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As the anger fades from Xathiel his form resolves back to his normal elven state. He looks down at the fallen Kitsune and grimaces. He then turns and slowly makes his way to each of the fallen foxes. Dropping to one knee he very gingerly gathers the small corpses into his arms. With a look of profound sadness he carries them into the nearby woods. After a short absence he returns to the corpse of the Kitsune and turns to his companions. Would you assist me please in disposing of this please? This one abused the balance of nature, so it should be a simple matter. I feel we shouldn't just leave it here in this Kami's grove. With those tasks done he then follows the group back to the caravan.
The world seemingly goes into slow motion as Xathiel watches the electric blast eviscerate the fox before him. With a gasp Xathiel looks around him and sees the death throes of the other electrocuted fox and the bruised and bloodied corpse of the third. A low, pain filled groan escapes his lips at the senseless death laying around him. His grip on his staff fails and it drops to his feet. With death in his eyes Xathiel looks toward the Kitsune and shouts, You! You are responsible for the blood of these innocents. It is you who has brought this imbalance to the forest. The price you will pay for this is your life! With his next breath Xathiel raises his face to the sky and lets out a bloodcurdling howl. The muscles of his face begin to ripple under the skin as his face takes on a canid visage. His arms take on a much more muscular form and his hands elongate into vicious claws. Xathiel then drops to all fours and beings loping towards the Kitsune, his mannerisms and facial expressions looking more and more bestial as he approaches.
Xathiel reacts to the fox attack with dismay. He takes hold of his staff and attempts to knock the fox out instead of actually hurting it. for nonlethal bludgeoning damage. for nonlethal bludgeoning damage. After flailing about with his staff hoping not to morally wound the poor misguided fox, Xathiel chants rapidly in druidic and the air shimmers around him.
Secret Nature:
Secret Sense Motive:
Xathiel steps forward and joins Jayma in the conversation with Tishoki. Greetings good Tishoki. He bows his head with respect. Heed these words carefully for this grammy she speaks of was a powerful witch. Prior to her passing she placed a powerful curse upon her mementos that would gravely affect anyone but her true descendants. I would wish only happiness and long life upon you so I would advise you let her take these keepsakes back. Secret Deception:
Xathiel smiles mirthlessly at Jayma's cruel gesture. He casually winks at her before looking away. Xathiel calms his mind and reaches out to Twyl using wild empathy. He conjures an image in his mind of a family of ermine going about their lives. He imagines an image of Twyl as a part of that ermine family. To the image he then adds a Jayma marching towards them holding a knife and fork, with a checkered napkin tucked into her shirt. He ends the image there deciding he doesn't want to traumatize the poor little guy too much.
Xathiel walks over to Harsk to assess his wounds. He begins muttering something in druidic accompanied by what sounds like various bird noises. He raises a hand and a warm tingling feeling comes over Harsk.
Xathiel stays away from the stew knowing full well it likely contains flesh and sits down to have some of his own nuts and berries.
Xathiel grips his staff tightly, sets his jaw, and strides forward to assist Adrian. He takes up a position behind the bandit(purple), lifts his staff high and brings it down with all of his might onto his head. for bludgeoning damage. He then chants something melodically in druidic and a shimmering energy seems to crackle through his holly scarf as it seems to prepare itself to ward off the bandit's blows.
Bandits! To arms my companions, to arms! Send them running back from whence they came! Xathiel begins chanting in his druidic tongue, interspersed with elven phrases, gutteral barks, and ends with a low primal growl. His staff begins to sprout new vines and leaves while crackling primal energy courses up and down its length.
Xathiel then holds his staff up in front of him and strides up to support Harsk.
After communing with the spirit Xathiel shakes his head slightly and his eyes come back into focus. It would seem this kitsune may be part of what happened to the caravan we seek. It has been harassing them for most of their journey through these woods. They were attacked by bandits that... :
In fact, the kitsune took advantage of the bandit attack to steal something from the caravan. We should press forward and see if there are any pieces to put back together. During the flashes of the bandit attack can I recall any landmarks I could try and remember as we get to the scene of the attack?
Xathiel steps forward to stand next to Adrian. He holds his hands open in a similarly non-threatening way, doing his best to mirror the posture of the approaching person. Good day fellow traveler. We mean you no harm, we are searching for some friends of ours. Perhaps you've seen them? Their wagon may have been damaged and we are worried about them. I am Xathiel and I greet you. Diplomacy:
Xathiel rejoins the group and listens to Jayma recount her memories about Kitsune. He nods as her knowledge coincides with his own and then adds, They are also known to be pranksters and tricksters. Although, every Kitsune is their own person, so they can span the range of all behaviors. I imagine this particular kitsune either has taken his joke too far or has some sort of serious grudge against either Pathfinders or this village. He follows along to the wagon and retrieves his belongings. I imagine we'll find out soon enough if the Kitsune is responible for the disappearance of the agents. We would do best to stay alert.
Xathiel shakes his head ruefully at the callous nature of his new friends. If only they too could speak with the plants and animals around them he thinks as he wanders around town, if they could only hear the voices crying out for help. Now to business at hand, a Kitsune they say. He tries to remember anything he might have ever heard of these creatures. Society Check:
He heads towards homes towards the forest's edge, looking for someone who may have seen the comings and goings off this kitsune creature he heard mention of. Diplomacy Check:
Tea!?! Please don't get me started on tea. If you could listen to the screams of those poor plants as they sever their leaves without mercy you might change your thoughts on tea. Xathiel shakes his head ruefully. Now, wine and ale...perfectly acceptable provided the fruits and grains were properly negotiated for. Spirits too. I think, as we plan our next steps forward, I will join you with some wine.
Xathiel gives his best fox friend one last pat on the head and then his eyes glaze over once more. Xathiel fills his mind with gratefulness and sends waves of the emotion over the friendly fox. He conjures up an image of the humanoid fox and overlays that with feelings of danger and betrayal. He pictures the fox going back into the forest and not returning to the village again. To the other foxes he continues to reinforce the visions of friendly camaraderie that he, his companions, the villagers and the foxes all share. He then repeats the feelings that he shared with the first fox and pictures them all leaving the village never to return. Group Impression:
Group Impression:
His eyes then refocus and he turns to his companions, To Jayma: The most friendly fox will have a change of heart in three quarters of an hour and likely bear us some ill will. However, his friends here should be able to convince him not to come after us. Oh no! Hahaha, I wouldn't expect them to join our merry band. I have encouraged them to travel back into the forest and not return to this village. To Granitt and Harsk: They do enjoy the jerky. If you have any more I'm sure they would enjoy one last snack before heading back into the woods.
Xathiel turns to his companions, Our friends here no longer see us as a threat, and I think we can probably get them to leave the village alone and head back into the forest. He looks over at the villager faces peeking through the windows, I imagine the good folks of this village will appreciate the fact that we didn't slaughter these misguided creatures. While I was communicating with this good boy, Xathiel reaches over and ruffles the fur on the neck of the fox he revealed that they were actually sent here to attack the village on purpose. Their leader seems to be some sort of large, humanoid fox. Perhaps we should ask around and see who this enemy might be? Maybe this humanoid fox has something to do with the disappearance of the caravan?
Xathiel reaches out and scratches the fox behind the ears, Thank you my new freind, I am very glad to see you chose the better outcome here today. We are not here to harm you or to lay claim to your hunting grounds. In his mind, Xathiel first directs his thoughts and feelings towards his new friend. He conjures an image of the fox and himself chasing rabbits together all the while sending thoughts of joy and amusement. Xathiel then pictures the other two foxes in his mind making sure to demonstrate them with their snarly looks. He introduces his new friend fox into the scene and creates an image of his friendly fox helping him to convince the other two foxes that the town, the townsfolk, Xathiel and his traveling companions are friends to the fox families of the Spirit Woods. He closes this scene in his mind with an image of all three foxes, Xathiel, and his traveling companions chasing rabbits, leaping at birds, and having a fun time together. He struggles, but in his mind Xathiel tries his best to imagine a Granitt with a smile on his face. Finally, Xathiel turns his thoughts towards the other two foxes and seeks to continue his empathic efforts to sway their views. He uses imagery of the frolicking he imagined for the first fox, but this time overlays the feeling that this is much more preferable to the alternative. Rabbits, and rodents are much tastier and easier to hunt than these fully armed warriors. He thinks of a tasty rabbit and fills his mind with joy and satisfaction and then thinks of Granitt, Harsk, and Saturday bristling with sharp edges and pain. He once again conjures the image of everybody frolicking in a pristine meadow, the sun shining down on everyone, and everyone feeling joy and togetherness. Group Impression:
Xathiel notices the fox on the other side of the distant hedge, the threatening look on its face and its aggressive manner. He quickly glances over at the villagers with dismay. He then waits () for the foxes () to get closer and begins contemplating what he is going to say to get the foxes to leave the village alone.
As soon as the first fox gets close enough to the group Xathiel begins chanting in a low voice and he begins moving his hands in intricate forms as he casts a Charm spell on the fox. Charm:
Critical Success The target is unaffected and aware you tried to charm it. Success The target is unaffected but thinks your spell was something harmless instead of charm, unless it identifies the spell (usually with Identifying Magic page 305). Failure The target’s attitude becomes friendly toward you. If it was friendly, it becomes helpful. It can’t use hostile actions against you. Critical Failure The target’s attitude becomes helpful toward you, and it can’t use hostile actions against you. When one, or two if possible, of the foxes get close enough he will calm his mind and reach out empathically to them. In his mind he sends out feelings of an inquisitive nature as to why the fox has come into the village in such an aggressive fashion. He conjures up images of people being angry that these foxes have come into their territory. Danger! He imagines instead the three foxes happy in a clearing frolicking with each other. Over this image he sends the feeling that this would be much preferable to them as opposed to them dealing with the angry people. He formulates a request in his mind that they should leave the village alone and seek sustenance back in the forest. He forms a picture in his mind of the village and overlays the feeling that this place is off limits. Diplomacy:
If that is the case, and you will allow it, Xathiel will happily make his own intimidate check by insinuating the potential violence that could be brought by his more surly travelling companions. I was just wary to make any assumptions as to what the others were going to do. The patience that is required with PbP is something I am still working on. :)
Xathiel straightens his coat and strolls into the village confidently but with a respectful humility on his face. During a conversation with a villager he says, My good man, I have noticed that you seem to hold your neighbors in the forest in very high regard. I must admit to you that I agree with you in every way. We are blessed to be able to coexist with such wondrous creatures and please let me assure you I hold their lives to be as sacred as you do. It is my belief that the status of our friends, these creatures of the woods, in fact the very woods themselves, should be elevated beyond their current standing. It is the responsibility of those of us who stand on two legs to give proper respect to those that walk on four. Our very society depends on us all observing our proper place in this natural balance. Society Check First:
Xathiel will then defer to Jayma in regards to the Arcane nature of, , her relationship with Twyl. He will offer insight into his own empathic abilities in regards to animals. Arcana to Aid Second:
Finally, if for any reason things get out of hand, and a strong arm is required, he will bring their attention to his more dour travelling companions. Should some muscle be brought to bear in order to get some reticent villager to talk he will assist Granitt, Harsk or Saturday in any attempts to intimidate a local. Intimidate to Aid Third:
Xathiel nods at Saturday's question, his eyes beginning to gleam with the passion in his voice, We are still too few, but our movement is growing. As more come to terms with the morality of the question our ranks swell. It is only a matter of time before all who need it can be provided for with magical sustenance and we can finally end the cycle. He smiles indulgently as he continues, My boy, all it would take are the sorrowful pleas of a calf looking for his mother and you too would join the movement. I can promise you that.
Xathiel recoils in shock, Eat plants? Oh my good fellow, no no no, that won't do either! You can't eat plants! They've gone through so much trauma already. He rubs his chin in thought.Now, you can trade with plants, most of them are happy to see their seed be distributed after consumption, so if you provide them a nice comfortable home most will gladly enter into trade with you...but back to your question...there is no need anymore to consume the flesh of any living being. All of our needs can be created through the primal energies that those of my order can manifest. We can create enough sustenance that no living being must ever be murdered again. His face lights up as he gets an opportunity to engage with his companions.
Xathiel leans on his staff as he watches the exchange. Don't be too hard on her and the little beebee Granitt. I've been keeping an eye on him. If there's any trouble I am sure we can all react in time and keep him safe. As long as he doesn't venture into the woods he can enjoy the snow. Using his own wild empathy he sends feelings of excitement and thrill at seeing the ermine playing in the snow. Xathiel casually strolls over to the cart. She is right though, you do seem a little grumpy. If being away from your forge is such a chore, why did you decide to become a Pathfinder? He smiles at Grannitt, I'd be happy to distract you from your troubles if that's what you need. I have many amazing tales to tell. In fact, I would be happy to share with all of you the progress I am making in getting the Grand Council to ban meat consumption in Absalom. Let me just find my latest brief... He then begins rummaging through his satchel looking for his journal.
Xathiel spends time along the journey ensuring the horses are comfortable and are well taken care of. He gladly partakes of Adrian's tea and gestures towards the sitar, "A song or two to brighten that one's day?" While traveling he keeps his eyes upon the forest, making sure there are no dangers awaiting them.
Nature check to recall knowledge DO NOT PEEK:
Xathiel quickly scribes some notes into his journal and then places it into an inner pocket of his jacket. He taps the pencil a few times on his knee and then tucks it behind his ear. I believe we should not hesitate to set forth. I fear the worst for Lin Po and Ti Lan. They may have sustained injuries and need our assistance. I will meet you all at the wagon. With that said he stands, straightens his coat, nods appreciatively to the tea house geishas and walks out. He sets forth towards the wagon staging area but first attempts to find a local bookseller. He is looking to perhaps locate a treatise on Omi and Kami so that he can better be prepared. He would also ask the proprietor what he can tell him of the Spirit Road.
Boons slotted: Cryptid Scholar (Untyped) Your experiences with the Mosquito Witch have inspired you to research new creatures. When you Recall Knowledge to identify a rare or unique creature you can use the following reaction. Trigger: You attempt to Recall Knowledge to identify a creature you can see. Effect: You roll the skill check twice and use the better result. (3 of 3 uses remain) Experienced Mountaineer (General) The trek from Isger to Molthune taught you tricks for navigating treacherously steep terrain. While this boon is slotted, you treat mountainous terrain and other steep slopes as difficult terrain, rather than as greater difficult terrain. Valais's Assurance (General) Valais Durant is the leader of the Radiant Oath, in no small part because of her kindness and willingness to share her power with those in need. You may check a box next to this boon and spend an action to use the champion focus spell lay on hands, heightened appropriately for your level. This does not cost a focus point.
Xathiel puts down his cup of tea and asks Venture-Captain Li, What manner of relics were in the caravan? Are any of these relics of a spiritual nature that may have caused offense among the spirits? Are they of particular monetary value that they may be of interest to bandits? Are Lin Po and Ti Lan capable agents? Do they have a history of being tardy? He takes out a small journal and a pencil and prepares to jot down answers to his queries.
Xathiel greets Adrian with a similar bow and a smile, It is a privilege to be in the presence of one of your discipline. I am very pleased to make your acquaintance. He eyes the sitar with a twinkle in his eye. I have been known to tell a tale or sing a tune in my time. It would truly be a pleasure, during our journeys together, if we might join our voices in a song or two.
Xathiel greets Jayma courteously with a polite smile. His smile fades for a moment as his eyes fall disapprovingly on her breeches and boots. The look lasts for only a moment as he speaks, It is my honour to be your companion in this endeavor Jayma. He looks down at his clothing and then back with a proud look on his face. Yes, my clothing. A necessary evil I am afraid but I am pleased to say it is all ethically sourced. Every fiber involved given freely by the plant responsible for its creation. His gaze then shifts to Twyl sitting on her shoulders and a true smile blossoms on his face. His entire face lights up with enthusiasm as his eyes glaze over, Xathiel manifests a feeling in his mind of warm greetings and tasty morsels as he reaches out empathically to the ermine. He conjures an image of himself, overlays the thought of his name on the image, and then concentrates on a feeling of trust and happiness. As his eyes refocus on Jayma he says, Your friend is such an adorable little beebee, I am most honoured to make his acquaintance. He bows his head towards Twyl with utmost respect.
Xathiel Vos enters with an air of confidence. He is an Aiudeen and the slight crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes bely his several centuries of life experience. His attire is well maintained and meticulous, but the Absolom stylings seem a decade or two out of date. Of notice is he is wearing only textiles and there is no animal flesh to be found on his person. Even his footwear is a heavy cloth moccasin. Around his neck, fashioned like a scarf is a vibrant bough of holly interspersed with mistletoe. Both the holly and mistletoe seem to still be very much alive and almost...proud...to be on his person. Slung over his shoulder is a bandolier-like sash that looks extremely new. Within its slots are all the tools of a healer’s kit, all of which seem to have never been used. Xathiel frequently adjusts the sash as he tries to find a comfortable position for it. In his hand he carries a long bough of wood, again this staff seems vibrant and alive, the runes that run along its surface seem to have been grown there and small tufts of leaves grow from the upper third of its length. Greetings, I am Xathiel Vos at your service. He bows formally. Yes indeed he chuckles slightly I am that Xathiel Vos, but the pleasure is mine to make your acquaintance.
I have been playing Pathfinder and Society since its inception, but I've only just begun playing Pathfinder and Society 2. Paizocon was my introduction to PF/PFS2 as well as online play. I can be a little obsessive about this stuff so I'm pretty sure I'm up to speed on PFS2. I played a tiny amount of PbP with my friends on discord, so I understand the basic of pushing the narrative and being super descriptive so I am very much looking forward to that. Xathiel has a few interesting quirks that I didn't really get an opportunity to flesh out during vtt play so I am very excited to see what I can create in this environment. I'm quickly trying to absorb as much of the technical forum operations but once I look at your slides and then copy others I think I'll figure it out quick. My biggest question was dice rolls so...let's see here...let me try...
As to botting instructions...feel free to bot me however you need to in order to keep the story going...but I imagine I'll be the first one to post each day and I have nothing on the horizon that might prevent me from playing. I am willing for either a team member or the GM to bot me. I am happy to bot for anybody else...hahaha...although we'll see if the feeling is mutual.
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