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Arianna raises a glass with the others but doesn't drink very much.

When Arianna gets time alone, she packages up a few letters she wrote during nights on watch. The first to her family, asking how things are and sending some money along; the second to Daniel and Clara, similarly asking how things are and how they are being treated by their masters in House Lodovka. The third letter goes to Lucille.

After the financial crisis and before anything else happens, she also goes to see Aivar when they're both free. "If you have a moment, Aivar, there's something I wanted to discuss with you."

That's a really long and roundabout way of saying 'are you sure you want to do that?' :)

So here's the difference between what happened to Oleg and this werewolf: this werewolf wasn't being backed by a G*% d&#n noble capable of hiring a Hitman after he outlived his usefulness. What happened to Oleg was a tragedy, but we are not the absolute authority and even if we were! It would be suuuuper sketchy to hold a trial with us involved. There is a reason that in the real world, judges recuse themselves from serving if the case at hand involves them or their personal interests, it's to prevent corruption. You can't honestly tell me you would give this guy a fair trial, can you?

Arianna grabs Raquel and slaps a hand over her mouth. "I am so sorry, what she meant was that she and Tristan were..."

bluff: 1d20 ⇒ 7

Her mind goes blank and she visibly deflates. "Yes alright I've got nothing. Sorry, won't happen again, Raquel would it help if you had a temple to practice in? Maybe not a temple, I don't know what sorts of places Caydenites worship in, a bar? Least then you know what you're in for..."

Arianna was doing her best to be as quiet and unobstrusive as she could as soon as they started talking about being naked, filling her head with thoughts of chemical formulae, but was viciously yanked back to reality by Raquel saying her name. "What, I--oh G#& d**n it, I am so not dignifying this--and also I don't think that all of us living under one roof is entirely appropriate oh G@~ d+!n it there she goes."

Despite her protests Arianna still goes to make sure Raquel doesn't hurt herself.

Arianna looks up at the ceiling as the realization dawns. "That was a load-bearing dwarf, then--let's go, let's go right now--!" She smacks Tristan and Aivar on the arms to get them moving and pushes Sasha ahead of her to the exit.

Arianna stares at the spot where the worg she was fighting had been, and sags. "I think I got worg on my boots," she says. "G$+ d+!n everything."

She deactivates the enchantment on her axe, drops it into a belt loop, and much as she wants to take Raquel up on the offer after that...experience...she checks on the horses.

Ah, well, that's unfortunate, but understandable.

Since we won't be continuing, I'd like to come out with it. Lina was the one who had the ire of the entity. She was in the process of turning into a kobold, afflicted with cowardice, and was to be afflicted with a modified curse of lycanthropy. The reason she's been wearing a scarf over her face from the start and has recently made some disguise checks is that before the game began, she woke up with her face transformed into a draconic muzzle.

I've gotten quite attached to the character, and I plan to use her in the future. Either as a half-elf paladin who struggles with her fears of failure, or as a kobold as a result of a curse :P

I'm with them, really. This is supposed to be fun, and if you aren't having fun, you shouldn't be forcing yourself along because you're afraid of disappointing people.

literally Arianna right now

Lina glares suspiciously at the dark Knight. "I won't work beside a demon-lover. That isn't because of the oaths I've sworn, but because the very prospect disgusts me."

She shakes her head and goes to the front so she can pull open the door and take a look inside.

know nobility: 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 8 + (2) = 16 the emblem Oleg described to Aivar

Cool head, Jhod says, which she quietly questions as she mainly recalls that the night before was spent questioning the sanity of her companions, but she accepts the compliment with grace.

The news incoming, a tad less grace, as the letter from the twins makes her so dizzy with relief that she has to sit with her head between her knees for a couple of minutes. When she's recovered and read the proclamations, she starts in stunned silence while her head is full of thoughts and ideas.

"Land to create a Mark," she says. "That means people, a settlement, a, a, damn it, I need to stop before I get ahead of my self I think. And--and you, Aivar! This is amazing! Congratulations."

For just a moment, she thinks, 'Margraf, that's a noble title.' before pushing it away as he's still a friend first and foremost.

"We'll need to hit the road as soon as possible--hell if I'm going before the Mayor smelling and looking like--well, like I've been in the middle of the wilderness for six months." She laughs a little at herself.

main hand: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

off hand: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Lina gets bitten by the howler but she doesn't let it slow her down, moving into more spinning attacks against it.

Lina leaves the unconscious dretches for the moment, while still placing herself between the demons and the aasimar, and goes after the vermlek near Haruto.

attack, PA: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

damage: 1d4 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

One goes down, and Lina assesses the situation, and spots Azlana getting backed into a corner. She guards herself against the varmlek and moves across the area. full round action to withdraw

Arianna's eyes go wide as she considers the force before them, and the way she drags her hands through her hair makes her look a little crazy.

"On the--are you kidding me, that's tantamount to suicide!" Arianna says in disbelief. "We're totally outnumbered and out on the plains we couldn't possibly get the element of surprise. But..." She frowns, and takes out the map and starts checking over what's been explored and counts partly on her fingers.

"We don't have the manpower to hold the fortress, but if we can kill the bastard off of his home turf it'll be easier to clean up the dregs. Hell, this could almost be a good thing, I wasn't certain how we could possibly go about attacking his base but he comes right on out himself. Assuming it is the Stag Lord, of course. My concern is that if we can see them, they can see us, and we may have to travel through the forest and cross at the bandit camp we routed. It'll take longer, but we can push the horses. Also, I don't know how smart Ayluin is, but you think he could take a message back to Captain Garess at the trading post?"

Oh come on the odds of rolling 1d4 and 2d6 and getting three 1s is one in...okay actually it's 1/144, which is honestly higher than I thought, if still really unlikely. I've rolled on gachas with worse odds.

Lina nods--then, she looks a little uncertain, even awkward. "So, ahem, maybe this is a stupid question and I should just leave it to the ones who know magic better than I--but how, exactly, do we destroy the wardstone fragment? I can't imagine it's as simple as smashing it."

"Sorry, sorry--" Lina enters the room, fiddling with her scarves. "I heard what all you said, just got held up a moment. As my companions said, we can handle ourselves, but your men will look to you as a commander. On our end, we will not fail."

"A hundred years since the Red Morning Massacre, and that demon still remembers it fondly," Lina says. "But no solid information. And before that can be looked into, we have other work to do."

"Well, that confirms their suspicions about what the demons are planning," Lina says. She considers the note for a moment. "Minagho, the Red Morning Massacre..."

lore(mendevian crusades)?: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24 don't know if Minagho and the Red Morning Massacre have anything to do with the crusades, but it's worth a shot

For once, making short work of an encounter isn't because of us being gestalt or enemies being severely outnumbered. Though, I do get the sense that Faxon is one of those baddies who, in the AP, is given a lot of backstory that we have no reason to ever learn.

Lina puts her holy symbol out of sight and tries to look shifty and mean.

how many are there?

Per: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25

Lina takes a good look around. A cultist safehouse, they wouldn't leave everything out in the open, it would be hidden away, she thinks.

"The crusaders launch an attack on the garrison, drawing most of the defenders to the front. That way we can move quickly in. Means we'll only have to face the strongest of them on the way in," Lina says, realizing it as she says it. "If this is what you wish, commander, then I'll give it all I have." She gesticulates as she speaks. "Nevertheless, we'll need every edge we can get if we're going to succeed here, and I'd bet my last copper they have resources we can use in those safehouses. We'll need to work quickly, but I..." She clenches her fist to keep it from shaking. "I believe we can do it."

Lina quickly remembers that as much as she'd like to have a nicer set of tools, most people would probably be suspicious of her motives, even though she would never steal from somebody who didn't deserve it.

Nevertheless she is fascinated by the man working on the clock and approaches. "I'm sorry, but can I ask why you're working on a clock, now of all times?"

So it occurs to me, our characters aren't travelling on horseback all day in utter silence, right? You'd go crazy. We're conversing, I guess? I'm asking Aivar and Raquel about their faiths if not really getting it, asking Nariel what Kyonin is like, things like that. You travel with a group of people for weeks upon weeks, you're either going to end up friends with them or despise them.

Before going to bed, Lina finds the chain shirt they picked up somewhere. She rests well, and after washing up in the morning comes out, wearing her scarves and the masterwork chain shirt, as well as both Starknives on her belt.

"Horgus never returned my sword," Lina declares, like she didn't forget about it until last night at 3 AM.

When Anvina reunites with her wife, Lina feels part of her constant thread of anxiety come undone. She needs a moment to collect herself, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. She adjusts her scarf and begins to speak.

"Commander, sir," she says, using 'sir' in the gender-neutral respectful sense. "Lina Weaver, at your service. Uh, if I may--all of us were in the center of the mess when the attack first happened--that's how we survived, when the plaza collapsed, Terendelev cast a spell to let us survive the fall, along with a couple of others, and we landed in the undercity. There's an entire massive network of tunnels down there, and there's people, living down there. The, uh, the descendants of the early crusaders, if you're familiar at all with the stories, their appearances are strange, but they've created a home down there, these mongrelmen, and they want to help fight for Kenabres."

Lina flinches when the bolt goes over her head. "You should be more careful, you could hurt somebody doing that." She shakes her head. It briefly crosses her mind to claim that her starknives aren't actually knives, but holy symbols, but reason wins out against her irritation. "Fine. I hate the idea of being unarmed in a warzone, damn it. You two--" She points at the tieflings. "Don't try anything funny."

She draws her starknives, but she doesn't drop them; she sets them down carefully. One of simple steel she had been carrying for a year now, the other, tarnished gold. When she sets the gold starknife down, it transforms back into a longsword.

"Now, would you please go get your superior--better yet, how about you go find Irabeth Tirablade and tell her that her wife is here?"

So I decided to go through our archive and record all of the loot we've collected and the party's cash. I adjusted for items that have been consumed. Things of note, neither Haruto nor Hanna ever laid claim to one of Terendelev's scales, Shayde could take one, too. There's a Wand of Longstrider, Azlana's the only person who can use it. There's a Ring of Climbing anybody could use. And that Ranseur, a few people are proficient with it. Azlana could use it, or Shayde, his strength score is alright.

Also, there's the spellbook we got from the librarians, never got a list of the spells in it, and there's a Wand of Magic Missile we got from the orc which either Hanna or Haruto could use but Haruto's been using Magic Missile a great deal. How many charges are on that wand, GM?

EDIT: It would help if I included a link.

Also, I referred to the magic longsword/starknife by its proper name even though the party doesn't know the name, for clarity's sake.

"I hope she doesn't become a problem," Lina says, mostly to herself.

Before leaving, she goes to the dead men, searches them, and destroys any unholy symbols they carry.

"If we don't take care of them now, they'll continue to be a problem," Lina says. "Let's take down the other ones quickly, then deal with her. I'll see if I can't get a little closer to where I can pick out a weak point on one."

If nobody objects, then Lina ducks into the shadows. is there enough cover for her to move within 30 feet of one of these things? if not, then 60 feet for a charge?

stealth: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (11) + 13 = 24

I should really do some more detailed reading into the Middle Ages, I've only had to take one history class and it was 1500-on.

I did have a thought, relating back to the indentured-freeborn discussion. I've realized that Arianna's goals are pretty muddy. 'Making a name for herself' is incredibly vague and long term. What if, Arianna's younger siblings, the twins, had a different mother than Arianna and her older siblings, so they're indentured when the others are freeborn. So she wants to find a way to free them from their indenture. In her mind, the best way to do that is to buy their indenture.

I'm not here to make Arianna's life easy, I'm here to make it interesting. But as fun as that sounds, I'm not sure if it's really feasible since Arianna has told people her real name and told her family what she was doing.

Now I'm curious, cause I love this world building, would it ever be possible for a peasant to become free?

"I'm not as confident as you, Haruto, she may just be distracted. I don't know what could have changed in the few hours since we saw them last," Lina says. She considers Shayde, and says, "I suppose you could say that we're familiar. A worshipper of Baphomet who was manipulating the mongrelmen in the caverns down below. She uses a glaive technique that I've heard of as being restricted to followers of Shelyn, so either she's a thief or a traitor. The wings, though, she seems to think they're a blessing from her patron. Color me skeptical."

date is up top, 4718 turning 4719, head is almost 200 years old

Lina nods, slowly at first as she processes, then quickly in affirmation. "Defender's Heart. It's probably the best place for us to go, as well. We'll be able to follow up on our side of the deal with Chief Sull, hopefully they can send an envoy to Neatholm."

She looks to Carla. "I hope you're amenable to travelling a bit further, but it sounds like Defender's Heart will be safe." She puts a hand to her chin and thinks. Briefly, she considers warning Anvina against being too eager since they don't know how Irabeth will react to Anvina's 'condition', but Anvina didn't tend to take it very well when it was brought up, either.

I also noticed that nobody is trained in survival, we're going to get lost and eaten by squirrels like the city slickers we are.

So I'm realizing now that what I did was a little metagame-y. I used Smite because Haruto's Heavenly Fire did damage, and that only deals damage against evil targets, but I don't know if Lina would be aware of that. I was still thinking about Smiting anyways without using Detect Evil, I figured a >75% chance it was evil, before I realized he had used Heavenly Fire.

Lina is shocked by the instant destruction of the dretches, and briefly left gaping in surprise. She shakes it off and goes to one of the tieflings, grabs him by his shirt and says, "Do you know what happened just now? How was this man bound to the demons? Do not lie to me."

Lina slow claps. "Azlana, that was beautiful. The light from your hand was a great touch."

I saw a post along those lines on tumblr just today.

the characters: under no circumstances do i want to discuss my past, my trauma, my mental state or any other personal issues

the players: Somebody Please Interrogate My Child

Lina shoots a dirty look at the man, shakes her head, and comes up beside Haruto and taps him on the shoulder. "Is something wrong? You seem...out of it, quite a bit," she says matter-of-factly.

Lina considers the tieflings briefly. ”Who is your commander?” she says. ”What are your numbers in the city?” Almost as an afterthought she uses Detect Evil on the tieflings and on the man while she’s at it.

Lina draws her knife and closes on the man. Her eyes are cold, and she doesn't even try to hide her disdain and anger for the man before her. "From where I'm standing, you're an opportunist who decided to join up with the winning side. You were about to burn hapless victims at the stake. Do you have even one good reason why I shouldn't cut you down right now?"

Let the record show that Lina, as of this moment, has no intention of killing him.

Lina considers the scene, putting her hand to her chin in thought. "This was a targeted attack," she says. "The other buildings nearby haven't even been touched. The invaders must have known that the Riftwardens were based out of here."

She looks to Aravash and her heart sinks. "I'm so sorry," she says softly in Elvish. "The inner sanctum seems to still be intact. There may still be survivors. We should take a look."

"Give me a second," Lina says.

disable device: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27

Is there enough space to skirt around the trap without stepping on it?

"Alternatively, we could just forget the fish, and check out passage," Lina says quietly. "...Nice shooting, by the way."