Oh would you look at that, his crush also happens to be a tiefling. :P
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Sense Motive DC 8:
Tot's trying her best to hide it, but it's clear she's hurt and badly shaken after that fight. After it's clear the fight is over and Ari isn't in danger of falling over dead, Tot goes around picking up her dropped weapons and shield. She doesn't meet anyone's gaze, especially after Garen apologizes for what happened. She recalls what she said, and feels her cheeks heat as she wonders how she's going to gather the courage to apologize to him, or anyone for that matter, after how she fared in that fight. As she wrestles with her inner thoughts, she tries to make herself useful by looking around for any secret caches or hidden doorways.
"Drown it! Get it in the water," Tot says as she helps Ari keep hold of the thing.
With the demon gone and hearing what sounds like a spell coming out of the quasit's mouth, Tot sheathes her sword and moves to where she can get at the little demon.
True, and it would keep it from casting spells, which is something I hadn't considered.
That could take a while. Creatures can hold their breath for a number of rounds equal to two or three times their Con score.
There was a really nice flow chart for the grapple rules, but it looks like it might be dead now. If I remember things right, if you maintain the grapple, then you can pin on your turn, so I think Ari can just declare he's pinning the quasit. I'll see if I can find that chart. And looks like I did remember things right. Ari can just declare he's pinning the quasit.
Just to be clear, I'm going off of the GM's descriptions. I don't remember what the quasit can do off the top of my head. Honestly, it's the fast healing that saved the quasit. It undid what we had done, but with Garen able to bypass its DR, I don't think our demonic miniboss is long for this world. After this fight's over, I think we're going to need a minute to get back on our feet. Izzy's the only one that hasn't been hurt, and I know Tot is going to be trying to process some things, which can be spoilered if we want to move on to exploring the rest of this dungeon.
Fast healing and damage reduction
Tot tries to push aside the fear she feels as she sees Ari teetering on the brink of unconsciousness. She goes after the demon that the quasit had summoned, trying to put herself between it and the badly hurt scholar as she draws her short sword.
Hey all, sorry for not posting today. Busy day at work and I just clocked out. Not sure I'll get one up tomorrow, either.
Tot drops her bow and sheathes her sword as she takes a couple of steps back to get a better running start. She knows that the group's best chance to deal with this fiend is to get it on the ground and keep it there. With a deep breath, she runs at the railing and jumps to vault over it. Unfortunately, she still isn't used to he heavier armor and doesn't get the height she's expecting. Her foot catches as she tries to clear the obstacle.
She hits the ground with a pained yelp as her arm takes the brunt of the fall. She lands prone, right underneath the Quasit. Half-winded and dazed, the young swordswoman slowly gets back on her feet.
Seeing Garen come charging back in and hearing Ari helps calm Tot down. "I think you're right. I'll be right behind you," she tells the young scholar, though she doesn't intend to take the stairs if she has the chance to snatch the quasit from the air on her way down.
Tot can hear her brother and the quasit laughing at her. Their jeering voices beating her down and threatening to hold her in place. Who was she, after all, to deny fate? She had refused her chance to be something more, now she will watch as those she calls friends die. She's helpless, hopeless, useless, worthless. The burning fury that had been stoked to life when she learned of Tsuto's betrayal of his sister, Ameiko, roars back to full life. It had scared her before, but now she embraces it. Her eyes glow like coals of hellfire as she strains against the bonds holding her fast. "Get. Out. Of. My. she screams as she breaks free. She stumbles a few steps as she pulls her sword free, but she quickly regains her balance and glares at the quasit.
Tot freezes mid-draw, her eyes are wide with fear as she recalls what happened the last time she was down here. This time, she isn't likely to turn into a monster. No, this time she's just likely to wind up dead, or worse. Memories and imagined futures play out in her mind. She sees a devil laughing as it rips apart a young man in front of his even younger sister as she stares in horror, held fast by a cleric's spell. She sees Garen face down in the basin surrounded by skulls. She sees the vargouille's leering face as it swoops in to force it's tongue down her throat. She sees Zorlen laying a pool of his blood as the quasit cackles in victory. She sees one of her fellows cheering after cutting down an old woman with his axe. She sees Izzy curled up and whimpering in terror as she's tormented by fiends from the abyss. She sees her brother, covered in blood, grinning at the carnage in the clearing as he walks up to the last of the Sarenites, the paralyzed young woman who'd watched helplessly as her fellows and her brother were slaughtered. She sees Grod fall beneath a swarm of fangs and claws, a warsong on his lips. She sees her brother run the girl through, twisting his sword to heighten her agony as she died. She sees Ari scream in pain as he's tortured to death and she's unable to do anything to stop it or ease his pain. All through these flashing memories and imaginings, she can hear herself screaming, trying to shut them out, to deny them, but she can't. All she can do is watch, helpless to do anything to affect the outcome. Tears stream down her face as she watches what is to come in helpless, frustrated impotence.
Let's see what happens. Zany schemes and crazy plans are all part of the fun. :D
Tot drops her sword and pulls out her bow. Summoning?! Notgood!Notgood!Notgood... Only one thought runs through Tot's mind as she nocks an arrow and races up the stairs. Stop that demonic b+&~* from calling for help!
Tot's face pales as her hurried shot fails to do more than scratch it, if that. Knowing that she'll be far too late, but unable to do anything else, she starts to pull out her shortsword and close the last few feet to the quasit. Too far! I'm too far! I can't get to it before it finishes.
I think we could take her, but we'll be in pretty rough shape afterwards. The main thing is getting her cornered where she can't cast or get away easily. And yeah, smite would be a big help.
Hearing Grod yawn and Garen continue to flee, Tot realizes that they are in trouble if they can't get to the small, flying Demon. Almost worse, all of them had been hurt to some extent. She pushes aside the worry she feels, especially for Ari. They needed to end the fight. She needs to end the fight. She moves around behind Ari and puts herself in a position to force it to divide its attention between her and the inquisitive young man. She leaves herself open to an attack, but there's little helping it in her mind. Once in place, she tries not to think about what the quasit will do to her while she has her back to it and tries to put her blade through the vile monster.
"Izzy! Get the door," she calls out, hoping to cut off the quasit's potential escape.
Tot reels as a flood of images fills her mind. Some are from that horrible night years ago when she saw worshipers of the Dawnflower torn to pieces as her comrades laughed. A few are of her brother and Priest Donier plunging a black obsidian knife into her bare chest as they offered her up to the forces of Hell to steal some sliver of the devils' power for themselves. Others are of those who'd fast become friends: Grod laying in a pool of his blood, a knife in his back; Garen, broken and bleeding, cursing her for being a devilspawned weakling as he died; Izzy, dead eyes staring at her in shock and horror as the blood from her torn throat oozed out around her; Ari looking at her in shock as he bled from where her sword had been run through his heart; and Ameiko, alone and afraid as her brother tortured her with the party's severed heads. That last sparks back to life a banked fury that lets her shrug off the worst of the spell as Izzy's song fills her with a grim determination. No matter what, she is going to kill that quasit b+%#&! She casts off her shield, needing to hit harder than she could using it. She barely feels the shallow wounds she's received, and her eyes burn like red embers as she sets both of her hands on the hilt of her blade.
After hammering the sinspawn that had wounded her back, she looks over her shoulder to see Garen fleeing. Her voice rings out, harsh and without any of the fear still coursing through her veins nor her usual softness of tone and meekness of manner.
Damn. "Get in here and close the door," Tot tells the others as she slips past Erridon and puts herself between the investigator and the sinspawn. She hopes the others are fast enough to keep the quasit from escaping, but she's not sure if being stuck in the same room as it is much better. She can't do anything about it until it shows back up, however, so all she can do is deal with the threat she can see. With shield raised and sword ready, she braces herself for the melee to come.
"And it looks like the only way in was through the obvious doors. Lovely," Tot mutters to herself, though she does grin in savage satisfaction when she sees that Ari's right. "Izzy, rile her up. She's overtaxed the power of that pool, whatever it is," she whispers back to the gnome bard. "Let's see if we can get her to make a big blunder."
I'd really rather catch them unawares, preferably sleeping in their bed where I could slit their throat, Tot thinks. "Know anything about quasits," she asks the others instead.
Tot grabs her shield as Ari works over the doors. She hopes she's being paranoid, but if someone is in there, they're likely to see them the second the doors start to open.
"There's the lover and the quasit. The lover is at Thistletop. The quasit is down here," Tot clarifies. "We don't know how many of those monsters are down here, or if they can make more of them. I think it's best if we keep quiet and try to take whatever we run into down here by surprise. I--I just hope that there's not another one of those vargouille things." She shudders and pales at that particular memory.
Tot shivers as she realizes what it is they are looking at. Her mind whirls as pieces begin to fall into place. "Tsuto's lover worships Lamashtu, but is touched by the celestials the same way Zorlen and I are touched by the fiends. The freaks are probably the sinspawn. How long has that madwoman known about this place," she asks. "Th-though I-I-I guess we should be asking if we sh-should see if there's another way in."
Tot slips up to the doors and turns to Ari and motions him to join her. "What do you make of this," she asks.
Tot feels all of an inch tall as she listens to Grod and Izzy talk. She'd run off because--well, because she was embarrassed. She doesn't like drawing attention to herself at the best of times, and in the middle of a dangerous ruin is not her idea of the best of times. How she can explain it to her companions isn't something she knows anything about, so she focuses on trying to figure out the best way to go. She starts to move on towards the stature, but leaving branch unexplored makes skin crawl too much for her to do that. Instead, she moves as quietly as she can down the as yet unknown passageway.
Tot lets out a laugh at the banter between Izzy and Grod. She quickly claps a hand over her mouth and looks at the others as her face reddens with embarrassment. "S-sorry. I'll--I'll just go, now." Her voice is muffled by her hand as she slips past the others and turns down the branch that they took yesterday. She does her best to move quietly and keeps an eye out for any dangers lurking in ruin.
Seeing that the path is clear, Tot moves around Grod and the creature to put it in a pincer between her and the Gorumite warpriest. She appreciates the heavier armor, but a part of her would much rather not rely on it holding to avoid getting hurt.
Perhaps it's Izzy's singing, perhaps it's getting past the initial spike of adrenaline, perhaps it's knowing that the others are relying on her, but whatever it is, Tot's clumsiness disappears as training and instinct takes over as she chops down at the retreating sinspawn before hitting the one that leaps over the grease to get at Garen with a back-handed blow.
Tot shakes off the sudden spike of rage and hatred, though barely. The pain of betrayal is still fresh, despite the two years that have passed since that day. Studying the situation for a moment, Tot realizes that she's going to have to beat a way past the sinspawn blocking the entrance if she's going to give the others enough space to fight these things.
Tot swallows hard. The gods know she's got more than enough in her past to cause her trouble.
The way I understand it is that the ACP applies if the character is actively wielding the shield. Basically, if you get the Shield bonus to AC, you also get the ACP to skills. She does have the shield, but she isn't currently wielding it, so I didn't count it.Ok. Equipping the shield again is a move action should you wish to use it. Works for me. *note to self, get the quick draw feat*
Tot is taken completely by surprise despite her caution.
The way I understand it is that the ACP applies if the character is actively wielding the shield. Basically, if you get the Shield bonus to AC, you also get the ACP to skills. She does have the shield, but she isn't currently wielding it, so I didn't count it.
"W-we sh-should, Tot agrees, though her stutter betrays her nerves. "I'd rather not walk into an ambush, though, so let's make sure anything down here hasn't move into places we've already cleared."
I'm all for it! Glad to see ya back. :) Any chance of Sara coming back in Spazmodeus's RotRL game? Joanna would love to adventure alongside her cousin.
I think I got ninja'd. Marching order sounds good to me.
I'm also for selling it. We're probably not going to get a better price on it without looking for a collector of Thassilonian artefacts and while that can be fun, I think that might take us rather far afield of what the AP has in mind.
Tot stops the others as they approach the catacombs. She is still getting used to the extra weight and noise of her new armor, and she feels that she's not likely to have a better chance of seeing how much it affects her skills in stealth and scouting. "Let me go first," she says. "I can see without any light, and even with the heavier armor, I should still be fairly quiet."
Though she is distracted by her efforts to keep quiet, she does move fairly quietly up to the chamber where they'd fought the horrible dog-legged monstrosity.
No worries. Plumbing emergencies are definitely more important than games.
Tot blushes at Ari's requests, but does as he asks, changing into a navy shirt and black skirt that fits her much better than her old outfits ever did before giving him a hug. She's hesitant at first, unsure of what to do, but as she feels his warmth, she relaxes and savors the moment. She enjoys breakfast, though she tries to be quick so the others are not waiting on her. She changes into an outfit more appropriate for traipsing around ancient ruins filled with forgotten monsters and comes out of her room a few minutes later dressed in a cream, tan, and dark green outfit with her newly acquired armor over that and belted at her waist. She carries her weapons, her journal and pen, and coil of rope. "As ready as I can be," she answers when Grod asks if they are ready to delve the catacombs once more.
Hearing Izzy's pun, Tot lets out a snort and starts shaking from laughter. She likes wordplay, and the joke catches her off guard enough that she finds it more hilarious than is probably warranted.
Sorry, I was hoping to post both of those interludes at once, and I didn't get a chance to do that until just a bit ago.
Izzy and Tot on the Cathedral Sun Balcony:
After the others go about their business, or in Ari's case, doing a favor for Tot, the tiefling follows Izzy to the sun balcony that Father Zantus recommends, the gnome's guidance becoming necessary once Tot is out in the bright sun again and squeezing her eyes shut against the glare. It doesn't lessen the feeling of being hit with a board behind her eyes, but at least Tot is expecting it this time. Once they're settled, with Tot laying down and shielding her eyes with one arm, the tiefling finds her mind wandering. The experience fighting the vargouille brings back other memories and the questions that Tot had never been able to find answers for, or at least never had the courage nor time to ask. "Izzy, what do you know about the gods," she asks as she lays next to the gnome on the stone floor of the balcony.
"I know less than you think. There was only one god that we were to follow, and all others were verbotten," Tot replies, something unsaid haunting the depths of her voice as she speaks the last five words. "I know nothing of the gods. I've never worshipped them, and--and yet, when they released the swallowtails," she says, her voice trailing off as she recalls a fonder memory, hundreds of brightly colored butterflies soaring into the sky after hearing the tale of how a blind girl saved a goddess and was rewarded with a beautiful, immortal form so that she could go out and see the world. "Is there a god that would welcome me," she asks.
"How does one know," she asks, speaking the thought aloud without meaning to.
"B-b-but I'm n-not--Izzy--I'm--I--I th-think you are giving me too much of the benefit of the doubt. I'm no hero. I--I just try to survive," she says, the words slowing as she says the last sentence. When she continues, she's much calmer, though her tone turns decidedly melancholic. "I just don't want the first place I've found where I'm not chased out or treated with barely concealed hostility to burn down. I'm tired. I'm tired of never feeling like I belong anywhere, and Ameiko--Ameiko took me in. She gave me a job, a place to stay, and--and I couldn't keep her safe from her brother," she admits, tears welling up in her eyes that she scrubs away with her hands. "Betrayal from family always hurts, even when you should have seen it coming," she says, sounding more as if she is speaking from experience than quoting some proverb.
"I took up cooking because at least if I did it I got to decide on something for myself," she says, meaning for the words to come out lightheartedly, but the note of bitterness that slips past weighs them down like lead. Realizing how she must sound, Tot shakes her head in apology to Izzy. "Sorry, it's just some bad memories." She thinks about what Izzy has said, and after a moment, remembers the trip here from Magnimar and the little surprise Izzy had for her after they arrived. "Is there a god of drawing and writing," she asks.
Tot's thoughts come to a halt as Ari's face comes unbidden to her mind's eye. Her cheeks redden as she quickly refocuses on what Izzy said next. "Wh-what do you mean by shallow," she asks the gnome.
"I think I know a lot of people that would be ugly if their appearance showed what waas on the inside, then," she says. She thinks for a moment more, then smiles at Izzy. "Thank you. You've given me a lot to think about." Maybe after we clear out the rest of the catacombs, I should ask if someone could tell me more about Shelyn.
And she goes back to work on song writing...
Tot's visit to Vernah's:
Rynshinn greets Ari and Tot as they arrive for the fitting. She glances back and forth, apparently sizing the couple up as they arrive. "Hello. Ari, This isn't about you. So sit down over there. And if you think you need to ask a question, just think about it until you come up with your own answer." Turning to Tot she smiles. "Well. Just leave your weapons with Ari. Maybe he can sharpen your sword while he waits!"
Once they get back in the room, behind a closed door Rynshinn gives a kind smile. "Now take off the armor and hang it there. The pants I've made still need the final stitching so they fit you right. I've worked with people with tails before, but never with a tiefling, especially as small as you, and with such a nice tail! It looks like you could strangle someone with it!" "And what should I call you dear? Ari refers to you as Tot. I assume that is a nickname? Is that what you prefer?"
"T-tot's fine. It's my name," she quietly tells the half-elf. She tries not to squirm too much as she reveals the increasingly ragged outfit she'd been reduced to after the goblin raid on the swallowtail festival. She's grateful that she had some help doing up her hair this morning. She could only imagine the impression she'd give if her hair was it's usual mess. She blushes as she asks, "D-do you really think my tail is nice? I can't really hurt anyone with it. I can grab anything that's not too heavy, though."
She pulls out three pairs of trousers that look almost perfect size for Tot. The top of the trousers looks interesting as it has a fastening tie in the back and belt loops above that. "Now, this is a design from a tailor friend of mine in Magnimar. You pull the trousers on and tie this above your tail. You also have a belt to hold it up above your hips. Get out of your pants there and try these. I've got the rest of the order here too, but these are the first items as they are special for you." She steps over to a shelf where Tot sees a small pile of clothing, some leather and some a heavy cloth. She carries the pile over and Tot sees that there are also a couple skirts. Rynshinn glances at Tot and holds up one of the cloth skirts. "Nothing fancy, but sometimes a girl should show that she's a girl." Seeing Tot mostly undressed she frowns. "Just stop for a second. Put on the robe there. I'll be right back." She leaves quickly and is almost instantly back with a box. Opening it she pulls out what Tot recognizes is undergarments, white, made of light cotton. "Now these are for protecting the outer garments from yourself. And, they protect your skin from the tougher materials that the other cloths are made of. I've enough your size.... for, I think six days. And these," She holds up a couple brassieres, "These are for holding up what you've got so they aren't sagging like you're old when you're still young!"
It's almost comical how much relief shows in Tot's posture and expression when Rynshinn tells her to pull on a robe. The blush returns with a vengeance, however, when the seamstress holds up the brassieres. Tot reflexively covers her modest bosom with crossed arms as she wonders if she might die of embarrassment after all. Sure, her camisoles aren't in great shape, but they'd gotten her by for this long. "A-Am I s-supposed to change into them here," she asks, her voice cracking on the last word.
"I-I-I'm d-dressed," she tells Rynshinn.
She looks at Tot critically. "How old are you? At first I thought you were still in your teens. Tieflings age similar to humans right? You're not a child.... Well, compared to me you are. But you're actually a young woman. Just so you know, I think Ari believes you to be about sixteen. Sweet sixteen and never ?" Her smile is sweet, obviously hoping to dispel any possible anger at the intrusion. "You might want to tell Ari. Well, maybe just mention it somehow how old you really are. He'll still like you as much as he does now." She laughs at Tot's blush. "I glanced at that pretty pink dress outside when he was here before. It was a suggestion, but a pretty bad one. Pink is definitely not your color!"
"D-do you really think he will like it," she asks. "And no, I've never been close with anyone, at least not like that. I know people tend to think I'm much younger than I really am. I turned twenty-seven this year, but most everyone thinks I'm barely a little more than half that. It's probably the freckles and that I can't do my hair to save my life."
Once Tot had tried on the clothing and Rynshinn had made the final stitching to the trousers she pulled a very nice cloak off of a hanger. "Now I know this wasn't on the list. I'm adding it and don't ask anything about the cost. I make lots of money over-charging the faux nobility in this town. They know I do it and are fine with it because they can afford the best fancy clothing from anywhere in Sandpoint! The inner lining is beaver pelt so it's nice and soft and warm. The outer cloak and hood is shark skin, smoothed and dyed black. It's tough and water proof so the nice clothes you have can be kept dry."
When the seamstress giftts her the magnificent cloak, Tot finds that she's at a lost of words. It takes a few moments before she finds her voice again. "Thank you, Ms. Rynshinn. I appreciate it," Tot says as she admires the cloak. A warm cloak will be a godssend as autumn turns into winter.
"When you need anything else feel free to come back. I'll give you a good price too. Maybe not quite as good as today...." She glances in the direction of the front of the shop. "I'm helping, well, for one because I can, and because I think Ari is special. Has he or his mother told you about his birth? It's a special story so I won't spoil it. But I will tell you that I met him about 20 years ago when Ron came in to get some clothes for Cher. That's his parents. Great couple. Anyway, Ron had this cute toddler with him that I swear looked exactly like him, except the eyes. As Ari grew up that didn't change. I'd swear that Ari is a clone or doppelganger of Ron except for his eyes. And Cher's eyes aren't blue either. Ari was a cute kid, but as he grew he was always respectful. Cher follows Sarenrae, and taught that to Ari. He really believes in being good, even when the people he deals with aren't. Ron and Cher both believe that Ari was given to them for something special in the future. Who knows the will of Gods? It might be true!" She helps to bundle up the stuff that Tot wasn't wearing. "Now let's go and let Ari be awed by how pretty you look!" She holds up the armor. "But just carry this for now. You'll certainly need it later. Just not now." Opening the door they see that Ari isn't sitting where they'd left him. Looking around the room Tot spots him over by a rack of dresses. "Blue? Is dark blue.... Oh. Am I allowed to speak yet?" Seeing Tot he gets a big smile on his face. "Wow! I knew you'd look great. Mom always liked the cloths that Dad bought for her. And I'm sure that Rynshinn helped him pick the right stuff, and get the right sizes!" Rynshinn grins and shrugs at Ari's words. "I told you he'd like it. Maybe you should meet his parents?"
As Rynshinn explains why she's helping, Tot feels her cheeks heating up again. She understands some of it, after all, she's been the beneficiary of Ari's kindness and gentle nature. Part of her feels as if she's intruding on something private, but another part of her, the part that's become increasingly infatuated with the young man since meeting him, is fascinated and wants to know more. How do I ask him about it, though, she wonders as she carries the bundled clothing and armor out from the back. Maybe he'll tell me himself someday. Her cheeks heat even more as she sees where Ari has gotten off to, though there's a shy smile curling the corners of her mouth giving away how she truly feels at the moment. Seeing his simple joy at how she looks is enough to wash away a lifetime of feeling inadequate or being seen as nothing more than a nuisance. Maybe I should see his parents, Tot thinks to herself as Rynshinn teases her. "Thank you, Ms. Rynshinn," the small tielfing says, thanking her for more than just the clothes.
"Ari. No you may not. And I won't let you embarrass this beautiful young lady by having her try on any dress that you might pick out, today. You may feel free to come back with her.... in a week. She of course can return whenever she wants!" "Tot. You are more than welcome. I enjoyed our little discussion. Now don't you share any of the secrets I mentioned with Ari. They were for women only!" Her eyes sparkle at that comment, but just to Tot.
After they leave, Tot smiles shyly at Ari. "Thank you. I--I had fun."
"Probably wise," she says as she sits next to him, her head on his should. Meanwhile, she relives the night of horrors that so firmly crystalized her doubts about her homeland's path that her distant cousin is leading it down. No longer my worries, she tells herself. I have troubles enough here.
After picking up her new clothing and her new armor, Tot is grateful to get something to eat, though she feels guilty about making Ameiko do the cooking when she was hired to be the Rusty Dragon's cook. After putting away her new clothes, she finds her employer and apologizes. "I'm sorry, Ameiko. Both for what happened to you and not being around to help out yesterday and this morning. I--Is there anything I can do to help you," she asks.
After joining the others and getting something to eat, Tot's face turns beet red when Sheriff Hemlock mentions them running into trouble. Trouble might be a bit of an understatement. I could have turned into a monster. Hearing of Shalelu, Tot perks up. She's heard the name, but not much else from the few conversations she's overheard since coming to Sandpoint. She hopes they'll have the Catacombs cleared out by then. She looks to Ari to see what he things, and hopes that Sheriff Hemlock won't bring up how she was blushing rather furiously when he mentioned them running into trouble.
I'm sorry, the image that popped into my head after reading that was Grod holding a torch up and yelling Freebird after applauding Izzy's awesome hymn. :D |