can deal with the magister and the men still in the tower. Raaven is still with Fire-Axe, yes? He could give the signal to move."

Soren is pretty smart. I’ll put up a post where she ‘thinks this up’.

Well, we haven't killed the magister, taken out the siege engines or taken the gatehouse. Those seem pretty important.

I think I can have Raaven sabotage the siege engines quickly enough. We need to seize the gatehouse though. Maybe we can do that while the poison is working its way through the troops. We could probably disguise ourselves as soldiers and walk right in.

I think we were, at one point anyway, planning to have Nate and Aurex provide some aerial support while we took out the siege engines. That could probably work for the gatehouse too, if we can't sneak in. As for the magister, I'm sure we'll get another chance to bash his head in.

"He's right. If you had been here yourself, well, perhaps the magister wouldn't have been a problem for us to begin with? I didn't see you toe to toe with the Mitrans while I was putting rounds through Father Donnigan's chest. You accuse me of withholding information, but at least I didn't get cold feet when it came to the dirty work. I would think the High Priest of Lamashtu would be eager to personally see to the end of some of Mitra's greatest agents in the Tower."

"If you want to know who our inside agent is, then perhaps you could tell us where you were while we took care of the Mitran dogs. Sound fair?"

"Our agent within the Tower is none of your concern, James. They carry enough authority that dealing with the magister will be within their power, I should hope. So please, quit worrying. Do you think we've spent all our time here twiddling our thumbs?" Soren shoots the high cleric a disapproving look, then sighs heavily. "You can retreat, if you truly wish to, but I didn't expect such cowardice. Don't you want to watch the light drain from the Lord Commander's eyes?"

"Oh, ye of little faith. This attack is far from over, and the magister will have little ability to put a stop to us. The two of you must deliver the stew now, in case the magister isn't stopped by our... agent from the inside. He will raise the alarm, but if you two can get it in soon we should beat him to the punch, assuming he alerts them at all." Soren looks at James and his cultists, grinning ever so slightly. She folds her arms across her chest and reverts her form to normal, dropping the demonic facade. "I think you and your men ought to take on the Lord Commander. You have a history, do you not?"

"We'll just deal with him later. For the time being, though, let's clean up the last of them." Soren snaps off another two shots at the soldiers, aiming for any wounded to finish them off; in no one in her sight is wounded, she just fires on the nearest guard to put them down.

Attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10
Attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

It's all lies piled on top of lies with us.

Seriously. We've been in... what, like six fights this entire campaign?

Also, as far as I know, you should have another trait.

The game started with three traits and the option for a drawback, and then everyone got another trait after we finished the dungeon underneath the manse. So, it was possible to have up to five traits. I'm not sure how many people have that many, but I know I do.

Oh, don't forget that the Lord Commander is betraying his country and joining us because I look like/might be/promised to resurrect his dead wife. That's a whole situation that'll have to be dealt with at some point, but suffice to say we've got a man on the inside. We also poisoned the soldiers in the keep to make it easier to kill them when the time comes. The Lord Commander just wanted us to kill the cultists as he always suspected they were bad news.

I think that's the last of the super important information.

"Your magic won't save you, you old fool! Your Lord Commander, if he even still breathes, will fall before us. Just like you." Soren fires off two more shots for the man's chest, hoping to kill the priest before he has the chance to protect or heal any more of the soldiers. If the magister escaped, Havelyn wouldn't be a problem; he was too invested now. Even if Havelyn didn't kill him, he'd make the magister easy prey when the time came to deal with him. "Please, waste your dying breath on one last prayer. I want to watch your futile struggle on the way to the Boneyard."

Attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (12) + 11 = 23
Damage: 1d8 + 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (8) + (3) + 3 = 14
Attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21
Damage: 1d8 + 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + (5) + 3 = 13
Total of 27 damage.

No Bane this round, but more Grit being spent. I figure once we clear the big boys out, I can regain some more by killing the mooks.

A heads up for all my games; I'm going to be camping from Monday to Wednesday, so I won't be able to post. I should have Internet on my phone, but posting from my phone is a real chore (even ignoring the logout issue I still have on mobile) so I will be silent for a few days. I may keep up if I can get Paizo to reliably work on my phone, but if not I'll catch up when I get back.

I just checked to make sure my post went through, so we aren't waiting on me either. I think we just need a post for the soldiers and stuff before we move on.

I'm gonna assume I can get around the corner to fire at one of the two with the fancy portrait; I can't tell exactly which is which, but Soren's gunning for the healer.

"Time to pay Father a visit," Soren says, swinging down off the rope and rounding the building. When she spots Father Donnigan, Soren just grins and fires off two quick shots from her pistol after chanting a quick prayer. "Lord Asmodeus, may my bullets be unerring and burn with hellfire as I smite your foes!" Her first bullet wings for the Father's head and the second for his chest, before shouting for Nate. "Nate, Grumble! Father Donnigian is weak, finish him off! Cut him down, I'll keep the magister busy!"

Attack; Touch: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (16) + 13 = 29
Damage: 1d8 + 3d6 + 5 ⇒ (7) + (2, 3, 4) + 5 = 21
Attack; Touch: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19
Damage: 1d8 + 2d6 + 5 ⇒ (2) + (6, 3) + 5 = 16
Total of 38 damage.

Since you mentioned we could have pre-cast any buffs, I included Divine Favor in this round as I didn't realize we had the time before. If you'd rather I didn't, subtract two from both attack and damage. I also spent a round of Bane and a point of Grit for Up Close and Deadly.

I'm fine with just sticking with 5 if we want, although if we wanted to recruit someone new I'm sure we could pluck someone from another game rather than an open recruitment.

Am I up? I don't think so, but I wanted to check I wasn't who we were waiting on.

Soren doesn't waste time with words, simply drawing her pistol and taking aim on the guard. Once Nate moves forward, she fires on the guardsman as well; she snaps off one shot and reloads, aiming again for the man's chest.

Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11
Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
Damage: 1d8 + 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (7) + (6) + 1 = 14

I feel like I should find some objection to that, but I can't really find it. It won't be the first inn I've burned down.

Working on a post now.

I'm probably going to shoot the guy, but I want to see if anything changes since Nate is incognito. If so, I may spend more resources to kill this guy if need be. I could also try hitting him with a Hold Person, if we want to.

I agree, sounds like a good plan. Who wants to go where? Soren can go either way.