Tao watches San plunge down the chasm - he grips his own end of the rope tight, digging his feet into the ground, hoping to prevent it from slipping through his grasp!
Tao did not trust the Scarnettis. His auntie holds their influence responsible for the disappearance of his cousin some 17 years ago. But he also believed people deserve to be treated individually and judged by their own merit... Thus, it is with cautious reticence that he bows slightly and phrases "Ma'am" trying to hold his own prejudice - righteous or otherwise - in reserve behind the polite salutation of custom.
Walking over to the "lout" "Doncha worry brave one! Canna do better'n ta have y'cargo 'rive safe an' soun' cannit?" he winks at the boy. Distracting himself now, Tao gathers some of the crustacean meat, gripping his "glaive" near the blade, and crouching down, skillfully using it like a knife to carve the carcass into storable bits. He gestures the boy over, willing to show him if he can spare a moment.
Survival to Forage:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
"No good" he declares the lost cause, and now finished, Tao looks East, shrugs his shoulders, and moves to the front of the pack "Le's go?" he hollars back.
Struggling against first his Martial and then his Magical ancestors (who misadvise him on treating his own ailment), Tao wonders if his affliction will cause him to lose consciousness!
Round Three
◆) Treat Poison Flat Check (DC 4) to Disobey Martial Ancestors:1d20 ⇒ 1 Treat Poison (Medicine, Trained) vs DC ??:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23 Fortitude Saves vs Poison (DC ??):1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15 End of Turn Ancestors (Martial, Skillful, Magical, Choice):1d4 ⇒ 3
Round Four
◆) Treat Poison Flat Check (DC 4) to Disobey Magical Ancestors:1d20 ⇒ 2 Treat Poison (Medicine, Trained) vs DC ??:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20 Fortitude Saves vs Poison (DC ??):1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17 End of Turn Ancestors (Martial, Skillful, Magical, Choice):1d4 ⇒ 3
”Thet looks infected” wondering how long he has until he passes out, Tao calls for magical help from his ancestors, who swarm into the crab, distracting it while he struggles to lift his glaive spear!
Wanting to go for a luxury swim on more than one occasion, Tao allows the somber moment to restrain his desire while in Art's boat.
He notices when the old man warily eyes the water feigning confidence "Don't worry none, I say. We got the faith on our side, twice as many, and a little luck to boot!" clutching his "glaive".
He, too, warily looks at the water, feigning confidence...
"Can't say I'm not nervous to encounter the very-same creatures described, but... one looks out for one's neighbor, right?" he turns to Father Zantus "Father" he addresses him formally now "Would you see to it that my Auntie is informed as to my temporary absence?"
He smiles again when Vildran says "us"!
"I hope that three days time - likely doubled to a week's - wouldn't be in vain to make our Search Party" he looks around the room "Well, that's three of us. Who else is in? We can go farther together!"
As the party musters, our upstart hero heads deeper into the church - arriving at an armory - and borrows some armor as well as the favored weapon of Shelyn - the brutally wicked "blood-paintbrush"! - sliding the breastplate to cover his vitals underneath his multi-colored jump-suit, strapping it in place with spare fabric ties. He gives the glaive a few practice swings "Balanced well, methinks" and prepares to head out.
"I'm ready!" taking the map graciously from Martin Cardenal with a smile "If you're friend is there, we'll find her" he makes a promise he may or may not be able to keep.
Sandpoint Lore to Recall a Priestess of Cayden Cailean:
Sandpoint Lore (Trained):1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
Oathday, right!
Tao looks at Martin Cardenal, then to Father Zantus once more, his voice curious and yet solemn "Should someone investigate what is happening in the north?..." he wonders about the fate of the dinghy and the bloody letter, and did the seaweed creatures with white eyes capture them(?), or did she find what she was looking for(?).
Looking around, several faces among the crowd become familiar once again to him "I wouldn't go alone - too dangerous - but with a couple friends, I might be able to see what I can do!"
He looks to Father Zantus ”Sandpoint” he says, keeping his words short and informative. He bites his tongue for a bit, and when he can’t stand it any longer, asks the logical next question ”Do you have a name?” washing up to the shore like a stray piece of driftwood!
Of medium height and average weight, Tao was surprisingly strong for his size and stature, neither wiry nor bulky, skinny nor heavyset, rather, exceedingly ordinary, yet perhaps possessed of a preternatural sense of leverage. He had just gotten back from Junker's Edge on his morning scavenge not a half an hour ago.
"Is the man still alive?" he asked Turch Sterglus, snatching off into the morning from Valdemar’s Fish Market before either awaiting an answer or making his daily purchase for the family breakfast, and arriving via Festival Street in full sprint soonly to 60 Church Street "Abstaler!" he calls out, searching the Cathedral for the priest "I can lend my hand"
Running past the shrine to Shelyn, the loose-fitting multi-color jumpsuit his auntie had sewn him moist with sweat, Tao pushes through any gathered voyeurs - including the horned elf he had seen around town - and comes to kneel by the bloated, sick man, and grasping his Rosey Beads, whispers a prayer "May the beauty of life flow freely"
Tao inherits a double legacy he neither asked for nor really deserves.
Phenotypically - in addition to being composed by blood from a heartily mixed Varisian heritage - features whose psycholigically archetypical characteristics seem to signify untrustworthiness compound the reputation his family has layed before him, a burden which he shoulders with inexpicably unbearable ease solely by dint of a happy-go-lucky attitude which seems to skip odd generations in his line, as if, by some deeper wisdom which has been described colloquially as possessing an “old soul” (an irony more than surface deep!), he has simply decided to pre-forgive any prejudice levied against him generated by first impressions of either his person or personage.
Spiritually, for reasons only the gods themselves are privy to, ancestral entities up to 3d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 2) = 10 generations removed linger in the etheral space between this realm and the next, speaking to him from beyond many graves, some loud and boistrous, others inquisitive and insistent, yet others brooding and morose, such that, had he ever had a moment to himself since the first familial appartions had made their contact with him in his puberty, he might have developed the capacity for being at peace when all was still - instead, as it turns out, while others stress, our plucky hero actually thrives during moments of pure chaos, some regulatory intellectual function shaped by his double legacy evolving to prioritize and act on instinct with improvisational excellence.
The adventuring life, it seems, will choose him, and rather than rally against his destiny, Tao chooses to wear it like one of those loose-fitting multi-color jumpsuits his auntie Marin sews up, doting upon him out of mourning for her own son who died some 17 years ago, seeing in him the likeness of Laurel as well as an equal penchant for getting into and out of trouble.
Around town, Tao divides his time from caring for his extended family, helping out Abstaler Zantus(male human cleric of Desna) at the 60 Church Street Cathedral (S1), and making the rounds “recycling” found trinkets from the Junker’s Edge (S6) cliffside dump to turn around and pawn at Rings and Things (S5) to the proprietor Maver Kesk(male human jeweler) so that he can purchase the daily catch at Valdemar’s Fish Market (S34) from Turch Sterglus(male human fisher) or procure spare parts from Bilivar Wheen(male human wheelwright) of Wheen’s Wagons (S31) to bring back to the Heron “encampment” (a handful of wagons formed into a circle) just outside of Sandpoint across Tanner Bridge and down the road aways.
Make Impression (Diplomacy, Trained) vs Abstaler Zantus:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13 Make Impression (Diplomacy, Trained) vs Maver Kesk:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 Make Impression (Diplomacy, Trained) vs Turch Sterglus:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16 Make Impression (Diplomacy, Trained) vs Bilivar Wheen:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
There he lives in his own wagon alongside those of his auntie Marin, his cousins Jesselle, Morosino, and Pike, and a few others who have more-or-less also been adopted into the clan.
A Varisian woman dressed in the lively colors of her people sports flamboyant ebony earrings depicting a crow guarding a nest. Painfully extroverted, Tao expresses her curiosity through small talk, casual remarks, or questions, skilled at listening as well talking, as her attention to inscrutable detail is thoughtful and honest (sometimes overly so).
At all times, her hair, clothing, and belongings shift and stir, as if some invisible force molests her constantly, and to make matters worse, she extends her conversational aptitudes towards these unseen and meddling spirits, almost as if she remains unperturbed by them, or, simply soundboarding her way through her daily tasks - her mental dialogue, unrelegated to itself, instead on full audible display!
Tao rises neither early nor late, unrushed and unforced but somehow always inexplicably on time, and likes to spend her mornings studying star charts and the movements of other heavenly bodies and apply their specific cosmological geometry to reading her own horoscope or those of her willing teammates.
Experienced w/ PF2, Yes I can handle 1 post per day for years - Here are One (non-combat) and Two (combat) examples from this alias (Tao is a PFS character of mine, re-imagined somewhat here for RustDoom) - I recently dropped out of a Rusthenge game (early stage) as the GM seemed of the unresponsive kind (kept mechanics hidden without explanation, ignored non-combat character posts, did not engage in the discussion thread, etc) - but yeah, go ahead and snoop through my campaign history, I got nothing to hide!
Descended from a family of Varisian Wanderers, Tao Lavinia Heron grew up under the stars, an eldest sister tasked with the care of her younger brothers, sisters, cousins, numerous and boisterous, and in need of continuous but gentle corralling.
Early in life, her dreams began to expand into dimensions beyond her understanding, led by a black-and-grey crow whom she would follow into the firmament. Tao would travel forward and backward through time, observing events yet to come and long passed, and communing with children of her grandchildren and great grandmothers of her forefathers alike, scenes set with simple setting - a campfire, an exodus across a vast plain, a gathering of multiple families, a funeral or wedding, a hike with an elder to an auspicious location. Her entire bloodline, spread out forward and backward, would be her dreamtime companions. She thought her nighttime adventures fanciful for a long time, until her recollections sharpened and she began to recognize events when they happened again during her waking life - if only fleeting moments, a flash of deja vu, a vague memory of a dream.
And then her magic came.
And with it, the dreams began to mesh with her waking world - her ancestors would speak to her during the day, often multiple at a time, like so many celestial beings upon her left and right shoulder - warriors, rogues, mystics - sharing with her of their talents while filling her head with noise! And worse! As her power grew, so too her responsibility - charged with de facto eldership in her early mature adult years, decades early by human lifespans, her consult was not just metaphysical, but physical too, as her living ancestors began to beseech her for a fortune-telling, or a request to proctor a ceremony, or a mediation of conflict between family sects. Even the elders themselves consulted a young Tao for such matters. She spent many years occupying this role, it's toll upon her desire to experience freedom ordinarily afforded to her people total, complete. And stifling.
Having risen to the occasion for an extended tenure, Tao communed with Grandmother Crow on one fateful night to ask her if her lot, extending forward, was indefinite. Her response was unexpected: "Go forth and sabbatical, for you will know when it is time to return. There is grave danger, and you are Called: It is Writ in the Stars, as you have already know for a long time. Seek!"
Tao is an Writ in Stars Oracle (Ancestors) / Champion (Liberator) of Andoletta / Swashbuckler (Battledancer), a somewhat all-around character capable of holding the frontline with Briarthorn and Visna Crownbreaker protecting them with her liberator's reaction and distracting her foes using various Performance feats, as well as keeping tabs on Pentella "Pen" Cole with her healing magic. She contributes mastery in the Religion skill and Fortune-Telling Lore to keep herself engaged with the primary themes of the AP.
Currently borrowing my PFS version of him to apply - will finalize if chosen.
Eschewing the treats for a moment, Tao holds a mini-rave in honor of Andoletta and Shelyn - conjuring forth a pan flute, she plays and dances with Bedwick, Emdi, and anyone else who wants to get down and showcase their moves.
Working up an appetite, she helps herself to one cold smooshed sugar treat, grabs 1d6 ⇒ 3 for Bedwick, then grabs her cousin by the hand and sets off for her next adventure...
Making a quick rounds, Tao does her best to patch up her compatriots, then steals a moment of prayer away as she approaches the upper limit of her divinely gifted power!
Leaping into the air to pirouette, Tao fires 100 needles from her bladed scarf which scatters, and joined in tandem by the spiritual staff, focuses her barrage upon the final hound.
Tao does the "rave wave" and grabbing Emdi's hand, ensorcels him with her scarves like a winding spindle, narrowly ducking the lightning bolt!
Though she cannot counterattack, Tao will prioritize Emdi with her Retributive Strike if it will keep him standing (I think he has to succeed on his save)
Twirling and Twisting around acid, Tao unleashes her full ancestral power channelling healing energy into Nakgu - with a short prayer, she directs her magical staff to the more wounded of the two dogs, her magical ancestors predominating all-through!
Reflex w/ Turning the Tide (fortune) vs DC 21:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 91d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26 Success bc Turning the Tide?
Tao pirouettes in midair to avoid the caustic drool "Bad dog" she then directs her attention towards the husk that was once an elven nobleman Nathatel"Look out folks - that one's not finished!" drawing her staff and sending it through the air, one of her ancestors catches it, causing it to imbue with spiritual energy, and thwacks the dead magus with it!
◆) Step
◆◆) Spiritual Weapon
◇) Strike vs Nathatel
~) Curse of Ancestral Meddling:1d4 ⇒ 3Magical
↺) Retributive Strike
~) Warded by Whirling Scarves(Concealed @ DC 5 melee or DC 6 ranged, snags melee on miss imposes -1 circumstance until end of attacker's turn)
Tao's moves are slow - before she knows it, the hounds are upon her! Her oracular ancestors beckon her most - indeed, she followed in their footsteps - and to protect herself, she whirls divine magic with her flowing scarves, and graces Mandoo (thus, Libtina) with her soothing magic, causing another great disturbance tapping the source of her power!
◆◆) Whirling Scarves
◆) Lay on Hands @ Mandoo (+18 HPs, +2 status to AC - shared with Lib?)
↺) Retributive Strike
Cursebound Ancestors:1d4 ⇒ 1 End of Turn Ancestors:1d4 ⇒ 3Magical
Moving into the center of the statue melee, Tao manages to keep her entire party (for the time being) within her divine protection - defying her ancestors Ancestral Interference (Flat DC 4):1d20 ⇒ 5 she casts forth a localized sonic boom - one thousand varisian musicians play forth with foundation cracking percussion, eroding the line of three statues behind Libitina!
An old dance, she remembers participating in when she was young - the Dance to Drive Out the Demon King - performed as an exorcism of sorts, with two parts. Looking over at Nakgu and Isaku - whom she intends to stage as the Warriors (Athletics? Acrobatics?) capitalizing on the distraction she creates as the Dancer - she begins to whip her dancing scarves into a whorl - establishing pattern and pace - luring in the mind of Serraleth and away from her own ritual!
As her party approaches the breach, Tao invokes spirits that keep Emdi from having rubble dropped on him whilst kneeling, provide helpful suggestions in Mork's ear while he studies the antler'd Serraleth, and dulls any abrasions that Nakgu might scrape as he bashes through.
She studies what remains of the barrier, and tracing the air with her dancing scarves, choreographs a particular vibration that might disrupt the frequency of Spiritual and Vital power that holds it together!
Preferring always to see people as the best resource, Tao pegs everyone she meets "Looking for a tall, wounded elf, sparkle in his eye, spear on his back"
Tao rests, joins Emdi's mini-rave communing with her ancestors, blasts her party with a 1st then 2nd rank healing spell, and contemplates the relationship between her patron god and Yuelral.
"Oh boy. Gunna take over the world there, kill whoever gets in your way, eh? Yeah that's not very nice..."
A torrent of colors burst forth from our extroverted hero's clothing as she strides confidently forward, trying to anticipate the center of the fight now underway.
◆) Stride
◆◆) Whirling Scarves(Concealed to melee DC 5 and ranged DC 6 - can snag failed melee attacks to penalize -1 circumstance subsequent)
+
↺) Retributive Strike
↺) Death's Call(If a creature dies w/in 20-ft, Tao gains temp HPs = 4 + level of fallen creature)
~) Whichever triggers first
Whirling Scarves:
You surround yourself in a vortex of whirling colorful scarves of force that obfuscate you and disorient your foes. You gain the benefits of the concealed condition, but only against ranged and melee attacks. When a melee attack fails to hit you because of the flat check for the concealed condition, the scarves snag the weapon or unarmed attack, and the creature takes a –1 circumstance penalty to further attacks with that weapon or unarmed attack until the end of its turn (or the end of its next turn, if it wasn’t the creature’s turn). The timing of the scarves’ movement is harder to predict for ranged attackers, so the flat check for the concealed condition against ranged attacks increases from DC 5 to DC 6. You can Dismiss this spell.
Trigger A living creature within 20 feet of you dies, or an undead creature within 20 feet of you is destroyed.
Duration 1 minute
Seeing another pass from this world to the next invigorates you. You gain temporary Hit Points equal to the triggering creature's level plus your spellcasting ability modifier. If the triggering creature was undead, double the number of temporary Hit Points you gain. These last for the duration of the spell, and the spell ends if all the temporary Hit Points are depleted earlier.
"Defending one's home is as natural as it gets, for it is you who knows the terrain, and the spirit stands taller in defense of what one must do. It's gonna be okay, and we will help you, and what happens now enters the stories you will tell your grandchildren. So, let's get going huh? Your most comfy shoes and your sharpest kitchen knife. Let's send these demons back to where they came from!"
Tao rabble-rouses in an area where she can project her voice - she pats Bedwick's head as he stands by, taking it all in.
"You cut a sharp figure in that archer's armor there, Emdi - shame to despoil your greatest asset" Tao jokes, whirling her scarves at the demons while she teases, the torrent of ancestors spiraling wider to protect her and her's "Mork - if you were a spy, I might join your side!"
In reference to Mandoo and Lib "He always talk to himself, that one?"
Her spirits high, Tao inexplicably enjoys situating herself at the center of the maelstrom!
Guided by the grandmother of her grandmother, Tao proceeds to the center of the melee - just within range of Mork and Emdi - and keeping Nakgu within her own range - and swirls spiritual energy that confounds her foes, making their strikes clumsy!
◆) Stride
◆◆) Bane
◇) End of turn Ancestors:1d4 ⇒ 1 Martial
↺) Retributive Strike (10 feet)
