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"I enjoy the rain, if it comes," Torillin comments with a serene smile on his face. Gesturing to the newcomers, he says, "come, Shyrin's accommodations are humble but comfortable. Master Hycorerox might not fit through the door, but Gorons prefer the outdoors, it is said. Let us be off and I can cook for all of us. I caught some fish earlier today that I was planning to use either as a spell component, or for food." the Zora continues smiling. "Lord Jabu-Jabu's instruments are versatile." The lithe young man makes off in the direction of the shelter, patting his fish-basket to the beat of their footsteps. At Shyrin's place, he will swiftly begin to filet and cook the pan-fish that he caught, causing a rich smell to fill the hut. Occasionally, he will interrupt the flow of conversation (if there is one) to ask for someone to pass him seasonings or a lemon for the fish.
"Righting what was wrong is what we're all gathered here for, ...Shyrin? Shall I still call you that? It feels weird addressing a male voice with her name." "Regardless, if the way can be opened, we should get on with it. The Sheik seemed to incidate that there was some urgency to the problem!" despite his grim words, Torilin makes a conscious effort to keep his voice light.
Torillin nods sagely at the small Kokiri in answer to her question. "The Sheik seems to think we all have a role to play in the events to come," he comments under his breath. In a normal voice, he addresses the woman. "My lady, would you be so kind as to explain what it was you were talking about just now?" he uses his calmest, smoothest inflections, practiced from long years as a diplomat to the Hylians from the Zora domain.
Torillin is gazing absently in Anya's direction as he stares at nothing, lost in thought, when his eyes focus on her in the midst of the song. So absorbed was he in his inner musings, that he didn't even notice at first that they had all moved. Blinking away his shock, he comments wryly, "Well, I guess everyone understands well enough now. That spellsong of Muse's allows us to travel secret ways through Hyrule, moving at great speeds without feeling any motion at all. Though it has its dangers, it appears to have served us well here...thank you, Muse." the talkative Zora bows before the fairy. He notices the strange Sheikah when the Goron points her out. Cocking an eyebrow in curiosity, he remarks, "The lady yonder is conversing with air. Perhaps we should ask if there's really someone there." he grins a little mischievously at the rhyming Goron.
Torillin notices that Khristov isn't paying attention to the music, but agrees with the Goron that it might be significant. His fingertip lightly rests on his chin as he considers the faerie's dark and mysterious song.
"I could swear I've heard this melody before..." the Zora looks frustrated, as if trying to remember something that's resting just on the tip of his tongue.
Torillin raises a hand. "It appears he has been quite busy in his recruitment efforts. All's the better, really, since we had been having a hard time of it so far." The Zora raises an eyebrow at Riza. "I'll counter your question with another...have you ever fought the Redead?"
"So forceful." the Zora's eyebrow ridges go up slightly at the templar's imperious attitude. He's a natural leader...cute, for a human. "Very well then, warrior, lead on. Maybe we can find a way past the door that barred Anya's way."
The Zora blinks slowly at the newcomer's rhyming speech patterns. "Oh, this'll be fun," he says, a smile slowly spreading over his face.
Torillin straightens when Anya returns. "Back earlier than I expected...was the way barred? And who are these newcomers?" When introductions are made, the zora makes a sweeping bow and names himself with a light touch of his fingertips to his chest. "And what are your names, may I ask?" the priest asks calmly, in water up to his calves.
I'm here, I'm sorry, I'm really overwhelmed at work (still behind at this very moment,) and when I get home I have a newborn to look after plus I'm still exhausted from my work day. Generally when I get home I've been napping/trying to sleep in between feedings and changings of my baby boy. Posting in all my campaigns - I want to get on top of things again, hopefully this Memorial Day weekend will let me do that.
Quick update - while I was away from work on paternity leave, a big project started up finally and dumped a lot of work on all of us. Now, this week, I'm having to do the work I ordinarily would have had, plus the work my sick teammate can't do... That's why I'm not posting, I really want to but I haven't had a spare moment except to wolf down some lunch today. Promise I'll be back tonight or tomorrow.
Jabu-Jabu demands ritualistic, time-sensitive observations of faith to prove your worth to the Zora people. Without hesitation, the priest falls to his knees and rests his forehead on the cool stone in a gesture of supplication, murmuring prayers to the Lord of Oceans under his breath. He smears the fish guts before him in a wide arc.
Just posting to show my support! Didn't notice this thread at first, Hot DM, but I'm raring to continue! I'm a Zora, a diplomat of my people to the Hylians. My class is Priest - similar to the Cleric class but more flexible.
I think that after seeing the incredible boost my campaign got after I recruited some new blood, adding some additional players to this campaign is a great idea. The idea behind it is sound - we should be able to get some interested players.
The moment the reddish light is bright enough for Torilin to see by, he's going to put it down, once and for all. He stares at it, daring it to try and break his mind.
"Damnit, faerie, we need light! Anya, Shyrin, fall back! This is my first adventure, and I don't want it to end in the belly of an Redeaded...thing!" Torilin blinks, focusing intently on the darkness and willing his eyes to open their pupils wider, adjusting to the dark. He can't bring down Jabu-Jabu's wrath on a target he can't see.
The light takes form around Anya, shielding her from the worst of the monster's strikes. Far behind her, Torilin can be seen weaving magic in the air, using the light to protect her.
"Enough of this puny flashlight business!" standing in the light near the exit makes Torilin feel slightly braver. He holds aloft his pufferfish again. "Jabu Jabu! We need to see our opponents to slay them! Share with us your holy light so we may blight your enemies!" So saying, he hurls his holy fish through the air like a hand grenade, and casts an Invocation at it.
Faced with no light and a failed spell, with a monster that hurts his sanity to even look at somewhere in front of him in the blackness...Torilin does the only thing he can do; he panics. "Aaaagh! GET AWAY! NO! GET AWAYY!!!" he cries, as he turns tail and flees back toward the light coming from the exit.
Torilin steels himself. Jabu-Jabu demanded bravery from His followers. "In the name of the Lord of Oceans, I defy you, monster!" he cries out, holding his pufferfish-flashlight high. The beam of light shining from the fish-light shines brighter and brighter, shining a painful beam, and Torilin risks his very sanity by steadfastly staring at the creature's monstrous form. He resists the pull on his mind, but the spell falters! "Aaaagh!" he cries, his grip on the puffer-fish wavering. "Help me!" he calls to his companions. "Steady the beam! Steady the beam!" The fish he holds, an imperfect vessel for Jabu-Jabu's might, is almost coming apart from the force of the spell it's trying to channel.
My apartment flooded at 2 AM this morning...I'm beyond overwhelmed right now :'( Please don't expect anything of me today and possibly tomorrow. I will get back up to speed ASAP.
Immediately as his life force is drained, Torilin feels the healing magic of Anya's music washing over him and healing his wounds. With a breathless "Thanks," and a relieved glance at her, Torilin makes sure she knows that he's thankful. "Now..." the Zora says, turning to this...re-dead thing, his eyes narrowing with anger. "Die!...Again!" with a motion like hurling a water balloon, Torilin Invokes Jabu-Jabu's might once more, hoping to crush the creature's body with the pressure of the ocean depths.
He feels the creature resisting the full force of his spell, and glances wild-eyed at his nearest companion. "Aid me! Call upon your gods to aid my spell!"
"Aaah!" the Zora cries in alarm. Grappling here on land was such unpleasant business - so much easier to escape an attacker when you're in water, and can slip away in any direction you like!
"Get off me, you foul things! AGH!" the priest cries out as he struggles, failing to escape their hungry grasp. After a moment's struggling, during which his allies take their own actions... "Jabu-Jabu! Aid me!" he cries. Divine Ward: I'm going to choose "an enemy is driven back," and I take +2 armor forward.
Seeing that the creature needs only to be finished off, Torilin invokes a more specific request of Lord Jabu-Jabu - to end this creature's miserable undead existence and give it the final peace of death. The water in the creature's body dessicates instantly, turning to salt, and crumbling the creature's body to dust. That done, he turns his attention to the shrieking up ahead, turning his fish-light in that direction. What does he see?
Torilin raises his voice to the heavens in exultation, clenching one fist to the sky as his prayers are answered in spectacular fashion!
Torilin gasps in surprise and immediately trains the light of his anglerfish lantern on her. "What's going on? What is that thing?" he cries, as the light reveals its details. Regardless of what it is, Torilin doesn't like it! As soon as he has a clear shot, he intones another Invocation to Jabu-Jabu, and this one's not near as benevolent! This creature has shown itself to be an obvious enemy to Shyrin, an ally of the Zora people. Jabu-Jabu would not tolerate such impudence! "LORD OF THE SEAS, I CALL UPON THEE TO REBUKE THIS CREATURE OF CLAY AND EARTH!"
Such is his haste, that Torilin does not even have a specific effect in mind when he calls upon his lord. It was more of an instinctual cry, a plea to his deity to help his friend. It could manifest in any way that Jabu-Jabu wills.
Torilin will guide the anglerfish this way and that, allowing the light's cone to spill over everything before them before proceeding. "Shyrin, is climbing around in mysterious, enormous, graveyard holes something your people traditionally do for fun?" he asks her, in a gently teasing tone.
From his pack, Torilin produces the dead and dried body of a strange fish. It's perfectly preserved, and has a large belly, like a puffer, and a long appendage growing from its forehead. Holding it overhead with one hand, Torilin murmurs to himself an Invocation, calling upon Jabu-Jabu to light their way.
Invocation move:
Invocation
When you call out for your deity's aid in a time of need, choose a Blessing and roll +WIS. On a 10+, your deity will intervene on your behalf - the GM will tell you how. On a 7-9, your deity will grant your Blessing, but you will also need to choose a Requirement. Blessing • Your invocation manipulates the realm your deity Controls. • Your invocation commands something your deity Represents. • Your invocation bolsters your deity's Worshippers. • Your invocation rebukes your deity's Enemies. Requirement • Your invocation is obvious and immediate, drawing attention to you. • The intervention is subtle or takes a while to manifest. • Your deity demands something in return. The GM will tell you what. • The divine experience leaves you dizzy with euphoria (or terror). You take -1 ongoingto Invoke until you have time to pray quietly for a while. It seems to imply that I can choose my drawback on 7-9 - so I choose that the invocation is subtle, casting less light than a torch normally would, but still better than nothing. Imagine the light of a lighter rather than a flashlight.
Torilin, ever the diplomat, doesn't comment on how bland the food is. When they're finished, he wipes his mouth on a napkin and politely thanks Shyrin for the food. "We'll have to investigate the inn's food on our return trip from the mountain," he says, as they move out to the front porch of her home to enjoy the sunshine for the rest of the day. His only plan for the remainder of the evening is to relax and enjoy himself in a new place. So far, this adventure feels like a vacation - he's sure that will change very soon, once they begin climbing that mountain.
"If that's the case, it could be useful as a magic detector. I wonder what reaction it would have to those red rocks the Sheikah described us." the Zora gazes outside the window of Shyrin's residence, at the mountain beyond. Shaking his head, he returns his attention to Anya. "If you don't mind, Shyrin, I'm quite famished. Have you any smoked Ordon catfish?"
Torilin gazes at the spinning compass in his hand. "Is there iron in Death Mountain that prevents the compass from working properly? I have read that large concentrations of metal can have that effect...perhaps the Faeries are causing it?" He quietly hums the tune that he heard that brought the rain as he studies the strange spinning needles...He turns the compass over in his hand, but seeing nothing amiss on the other side he turns to his companions. "Shyrin, any ideas?"
To the woman: "Yes, I'm afraid we are. There is reason to believe that an outside force is causing the mountain's strange behavior." the Zora rubs his chin thoughtfully. "We're here to investigate." To Shyrin: "I'll accept your offer, Shyrin. I promise not to invade your privacy while we are enjoying your hospitality. We should rest here for the night, stretch our legs after that long caravan journey, and set out in the morning. For now though, I would see your homeland. This is my first time coming this far west."
The Zora keeps his gaze turned skyward, enjoying the soft patter of water on his face keeping his body moistened. The caravan ride was long and dehydrating, and he stretches gratefully in the drizzling shower. He gazes off in the direction of Death Mountain, it dominates the horizon when you're this close to its feet. He flags down a passing Kakariko villager and asks (if he can get his/her attention long enough): "Any news from the mountain?"
Torillin is unusual among his people for his willingness and propensity to talk to outsiders at length. He's in his element meeting new people, and smiles a comfortable, confident smile at her question. "We certainly prefer spending most of our time in water, but we're capable on land as well. I like to keep myself moisturized with good old fashioned water, but there are also plants known to my people that can keep us comfortable on land for good long stretches of time. I intend to keep my eye out for such plants; I'm no woodsman survivalist myself, but I do know some techniques for getting around." He sighs wistfully, glancing outside the caravan. "When all's said and done, however, nothing beats swimming. Nothing." He turns back to Shyrin. "Do you know of the Gorons, the people whose land we are traveling to now? They are nearly as isolated as the Zora people themselves, so my interactions with them have been minimal."
Torillin pats the seat next to his in the caravan the Hyrulians were seen arriving in.
Of course, you have to do it your way! I'm already convinced that you'll run a great campaign from your posting activity in my campaigns, so I'm in no matter how you choose to advertise.
For example, last year when I was recruiting for a homebrew campaign I was wanting to run, I added little biographies for each of the different tribes of people that PCs could come from, so that the players considering joining could align themselves with one of the tribes, give them something that already exists in the world as something to pin their backstory to. That sort of thing can make the character creation process sound more appealing too. The advantage we have is that Hyrule is a pretty well-known and popular setting, but that also comes with a drawback. People know how the story "ends" in Ocarina of Time. There needs to have some conflict created in the world you're putting your characters in, some real risk of catastrophe, to draw and hold the interest of some players.
Advertise on Reddit, maybe? I made a post about one of my PBP campaigns on there a few days ago, and I got a lot of response. It was on the rpg specific subreddit, here. A few people even wanted to join in, though I didn't have the room for them at the time. Another big thing that might help is to solidify where you want to go with the story of the campaign. People may say they want a simple dungeon crawl, but it's the story that hooks them in to THAT specific dungeon crawl. Create some threat, some buzz about what's going on and how it would affect the canon world of Hyrule, and how it would tie in the player characters specifically. Maybe something you could highlight is that each person who joins the campaign has a specific encounter with a mysterious Sheikah, and allow them to detail how that encounter went down in their application post. That ought to get people's creative juices flowing!
The Sheik was right... for the first time, Torillin feels true trepidation about the journeys ahead. Lord Jabu-Jabu, hear my plea... he begins, closing his eyes in prayer to the Sea God.
KB Tremblay has not participated in any online campaigns. |