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I am so sorry to hear this, GM. Your health and your SO's health come first and foremost, and I can only hope you both live the best and happiest life you can imagine regardless of circumstances. I personally need to reduce my number of games, so I will be stepping out. Thank you all for the wonderful experience, it was fun being able to play Vallen again. Best of luck to you all.
Round 4 The sudden aggression of the floating skull is the only excuse Vallen needs to purge it from the material plane. Raising his holy symbol in its direction, he ivokes the power of his god. "Torag, your servant asks you to smite this monstrosity that mocks that ancestors of these lizardfolk, mascarading as one of their own!" A bolt of crackling, white-hot energy in the shape of a hammer flies forth from the dwarf's holy symbol, speeding towards the floating skull.
Round 3 Coughing and flailing, Vallen emerges from the blue-black cloud of smoke created by his backfiring weapon. The huge lizard chieftan was no longer threat at least, but it seemed like Cass was having a hard time with the swamp critters that flanked them. The dwarf awkwardly puts his pistol back into its holster, the broken device only fitting at an odd angle. He grasps his stocky warhamer from the opposite belt loop instead, grim and powder-covered face suspiciously watching the will-o-wisp pulse nearby.
Round 2 Vallen has no problem getting a clear shot on the massive chieftan assaulting Vlad. He lifts his buckler high, beautifully crafted and gleaming pistol glimmering in the sunlight filtering through the trees. The dwarf pulls the trigger, and the oversized hammer that bears an artfully carved visage of Torag swings down to strike its flint against the pan. The powder ignites and the flame travels into the barrel, but the rapidly expanding gases get trapped in place by the paper wad! The pistol suddenly backfires through the pan, sending an explosion of black smoke and uncombusted powder all over Vallen's face that causes him to cry out loudly. No one can see the iron priest through the swirling cloud of smoke surrounding him, but they can certainly hear him coughing and speaking in rapid, angry dwarven.
Round 1 "The will-o-wisp!" Vallen shouts before he stuffs a paper cartridge in his mouth, biting the end and spilling black powder grains onto the ground. He stuffs the entire wad into the barrel of his pistol and quickly rams it down as far as possible. "It must be that floating skull! If it gets closer I will smite it!" Vallen shouts before he grabs his holy symbol with his free hand, the small silver hammer cool between his gunpowder stained fingers. The dwarf holds the holy symbol aloft, beseeching the protection of the divine. "Forge-father, your humble servant calls for aid! Protect us from the machinations of Evil so we may spread Law and Good in this land!"
Vallen frowns as the lizard leader screeches, lifting his pistol to his arm and placing it in the notch of his buckler. "So the cycle of violence continues." He says sadly before pulling the trigger on Torag's Fire. A belch of smoke and hot lead escape from the muzzle, the latter speeding towards the lizard chieftan too fast to be tracked by the naked eye.
Vallen's face goes from agitated to concerned when the lizard king starts yelling back, and then his expression becomes grave acceptance after Ilystria's rebuttal. The priest swallows the frog in his throat and reaches for his pistol, quickly loading it with a lead ball. "Can anyone else see the irony? They hate us because we attack them, we offer them peace, but they won't give up stolen human children so we have to attack them?" The priest of Torag sighs, hefting the pistol straight up into the air. "Forge-Father, please watch over us in the coming battle as we rescue a human child from the clutches of evil. I ask you take pity on the souls of these lizardfolk, for they are trapped in a cycle of violence and know not what they do." His prayers are solemn and regretful, knowing their are likely about to commit irreparable damage to the lizardfolk's tribe.
Vallen's face contorts into multiple expressions as the lizard chief speaks. Confusion, disgust, and finally, anger. "That's ridiculous!" He shouts, raising a hand into the air. "Ancestors should want to help without asking for supplication from their descendants! Does a father ask a son to pay for the roof over their head? A mother demand servitude in return for th milk from her breast?" Incensed by this clear mutiliation of ancestor worship, Vallen speaks to their fey interpretor. "Illystria, there is no way that will o wisp is an ancestor spirit if it's making demands and threatening harm. Ancestor spirits don't do that, they only want to help their offspring. This tribe is being duped. Ask them why their ancestors would stand aside and watch them fail if they didn't lick their... er.. metaphorical boots. It doesn't make sense!"
Vallen is staring up at the exchange above, concentrating. "Uh..." He slowly responds to Cassandra. "The lizard king says the ancestors tell them to make an example of their foes and scare them so they... I guess... we...? never fight them." The priest begins to nod as Ilystria speaks before summarizing for Cass and Jenya. "Ilystria is explaining we want to be at peace, but we can't be if they are keeping human children tied to posts in the middle of their village. Oh, she asked them if we can speak to the will o wisp directly!"
Vallen gestures to Jenya in a calming manner as well. "Just hold on.. She's doing really well. Let her concentrate. Basically, the lizardfolk don't like us because we cut down their forests and take thier fish. To protect their land they give reverance to their ancestors. What doesn't make sense is the kid and the will o wisp, which Illystria is asking about now." The dwarf fills in the rest of the group, trying to assauge his fretting companions in a bizzare role reversal.
Vallen reaches up and puts a hand on Jenya's wrist. "Whoa, whoa... Calm down. This could all be a big misunderstanding! We should talk with them first." The priest looks back and forth between Ilystria and the big lizard man. He can understand them both speaking, and realizes something... the fey queen is far, far better at this than he is. It dawns on Vallen that this could be the chance he's been waiting for... someone to free him from the awful position of Head Diplomat! Though thoughts of freedom dance through his head, he is shaken out of it by the speech of the lizardman chieftain. "Uh... Illystria, we don't want to do any of those things. We just want the human child so we can return him to his family, and we'll leave. If that will o the wisp is bothering them, maybe we could do something about it as well." Vallen turns to Cassandra, a question on his face. "Are will o wisps ancestor spirits? I don't think they're ghosts or anything like that, or I'd know. What kind of peaceful ancestor would want to terrorize a human child?"
Vallen looks aghast at Ilystria's report. "Wait, there's a boy crying in the middle of village, and it's not Tig? AND there's a will-o-wisp... doing something to him?" Making a disgruntled groaning noise, the priest runs a hand through his blond hair. "Well we can't just leave him there! I don't know what wil-o-wisps do to people, but it can't be good!"
Vallen stops mid-caper when he hears the lizardfolk talking about him, causing Cass to run into him. The two stumble for a moment, but Vallen eventuallyrights himself. "Fungal infection?" He sputters in the general direction of the barricade, though the lizardfolk were already leaving. The priest makes several futile gestures and half-noises towards the gate before his arms fall in defeat. "Ugh, if Tig isn't here, let's... let's just go. The gate guards think we're crazy and went go go fetch someone. I can't speak their langauge, so I'm not very helpful as Head Diplomat." He folds his arms over his chest, still perturbed about the beard comment. "That witch was suspicious, I have to say, but the tracks led in this direction."
"You... want me to distract them? I don't...This isn't..." The dwarf cuts himself off with a loud sigh loudly, looking utterly defeated. I'm supposed to be building a castle...Torag, is this truly what you wish of me? He thinks before looking up at the head peaking over the gate. How.. ah... Wait.. I remember a story I was told by a child long ago about a dwarf that always found himself in trouble but always managed to get himself out of it. What was his name... Urist Cavestalker? He was trapped by some goblins and needed to distract them while his companion, a sentient bulette, burrowed to his rescue.. how did he distract them, think Vallen... Vallen seems to be very deep in thought, before the universal facial expression of epiphany crosses his face. He danced! Turning to the others, he spread his hands out. "Okay, I have a plan! We are going to dance! Jenya, stand here.. Cass, here.... Vlad, here... And I stand here. This is called The Little Beat. It's hop, hop, hop turn 90 degrees left. Hop, hop, hop, turn left. Follow my lead!" The Little Beat was a traditional dance from Five Kings mountains that had existed for hundreds of years. It was a series of hops and turns meant to be performed in unison as a crowd that when viewed from above would create a pleasing array of orderly, linear movements. Typically it required at least 4 dancers in 2 x 2 grid that could be scaled up so long as there were an equal number of dancers on every corner of the square. The priest begins to comically hop about, expecting the others to follow. Unfortunately Vallen has a sense of rhythm akin to a rotting tree stump, and every time the others think they have the rate of the hopping down, he changes speed!
Vallen looks exasperated at the response, making a confused gesture at the face peaking over the palisade. Does that ever actually work? Do people just... leave? "We just want to ask some questions!" He responds in common, though he's fairly certain they don't understand. Turning around to look at the group, the priest shrugs. "I don't know what language they're speaking, but thanks to Torag's blessing I know it said "go away". Not very helpful."'
Vallen stops in front of the wooden gate, a sour expression on his face and a loaded pistol in his hand. "Well we've rushed forward without any kind of plan. Now what?" He clearly hears the shuffling on the other side of the gate, cocking an ear. Touching his holy symbol the priest mutters a prayer to Torag, granting him the ability to understand all spoken languages.
"Uh... HELLO?" The dwarf calls in common, not quite sure what langauge lizardpeople speak, but maybe the others can figure it out.
"W-wait Jenya, it could have been an animal! They could just be... making dinner!" He says in an attempt to stop the human from rushing in. When she informs him the scream sounded human, the priest curses and jumps off his horse, touting his pistol. "Egh... well... We can't just stand here, then! Go!" He starts to follow behind the gunslinger with his shorter legs, falling behind instantly.
Vallen sighs and looks at the ground for a moment, thinking. "Yes. I could check for something specified as Tig's corpse, but it is a different spell and has a much shorter range, down to hundrds of feet. I... Do not want to use it unless we are sure he died somewhere nearby. We could at least return his remains for a proper burial." --------------------------- After following the tracks, Vallen gives a start when he hears the panicked wail in the distance. "Lizardpeople?!" The priest hisses in a low whisper, hand reaching for his pistol. Nervously licking his lips, looks through the reeds. "I see huts! If we approach slowly, do you think they can be reasoned with?"
Vallen looks suddenly crestfallen when the hand returns, putting a hand on his forehead and sighing. "Well, Ijust recieved the results of my spell, and there's no sign of anyone with Tig's description in a 5 mile radius of our location." He says with clear disappointment, having hoped the spell could at least tell them if they were in the right place. "It wasn't useless, at least. We know Tig isn't in the tower, or at the witch's hut." A sudden, grim realization hits him, causing the dwarf to grimmace. "Ah... unless he's dead. I don't think the spell works on the dead."
Vallen is excited when Cassandra points out the pieces of fabric left behind on the stump. "Ah! Perhaps the witch did not get him after all." The priest intones, bending over and picking up the scraps of cloth between his large, stabby fingers. "If this is Tig... he could be nearby. We should keep moving, but I will beseech Torag for aid." Sitting on the very sae stump that was used before, the dwarf opens the iron-bound holy book Hammer and Tongs, flipping through its beautifully stitched leather pages. After several minutes of study and prayer, he closes the book and his eyes simutaneously. "Torag, please hear your humble servant. We search for a lost human boy, and wish to reunite him with this family. Let him find us, or us find him." Though no one else but he can see it, a hand appears and hovers in front of Vallen's face. THe priest opens his eyes, almost surprised to see it there. "Uh... Human boy... ah... what was his hair color..." The priest relays the description of Tig they were originally given so the hand can begin searching the area.
Vallen sighs, lightly kicking Nelly's flanks as he follows after Cassandra. "Aye, we make doubly sure Tig wasn't here, then we can look into the lizardfolk. Maybe they've seen him. If not, I still suspect that old human woman in the hut... Did you see the way that scarecrow moved? Witch magic."
Vallen sighs as he watches the tower off in the distance- in his mind's eye he can see all kinds of spooky ghosts and other undesirable abbreviations floating about. "Well... With the power of Torag we can walk across the water and reach the tower, but if there is no evidence Tig went to the island then we don't have any reason to risk fighting whatever is haunting the place, eh?" Ilystria's question catches the priest a little off guard, his deep blue eyes staring at her for a moment as he wonders if this was some kind of fey prank. "He's lost and likely in danger... His family is probably worried sick. We seem to be the elected problem solvers in RIver Run, so we're doing our best to make sure he's returned safely. Even if we don't know him, he's special to his family."
Vallen's eyes follow the scarecrow as it watches them leave, turning in his saddle with curiosity. He turns back around with a frown on his face. "I think that may have been a witch." He comments plainly as they move along the shore. "Do you think... what if... Don't witches make human boys into stew or something? We do not have many witches in the Five King Mountains, so I'm unfamilar with their... appetites." Standing on the shore of the lake, Vallen squints as he tries to make out the tower in the distance. "Eh... I can't tell what the quality of the stone is from here. It will be difficult to deconstruct it and move it over the lake, regardless." On the subject of Tig, the priest brings up his concerns about the hag again. "That crone was a witch I tell you. She's probably been soaking him in onion juice for days now."
"Wisps?" He seems to be asking himself as the door slams shut in the distance. "Will o' Wisps?" Is said with a frown , turning to his companions. "I know what a lizardman is, but I have only heard stories about wisps." Sighing, he nods to Jenya and returns to his horse. "Yes, let us continue. Hopefully the boy made it past the lizardfolk."
Vallen appears to be immensely satisfied with the repair of the bell, a wide smile suddenly breaking out underneath his well-groomed blonde mustache. "Now, this is doing Torag's work. Just listen..." He carefully jingles the bell, taking obvious delight in the revival of its pleasant tones. Unfortunately his good mood is shattered as the crone slams open her door, the dwarven priest flinching as he expects the entire hut to suddenly collapse... but it doesn't. Exhaling the breath he did not realize he was holding, Vallen cups his hands over his mouth and shout back. "Greetings! Uh... we are emissaries from the Kingdom of Emeria. We're looking for a lost human boy named Tig Tannerson, whom we believe went to the tower known as Candlemere. If you, ah...Could you provide us with some directions to the tower?" His deep if uncertain voice projects well in the cool morning air.
No need to rush it, Jesse. Take your time and be with your family instead!
"I am approaching this caustiously!" He says in a quiet, yet feverish voice. "If you rang this bell as-is, the clapper would probably fall off!"
"Whoa, Nelly." Vallen commands his horse as they approach the broken-down hut. The dwarf sits and stares at the absolutely downtrodden state of the place, cataloguing in his mind the amount of work needed to turn put the place back into a livable state. Not being able to take it any more, the dwarf shakes his head and makes a sound of pure disgust. "I know we need to ask for directions..." He says grffly, before extending his arm to point at the hut. "But this place not only offends my religious beliefs to their core, it is a mockery of the very concept of craftsmanship itself. I feel personally attacked by the state of the roof alone. Look at it! It's rotting away! Can we trust anyone that would shirk such important maintenance?!" His arm falls in a huff, and he starts to eye up the bell at the gate, which seems like a good place to start. Making a decision, he dismounts from his house and stomps over to bell, boots squishing into the swampy soil all the way. He takes the bell in hand and immediately begins praying to Torag; a white light envelopes the poor, oxidized instrument, and flakes of rust begin to fall off. "Just... let me do this at least, please. Then we can ring it."
Ilystria, a thought: Do you want Vallen to have Dispel Magic on hand, or do you want to have it at the ready? Yours would be more likely to succeed because Ilystria has a higher intelligence, but if Vallen didn't have a dispel ready it would just be replaced with another support or buff spell like Archon Aura or Badger's Ferocity something, so eh? Just thinking out loud. There's also nothing wrong with us both having it ready and just dispelling everything all te time.
Level 5 HP: +5 Channel Positive Energy: 3d8 Access to 3rd level spells (woo!) 2 regular + 1 domain 5th level Feat: Craft Wondrous Item 8 skill points: +1 Knw: Religion
Current spell list: 0th: (DC 13)
1st: (DC 14)
2nd: (DC 15)
3rd: (DC 16)
Lots of really cool 3rd level spells. Prepare for major shenanigans, like Enter Image. I'm imagining Vallen carrying around a pocket full of little statues of himself, lol. We can attach them to Cass' arrows and shoot them into places! If you want any cool magic items crafted or enhanced just say so! They probably won't end up cursed :D At level 7th we'll pick up Craft Magic Arms and Armor, and then we can have some real fun...
Vallen is glad to see that construction of the keep is going well, and all of the plans he and his uncle made are bearing fruit. The priest would rather be actually here actually helping, but his god seemed to have other plans for him, which included being some kind of big damn hero. It was a relief they did not actually find this huge owlbear, and even more of a relief it could just be a local legend that died hundreds of years ago. He stands with arms crossed over his chest-length beard while Akrios updates them on the latest adventures of their state-sponsered gnomish explorer, and his light blonde brows rise at the mention of a hidden village. "More fey, maybe? Do you know anything about this hidden village, Ilystria?" The mention of some kid wandering off into the monster-infested woods alone makes the craftsdwarf shake his head. "Not very smart, eh?" Vallen says blunty, arms dropping to his sides. "If this Candlemere is haunted, it's my duty to exercise it at some point. If it's another elvish construction I'd like to uh... look at the stone too." That sounded like a half-hearted suggestion they should go to Candlemere, but he was leaving open the possibility that they stay in River Run and never go running head-first into danger ever again.
Ugh geeze that sounds awful. I hope they figure out what's going on soon so you can get to feeling better. We'll be here. Game-related stuff: If we're not going to use it, we should give out a bunch of this magical and high-quality loot we've found to our subordinates or donate it to the town. Lots of weapons and armor people would appreciate/use. Vallen (should) be getting Craft Wonderous Item next level, so we could also sell it if we want to money for him to fix us up some gear. It will be another 2 levels before he gets Craft Magical Arms and Armor though. GM: Could you remove the AMulet of Natural Armor from the Swag bag, please? Vlad took it.
His question ignored, Vallen takes the initative. He mutters a prayer to Torag and begins to magically repaired the battered stuffed dragon. Stitching tigthens and reseats, stuffing regenerates, the fabric returns to its original crimson red. A button, which strangely does not match the style of the other button, pops into existence and stitches itself into place. Stunned that the buttons on each side were two different variations, heturns the dragon back and forth in his hands "It was originally like this? Was the person that made it blind? These aren't the same buttons at all!" Disgusted at the lack of order and conformity, the priest puts the repaired, stuffed dragon back in its place. He huffs and turns back to the group, arms crossed. "We're already out here. Might as well keep exploring so we can prepare for the next Unseelie." The gruff dwarf complains, seemingly resigned to his fate.
I will be going camping in Glacier National Park July 7th-14! You might get some posts out of me on the weekend (we'll be taking a train out to Montana) but otherwise I will be unavailable. Please bot Vallen as needed.
Vallen seems relieved when the others make the decision he didn't want to; retreating. He knew his god would want to see the evil fae exterminated, but in the face of overwhelming and unknown odds Vallen managed to justify a tactical retreat. The dwarf spends the ride brooding over whether they made the right decision. Torag teaches the value of discretion and biding your time in the fae of overwhelming odds, but could we have defeated them? Will the blood of any that die while we go about our business be on our hands? Still in a funk as they arrive at the court of Queen Ilystria, Vallen quirks a brow at Perlivash landing on his shoulder, but does not make a fuss. "It could be better. It could be worse." The dwarf says gruffly, walking about the "throne room" while the others talk. He picks up the stuffed toy dragon, turning it over in his hands. "Uh... I could fix this if you'd like. Only take a minute." If that wasn't enough to convince them, he points a fat finger to the dangling thread on its face. "It's missing an eye."
Vallen is definitely put off by their discovery of the other fey tracks, sighing and running a hand through his thick and well-groomed blonde hair. "So is this some kind of fortress for evil fey? They were isolated before, but now they're probably all bunkered down in the central tower, waiting for us." "Well, they don't know we're here.. yet. Cass, could you scout out the lower floor of the tower without being seen, look for traps or anything hostile? Then we'll know if they're all on the top floor and can rightly prepare to charge up the stairs."
Ouch that sounds absolutely awful. I'm always saddened by the work conditions the gaming industry, you all bring us such great enntertainment at the cost of your own time. As for our strategy here, we can try to draw them out, but why would they leave the main tower (which is where I assume they are)? They're waiting for us, probably behind a bunch of new traps.
"Wonderful." Vallen mutters sardonically when they find the tracks of the clawed creature. He looks at the trapped portcullis with his arms crossed over his chest, then reaches for the tools on his belt. "I had the night to think this trap over, and with Torag's guidance, I think I figured it out." He strides over to the side of the gate, taking out a set of tension keys. This time he keeps his legs on either side of the trip wire, carefully lowering the sensitivity of the trap.
"Of course!" The priest responds to Cass' incredulous tone. "Torag works in mysterious ways, including rope tricks." Vallen says proudly before hopping up onto Nelly to begin their journey back to the tower.
"Prayer can always offer a solution, Cass." Vallen says while placing the cold iron bullets in his belt pouch. "I will infuse us with several of Torag's blessings before we engage, which will hopefully protect us from the effects of the dancing." He hefts a length of silk rope for her to see. "In addition, I'll animate this rope and command it to tie up that evil waif." Placing the rope over his shoulder, the dwarf frowns. "Though Iam concerned about what we do not know. All we have seen it do is dance. Surely such an ancient and evil being has more than one trick?"
Vallen will take five cold iron bullets, bouncing them in his palm to feel their weight. "Thank you. I will be beseeching Torag to provide the needed blessings to defeat that evil fey... so hopeflly I won't need these. But this is not a foe to underestimate, so we must be prepared." Fully equipped and rested, Vallen is ready to set off back towards the tower.
Vallen wakes the morning, rubbing his face with a calloused hand. He had been plagued by nightmares again- some old, but most of them new and involving that horrific Unseelie. It had done awful things to him in his dreams, with its gyrating hips and... The priest shakes his head and takes a deep breath, muttering a prayer to Torag and splashing some water on his face. After a light breakfast of dried nuts and berries, he sits on a rock, head bowed to the earth, gripping his holy symbol. After an hour of prayer to Torag, thepriest opens his icy blue eyes and reaches on hand to the heavens, the other touching his breast. "Your servant beseeches your aid, Torag! Please clear my mind of this befuddlement, inflicted by an otherwordly and evil foe. We go now to cleanse your creation of its taint, reclaiming the exquiste stonework built by the elves long ago, and restoring good and balance to the land." Divine power washes over Vallen in a burst of bright white light, and he feels the fog in his mind lift. Blinking several times, the priest rubs his face once more "Droskar's buttcrack... That poison was awful. I could barely keep my thoughts straight." He notices a raised welt on his forehead, tracing it with his finger. "Did I really use the suctionator on my forehead?" The dwawrf says with a sigh. "It's supposed to go over the liver." Getting his gear together in short order, he checks up on Jenya's equipment as well. "Do you have cold iron bullets, Jenya? We will need them to pierce that evil creatures' hide. All I have is silver, and I don't know if it will be as effective."
That's just one though, he took 3 damage in total. My dwarf needs all his wits about him for this foe!
I forgot Vallen had some Wisdom damage. So I'm changing my prepared spell list again weeee 0th: (DC 13)
1st: (DC 14)
2nd: (DC 15)
Vallen sits near their small campfire, whittling away at some piece of wood. "That creature contained an evil I've never felt before. It was otherwordly, disturbingly concentrated." He mutters, still bothered at how easily he succumed to its dancing. "Tomorrow I will beseech Torag to provide me with the blessings to counter its... machinations. Then we'll remove it from the Material Plane for good." There was a small bit of convinction in the dwarf's voice. He was still afraid, but after witnessing the evil powers of the creature he knew it was his duty to see it ended.
Never been into Star Trek and I stopped playing MMOs years ago, but that certainly looks cool! Making video games is hard, and if you just released that you must have been under some serious crunch time. Hope you'll get to relax a bit soon!
So Protection From Evil will stop its enthrallment or whatever? That's great! I'm going to throw a rope at it because it sounds fun, but that takes care of overcoming the death dance! Going to prepare two Protections from Evil... just in case. Spell List: 0th: (DC 13)
1st: (DC 14)
2nd: (DC 15)
I think we're good to go. Shall we camp and return the next day?
Hmm. For the Protection from Evil thing, I think that only applies to abilities that would cause you to be possessed or otherwise be mind controlled. It's up to the GM though. Yeah, I'm trying to the animate rope trick to get past her SR as well.
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