Vincent Riker's page

Vincent quickly stowed his shield to comply with the request and added, "That's pretty much it. We just came through the Hellbit Trench on advice from the monks of St. Albat. Ran into a rather nasty dragon creature on the way, but we put up a solid defense," the auttaine flashed Isen a smile, "and made it through with no lasting harm."

Sorry about that. I've been checking pretty infrequently since this is my last active game and overtime at work has been ramping up.

In other news, baby #2 is due in a couple months :D

Vincent clearly wasn't pleased that he was unable to do more now, but his more logical side understood the truth of the matter. "Agreed. Let's get going, before its mate comes calling."

"Well, they're stone statues, and they've been here this long. I suppose they'll last a while longer. Let's move on I suppose, and we can let people know that the dracolisk has been dealt with. Maybe someone will have access to the needed magic to revive them? We can take the eggs with us, and if someone is going to attempt helping them, we can leave the eggs with them. At least this way more dracolisks don't hatch here after we leave."

"Well, if we didn't win I'm pretty sure we'd have a serious problem when the thing saw what we are doing with her eggs."

Looking over the other statues, Vincent asked, "I don't suppose either of you have any ability to repair the damage to these guys before rubbing them down with egg? If not, I might be able to carry one at a time, if we find someone later that could help them."

Sorry about being especially slow lately. Been working very long hours and weekends leading up to a release. But that's over now so hopefully I can be around a bit more.

When Phai returned with the flask of blood, Vincent tried channel a bit of magic to boost her strength in case she needed to bring the whole body back, but his spell failed to manifest in his haste.

Spell Failure (15%): 1d100 ⇒ 10

Ant Haul

"If it's down, drag it back here. If it's anything like regular basilisks, we need to cover Isen in blood. If there's any left, we can try it on some of the other people." A moment later, Vincent added, "And be careful! It might still be dangerous."

The auttaine trotted back to Isen's resting place and began to check that all the pieces were still in the right spot.

Vincent chased after the fleeing dracolisk and launched another barrage of missiles.

Assuming I can stay within 170 ft. of it...

Spell Failure (20%): 1d100 ⇒ 12

Unfortunately, the frantic run caused the missiles to spray out wildly and fail to properly seek their target.

Vincent sheathed his falcata and focused on his magic again.

Spell Failure (20%): 1d100 ⇒ 80

Magic Missile: 4d4 + 4 + 6 ⇒ (1, 2, 1, 4) + 4 + 6 = 18

"Phai, remind me to have you teach me to fly some time!" Vincent called out from the ground.

Swift action for some sweet, sweet smiting action.

"We'll find a way to help Isen, but let's end this. Quickly." Vincent tossed his sword to his shield hand, then raised his metallic arm with fingers outstretched.

Spell Failure (30%): 1d100 ⇒ 60

Four pulses of divine light spiraled out and hit the creature in middair.

Magic Missile (CL 7): 4d4 + 4 + 6 ⇒ (4, 4, 1, 4) + 4 + 6 = 23

As soon as the projectiles had left his hand, the auttaine retrieved his sword and advanced. If the beast landed, he would be ready.

My AC is 4 higher (so 29) against the dracolisk due to smite.

As the dracolisk came hurtling forward, Vincent raised his palm and cast out a bead of fire.

Spell Failure (20%): 1d100 ⇒ 68
Fireball (DC 18, CL 7): 7d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 1, 1, 6, 2, 2) = 19

By the time the flames cleared, Vincent had his falcata in hand and shield raised, ready to defend himself, but carefully avoiding its gaze.

All right. Unless you guys have a better idea, I'll lead the way down the path until I can get within 60 ft to get a read on it. If I get attacked, we'll blast it. If it turns out evil, we can kick things off with a preemptive strike if it doesn't move to engage. Sound good? And for what it's worth, let's go for averting my gaze when not actively pinging it with detect evil for now.

"I have a feeling you're probably right. If I can get close enough, I should be able to tell if it is tends towards evil, but I think a fight is probably inevitable. And if it has been preying upon travelers, we'll be doing the region a favor. If the blood thing holds true, we might even be able to rescue some of those people-turned-statues."

How far away is it? If I can get within 60' I can ping it with detect evil, as a final bit of evidence. Also, if you guys think I'm overthinking these things and slowing things down, let me know and I can tone it down. I understand the back and forth/overthinking can really bring a play-by-post game to a crawl.

Once Axis had finished its report, it quickly returned to the safety of its tattoo form.

"A basilisk... that's also a dragon... I've heard tales of rescuing people caught in a basilisk's gaze by rubbing them in the blood of the basilisk, do you think that something like that would work with a dracolisk? And dragons are usually very territorial, so perhaps that's why the pass has been so dangerous for travelers? Does anyone know if they're able to be reasoned with, or is this going to be another manticore situation?"

"I think there's a good chance you're right. Do you think the bite marks came before or after the whole stony bit? That thing up there could be the cause... but is it alone?"

"Honestly, I haven't been able to really tell them apart very easily, and I can't assume every one of their species is hostile, so I suggest we wait and see their intentions. But you know, be on your guard and all that. There's a difference between giving people and chance and offering your throat."

I've got the books, if you could direct me to the parts that are safe to read. Auttaine stuff is cool :D

"Definitely a nice spot for an ambush, if our friends from earlier were looking to pay us another visit." Vincent checked that his shield was secure, then continued on. If an attack was going to come, he preferred to be the obvious target so his companions had a better opportunity to return the attack.

Since Haymot Steel-arm's ascension and the subsequent change in the auttaine race to half-constructs was driven by the shattering of their homeworld into an asteroid belt bereft of atmosphere, it made sense to me that the construct portion fully sustains the body, much like a ring of sustenance would. Otherwise you'd end up with a skeletal race of half-machines, which doesn't seem in keeping with most LG deities.

As for sleep, I figured Vincent probably rests quietly in meditation for spell recovery, rather than normal sleep, though even that isn't really important. If he had to properly sleep to regain spells he probably wouldn't otherwise, and if he was performing some kind of undercover operation he wasn't likely to be throwing flashy magic around unless there was an emergency.

Vincent followed the woman and thanked her for the aid. Then he sought out a comfortable spot to spend the night so they could begin the next leg of their journey in the morning.

"I can appreciate that sort of thing. My own faith has similar trials. Some that follow the path of Haymot are flung out to a distant asteroid, and then must adapt themselves to find a path home. Do you mind if we rest here for the night, and then set out in the morning? We'll need some time to prepare our magic for the journey."

That's fair, but Vincent only really eats for recreation, sampling the local cuisines of the places he visits. And occasionally for the rare situation where he has to stay inconspicuous and use a disguise to appear not to be auttaine, but that's only come up twice, and only successfully once. The first time was when he learned that it looked slightly suspicious for a person to never eat or sleep.

For what it's worth, I don't need to eat or drink, and with daily castings of ant haul I can carry quite a bit.

"And do you have anything you need sent up that way? If we're already making the trip, it would be a shame to not take advantage of it."

If you need need the slots, I can prepare endure elements in my paladin slots as well.

"How long since you've heard from them? And how long of a trip are we talking about? Is there a navigable path, or should we..." Vincent thought about the monks' ascetic lifestyle, "Plan on doing some climbing?"

"As you can see, what we have here is incomplete. Do you have any idea where any other shards might be? Or perhaps the best place to begin the next leg of our search?" Vincent asked, hoping to get lucky.

"There was a bit of an unexpected altercation. We crossed over to the sealed up area, and we were attacked by a vicious undead. We managed to fight it off without too much lasting harm, and continued on into the inner tomb. You were right, there was some interaction. It would be easier to just show you though," Vincent recounted before he motioned for Phai to retrieve the two pieces. "You can see the projections they emit when in close proximity. If we could manage to find the other shards and repair them, it could give us the key to reconnecting the gates to the network. Maybe even let us build new ones. At least, that's my hope."

"I'm pretty sure that the monks will be willing to part with their piece when we show them what they do close together, and assure them that it is our intention to reunite all of the fragments to heal their world. That last bit seems to be a major component of their faith and teachings. Let's get going."

Do the shards create an obvious effect while in a bag? Do we need to separate them and carry them on two different people to avoid notice? I'm guessing as we collect more of these we're going to become a bigger target for others that would want them.

Phai, I think it might have been this post from when we looted the manticore's lair? I couldn't find where we actually identified it, but the plan was to use identify the following day.

"The plans here... they're so complex. And it's not just the plans, but the map as well? If we could find the whole thing, I'd love to try to build it." Vincent walked with Phai, eager for a closer look. "Here, see the two pieces together. How much do you suppose is still missing?"

"That doesn't seem weak to me. That sort of ailment is beyond anything that I"m capable of handling. Unless you think burning you to ash or replacing your limbs with augmentations would help, Phai? More seriously though, how are you feeling. Is there anything else you need, or are you ready to press on? If there's anything else like that down here, we can't really just leave it be now that we've unsealed the place."

It's too bad that we're not level 7 yet, or I'd have been able to paladin's sacrifice some of the drain for you.

Vincent followed suit, trying to quickly end the fight so he could tend to Phai's rapidly worsening condition.

+1 Falcata: 1d20 + 10 - 2 + 2 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 10 - 2 + 2 + 5 = 30, Damage: 1d8 + 4 + 4 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 4 + 6 = 21
+1 Falcata: 1d20 + 5 - 2 + 2 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 - 2 + 2 + 5 = 23, Damage: 1d8 + 4 + 4 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 4 + 4 + 6 = 22

Hoping to finish it off, Vincent pressed the attack.

+1 Falcata: 1d20 + 10 - 2 + 2 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 10 - 2 + 2 + 5 = 31, Damage: 1d8 + 4 + 4 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 4 + 6 = 21
+1 Falcata: 1d20 + 5 - 2 + 2 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 - 2 + 2 + 5 = 22, Damage: 1d8 + 4 + 4 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 4 + 6 = 21

Vincent considered using magic to compel the creature to turn away from Phai to focus on him, but dismissed the idea since might not survive another onslaught if the spell failed to take hold. No, for now, a vicious and unrelenting offensive would be the best route.

Step into flank and full attack.
+1 Falcata: 1d20 + 10 - 2 + 2 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 10 - 2 + 2 + 5 = 27, Damage: 1d8 + 4 + 4 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 4 + 4 + 6 = 17
+1 Falcata: 1d20 + 5 - 2 + 2 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 - 2 + 2 + 5 = 11, Damage: 1d8 + 4 + 4 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 4 + 6 = 15

"They did say it hadn't reacted for years, but I figured they had meant something a little less hostile?" Vincent hurried to join the fight and circled around Phai to flank with Isen. "Are you all right Phai?"

Smite! AC 29 against this thing now.

+1 Falcata: 1d20 + 10 - 2 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 10 - 2 + 5 + 2 = 20, Damage: 1d8 + 4 + 4 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 4 + 6 = 19

With the others being extra cautious, Vincent decided to follow their example and took a moment to activate is detect evil. He didn't expect there to be anything like that here, but hidden grave sites did have a tendency to attract evil spirits if the chambers weren't properly consecrated first.

"If I had to guess, it's more of a reminder than something meant to deter determined graverobbers. If there's nothing here to stop them, it's easy for someone to rationalize a visit down to pay respects. Once down there, it could be easy to rationalize picking up a small memento. If there's a brick wall blocking the way, it forces them to reevaluate their motives for coming, and likely give up. Either way, we've got work to do." Vincent fished out his any-tool and got to work carefully removing the stonework so as not to damage the doorway itself.

Ant haul on Phai.
Spell Failure: 1d100 ⇒ 88

"That's probably the best. I wouldn't want to start smashing this thing up without a very good reason. If need be though, it doesn't look like very sturdy construction and I'm pretty sure I can get through it easily. I might even be able to rebuild it a bit sturdier once we are all done checking this place out."

Thanks, the map clears it up a lot.

"They said it was a tomb. Perhaps the burial rites here involve some kind of suspended animation before true death takes hold? It could also be servants, caretakers, or even guardians of the tomb to prevent robbery? Either way, it's probably best to not disturb them right now, at least not until we know more about what's going on here. Phai, do you think you could help ferry us across if I help boost your strength?"

I'm slightly confused by the description. The previous room had 2 passages, is it something like this, or are there another passage?

Ok, I give up, the forum eats my formatting. Is it 1 room with 2 passages to the mud room and no other entrances/exits, or is there another passage leading farther?

"That could be. Powerful magic can instill sentience into otherwise inanimate objects. That said, could it be that someone just used the knowledge contained within the Opus Aeterna to create the gates? That could still be said to be "under the guidance of the Opus Aeterna," no? Either way, it definitely seems that it's our best and possibly only way away from here. Maybe there is more farther in that can tell us where to continue our search?"

Vincent took a moment once they got to the bottom to enhance his vision.

Spell Failure (5%): 1d100 ⇒ 58

See Invisibility for 1 hour.

Spell Failure (5%): 1d100 ⇒ 58

Then, he retrieved his shield and his spell caused it to glow brightly before he strapped it to his arm.

"Does any of that match what you've got in your journal already? Can you make any sense of it?"

When everyone's ready, I can lead the way down the path on the left.

"My particular biology affords me the benefit of not requiring nourishment in that way, but I appreciate your offer for my friends. When they are ready, I'm eager to see if there's anything to be learned."

"In light of what we bring, do you think we could be allowed to visit the tomb? It may help us learn what we need."

Vincent frowned. "I would expect dedicated monks to have more respect for the dead and more self-control. Perhaps that is another cultural difference from my home."

"Tomb? In our investigations for the baron, we found what looked somewhat like an old tomb that their digging had inadvertently disturbed. Do you know who was buried in your tomb, and why do you take such care?"

"That's interesting, we have a similar saying among my people: 'If you can't fix the problem, fix yourself.' Actually, now that I think about it, half of the meaning is kinda lost for you I guess. Anyways, a few more questions: where are you digging, how far down have you made it, and do you know where the river's source was before the water was lost?"

"Do you know anything about what caused the damage, or how the water was lost?"

"My home is quite a bit different from this place, though it may have once been similar. There was a catastrophe, a long time ago, which shattered our world. Before her ascension, my god was a living mortal, who saved my people from extinction by fusing our living bodies with mechanical parts. Now, my people inhabit the fragments of our world, many are quite large, with cities both on the surface and dug within, but others are much smaller. Depending on the size of the fragment, there is more or less gravity, and on the smaller ones you can even leap from one to another, though it tends to be quite dangerous if you don't use the proper equipment. A missed jump might mean careening past your intended target and drift for a long time, only to become captured in the pull of one of the larger pieces and land with incredible speed.

"I left home a long time ago now though, traveling with the hopes of finding a way to improve myself in a way that I can share with my people. As part of that effort, I've met people along the way and helped them when I was able. I only met Phai because we had both been captured together, and later we met Isen, by accident."

"Phai and I have been through at least two, though it could be more. The events leading up to our first gate jump are a bit hazy. I'm hoping that if we can figure out how to repair the damaged gate, we can work on mapping the network, and some day I'll be able to contact my people to share what I've learned."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, though I will add that we're hoping that with your help be able to get some understanding of how these strange gates work. Also, do you know anything about the ancient civilizations of this land? While working for the Baron, we found evidence of some ancient ruins underground, along with strange magic that seems to be malfunctioning and harming the baron's people. We hope to find some way to repair the damage," Vincent added.

That sounds fine to me. It might serve as a good way to get them to open up, or to direct us to where we can read more?