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In light of severe inactivity on my part, and no signs of the situation improving, I've decided to withdraw from many of the PbPs I'm currently involved in. This is not any sort of commentary on the games I am a part of; not a slight or disapproval of the games in any way. Were they not enjoyable I would have withdrawn from them. I have hit a wall lately though, so I'm going to pare down the games I'm involved in. I apologize immensely for doing this. I know losing players creates balance issues and role gaps. But given an absolute failure to keep my head above the water, so to speak, this is probably necessary. (And yes, I'll be copy-and-pasting this liberally) Letting go of Shinjuko is one of the harder cuts to make, especially given the scope of a kingdom-building sandbox. But making combat updates on a Magus takes FOREVER. Apart from the two games I'm running, I'm trying to tend towards the ease-of-use characters (like Grommuk). Sorry again for dipping out like this; best of wishes to the rest of you.
Hoping to rouse the camp before they are set upon, Shinjuko utters a few arcane syllables and purses her lips as if about to whistle loudly. The peal of a trumpet rings out over the camp, and the samurai-ko flicks her blade free from its sheath, rime already beginning to coat its length as she presents it competently before herself and the revealed enemy.
Out of town until Monday Night, taking a trip with the family and catching a Browns game.
"That would be best." Shinjuko answers Iliante. She begins combing the area for anything else of note and assisting in freeing the slain hobgoblin's form from the ground.
Shinjuko watches the exchange with a placid expression, thankful for Penance's explanations. She is no yet familiar enough with the tongue to follow the conversation fully, especially with orcs possessing a wildly different dialect.
Shinjuko arranges the felled orcs in more respectable positions, with their weapons clutched firmly in their grips. She has no idea what sort of customs these orcs (or any orcs, really) follow, but she assumes it is a very warrior-like society. Since they were hoping to secure further alliances, showing respect to the fallen seemed appropriate.
Shinjuko gestures with a hand, and summons three hazes of energy containing a Minkai rune that represents the mountain. They streak across the sky, blasting the orcs into the dirt while the third flashes overhead to strike the strange tree-like creature that holds sway over the orcs.
Rising quick from the blunder that lies behind her, Shinjuko rises with her tachi reversed to unleash a rapid succession of blows to the crazed orc's skull. It falls into an unconscious heap in front of the frail samurai-ko. ______________________________
Shinjuko conjures a freezing enchantment onto her blade, and steps forward to bring the back of her blade to bear against the nearest orc's head. She nearly trips over every shrub, root, and twig along the way, and barely manages not to face plant in the foliage at the orc's feet.
"A wise course of action, master Telemakos. I will visit death upon none but the creature controlling these brutes." Shinjuko has no sooner uttered her assent than her hands begin flying through spell somatics. She calls forth incantations and steps into a brief twirl that concludes with her disappearing completely. The hiss of her sword leaving its sheath sounds briefly before she becomes impossible to trace.
"A powerful substance. This small pool alone is worth a fortune. It would be an enormous boon to. . . say, a small army attempting to bring down a dragon." Shinjuko considers for a moment before turning to regard the others. "The question that comes to mind for the moment is transporting the stuff. Do you think the tribe at Fire Mountain even knows about its existence?"
HP: +8 (5 [class] + 2 [con] + 1 [favored class])
Skills: +6 (+1 prof/+1 craft)
Magus Arcana: Arcane Accuracy (Su): Use your arcane pool to grant an insight bonus to attack rolls Spells: 1 cantrip, 1 2nd level slot.
Shinjuko, in the dream, attempts to find her center—a measure of stillness. She closes her eyes and attempts to meditate, but the very darkness around her seems to resist. As the cold, alien tendrils begin forceful intrusion she begins chanting low, "Yama wa ugokanai mono to shimasu. Yama wa ugokanai mono to shimasu." Her eyes snap open, and she remains still. "Yama wa ugokanai mono to shimasu. Yama wa ugokanai mono to shimasu." It takes her a moment to regain her bearings. She becomes distantly aware of the others around her, their own cries of alarm and confusion. She begins to want very much to be out of this cave. What seemed like a gift of refuge the evening previous now looms all around like a stifling prison. Rising to her feet, Shinjuko says "I need some air." Gathering her ciphers and waterskin, she begins to head outside. ______________________________
"Perhaps it is the blood of the island-prison? The blood of an Old One. . ." Shinjuko utters somewhere between a joke and a guess.
Shinjuko steps forward and places a hand on the hilt of her tachi. "I will scout out the intended refuge. One moment; I will return if something is amiss." Much like when the dragon had descended upon The Naga's Breath Shinjuko dances in a brief flourish before fading entirely from sight. What vines cover the entrance into the crevice part briefly as the young yuki slips inside. She travels forward for a short distance, trusting to her dweomer to keep her hidden from sight but maintaining a light grip on the hilt of her tachi in case something unexpected appears. She keeps mental note of how long her spell will keep her hidden from sight, turning back when the magic has nearly run its course.
"Cold and magic worked well enough. Perhaps the creatures of this island receive inherent boons from the. . . "unique" nature of its origins." Shinjuko savors the fleeting wisps of frigid air that surrounds her blade, holding it near to her forehead and neck to alleviate some of the heat before the dweomers fade entirely. As the last of the frost sloughs off of her tachi, she replaces it in its sheath. "Should we continue onward, then? I do not wish to lose any of our number to recklessness."
Shinjuko flies into a whirlwind of slashes against her opponents, each strike trailing blue and sloughing off sheathes of gathering frost. The grick between Penance and Iliante draws the bulk of the young yuki's ire, earning a large gash across its underbelly that casts nearly frozen jellies of blood flying into the thick undergrowth beneath. It almost immediately thaws and returns to liquid form, though her second attack is already well underway against the second predator. Its hide proves far tougher and more resilient than the first, and Shinjuko finds herself inflicting minimal injury upon her second victim. 'Sloppy. Careless. Here! Strike here!' the soul-amalgam within Noriki no meiyo chides, a thin band of bright light shimmering into view behind the tentacled "face" of the creature standing between her and Corridan. ______________________________
Shinjuko dashes across the jungle floor to render aid to Penance, as the Half-orc seems to be bearing the brunt of the assault.
Shinjuko reinforces the cold enchantment on her sword and swings at the grick twice.
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Shinjuko scrambles off of her mount in a hurry and draws her tachi as she reaches the ground. Torrents of arcane energies course through her arms to settle along the length of her weapon. The air around the blade begins to chill and steam against the stifling humidity of the jungle.
M2 for my vote.
Reiterating previous post: fully explore known hobgoblin lands, then turn our eyes outward.
Agree with Devram. Explore hobgoblin lands, then move on to the others. We've been told the general boundaries of the Khaan's lands, but we don't know exactly what's in them. Probably best to be thorough with each hex we visit as well, barring unforeseen developments.
I'm curious about who placed the elemental here to begin with.
At some point during her lessons to the Khaan on how to read a map and understand the distances recorded upon the paper, Shinjuko takes the opportunity to learn a little bit more about his people's neighbors. She asks about the color of the kobold tribe's scales and descriptions of the "Land of the Giants" the Khaan had spoken of previously. She is curious about how tall these giants are, and how (un)civilized they might be. The young yuki also wishes to know how the hobgoblins conduct their hunting on the island. Do they hunt at night or during day? What sort of creatures are treated as game?
"I believe I shall avoid any encounters with the heart of this mountain. Although I will add further caution to Master Nimlaidas' own: as Penance has said, this creature—elemental or not—is seen as a representative of their God. Tread carefully, for it is not only the creature within that your actions might offend. On the other hand, if it can be leveraged for assistance when we do confront Loremtantibus . . ." Shinjuko allows the thought to perish, as having voiced it alone is likely sufficient enough to elicit the intended response. A few more moments pass before she says, "There is another thought I have considered, though I hesitate to even mention it. Battle with the dragon seems a foregone conclusion eventually, but does it need to be? If it holds dominion over richer and larger swaths of land, we could explore the possibility of allying ourselves with it instead. It is not a proposition I even like breathing life into—the very words sour my mouth as I voice them. However, while dragons have bloated opinions of themselves—even thinking themselves Gods—they are not altogether unreasonable creatures. One who is careful to placate with their words and actions can sometimes find favor with such entities." Shinjuko shrugs. "Again, it is not an option I favor, but it should not be removed from the table altogether."
The disguise ploy is only a distraction. It doesn't need to hold up to the dragon's scrutiny, as it's not intended for the dragon directly. In a nutshell, we just want its minions to run back home and let their master know that <Random Island Race #4> need to be reminded of who is really lord of the island. Dragon comes out spitting acid clouds and thumping his chest, then we make with the stabbing and spell-slinging. It also bears emphasizing: we shouldn't be going dragon hunting right now (probably shouldn't be doing things that will rile him up at all, honestly). In-game, we know next to nothing about the island. Meta-game, we know the dragon's CR is high enough to punk us down like a bunch of scruffy nerf herders. It's kinda like a major Plot quest in a game. We know we'll have to get to it eventually, but there's probably a ton of sidequests we can occupy ourselves with in the meantime to better prepare ourselves. Scouting and (H)exploring are the best options for the immediate (imo). I think sending Arasmes in daily to harass the dragon's neck of the woods isn't a bad idea, but I think it's a bad idea to enact immediately. Best case scenario, we figure out where the dragon lives and... then what? Worst case scenario, it figures out the hobgoblins have some new friends and decides to melt their mountain.
On the subject of plans for finding the dragon. Maybe we can leverage a bit of deception? The hobgoblins offer monthly tribute. Maybe we can illusion up and pose as a different faction on the island. Kill off most of the tribute collectors and leave enough alive to run back to Lortab the Dragon to go "Waaaah, the kobolds/great whites/orcs stole your treasure, please don't eat us!" With any luck, that'll provoke the dragon into making an appearance to lay down the law on whichever poor tribe we passed the buck to.
When summoned to Telemako's meeting, Shinjuko attends. It is the closest to unkempt she has appeared since nearly being bitten in half by the sea creature, dark rings under her eyes betraying her self imposed lack of rest. Her face remains serene as the gnome lays out his plan, and continues as such when Nim makes a counterpoint. Shinjuko raises a hand to gain attention before she offers her own thoughts "All plans are sound in theory, if lacking in specificity. Luring the dragon out deliberately in order to find where it lairs is a good strategy. We should take care that we do so from a direction that will not draw its ire down on our new hosts and friends." "Turning the very nature of our surroundings, be it beast or otherwise, against our foe is also practical in theory. I would only caution that green dragonkind are notorious for manipulating the flora that surrounds them, and hardy beyond comprehension to the effects of any poison we might bring to bear against it." Shinjuko shakes her head only slightly before continuing, "I fear we'd risk more harm to ourselves than our foe in pursuing the capture of such creatures." Casting a sidelong glance with a hint of regret in Penance's direction, Shinjuko says, "How many men did we lose on the trek to this mountain alone? Eight? Or was it more?" "I think it is folly to risk any immediate action against this Loremtantibus. We cannot even traverse the island without risking death; how are we to prevail against the dragon or his kind when in possession of such ignorance? We should become familiar with the arena before baring our blades. Poor is a general who does not know the field they seek to battle atop. Let us explore these lands and learn their lay." A hint of inspiration creeps across Shinjuko's face. "Do not our gracious hosts offer up monthly tribute to this green scaled terror? I think finding it will prove to be the least of our obstacles."
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Fifth Level Shenanigans: HP: +8 (5 [d8 HD] + 2 [Con] + 1 [Favored Class])
Spells: frigid touch and spider climb
Black Blade:
Correct. Shinjuko can be considered lower on priority for the moment. She's more of a harrier than a front-liner. Honestly, looking at it now, more pearls of power would be a huge boon for me (since I'm a Kensai). Regardless, just focus on getting other people things. As I've mentioned before, I have a leg up from having a scaling magic sword. ...and I think the language rules from Downtime are downright stupid. I think learning a language just from picking up Linguistics is stupid, too, but there is at least a mechanical cost assigned to it on the gamey side of things. I'll probably sink a point into Linguistics to pick up Goblin and be in the background for the first few weeks of downtime (presumably learning from Corridan, then some hobgoblins when she can muster simple sentences). Been considering options for her apart from just reading books and learning a language. I may do some night-time exploring once I get a moment to work up a proper post. I don't see Shin being terribly active during daylight given the temperatures. And flying turdballs, I totally forgot to level up.
On enchanting: I'm bladebound, so I'm set for life on a weapon. Bracers of armor, amulet of natural armor are likely to be my first investments somewhere down the road.
Not that she doesn't like her friends, but I'd imagine Shinjuko is going to see about getting her quarters shifted to the lowest reaches of the caverns where it's nice and cool (hosts permitting). If not, she may start exploring for another cave somewhere. I turn into a worthless lump in hot/humidity; I can only imagine how a creature with a Cold subtype would feel in a volcano in the middle of a jungle. On a sidenote, would any of the residents of Fire Mountain happen to speak Giant or Celestial? If so, I'll start having Shin try to make friends to tap for information. On another sidenote, we promised to teach them to read and write. Maybe Shinjuko can lend her assistance there? She is a master calligrapher, after all.
Mostly keeping to herself and desperately struggling to stay cool, Shinjuko has a rough time with the trek. Unlike many present, she does not sweat. Her very nature is not meant for brutal heat such as this, and it is all she can do to muster a facade of stoic defiance in the face of the stifling jungle. While her frigid quality affords her some reprieve from the insect swarms, the sheer number of them proves a nuisance even for her. She keeps her small canister of chill cream at hand, though resists the urge to apply it for the time being.
Far from the near-ruckus of Hagebak's tent, Shinjuko begins the slow process of once more packing up all of her possessions for further transport. The pair of drovers serving her spend the better part of the afternoon disassembling her tent and refilling chests that had only been emptied a day ago. They shoulder their burdens without complaint, as ever. A forced march through the jungle bearing her possessions would no doubt be hard on them. Shinjuko sees to it that they are fed well and sufficiently hydrated for the trip ahead. When her own affairs are in order, she finally saunters her way to where the Khaan and his men await. The unpleasantness of the meeting and unease in her stomach has shed the last vestiges of its hold on the samurai-ko. She bows deeply as she rejoins the hobgoblin assembly, and waits patiently for the rest of the agents to gather.
Shinjuko still looks a bit queasy from the friend-naming ritual. She says to Devram, "Abandoning it isn't an option. On the other hand, the longship does not belong to us. I suspect Captain Hagebak's suggestion will bear more weight than any of our own ideas on the matter."
Drawing her own blood brings no hesitation from the young Yamakawa, but consuming it proves a little more daunting. Even so meager a taste as she manages, Shinjuko barely manages to stifle a gag behind a wide sleeve of her kimono. After forcing it down and allowing a couple of seconds of intense concentration to avoid a social faux pas, she finally manages to parrot the goblinoid word as directed. Her stomach continues to turn even after, however. Try as she might, she cannot will the foulness of the ordeal from her mind or taste buds.
"Are there any noteworthy rivers that empty from the Khaan's land into the sea? Abandoning the ship or its crew is simply not possible, I'm afraid, as it is our only means of ferrying a resupply of goods and bodies when the moon shines full."
That being the case, I have no reservations with proceeding as is. Maybe thinning out the brood a bit whilst scouting would be a good plan for the interim leading up to omg-dragon-fight-time.
Also bear in mind, we are talking with what seems like an honorable might-makes-right sort of tribal culture. Penance's proposal struck me as speaking to them in their own language. They seem far more likely to respond favorably to "warriors" than bean counters.
If I'm not mistaken, the only reason Penance is asking for that specific amount of time is so we can get all of our assets (both manpower and goods) on shore. That way, if things go south, we'll have everything we need to either dig in or move on. Which I agree with. For the most part, I can sign off on what's been outlined. The only snag I caught was the possibility of "Kill my foe for me and give me what it owns." Maybe showing a little generosity at this juncture will help cement our relationship, and server us in the future as we inevitably begin an expansionist campaign across the island. From the sounds of things, the dragon rules over a large bit of land (more than even our entire number can realistically hold?) The dragon's hoard itself goes to us if we bring the thing down. Can we get them to at least agree that the lion's share of the land goes to us. If they are only asking for richer farmlands closer to their borders, I can sign off on that.
I'm all for killing the dragon at some point, naturally. Not so much sold on the idea that we kill the thing then give the Khaan some of the lands (unless they actively contribute to killing the dragon in some way, in which case that's totally kosher).
The thought of heroically rushing off to liberate the dragon's vast lands in the name of the Consortium flashes through Shinjuko's mind briefly. Not surprisingly, the ancestral amalgam within her blade is quick with reprimand. ::Impetuous child. You would risk the redemption of your soul against a foe you know next to nothing about:: Shinjuko frowns, seemingly at nothing. The sword, as it often turned out, was correct. I... you are not wrong. Even so, if this creature is as terrible as the Khaan claims, a confrontation is likely inevitable. ::Bravery spent foolishly is not bravery, but ignorance:: Hai... "I would first know more of the other tribes and inhabitants that have claim on this island. While the dragon will likely be an entity we can't afford the luxury of ignoring, I am hesitant to test our already diminished numbers against a creature with so formidable a reputation. We stand to lose much pitting ourselves against such a foe, especially given that we have secured ourselves no noteworthy foothold here so far. It is something to consider for the long term, however." Shinjuko gingerly sips the tea that has been prepared for the small gathering within her pavilion. "More importantly, I outright reject the proposal as presented. He would have us slay this dragon and render to he and his kind spoils that were not earned. If it is we who dispatch this dragon, it is to we that the lands shall belong."
"They likely have further knowledge of other bays and suitable lands elsewhere, in addition to who might be considered to rule these lands. We might also ask if we could make use of their own harbors on occasion. If we manage to secure some sort of trade agreement with them, surely he could see the reason in such a proposition." Shinjuko furrows her brows but a hair. "We could also explore the coastlines further ourselves if need be. Though I worry at the danger that might involve, given the problems upon our arrival." |