Added some additional information to Vera regarding her connections to Sandpoint.
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Here is ElenionAncalima's submission for Vera Thaddeus. Paladin of Erastil. All the character info is the profile. About Me: I got my feet wet playing tabletop games in high school around 2008. However, I didn’t become a more active tabletop gamer around 2011 when I started playing Pathfinder. Around 2013 my group’s GM began losing interest in Pathfinder, while me and a few of the other players were still very much interested in gaming. So, we sought out other players and I found myself in the role of GM (a role that I very much enjoy and still have in my real life groups). However, being forever GM left me with the player itch, so I turned to play by post gaming in 2014. I enjoy play by post games a lot. My writing is stronger than my acting ability, so play by post allows me to RP characters in ways I could never pull off in a real life game. From a RP perspective, I would say my style has two key features. The first feature is an emphasis on the character’s personality and motivation, over their backstory. I generally find I am more interested in who the character is going to be and less interested in my character having had a bunch of stuff that’s already happened to them. The second feature is that I like my characters to have at least one area where they are obviously flawed. For Vera, that area is that she is a little bit stiff and hasn’t entirely found her own identity outside of her family and her church. The fact that these two core fundamental pieces of her identity are now in conflict is forcing her to consider her own identity in a way she hasn’t ever needed to before. From a non-RP perspective I pride myself on being a consistent poster and I have a personal rule about never having more than 2-3 games at a time, as I feel that is the sweet spot where I can comfortable keep up on all my games, even on busier days. As far as past games, I don’t know if there is a specific one that I am extra proud about. However, since it’s the character I am submitting, I will share this set of interactions, where Vera was forced to get to know the party’s flirtatious half-orc fighter, who she was very convinced was drunk. A budding rom-com seemed to be developing, but alas the game fell apart early due to an disappearing GM.
Not sure what the status of this game is currently, but just fyi, I am going to be travelling out of the country later today until August 9th. If things pick up again, feel free to bot me or skip me as necessary.
Vera continues to grip her longbow tightly. However, confusion is clear in her face. "He certainly doesn't seem too dangerous..." Vera replies, "But we should still be on our guard. Although, I must admit, I am more than a little concerned about where he got his injuries from. They don't look like they came from a local hunter or guard. That could be our real threat."
Sorry to hear that. Take as much time as you need.
Vera gestures to her clunky armor and replies to Yuto, "I'm not sure if I would be much of a surprise in a surprise attack...but I'll give you a little space so I don't give away your hiding spot." Moving away from Yuto, she draws her bow at the ready. Noticing Giovanni's nervousness, she remarks softly, "Its alright. You can stand behind me. As long as I stand, I will not let them through."
"Talin's been following their tracks. So they must have been this way..." Vera replies, glancing over to Talin for reassurance.
Vera remains fairly quiet as the group travels, trying to keep two eyes on the road. However, she finds herself somewhat distracted by tales of sewer monsters.
Vera nods, "Yes. We should get moving."
"Gkirkhan, wait! We were going to...follow...their tracks..." Vera trails off as the half-orc wanders away again. We'd better get Shalelu out of here before he finds what he's looking for, Vera thinks to herself. However, as she moves to pull Talin away from the conversation, she feels rather guilty. This seems like it might be important to both of them. A few moments more won't kill us... Vera stands somewhat anxiously near the caravan, keeping an open ear and a side eye on Gkirkhan.
Vera gives Sandru a friendly, but weary smile. "Yes. If you were heading to town, it would really be best if she went with you."
Vera nods, "We should wait for the caravan. Although, the less armored of our group may want to join Shalelu in the woods...just to be safe..."
"I have to agree with Yuto." Vera says shaking her head. "You have every right to want revenge against them, but you can barely walk. Doing permanent damage to your leg, or worse, getting yourself killed, isn't going to prove anything."
Vera considers Yuto suggestion of heading back, seeming torn. I do want to get to the bottom of this, but oh how I wish Shalelu wasn't here right now... She turns to Talin and Shalelu, who seem to be the best trackers in the group and asks, "Do you see any recent tracks in the area? Are there any indications that this might be an ambush or where they might have gone?"
Vera would have liked to have been surprised when she saw Gkirkhan run ahead of the group and try to get ambushed, but the last twenty-four hours seemed to have desensitized her to his confusing behavior. As she sighs and readies her bow to strike anybody he might attract, only one thought flitters through her mind. Why pickles...?
Vera, who has been watching Shalelu like a hawk is rather horrified when the woman is picked up and subsequently dropped. Rushing forward, she exclaims, "Her injuries! What were you thinking?!?" Pressing her fingers to her brow, Vera lets out a deep sigh, as she tries to regain her composure. I am letting this mission stress me out too much. I can't let my anxiety become a distraction...". Offering the elf a hand up, she asks, "Are you alright Miss. Shalelu?" As soon as a potential ambush is mentioned, Vera walks close to Shalelu and scans their surroundings.
Yeah, it might be better to get control of this one so we can have our old posts and not have duplicate campaigns. However, I have never used the process before, so I don't know how quick/simple it is.
Seems fair enough to me, if you are willing to do it. Jade Regent is already pretty geared towards having major NPC characters. -Posted with Wayfinder
Personally, I'd be hesitant to step up to the plate. I am already worried about GM burnout with the 2 in person games I run each week, so I have avoided PbP GMing. I still say its worth putting out a call for GM (although maybe give MathPro another week). Worst case scenario we end up right back here again and can open the floor again. Although, you may be on to something with reaching out to his other games. Checking through them, all of them seem to have active players that are commenting on his absence and one of them seems to be having a similar conversation to us.
Yeah, he has a bit of a history of abandoning games without notice too. So I'm officially worried. If he doesn't show up in a week or so, would people be interested in seeking out a new GM? It seems like a waste to let such a promising game die...
Yeah. Hopefully its just end of semester busyness or something and we haven't lost him to the wonders of summer...but we'll see. I have enough other games going on, that I'll still be around and checking for the foreseeable future.
Still here, since we are sharing.
Vera nods, saying, "Yes, we should get moving." Doing a quick head count, she adds, "I think we are all here anyway..." Drawing her bow and keeping a vigilant eye, Vera moves to the back of the party, explaining, "I shall stay in the rear and make sure no one catches us from behind. Shalelu, I'd appreciate it if you stayed nearby."
Outside Ameiko's Room:
Vera looks thoughtful for a moment, unsure of how to feel about to Gkirkhan's remarks. "I don't think being human is the definition of humanity...Its just called that due to my species own sense of self-importance. Humans are more than capable of being monsters…It sounds like that is something you have already experienced. " Vera gives Gkirkhan a sympathetic look, before continuing. "So if humans can be monsters, I don't see why an orc can't have humanity…"
Outside Ameiko's Room: Vera instinctively moves forward a little quicker when Gkirkhan puts an arm around her, attempting to restore her personal space. However, as she turns around and listens to him call himself a monster, she feels a little guilty.
Her expression softens, replying, "No sir, I don't think you are a monster. There is danger in rage, no doubt...but to feel anger that an innocent person was brutally attacked? That's humanity, not savagery."
At the Cathedral: Vera is horrified at the state of the woman before her. Finding Gkirkhan's rage contagious, she feels anger knocking at her door like an unwelcome house guest. No. Stop it. Remember what you told Koya. This isn't about revenge. This is about protecting the people of this town from the goblin threat...so that no one else gets hurt like this woman... Keeping a relatively calm outward demeanor, she gives Gkirkhan a light tap on the shoulder, gestures to Shalelu and Yuto and mutters, "Perhaps it would be best for us to give them a moment alone with their friend..."
"I have no objections to stopping by the temple," Vera replies.
So what are you guys thinking of my little prelude here. This isn't actually in the published adventure I just wrote it in to give you guys a chance to start interacting with some of the NPC's you will be traveling with. I liked it. It gave us a chance to break in our characters and interact with each other a bit. That was probably helpful for me since it is my first time being a paladin and I usually play characters a little more on the chaotic good side of things. Also, I'm impressed with everyone RP so far. All the characters have fairly distinct personalities, which makes them more fun to interact with.
Koya:
Vera nods, her expression serious. "I understand. I will do everything in my power to protect them all." Vera has a slightly pained smile as she hands the bow to Shalelu. Glad to see the woman so friendly, but weighed down by feelings of responsibility for her, she remarks, "Your welcome. Just remember that whatever happens to you now...I have to live with it. We all do." Her tone pleading, she adds, "Please don't do anything too reckless." With that Vera quietly follows the others, not letting Shalelu out of her sight or more than a few seconds dash away.
Vera contemplates the scenario to herself. I have far too little gold to my name to provide any use in this regard...and giving up my primary weapon seems inadvisable if I am to keep my promise of protecting everyone...and it would be wrong to go behind Koya's back...but perhaps she can be swayed on the issue... Letting out a quiet sigh, she remarks, "Let me talk to Koya. Perhaps she can be convinced to relinquish your bow..." Koya (Spoiler'd just to be safe. She has no complaints about tag-alongs.): Knocking on the woman's door. Vera enters somewhat sheepishly. "Sorry to bother you again, but I was wondering if we could perhaps give Shalelu her bow." Quickly she waves her hands, trying to cut off what she expects to be a very stern lecture, "Wait! Hold on! Hear me out! She is very determined to get her hands on a weapon. I believe she is going to go fight those goblins one way or another. If she has a bow, she has a good reason to stay far away from enemies and remain under our watch. Without it, she is probably going to end up rushing in with a dagger or something...with or without our help. Surely if you felt she was healthy enough to walk around, firing a bow can't cause too much more damage.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I was mostly rolling with the DMs descriptions...and he was making it sound like she is still in really bad shape and shouldn't be fighting. Even from a mechanical standpoint, I would assume from descriptions that she isn't anywhere near full strength. Considering that Vera is new to town and doesn't know that Ameiko and Shalelu are badass adventurers, her protective paladin nature is kicking in. Of course, she is also non-confrontational...So if Shalelu still insists on coming, which I fully expect she will, Vera isn't going to stop her. However, she would be remiss to not point out that its kind of dangerous to bring a heavily injured, unarmed woman on a goblin hunt.
Vera looks over Shalelu's wounds, seeming uncomfortable with the whole arrangement. "I'm not sure this is a great idea...If she doesn't have her bow, it's no doubt because Koya took it from her. However, should we even be bringing her with us if she is too injured to defend herself?" Giving Shalelu an apologetic look, she continues, "Perhaps if you could just draw us a map, Talin here can try to follow it...and you could get some more rest."
Still looking a little confused, Vera asks, "What happened to the the bow she had yesterday? Wasn't it in her room?"
Vera eyes fill with both surprise and concern, as Shalelu approaches the group. "Koya cleared you to come with us?" she asks, somewhat disbelievingly. "You don't even have your weapons!" Vera looks from Shalelu to Giovanni hoping for clarification.
"Oh..." Vera replies, as she starts to figure out what Gkirkhan meant. "Well, that's a good starting point, but we should probably figure out some of the finer details." *DC 13 Sense Motive:
Translation: I don't want to hurt your feelings, but what you just described to me is not in fact a plan. Let's come up with a real plan now. Greeting Lem, she replies, "Hmm...were you able to spot a trail when you investigated last night? Carrying Ameiko would have weighed Shalelu down...and they were both bleeding. Does anyone have any experience with tracking?"
Vera responds to Talin, despite her cheeks looking a little pink from Gkirkhan's greeting. "Yes...we should visit the cathedral. However, I think we should wait for the others first. I believe the man in blue from last night wished to join us. He's upstairs with Shalelu right now. He said his name is Giovanni Xando. Plus, there were two others who expressed interest. Lem and Yuto, I think?" Listening to Gkirkhan's 'plan', Vera finds herself scratching her head. "Er...could you go over that once more? I don't think I am familiar with...uh...'snit ear-oh cop'."
Vera arrives in the main area and greets Talin. "Good morning. I was just checking in on Shalelu. She seems to doing better, but she's a little...er...tied up...I don't think she will be joining us today." Noticing Gkirkhan, she adds, "...and good morning to you too, sir. I hope you are feeling better this morning."
...a budding what now? Lol. -Posted with Wayfinder
Shalelu's Room: After returning the old woman's embrace, Vera looks slightly troubled by her words. Speaking earnestly, she replies, "I'm not looking for revenge, Miss Koya, I promise. I'm just concerned that these goblins have enough explosives to pose a serious threat to the people of this town. I think it bears further investigation." Reflecting for a moment on her companions and the anger she had glimpsed in a few of their eyes, she adds, "I don't know if I can speak for the others. Perhaps they are looking for revenge...but I'll do my best to protect them."
As Shalelu starts to wake and starts to shout at Koya, Vera looks a little uncomfortable. "Uh...I suppose I shall take my leave...and er...let you two work this out...um...I'm glad you are feeling better today, ma'am…" With that, Vera shuffles out of the room quickly and joins the others in the main area.
"Ah. Fair enough." Vera says, instinctively looking down at the floorboard that Giovanni is so intensely staring at, before realizing what she is doing. Somewhat awkwardly, she adds, "So..uh...I don't think I ever caught your name..." After her brief, awkward exchange with Giovanni she quickly stops by Koya's room to inquire about Shalelu's status.
Vera wakes up still feeling a little disoriented by the previous night of goblins, scorched women and whispering half-orcs. After spending some time on her morning prayers, she moves slowly, but purposefully. She cleans up, gets dressed and checks her armor and weapons for signs of wear. Once she finishes counting her arrows and gets all her yawns out, she leaves her room. Spotting Giovanni in the hallway, she stops. He was one of the people who wanted to head out...right? Yes. I definitely saw him when we were at the sheriff's station… Walking towards him, she extends a hand. "Hello. I don't think we were formally introduced. Vera Thaddeus. Have you checked on Shalelu this morning?"
Works for me.
Gkirkhan:
Vera still doesn't seem entirely convinced that Gkirkhan is sober, but she does reflect on his question for a moment. "No sir...I believe you are mistaken. I am entirely uninteresting. " Struggling to come up with a single thing that wasn’t more about her parents, the church or serving the community, than herself, she mumbles out. "I like forests, I suppose...the peace of being out in the woods..." Shaking her head, she chuckles, "See, I warned you I was boring…
Vera looks a little guilty for causing the mayor discomfort. I'm getting the distinct feeling that I should have asked a few more questions about this Pixie place, before opening my mouth...I do hope I haven't gotten anyone in trouble. "Thank you for your time. If you have any more questions, most of us are staying at the Rusty Dragon. Hopefully we will be able to arrange a plan for tomorrow."
Vera returns to the inn and tries to find Giovanni, Lem and Yuto. Relaying everything the mayor said, she asks, "Is everyone still interested in setting out tomorrow?"
Gkirkhan:
Very lets out a sigh, unsure to handle such a situation. Perhaps I have been too sharp with him. He seems like a nice enough person... "My apologies, Sir Gkirkhan. I did not intend to sound so harsh. I just didn't wish to encourage any behavior that you may be embarrassed by in the morning, when you sober up." As they walk, she shares a little more about herself. "I came to Sandpoint to assist in the care of Niska Mvashti and old friend of my parents. However, she recently passed away. I have mostly been sticking around to ensure that her daughter is okay. You see, I made her mother a promise of sorts... she explains, as her voice trails off.
Mayor: "Oh...no. He is fine...well...I mean...he's not why we are here." Vera explains to the woman. "I am so, so sorry to disturb you at this hour. I approached the sheriff first...but I was told not to go to some place called the Pixie's Kitten. Then I spoke to the guards...but they suggested I talk to you." "Two woman, Shalelu and Ameiko were attacked by goblins outside of town and barely escaped with their lives. They are already receiving care...but some of us were concerned about the goblins and were considering investigating in the morning..."
Hope you are both feeling better this morning.
"Uh...I think we need to just focus on the mission at hand, sir." Vera replies to the half-orc. Are we really bringing him to the mayor in this state? I don't suppose he would go back to the inn if we asked, though... Vera will follow them to the mayor and reiterate what she told the guards.
Gkirkhan:
Vera replies to Gkirkhan with an almost parental tone, "No, no. One person. One bed..." Guards: "There is no sign that the creatures pursued into the town, so no need for immediate concern. However, if you could take us to the mayor I would appreciate it."
Vera looks a little alarmed for a moment as the seemingly drunken man follows her. Why is he following me? Good thing Talin is with me. Perhaps I should try and get a read on him... Using an old trick the Iomadaens taught her, she gives the half-orc a quick examination. Hmm...I see no evil in his heart...perhaps he is harmless after all. Likely a night of drinking has caused his inappropriate behavior. Well, I suppose I am now responsible for making sure he doesn't hurt himself... With a sigh, she replies, "My name is Vera and I am a servant of the church of Erastil. We are just going to talk to some guards then we will get you back to the inn so you can lie down until you feel better..."
"Of course." Vera replies to Talin. "You probably have more information than me anyway, since you went to help Ameiko." At the Guard Tower: "Good evening gentlemen. I wanted to report an incident that happened a few hours ago. A woman named Shalelu arrived at the Rusty Dragon a few hours ago, quite bloodied from protecting her friend Ameiko from goblin attacks. While both woman are already receiving care, I thought it would be remiss to not report the possible goblin threat to the authorities." Vera catches her breath for a moment, before continuing, "I initially wished to tell the Sheriff. However, the locals I spoke to suggested that I not disrupt him while he is in some place called 'The Pixie's Kitten'. Would you be able to pass the information along or is there someone else I should inform? Several of us were discussing investigating the matter in the morning."
Vera nods to Talin and replies, "That is true. However, I do think it would be best if the town guard was made aware, just in case. At the very least, I think I shall try and tell the guardds, like you suggested." Saying little more, she begins to walk towards the nearest gate, until she can find town guards.
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