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I'm rarely on the boards, but I do visit, it's to spy on this campaign... I'm sorry to hear about your woes, Valjoen. I wish you and your family a better year than this one, with health and time to rest and rejoice. Bon courage. To all of us. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Hi all! So Wednesday became Friday, and now I'm trying to get everything done before going on vacation with the family for the week! Long story short, apologies! GM, please bot Toraim as you see fit? You can always leave him behind if you prefer, and we can have him rejoin at an opportune moment... I'll catch up when I get back!
"Tomorrow," Toraim grunts, focused on the tankard before him. "We need to rest, tonight."
Glad to see the campaign alive once more! FYI: I'll be AFK until Wednesday. I'll get back on board then, or on Thursday, as work allows!
Works for me!
Still here!
It's all good. To be honest, I've been in the same sort of boat. I've dropped a few campaigns and my presence on the boards has been limited. So bon courage and all the best for the coming year!
"Fair enough," Toraim responds to Ysildaë's plan.
Still here! Like you, I've been (and still am) ridiculously busy – so busy, in fact, that I've dropped out of a few games on account of feeling that I was holding back the others. I'll have to re-read the few last pages of posts to get back into the flow... As far as I can tell, we've explore the entire building, and now all that remains is the underground tunnels, which may lead to who knows where? There was a curious tattoo on a prison guard...? And torture devices...?
RL has been intense, to say the least. I apologize for my absence. But I fully intend to contribute meaningfully in the near future! (Things should slow over the next few weeks...)
All good! RL matters!
Note I am travelling next week and I can't be sure if I'll have a "proper" internet connection, so posting may prove difficult!
Somewhere between wary and anguished at the sight of the corpse, Toraim enters the room with his shield raised. I would have done the same to avoid undeath, he thinks to himself, praying to Valthyra that the corpse is, indeed, at rest...
While eager to finally take the time to investigate the building and recover what could be of some value, Toraim remains steadfastly focused on the task at hand. He stays at his companion's side, ready to intervene.
Immediately understanding that she has been poisoned, Toraim helps Ysildaë onto her back and raises her hand high. He inspects the wound to see if the dart is in her flesh. Then, he washes the puncture wound with water.
"Stay calm," he urges her, realizing that his ministrations are proving useless. Holding her hand to his chest, he prays to Valthyra.
Toraim prepares himself to rush in and hold his ground to allow Ysildaë to strike hard and true with her spear...
Sorry about this week, which is proving to be ridiculously busy! I'll have a look at the revised rules on essences...
Figuring that the best time to search the rooms will be when they are certain that all is well and that the prison has been cleansed, Toraim makes his way to the door and, with Ysildaë's support, pushes it open...
When his companions decide to converse in Elven to hide their intent from him, the dwarven priest stands abruptly, turns away and steps into the next room...
Seeing Maria's sorry state, Toraim utters a short prayer and rushes to her side to see what, if anything, he can do...
While holding the unwieldy wall shield high against the undead's attacks, Toraim attempts to strike low with his dwarven sphinx hammer...
Toraim prays for some guidance and inspiration about the undead they are facing before calling upon the blessing of Valthyra and the secrets of the Forgemasters to enchant Maria's rapier...
The dwarven priest incants a spell and places his hand on Ysildaë's spear. "Strike true with the flame of the forge", he urges the elven warrior as her weapon ignites into flame! Then, Toraim sets his shield against the zombie, blocking the doorway while allowing Ysildaë to strike with her spear.
The dwarf nods, incants a prayer, readies his shield, and opens the door...
Before venturing into the room to investigate further, Toraim crosses the corridor and prepares himself to enter the room to the North...
Shield high, the dwarf moves in quickly, crossing the doorway and staying close to the wall...
Toraim quickly moves to stand before the open door for fear that, despite the deathly silence, something lurks in the shadows. He peeks inside the room...
The sturdy dwarf takes the lead up the stairs, also curious to discover where the surprising staircase could lead...
"We cannot be as one if we do not stand together," the dwarven priest answers the Sister of Teysura's assurance. "I do not doubt that you could handle the girl, but I am duty-bound nonetheless." He sighs, "Still, while my resolve remains like the mountain, it saddens me that it has come to this." As the priestesses tend to the girl, Toraim lays his sword on the ground and kneels. With both hands, he holds to his heart the disk of Valthyra that hangs from a heavy chain around his neck. He prays. When Ysildaë returns with instructions, he simply nods, rises, and takes his position in the marching order.
Done. On ground floor.
This whole thing is also a lesson for me: I shouldn't assume that my tone and meaning are clear. Not enough adjectives + too few adverbs + little or no descriptions = too much room for interpretation in a context where the word alone must tell the entire story. ...which is embarrassing 'cause I'm a professional (and fairly successful) copywriter and scriptwriter! Mind you, a lot of my work involves leaving the subtext to the actors and allowing the visual to tell the story. Long story short, I need to start writing more prose!
Sounds right! And for the record: no hard feelings. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this whole thing and move along with some sort of an understanding so we can all have a good time!
Don't get me wrong: I remain fully ok with *some* in-game conflict between characters, but I do hope for a measure of civility. Here, while I tried to keep Toraim's tone *fairly* respectful and I paid attention to not coming off as *too* insulting or aggressive, I found the insults that were flung at him to be, as I wrote, beyond the pale. In-game, how could a character envision an alliance with people who speak to him or her with such bile and violence? And honestly, ooc, the tirades were difficult to stomach. It's one thing to have a disagreement. It's a whole other to insult someone again and again – it's no way to win a debate. I intended Toraim's apology to be sincere and to address the fact that his stance was interpreted as menacing when it was not intended to be so – something that I brought up ooc. And I tried to move past the whole thing twice by suggesting that we let the constable intervene, as he ended up doing. In any case, water under the bridge. More or less. If anything, it will certainly create opportunities for more roleplay later...
I’m fine with conflict and diverging opinions, but the tirades of insults were off-putting to say the least. At this point, the characters have a common duty, but I can’t imagine that any real alliance is foreseeable, which is too bad ‘cause it makes for strenuous unity at best. To be honest, I feel that the name calling went a bit too far...
Not sure I would call that a fun spat...
Spontaneous casting of inflict light wounds would either require Valthyra to be evil or for her to be neutral and for Toraim to have chosen to channel negative energy... Honestly, this will prove near impossible if we don’t mind our words...
I’m doing my best, but you are not making it easy to say the least!
”You imagined that because I stood in your way, that I would strike against you despite our having fought side by side for days? It is preposterous! Clearly, you believe that I have no honour; and, if indeed it so, I cannot imagine why you would wish to continue our alliance.” He shakes his head, confounded, ”In any case, if you found me menacing, I apologize.” He continues calmly, ”You have called me wicked and foolish, fearful, domineering, unworthy of trust, callous, and a coward without morals. And then, in the same breath, you speak of peace. It is beyond the pale.” ”Nevertheless, we have a common cause and we must fight together. I will not soon forget your words, but I will agree to set aside our differences. Go then. Speak to the constable and say what you will. When he has taken the matter in hand, we will strike the disk of Valthyra, and continue to the prison as we must.”
”Your words sound fair and true, but they are mere rhetoric,” he calmly accuses his elven ally. ”You did not care for common accord when you decided without council or consent to bring the girl here. We could have tended to her at the prison where we found her! Or we could at least have come to an agreement before deciding on a course of action! And now, you dare accuse me of thinking my allies incapable, foolish, and helpless when your contempt for your own allies is plainly obvious?” He calms his rising fury. ”Do not presume to preach to me the teachings of Valthyra through plain metaphors. My duty is to serve and stand by these people against all the odds. I am honoured to fight alongside them. And it is my responsibility now to see this to the end —not because I deem anyone incapable, but because I wish to stand by them come what may.” He turns to Maria, ”You claim that my paranoia has compromised my moral integrity? I will forgive the slight and argue that you are blind to the real danger this girl represents. You are moved by her sorry state —by her innocent appearance. We are facing a plague of undeath. Let us not pretend that this girl is no more than a simple refugee! Among the dwarves, Dhampyrs have been known to be both a curse and a blessing. Perhaps she is, indeed, just another victim. But should we not ascertain if this girl is friend or foe before assuming the former?” He turns his attention to Ysildaë once more, “I have no case to present. You may say what you wish to the constable. I will stand vigil until he determines that my presence is no longer required.” ”Then, we can continue the task of cleansing the prison, understanding its mysteries, and finding a cure to your illness.
I wrote a long reply. On my phone. And I lost it!!! I’ll try to find the time again soon-ish...
The dwarven priest shrugs off both the priestess’s veiled insult and the elven lady’s misstep, ”We are bound to fulfill our promise to cleanse the quarter, but we cannot pretend that bringing the girl here is not also our — your — responsibility. If she proves a threat, then we must be prepared to deal with her as necessary. Would you place a sleeping wolf in the care of an unarmed shepherd?”
Toraim stays nearby for as long as it takes, to be certain that the girl does not turn against her benefactors upon waking. ”Will you keep vigil with me until we know if the girl is friend or foe — a boon or a curse?” he asks Akula.
Toraim finds Ysildaë and Maria, but keeps his distance and waits to see how the Sisters will receive the Dhampir. "I hope that Ysildaë has not invited a wolf into our midst," he finally speaks to Akula when his anger has subsided. "We could have tended to the girl out there and figured out her story before bringing her here. Ysildaë's compassion is commendable, but..." He shakes his head.
I am off to Greece with the family for the next two weeks, so I may not be posting as consistently as usual until I return. I'll do my best, but don't hesitate to bot as required... (Very unfortunate time to be less available 'cause I'm pretty stoked about the next scene, which should involve some interesting RP!)
The angry dwarf makes his way back to camp and to the healers where he assumes the girl will be brought. On his way, he recites old dwarven prayers to remind himself that he must be still and steady like steel.
Fair enough. Now let's see how we can maneuver our way out of this roleplay quandary! Shall we agree to reconvene in the presence of the healers, and go from there?
Also: "standing in the way" did not imply a threat of violence! And: "off and away" means back to the bridge! ...It seems that I should be clearer in my posts!
I'll play it true, but, to be clear, I don't mind at all! |
