Vladric Zharatov's page

Thank you, DM Jesse Heinig, for botting Vladric during my extended posting absence due to RL circumstance- very much appreciated.

Round 4

Vladric, wasting as little time as could be managed, quickly heads over towards the other Cayman. As he does so, he calls out to Ilystria, "Your Majesty, could you somehow reason with this ancestral imposter, that Will'o'Wisp?"

If (or when) he is able to, Vladric will melee attack the remaining Cayman.

Bloodrage Attack: 1d20 + 14 - 2 ⇒ (13) + 14 - 2 = 25.

Bloodrage Damage: 2d6 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (5, 3) + 4 + 3 = 15.

Round 2: Shakened, not stirred...

Having very little precious experience in dealing with bipedal foes much larger than himself, Vladric was somewhat taken aback by the Lizard Chief's impressive show of dominance and more than a little flustered at own ineffective attempt at striking back at the large lizardman.

Taking a deep breath or two to steel down any growing sense of panic upon his part, Vladric takes a bold step forward towards the Lizard Chief (as his move action)- hopefully it will be enough to place himself out of stabbing range from that immensely long trident; not to mention getting himself out of any immediate biting range from that cayman directly behind him!

Damnit, Think! There's no way I'd be able to match that foul Reptilian in pure strength... perhaps I shall take a page out of my old mentor's tricks and rely upon out-maneuvering this brutish foe.

If he is able to go into his Controlled Bloodrage while he's still Shaken, Vladric will attempt to do so as a free action. He will put all his Raging focus into Dexterity (18), as opposed to either Strength or Constitution.

Bloodrage Attack: 1d20 + 14 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 14 - 2 = 22.

Bloodrage Damage: 2d6 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (5, 1) + 4 + 3 = 13.

Vladric's stats have now been adjusted to take into account his Dex based Controlled Bloodrage and his Dutiful Strike stage. ;)

tba

Apologies for the double-posting. Please disregard the tba in that second post. For some strange reason, neither of those posts were connecting to the campaign gameplay thread when I was online last time.

Noting the guns and bow being drawn and the voices turning all heated with anger, Vladric presumes that the diplomatic talks are now officially over.

When the large lizard chieftain gives a large screech as the gates start to open, Vladric will draw his out his Aldori Dueling Blade when he is able to do so.

In case my weird parsing (editing wasn't working right at the time) of that first post makes thing difficult to figure out, Vladric will wait until all the ranged shots are made in that surprise round, then draw out his dueling blade to stop any attempts at melee attacks by the lizardmen in the following rounds.

tba

Noting the guns and bow being drawn and the voices turning all heated with anger, Vladric presumes that the diplomatic talks are now officially over.

When the large lizard chieftain gives a large screech as the gates start to open, Vladric will draw his out his Aldori Dueling Blade when he is able to do so.

While keeping the hilt of his Aldori blade within easy reach in the event that it would be needed, Vladric will wait until Ilystria has conveyed Cassandra's warning to the lizardfolk tribe before sidling closer towards Vallen and Jenya as he whispers in a lower tone of voice to the both of them, "Queen Ilystria mentioned about having some prior knowledge of these Will O' Wisps before; perhaps she could get an audience with it or somehow try to speak to it?".

Vladric wasn't sure if it such a thing would even be possible given the largely unintelligible yammering spouting forth from the larger lizardfolk chief but it couldn't hurt to try, could it?

Not really all that important but I figured I should come up with a plausible excuse for Vladric not joining in Vallen and Jenya's dance performace...

Apart from his bemused expression, Vladric was unable to make out any discernable pattern between Jenya's and Vallen's respective dances; he did attempt to determine if their dancing was anything similar to the ensorcelling dance done by the Sith Fey of the old keep but apart from his observations and lack of non-response from the lizardfolk (plus a 15 to spellcraft from a take 10 attempt), it didn't seem like it. ;)

When Ilystra flew over the gates to unlock it from the other side, Vladric ceased rummaging around for that rope and hook with a bemusement upon his face. That bemused look continues with Vallen's and Jenya's impromptu dance performance but hardens as Ilystria informs the party of the plight of a captured human child within the village walls.

Vladric stands by, playing the part of a dumb and mute bodyguard, as both Ilystria and Vallen start to converse with the various lizardfolk. Unable to follow the entire context of the conversation himself, save for Vallen's various exclaimed responses and Ilystria's occasional responses in the common tongue to both Cassandra's and Vallen's queries, Vladric quietly hopes that things won't devolve into a fight.

Natural Ruler is fine!

Good to hear. ;)

Vladric also gets another free feat, Dazzling Display, from his Inevitable Victory deed but it only is applicable to Aldori Dueling Swords and 1 Panache point must be spent to access that feat.

Looking directly at the top of the palisades from where he is currently standing at, Vladric asks, "Would we be able to climb past this gate without being seen by anyone... or anything residing within?" while rummaging thru his pack for some rope and a grappling hook.

We could try the lizardfolk since we've already seen the Old Witch. Speaking about that Old Witch, not sure if it'll be okay to do so at this late of a stage but would it be possible for Vladric to have taken a 10 with Sense Motive upon the Old Lady/Witch while she was talking to the party?

"Well said, Forgepriest Vallen; perhaps if we were to find the boy, Tig, somewhere safe and sound and help to lead him back home, he might be more willing to lend his assistance to others so similarly lost when he becomes of age. That or we'll at least have the support of his parents among the populace, at any rate...". Returning things forward and paying back one's own life debts, these were things that the Mivoni Noble was very familiar with.

Looking about the shoreline and the closest area from which to procure enough wood to even ford across the river/lake, Vladric tries to determine if there were any signs of raft-making- however unlikely the prospect was. Trying to cross a lake while being presumably low on supplies, such as food, shelter, or rope to make some kind of conveyance to cross the water; seems highly unlikely but it couldn't hurt to check for these things though while we're here.

Base D20 roll, not sure if either survival, perception, or some other skill should be used: 1d20 ⇒ 19.

"Of course, in a more somber situation, if it does come to the worse for the young lad... at the very least, we should let his family know of his fate."

Natural Ruler is fine!

Good to hear. ;)

These site outages have been killers!

Inbetween them outages and a recent hard-disk crash, haven't gotten around to posting until today. ;)

As Ilystria looks up at Vladric with her countenance showing her expressed uncertainty and just a wee hint of exasperation, the Mivoni Nobleman and Present Ruler of the fledgling settlement of Emeria finds himself subconsciously holding his breath, while taking the utmost care to not flinch at that less than flattering sight of annoyance given by the Fey Queen Dignitary.

Half-wondering if he might have inadvertently caused some kind of unspoken rift between the two kingdoms of humanity and fey (which would be something that Forge-Priest Vallen would undoubtedly have to smooth over), Vladric gives a low sigh of relief once Ilystria's mercurial nature changes to something much more favorably disposed, if not altogether conciliatory, with her bright smile and reply to his initial query.

Deciding that the best course of action at present would be for both respective Rulers to share in their risk of adventuring into the unknown, Vladric offers a mollifying and apologetic bow to the accompanying Fey Queen as he replies with, "Then perhaps, as is only befitting for both of our respective domains, we shall see together whether that prospective welcome would be for weal or for woe then."

Vladric will either accompany alongside Ilystria to the unknown occupant's doorstep or will offer to act as an allied vanguard for the Fey Queen Dignitary- whichever she'd prefer.

S@@@! I thought I replied to this days ago. Sorry Vladric!

No worries, Ilystria; I've heard that the message-board's been kinda wonky since that playtest for PF 2nd edition came online. ;)

Base D20 Perception roll: 1d20 ⇒ 12

With his new +7 Perception totals, that 12 will become a 19. :)

In addition to my liver crapping out, my grandpa-in-law just died, so I'm heading to the funeral. Really sorry folks. Will do my best to get SOMETHING up this weekend. :/

No need to rush it, Jesse. Take your time and be with your family instead!

Seconded, family is always important.

Maybe you could try Milk Thistle herbal supplements for the liver stuff; most major drugstores will have them in the herbs and vitamin sections.

For 5th level, Vladric will take another level in Swashbuckler, gaining a total of 44 hit points, +1 to Fortitude and Will, +1 in BAB and CMB and CMD, +6 in Skill points plus +2 Background Skill points, and his FCB will go to Skill.

His 5th level Feat will be Natural Ruler (Cha); his new 3rd level deeds now include Eye of Abendego, Inevitable Victory, Kip-up, Precise Strike, and Swagger.

His skills taken will be tba (either edited in post or in another new post).

Finally got those skills arranged for 5th level. They will be as follows:

Adventuring Skills:

+1 rank to Perception for +7 total.
+1 rank to Spellcraft for +5 total.
+1 rank to Heal for +3 total.
+1 rank to Bluff for +8 total.
+1 rank to Diplomacy for +10 total.
+1 rank to Stealth for +0 total (ACP included).

Background Skills:

+1 rank to Know:Nobility for +6 total.
+1 rank to Craft:Ships for +4 total. Not really going to be used, I think; mainly taken for flavor in determining seaworthiness of a ship's construction. I can substitute this for something else like Appraise or Prof:Sailor, if it will be more helpful to the party though.

Extras:

Swagger gives +1 to Intimidate and Prof:Sailor checks
+3 damage to Precise Strike.

If the Natural Ruler feat is not available for use, I can also find some other feat to use, such as Steadfast Personality. Will also get to updating his profile page soon. ;)

For 5th level, Vladric will take another level in Swashbuckler, gaining a total of 44 hit points, +1 to Fortitude and Will, +1 in BAB and CMB and CMD, +6 in Skill points plus +2 Background Skill points, and his FCB will go to Skill.

His 5th level Feat will be Natural Ruler (Cha); his new 3rd level deeds now include Eye of Abendego, Inevitable Victory, Kip-up, Precise Strike, and Swagger.

His skills taken will be tba (either edited in post or in another new post).

Base D20 Perception roll: 1d20 ⇒ 12 Will add in his leveled up Perception bonuses later on in an edit or another post if it becomes too late to edit.

Noting that Ilystria has already started moving towards the gate, Vladric will follow alongside (or behind, if there's not enough room) the Fey Queen Dignitary. "Your Majesty, will whomever lives here be welcoming of unexpected guests?"

Half-wondering what exactly would constitute a "fair price" for one lost lad taken hostage by the fey, Vladric wisely decides against asking Queen Ilystria for more clarification about such. Perhaps the rumors of hauntings in the tower is just that...

"With any luck, we'll find the Tannersen boy alive and in fair health once we've gotten near to this haunted tower. If he is as skilled an outdoorsman as he is said to be, then he should know enough to try and make his way back towards town. Still, it might not be a bad idea to have others traveling with us; that way, if he is found, he could accompany the others back to Emeria while we continue on with our explorations."

Know:Local on this Candlemere: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8.

Thoughts and Prayers to you for the RL stuff, DM Jesse; not sure if it'll be at all applicable but sometimes, there's age-related stuff that happens when people get older (the usual stuff, like trouble with reading smaller print, etc.)- if that might even be a factor or not...

Unsure of the exact nuances of Fey Court Etiquette, Vladric will give a courtly bow to Ilystria and reply, "But of course, your Majesty, and it will be upon our honor as the representatives of the Ruling Council of Emeria that we shall gladly lend our utmost support to your justly cause.", defaulting to the generalized etiquette of the nobility of mortal humans.

If there's another nearby hex to be explored, we could do that although going directly back and stocking up on anti-unseelie equipment is a viable choice; how should we go about getting that done within our settlement?

Upon learning that there were two more undiscovered denizens within that Unseelie Keep, Vladric was also readily in favor of leaving it behind in order to find out more information about it and stock up on needed supplies for dealing with them all.

Entering Queen Ilystria's domain for the very first time, Vladric keeps respectfully silent as he takes in the sights and sounds of not only the unworldly Fae surroundings but also observing the Fey Queen's two known courtiers, a tiny Fey dragon and a tiny Fey centaur-like lady with the lower half of a grasshopper/cricket (instead of a horse), as they interact with their Ruler and the gruff Dwarven Diplomat of Torag.

Although he doesn't know much about Quicklings, Grimstalkers, or Baobhan Siths, Vladric figures that he'd much rather prefer dealing with the other two before confronting the Dancing Sith "Elf"...

Noting that the group's climbing rope is nowhere to be seen upon the wall, Vladric will say, "Our Dancing Host seems to have discovered our initial foray into her domain; would there be another part of the wall that we could climb up to instead, Cassandra?", but done so in as quietly a manner that could be managed without disturbing either Jenya's, Vallen's, or Ilystria's attempts at dealing with the Keep's challenges.

Not sure if it'll help, but Vladric will try to aid Cassandra in finding another way up that wall.

Aid Another, Base Roll: 1d20 ⇒ 18.

+2 if Survival or +6 if Climb or Perception would apply to that base roll.

For the 2nd Watch:

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15.

For the 2nd Watch:

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23.

In case nothing happens she talks to Vladric before she prepares to turn in. Hey Vladric. You're a pretty good swordsman right? Do you ever wonder if that's enough? I mean to deal with the kinds of things we keep on running up against?

Giving a good-natured chuckle to Jenya's remark about things being enough for sorts of things that this group faced during this journey, Vladric replies to the young gunslinger, "I'd like to think that my bladeskills would be sufficient enough to survive against the likes of bandits or even those rarely seen creatures like the Hodag but against the likes of that Unseelie dancer out in that ancient keep... mentally, I'm berating myself for not bringing along even more magics with deal with the like. Luckily, I've still got my scroll of shielding which I plan to be using in our rematch with that thing; that and I'll be using the boarding pike so that there'll be no obstructions from my end when you and the others take your attacks at it."

"It was fortunate that you were able to keep a clear head during that entire episode- enough so that Queen Ilystria was ultimately able to cast that misty spell of hers."

Next Morning:

Vladric will prepare some fresh coffee to help the party towards wakefulness in preparation to deal with the Unseelie fey.

No problem with Vallen's plan here; should we go and rest up some distance outside of the keep in another wilderness area? We'd have to setup watches and take all the rope that we climbed up to on the keep walls with us, maybe? If dancing unseelie is a fey, Vladric could use the cold iron bayonet on it too.

While still entranced with the elven dancer, Vladric dimly hears Ilystria reciting some kind of verse. Suddenly thick foggy mist appears before him, obscuring all vision. It was at that point that the Mivoni Noble snaps back into his senses, recalling everything that just happened until now with newfound clarity.

Retreating with the rest of the party down the stairs and out the keep, Vladric listens intently while the others are debating what to do about this "Unseelie Fey" creature. Even though he now has his Aldori Dueling Blade out in his hand, Vladric could not help but to give a bit of a shudder upon the mention of that part about the blood-drinking...

"I agree that such a... creature should be dealt with eventually. Is there anything we could do to steel our minds against its' dancing?"

Not sure if the -2 attractiveness penalty applies or if Vladric could use another of his Charmed Life Swashbuckler ability.

Will Save the 2nd, unmodified: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 1 + 2 = 5.

With the Charmed Life activated, it would've been a grand total of 8 or 6 if the penalty still applies. Without the second Charmed Life, it'd be just 5 or 3 with the -2 penalty.

Vladric just stands there dumbfounded on his own two feet while his inner thoughts are totally focused upon what the best way of bringing up the delicate subject of convincing a dancing elf to drink up some freshly brewed Night Tea while simultaneously trying remember just where he last placed his snuffbox at.

You get a new will save with a +2 bonus Vlad! Apparently none of us can make the save expect Jenya, so it's up to you!

Good to hear that he has another opportunity for one; originally, I wasn't sure if Vladric would be able to reroll in the first place which was why I didn't do so in that earlier post. :)

I'm going to guess that the -2 penalty still applies or it doesn't for the second save? Either way, I'll leave in both results in the new roll.

The strange creature continues to pivot and shift enticingly as Vladric finds himself drawn to it. She reaches out to wrap her arms around him...

... but something in the back of Vlad's mind, screaming helplessly, resists and after she caresses his cheek once, he pushes her back when she attempts to draw him into an embrace. She pouts.

With the unprecedented situation unfolding all around him, it strangely reminded Vladric of something that he had heard during his days as a member of the Mivon River Patrol...

"Whenever an experienced woman has you in her arms, it is always best to let that woman take the lead...", that was what Old Jeremti Rawan always liked to mention whenever he would regale to his fellow crew-members of his luridly embellished tales of his many countless bawdy escapades.

Of course, Vladric was certainly no prude- after all, he certainly caroused with the best of them during his misspent youth over in Rostland. Indeed, he still had on his very person a box full of "Bachelor's Snuff" kept as a precautionary measure...

Still, as tempting as it was to just "go with the flow" in the company of one very forward and decidedly lewd elf-dancer, there was something in the back of his mind preventing him from partaking in the single-minded pursuit of pure hedonism.

As the newly appointed Ruler of the fledgling Kingdom of Emeria, who still had to earn the trust of his fellow companions and council-members, Vladric couldn't just engage in any of these casual sorts of trysts; Not with the future of the Kingdom at stake.

Vallen would most certainly disapprove of such undisciplined behavior. Doubly so from Cassandra, given her initial reaction to his chartered appointment. As for Jenya... well, she had been raised among Gnomes, so it was anybody's guess as to how she would react. But judging by the thunderous sounds of gunfire echoing throughout the chamber, it would be fair to suspect that she didn't condone this type of behavior either. And then there was Ilystria, the mysterious Fey Queen and recent Dignitary to the Kingdom of Emeria from her demesne. While it was even more uncertain how she would react to this latest development, it was all the more imperative that Vladric should act in accordance with his duties, serving as an example of Human Rulership to Emeria's neighboring Fey royalty.

Thus it was with great reluctance in his heart that Vladric pushed the dancing Elf away...

I wish I could say I have a good reason but I don't. Work picked up a little but it's mostly because I just haven't had the motivation. I got distracted by a new web serial (A Practical Guide to Evil) and then just kept putting it off. I've been on the boards for almost 4 years (juggling 12 games at my peak I think) and I think I am finally feeling burnt out. In the coming days I think I will drop a few of them but this will not be one of them if you'll still have me after disappearing. I know I get irritated when others do it so I expect nothing less in return.

No worries- and glad to have you staying on. :)

Not sure if Vladric would be able to pull another charmed life, so this'll be just the standard will save.

1d20 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (12) + 1 - 2 = 11.

Just a touch? That seems like quite a reasonable request to fulfill. Should I try to kiss her hand first... for propriety's sake, of course...

Vladric stiffly moves towards the beckoning enchantress in a dazed sort of shuffle.

Probably could use the discovery of that spent trap to explain why Vladric and Cassandra lingered behind the others while they spoke with the dancing elf?

Having discovered the remains of a gas trap with vine-like tripwires, Vladric will point it out to the nearest person at the time, in this case, Cassandra, while Vallen, Jenya, and Ilystria made their way up the staircase. "So it was some type of trap after all; given that these ruins were of elven-make, I had initially thought that magic might have been involved."

As Vallen, Jenya, and Ilystria introduce themselves to somebody up the staircase, Vladric will also head up after them just in time to see some fascinating dance moves from the sole inhabitant of this place....

Vladric will spend a use of Charmed Life to add plus three to his Will Save.

Will save: 1d20 + 1 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 1 + 3 - 2 = 5. Forgot to add in the modifier...

Perception on the mist and the vines by the staircase: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24.

When the colorful mist first appeared by the staircase when it engulfed Vallen, Vladric moved closer to his present position on the map but wisely kept out of Vallen's way for the most part as the Dwarven Forgepriest busily healed himself up with the Heal-Kit.

Ilystria's initial open amusement at Vallen's predicament did draw an incredulous look from Vladric's face as he glanced over towards her direction but since the Fey Queen did seem to have enough presence of mind to cover up for her initial faux-pas, the Mivoni Nobleman decided not to press the issue.

As both Jenya and Vallen slowly make their way up the staircase again, Vladric replies to Cassandra's question with a shake of his head, "I'm afraid I left my handkerchief and cravat with the rest of my formal-wear back in town."

Know:Arcana: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5. To determine if magic was involved with the purple mist.

Good to hear, Ilystria. :)

And well-said, Vallen. :)

On Roll20, there doesn't seem to be anyway to move the tokens about. Apologies also for the extra blue boxes- not too sure how to get rid of them from the map.

Well this doesn't look much like Corflut's shop. So either he didn't know what he was talkin' about or this place is definitely not Elvish Jenya says. Looks like the only way is up?

"Didn't Vallen mention something about this place predating the Starstone? It could be possible that the Elvish building styles were somewhat different way back then."

Vladric looks about the keep's interior while keeping an eye out for any trouble. Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10.

Although he is unable to determine if those vines covering the doorway was indeed sentient, Vladric will take his fellow Mivoni at her word that those same vines will prove to be dangerous.

"I do have a single flask of alchemist's fire upon my person if we would need to burn through those vines. We also have the option of returning to this place at a later time with some other means to bypass those obstacles. It's not likely for a place such as this to simply just disappear once we leave, now that we know where it is..."

Hopefully this place will not be like that legendary disappearing Feasting Hall back home in Mivon...

"I'd uh.. prefer not to mess with the portcullis. It's an instrument of Droskar if I've ever seen one.We should just leave this rope here so we can leave the way we came in."

"Very well; we'll leave both well enough alone for now."

Vladric will be in front of the line then; presumably he'd help to wrench the doors open- if needed, he could even spend a controlled bloodrage round to get a strength boost for just that purpose.

Closing the door again after it had been wrenched open (if it'll stay closed, that is- if not, the door can be kept open if it's obvious that it won't close back), Vladric nods and goes back towards the front of the line (newly reformed for getting to the the north tower) with the fully assembled folding pole tapping randomly at various points along the debris-strewed ground.

After Cassandra and Jenya climb upon the wall all by their own, Vladric will test the knotted rope, then proceed to climb up after those two.

climbing: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13.

Once the whole party has passed up that wall, Vladric will take the folding pole out from his pack and start to assemble it as soon as the discussion between Cassandra, Jenya, and Vallen turns towards the likelihood of traps being within the grounds of the keep itself.

"Perhaps the interior of those towers will have some sort of furnishings or materials that we could use to help keep the portcullis from blocking that entryway."

Apologies about the radio silence these past couple of days- didn't have any internet access during that time but I'm glad to be back and will have Vladric up and running for the keep foray now. :)

PS. Will take that Natural Armor Amulet then from the Swag bag too (His AC stats now reflect having the amulet on instead of the charm thingy). ;)

Peering into the arched gateway of the ruins from where everyone is standing, Vladric remarks, "Looks fairly overgrown to me; how much work would have to go into restoring such a place?"

Since Vladric lacks either Know:History or Engineering, he'll try to see if there's anything more notable about the ruins via a perception check. He'll also bring out the saw-backed machete to cut away at any stray vines.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14.

Ready to taking a step forward with machete in hand, Vladric will look back and forth to the others and say, "Shall I go and clear out some of these vines then?"

Vladric is fine with going to the keep; and depending on our general health condition after that, would also be fine with a tower trip too.

Vald, there's an amulet of natural armor in our group loot if you want it?

Heh, wasn't quite sure of who exactly had what from the Swag Bag but that Amulet of Natural Armor+1 sounds like it'll be very useful for Vladric. Come to think of it, is there a way for me to note having the amulet from that online list? ;)

Would it be useful if I migrated our maps to Google Slides? It's a little more work than Roll20, but not much, and it's faster to log in. I don't know if it works any easier with different mobile devices, though.

While I'm more used to seeing stuff on the Google Slides (a big majority of online pbp games seem to use it), I don't really have any problems using Roll 20 myself. I do recall that with Google Slides, some people are unable to move their character tokens via their smartphone/phone (I've had to help move them around in the past). ;)

***Hodag be gone***

The massive beast clobbers Vladric severely, beating down his guard and forcing him back on his heels. He barely has a moment to catch his breath. Cassie leaps back to her feet and prepares to fire, as Vallen and Jenya simultaneously bring their pistols to bear and belch flame and smoke. The hodag lets out a tremendous roar as the bullets rip through its flesh and then it pounces once more at Vladic, nearly knocking the swordsman off his feet, only to lie dead inches from him. The tip of its tail twitches for several seconds.

"It's uglier than one of Droksar's Forge-sworn. Seemed about as mean as one, too." He sighs, holstering in his pistol and taking up his holy symbol. "Make sure it's dead. "

Recovering his footing from that surprise pounce, Vladric pauses for a few moments with his Dueling Blade up and at the ready, just in case the foul creature was somehow merely "playing dead". Upon Vallen's advisement, Vladric gives a strong straight thrust with his Aldori blade into the Hodag's exposed neck.

Seeing more of its' blood gush out from that wound without so much of a twitch, Vladric confirms, "It's dead alright. I think I recognize this kind of creature... this Hodag. Back then, during the beginnings of Mivon, the Nobility called them "Mock-Drakes" and hunted them with extreme prejudice inside of Mivon's borders; they served as an... outlet for our nation's... frustrations with the Conqueror's draconic pets."

She gets up and gingerly places weight on her leg, finding it just as strong as before. "Tank you Vallen," she says with sincerity.

Pulling out his Aldori Dueling Blade from the Hodag's corpse, Vladric adds, "Thank you as well, Forge-priest Vallen- not only for the healing but also for those spells that you had placed upon us." once the channeling is done.

Fishing out an oiled leather cloth to clean his Aldori Living-Steel blade with, Vladric gives a nod over in direction of both Jenya and Vallen and says, "Excellent marksmanship from the both of you...". Then looking over to where Cassandra is at, Vladric says, "That was very clever thinking with the use of that Thunderstone; it was something that I would never have thought of using in such a manner." with another nod over to her. Then the Mivoni Noble turns and gives a slight bow over in the direction of Ilystria. "And thank you, your Majesty, for coming along with us to lend your assistance with this foul creature."

***Exploring the Lair and getting that sweet LOOT!***

"Should we take the time to bury these unfortunate victims or should we send out for some of our people from town to deal with all of this? As for the armor and weapons... that studded leather armor might've been useful for me if my own armor hadn't already been modified to rest in. Perhaps they will be more useful in the hands of the town guards?"

***Trolls and Owlbears***

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to see to that Owlbear; As long as we'll be heading down towards that general direction, we might as well try to suss out any signs for those Trolls, as well."

Vladric will spend 1 panache point to make an Opportune Parry and Riposte; he'll try to block the claw attack with an AOO-2 due to size difference.

Parrying: 1d20 + 10 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 10 - 2 = 14. Not successful though.

Before Vladric could even react (after Ilystria makes her fey-based sounding-attack upon the creature), the Hodag twists around with a speed that belies its' seeming bulk as its' bite, claw, and tail swipe easily strike home past the Mivoni noble's defenses, both passive and instinctive.

Wincing with each hit but still keeping upon his feet, Vladric figures that he'll only be able to withstand one more barrage of such attacks from the Hodag. I'd better make my next attack count!

Vladric will go into his controlled Bloodrage when he is up next...

You can go ahead and roll for it, rolling dice is fun! I forgot to be honest...

No prob, will do then. :)

temp hitpoints: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10.

10 temp hitpoints it'll be for a total of 10 temp/44 real. ;)

Got into the roll20 map- judging from his present position next to the Hodag, Vladric uses his Aldori Dueling Sword. :)

2-hands:attacking Hodag with Vallen's help: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28.

if damaging: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6.

For now, I'm presuming that making a prepared readied attack precludes using that free action to Bloodrage; will do so next round then.

Seeing the Hodag chase after Cassandra, Vladric waits until both Jenya and Vallen make their respective firearm attacks, then strikes at it from the opposite side of its' body with his Living Steel Aldori Dueling Sword while the Hodag's attention is concentrated elsewhere. Yes, I do recognize this creature, this so-called "Hodag"! We Mivoni have long hunted them but they're known to us as "Mock-Drakes"...

***In Akiros' Office, 2 days ago***

Upon listening to Cassandra's description of the two fey courtiers of the visiting Fey "Queen", Vladric says to the Lycanthrope-blooded Marshal, "Duly noted and thank you for that honest assessment; for the moment, we may have to take their word for it until we know otherwise."

Know:Nobility, what did Keston do to get sent out here?: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20.

After hearing Akiros' answer about the nobility, Vladric nods and says, "I see; I'm a bit surprised that there hasn't been more of the nobility sent out on these sort of expeditions; they tend to be ideal for sending off unwanted nobles- whether it be to test their mettle or to deal with their...indiscretions, as you had mentioned."

"Still, in light of the fact that this Kingdom doesn't have much in the way of other noble houses to balance out any social disparities, it may end up being a problem if the number of nobles with indiscretions were to suddenly increase as opposed to those merely testing their mettle. Perhaps we could take a page from the Taldans with their exultation ceremonies; Akiros, I'd want you to see if there might be some way of elevating certain non-noble individuals- maybe those, say, in the Ruling council- to the ranks of the nobility."

"In the interim, if an injured Hodag would prove to be more dangerous to the locals out here than not, then it would behoove us not to ignore such an opportunity to finish it off."

***During the travels/On the Way***

During the next morning, after all that of discussion of Torag's faith from the night before, Vladric will prepare some coffee for the party. "During my time in the Mivon River Patrol, this Qadiran-Garundi beverage, Coffee, was a favorite among most of the crew there."

Anything else could be gleaned about these Hodags from my roll?

***Hodag-Home***

Aid (+1 to attack, Vallen, do you want to roll for the temp hit points, or should DM Jesse Heinig?), Bear's Endurance (+4 Con=18, 8 more hit points to 44), and Shield of Faith (+2 AC=20) now in effect.

For now, Vladric will be in front, readying an action to either brace for attack (ie, low initiative) or attack when the Hodag shows up.

***During the travels***

Know:Arcana, building upon what Ilystria had said: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22.

"Your Majesty, the mention of such a creature using its' horns and having a spiky tail- it does bring back some kind recollection that I had of such a beast..."

***Hodag-Home***

Thank you Vallen, the Buffs will come in most handy indeed. In terms of light sources, Vladric will also make use of his Ioun Torch.

"Much appreciated, Forge-Priest Vallen. With the blessings of your god, we will be in a much better position to finish off that beast."

Vladric will have either his Boarding Pike out (great for bracing against sudden charges or attacking with reach) or his Living Steel Aldori Dueling Sword out (if there's no room to wield that pike).

"Splendid idea, Cassandra; that should make the creature come out to fight on our terms instead of having the advantage by being in its' lair."

Hope things will be much better for Ilystria's player over in RL.

Vladric does have a modest bit of Know:Arcana- I'll make a roll for him with the assumption that Ilystria's information helped to jump-start his knowledge attempt (by the same token, I'll work under the presumption that he initially "took 10" when the Hodag was first mentioned....).

In terms of prep for the Hodag, Vladric will leave the 2 books and noble outfit (plus the glittering trinket & decorative trim) back at town. He most likely will be having his boarding pike out and ready unless there just isn't any room to use it (in which case, it'll be the living steel dueling sword that's out).

Following Jenya's line of thought upon the nature of the fey, Vladric amends his thinking on the kingdom's prospective alliance with Ilystria's Fey Dominion with, "In other words, it would be far better for us to have them upon our side rather than against. Fair enough, let's hope that our Grand Diplomat and our visiting Fey Queen come to a fairly mutual agreement of alliance then.", after giving that a nod of consideration.

Guess Ilystria and Vallen could play out their agreement of alliance or maybe have it hand-waved for later? ;)

In following Cassandra's line of thinking, Vladric listens carefully to the lycanthrope-descended Marshal's observations before adding in his own thoughts on the matter, "Just the mundane rope and healer's kit... nothing else of any note about the other gear offered? And who are these other two fey pranksters that you've already met before?"

Once he gets those two questions answered, Vladric would pause to collect his thought before continuing on with, "Assuming that we take her at her word that she is indeed royalty, your mention of her sounding quite... mercantile, it does somehow remind me a little bit about the Qadiran Merchant-Princes; because their inheritance are usually run through the matron-lineal lines instead of the other way around, many males of Qadiran noble descent would resort to becoming actual Merchants to remain financially solvent. Might there be something similar going-on for the Fey?".

If/when that query gets answered, Vladric will add in, (if he gets suitably informed about the Faerie Dragon and his Grig friend or not), with a rhetorical comment of, "Still, it might not be a bad idea to put out some inquiries about our visiting Fey Queen to the other local fey about this; see what they think of her... presuming that they'd be open to talking about that subject, of course."

At some point, Vladric would ask Jenya, "I couldn't help but to notice that you carry a most... unusual weapon. By chance, have you ever spent time over in the Grand Duchy of Alkenstar?" Possibly as an aside conversation or during part of the discussion? Not sure yet on how it should be played out.

Also, at some other point, Vladric will also mention to Akiros, "I had originally stopped by to visit your office to see if you had any of the older copies of the various Charters as they were amended down- all the way through to the very first charter. But now that I think about it, I wanted to ask you," then the Mivoni noble looks over to Bob, Cassandra, and Jenya , "please do feel free to comment in as well; apart from Lord Orlovsky and myself, are there any others, either as part of the ruling council or those listed by the charter, who could be considered as part of the nobility? It doesn't necessarily have to actually be of noble blood- something like an elected Andoran States-person or a high ranking Kalistocrat would also qualify... maybe even something like those Qadiran Merchant-Princes that I mentioned of earlier."

May just have Vladric put the "feelers" out for ennobling others and save the "right of refusal" stuff for another day. ;)

At another point, Vladric will ask Cassandra, "Earlier, you mentioned something about an Owlbear and a... Hodag. I've some vague notion about what an Owlbear is- although I've never personally seen one alive or whole. Never heard about this Hodag creature before. What are they?"

Gotta start that Hodag stew somewhere. ;)

@Vladric: Vallen also uses firearms/has a pistol if you want to talk to him about it. Both Jenna and Vallen have very different experiences, opinions, and strategies on guns.

Sounds good to me (and Vladric too); I figured that at the time, Vallen had his firearm either stashed away or hidden behind that religious leather apron so Vladric didn't notice it at first glance? If Jenya brings it up that Vallen also knows his guns, that might be a way that Vladric finds out about Vallen being a gun-user. ;)

@All: Next kingdom turn we can move Vallen out of the Grand diplomat position and move in Ilystria. Honestly I can see her kind of taking over the role over time and Vallen just letting her.

Vallen can then move into either the Councilor or Treasurer positions to free up our enslaved volunteer NPCS. Given the problems we've been having with loyalty, he should probably move into the Councilor position? I'd like that because I can role play it as him being a kind of "Director of Public Works" city planning thing.

Heh, I guess that a player character is limited to having one ruling council position then? It would be kinda cool to have dual ruling council "hats" (that probably might have to be some sorta home-brewed feat?).

Had this bizarre thought of offering a noble title (official lord and lady of... hospitality?) to Oleg and Svetlana if they could come up with someone qualified who they'd want to take over for them and are comfortable with their chosen replacement running things in their stead as one possible solution; but having an actual player character run things would be a lot more smoother though. :)

With Cassandra's simple declaration of "getting to work" given, Vladric felt as if he had just gotten past a few major hurdles in getting accepted by the rest of the group, at the very least.

With the timely addition of Mr. Baxter's auspicious entrance into the office of Akiros, Vladric heartily returns the elderly (unofficial?) Advisor's proffered handshake; "Well, Mr. Baxter... Bob, a pleasure to have met you as well; if nothing else, I'd say that was the warmest welcome I've gotten since arriving here, apart from Akiros and our Visiting Fey Queen." Of course, Vladric idly notes the conspicuous omission of any noble titling attributed to himself from Bob (as opposed to the mention of Lord Orlovsky- this likely being Alexei's official noble title in question) from such a warm welcome; but the Mivoni Noble didn't bother to hold it against the elderly man for it was innately understood that such respect would have to be earned the hard way. "I'd imagine that the reasons for my visit would not be privy to all but for a select few; still, I did arrive to personally see for myself just how safe the area is now; thanks to the efforts of those present, as well as those who have preceded before me."

Ralan's obviously directed hip-bump does cause Vladric to upraise his right brow just a slight bit but the Mivoni Noble keeps silent upon the matter while quietly pondering if it, a three party attraction, might partly be the reason for Alexei's departure... Yay for appropriate avatars? ;)

Listening intently to Bob's succinct summary about the various plans for the future of this fledgling Kingdom- in addition to nodding in agreement (plus a remark of "Well said.") at the boldly declarative statement given by Akiros, Vladric pauses briefly as he considers the various options laid out before him for the Kingdom's benefit. "Between the choice of either the Mill or the Tannery, the Mill seems like a solid choice; I've heard that a Tannery needs a bit more planning so that it doesn't interfere too closely against a populated area in its' daily operations."

"Still, I do like the idea of establishing a Library- knowledge is always useful... no matter the location; Magical aptitude, a by-product of acquired learning, will be of great help against such things like an attack by dragons- not that we'd ever be that foolhardy pick a fight with one." Guess that would be my Mivoni Noble's upbringing... worrying about dragon attacks... coming through with that remark!

"As for the Park, I'd say we should hold off on it for now; at least until an official, lucrative treaty between our Kingdom and That of Her Majesty Ilystria's has been firmly established. As I've understood it, this would be our Kingdom's very first establishment of diplomatic ties with another local power?"

Looking over to both Cassandra and Jenya, Vladric asks them, "You were both there, along with Forge-priest Silverclasp, as part of the Diplomatic Overture. Is there anything that the both of you could tell us about her demesne and lands? The people there, their defenses, possibly even trade opportunities, if any?"

Probably will ask Akiros about any copies of the previous charters at some point too- maybe the town's defenses will also be bought up at some point too.

Apologies about the wait for that roll check; wanted to wait to make that roll until most of the kinks got ironed out in the website change. :)

I'm guessing its' just a straight charisma roll? If not, feel free to ignore the Cha. modifier...

If its' high, the dice-entities love Emeria, if its' low, the dice-entities hate Emeria: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11.

Oh well, could we still get our Mill or do we gotta wait on that? :p

As for the others, Vladric will support the Library part once things get back to normal and the Park would be ideal once the diplomatic treaty/alliance between Emeria and Ilystria's Kingdom gets solidified. ;)

And what sorta costs would be involved with getting 4th level ranger protection?

PS. I'm planning to, in Vladric's next in-game post/s, to bring up the possibility/practicality/feasibility of "ennobling"/giving noble-titles to others (such as our fellow players, maybe the ruling council?) and bring up the possibility, practicality, or feasibility of getting some sort of "right of refusal" clause applied to either our ruling council powers or eventually hidden in the charter (what if a Hellknight Slaver got written into the charter, would we be empowered in-game to say "do not want"?).

He'd probably also ask Cassandra and Jenya about what they saw about Ilystria's kingdom; he'll definitely want more clarification about the two unwilling council members (Oleg and Svetlana, I presume?). He might even discreetly ask Akiros and Bob if Cassandra and Alexei were ever close and/or ask Jenya if she's ever been to Alkenstar (in retrospect, Vladric probably should've made some sort of knowledge check about firearms, though it could be hand-waved as something he encountered during his river patrol days).

Of course, if everyone else would prefer to hand-wave it as a brief summary instead of an in-game post, I could roll with that too. :)