The Magician, Zomeraand's page

The growling in his stomach rouses Zomeraand Lotheed from the pleasant hallucination induced by the pages of the book resting in his hands. He marks the page with a slip of parchment, and rises from the well-stuffed armchair.

"Thank you, Master Haladan," he says, handing the book to the proprieter. "I was rather enjoying that gnomish legend. If you can possibly hold that book for me, I will likely purchase it within the fortnight. I understand, of course, if you cannot. Business is business, after all."

He nods to the man as he takes his leave, and makes his way through the streets of Sandpoint to his other haunt, the Rusty Dragon.

As he enters the common room, his eyes find Ameiko Kaijitsu. Since his first visit to the Rusty Dragon, the woman fascinated him; not so much in a romantic way, but by her very spirit. She was beautiful, yes, but more so, she was intelligent and competent. He recalled how his approach was deftly, firmly, and politely rebuffed. It was only then that he realized she took him to be propositioning her. In retrospect, it was little wonder, as she moved about the room, deflecting the groping hands of several drunken patrons.

"Good afternoon, Mistress Kaijitsu," he says to the proprietress, giving a respectful, formal, half-bow to her. He moves to an empty table and takes a seat, waiting patiently for one of the servers to take his drink request.

Sandpoint is so much more peaceful than Magnimar, he thought to himself, unconsciously running a finger across the amulet around his neck. I don't regret a single day away from the Yards. In fact, I should have come here sooner. Such sweet serenity!

I have selected Scholar of Analects as my third trait.

Let me know if there is anything else I need to adjust.

I would like to submit Zomeraand, a human universalist wizard. He's a fairly recent arrival, and has been working to establish himself as a local expert and scholar.

I would like to offer The Magician, Zomeraand for consideration as your replacement party member.

He was originally created for a Rise of the Runelords PbP that sputtered out shortly after the Swallowtail Festival.

I will flesh out his backstory once I have done a bit more reading on initial PC knowledge from the player's guide.

Let me know if there's anything that needs adjusting.

My anxiety about the romance subplot now seems wasted haha!

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Campaign.

Thanks for letting us know.

It was fun while it lasted.

Hope everyone is doing well. I’m still hanging about.

Hello again. Just checking in. Everyone okay?

Everything okay? Ready for next round?

Next round? Everyone okay?

Zomeraand turn his angry stare to the creature before him, and unleashes a blast of bitter cold at the thing.

Ray of Frost, Ranged Touch: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Cold Damage: 1d3 ⇒ 3

(I already stabbed and missed badly with my dagger, so it's Delin's turn.)

Will Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Zomeraand feels boiling anger welling up inside him from the pain of the creature’s bite.

(Sicked, 30 rounds)

Zomeraand stabs at the thing clumsily with his dagger.

Attack, with Arcane Strike: 1d20 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 1 - 2 = 0

Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Zomeraand unleashes his flying dagger at the nearest creature.

Hand of the Apprentice: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Confirm Critical: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Zomeraand nods, then looks to Anton to lead the attack.

Zomeraand nods to Anton in acknowledgement, grasps his amulet in one hand and readies himself to cast.

”If you can take the lead down to the cells, I will be directly behind you, ready to use my magic if a threat presents itself,” Zomeraand replies to Anton.

"I suppose we should search the area before moving on, for clues of what is or has happened here, and to make sure nothing is lying in wait to ambush us as we pass." Zomeraand gestures towards the stairs leading down to the cells.

Zomeraand looks around at the architecture and design of the room, trying to glean any information he can about its origins.

Knowledge, Engineering: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18

Knowledge, History: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

Zomeraand backs away from the door and nods to Anton. "Would you care to do the honors?" he asks the fighting man.

For what it’s worth, I’m still here and still hopeful that the game will continue. Not trying to be an annoyance, but I will keep checking in periodically until the game resumes or until there is a formal announcement that the game is over.

Hadn't seen anything in a while. Just thought I'd check in. Everything okay? Is the campaign still going, and just on temporary hiatus?

Everything okay?

Zomeraand nods at Delin’s suggestion. He approaches the door and passes his amulet in front of it, attempting to find any spells that may have been placed on it.

(detect magic cantrip)

Zomeraand nods. "I agree. We don't want someone or something trapping us at the bottom of the stairwell."

"Wonderful! An artifact we can study at leisure when we return. In the meantime, let's continue our sweep of the complex. That way?" he suggests pointing to the corridor on the West side of the room.

Everyone else okay?

We in the room with the statue at this point, is that correct?

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10

"That direction," he says, pointing to the western side of the room, as he juggles his journal, ink and quill.

Zomeraand pulls out his research journal, and begins taking notes about the statue, including a rough sketch.

He spends a bit more time getting down a precise image of the 7-pointed star on the cover of the book.

"Interesting..." he mutters. "I'm sure I can find something about this."

Knowledge, History: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

”Who is this, I wonder?” Zomeraand puzzles.

Zomeraand holds his amulet up and extends his magical senses, trying to determine if the statue holds any enchantments.

(Casting detect magic)

”I suggest we investigate the complex, now that we are inside. Thus far, it has yielded the most information, even if we don’t fully understand the context of what we’ve learned,” Zomeraand suggests.

(Translation: well-built tunnel)

Delin's player is still on deployment until the 15th. Should we assume her assent in backtracking to the corridor and heading North?

”Anton, Delin, what are your thoughts?” he asks the other two.

I was the last one to post. I’m still here.

"What we know at the moment, is that there is a religious component to all this," Zomeraand says. "The theft of a priest's remains, an unholy altar to some dark god or devil...these tunnels may be the lair of someone sort of cult," he speculates.

I’m here. I was waiting for someone else to take a crack at a Knowledge Check or
two.

Zomeraand takes a few moments to take in the trappings of the room and altar, trying to divine what they represent.

Knowledge, Arcana: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Knowledge, Religion: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

Knowledge, Planes: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

Knowledge, History: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

Zomeraand takes a few moments to draw on his power and begins to sweep the room slowly, looking for magical auras.

(Casting detect magic)

"Keeping to our plan of not passing unexplored corridors, it would stand to reason that this is the direction we should head next," Zomeraand says, gesturing toward the right-hand corridor.

Zomeraand raises his hands as M'ara tries the door, ready to cast at the first sign of danger.

Zomeraand looks to the group. "The hallway, or the door?" he asks.

Oops. I missed that. Thanks for the clarification all the same!

There's a door on the map of the room that wasn't mentioned in the description. Is there a door?

Gleaning nothing further about the pottery, Zomeraand looks around the room for anything they might have missed.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

I'm still here. I actually thought I was the last one to post, so I was waiting for an update.

Appraise: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

Knowledge, History: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

Zomeraand takes a moment to look over the pottery, and see if he can glean any additional information from it.

"That room seems quite intentional," Zomeraand says. "Perhaps we should investigate?"

Zomeraand resists the temptation to pull out his journal and start sketching the thing.

"Best we keep moving, then," he says. "Clearly there's something down here our patricidal maniac didn't want anyone to see and live to speak of."

”Definitely not natural, and doesn’t seem to be something from the known Outer Planes,” Zomeraand replies. ”Maybe something magically created or altered by transmutation magic?” he adds, speculatively.

”If we get the opportunity, I’d like to bring it back up with us to study....not now, of course.”