Tried to watch this and was excited to click on it, but gave up as the review was pretty unwatchable due to the way Nonat's superchat works. I'd rather read or watch a review that was a bit more focused on the material as it was frustrating. ReallyDicey's was much more informative!
Here is Cotton, one of the four characters already in the game.
Please excuse the avatar picture for her, unfortunately there wasn't much choice! She looks nothing like this... With free archetype, the long term plan is to take the familiar master archetype at L2 so her "familiar" provided in the story below can come to life! At L8/L10 she will go into something else, but not sure what yet. Likely something to improve her spellcasting such as psychic or sorcerer. Backstory, prepare to have your heart broken:
Cotton was originally the familiar of Baba, who after her long life was suffering from a long-term illness. Determined to save her Baba, Cotton went searching for a cure. Through the gate, she saw a vessel of Sun Orchid Elixir and stepped through. Unfortunately she came out 3 months later with no sun orchid elxir and no memories of what had happened. She rushed home to check on Baba, but Baba had since passed. --------- “Oh Cotton, your’re back! It’s so good to see you! We thought you were lost for good, that you’d been broken or something. Baba passed – two months ago. I know you were looking for a cure and right up until the end she was hopeful, and so very proud of you. She left you this, said I had to give it to you when I next saw you. She was always certain that I would see you again – it was fate she said. Why don’t you go to your room, we’ve kept it just as it was.” In the large cupboard that had once held a proud tinkers pots and pans and had, for the past decade, been Cotton’s home the poppet broke the seal on Baba Elena’s letter, comforted by the familiar trinkets and smells of home. "My dear Cotton, I want to tell you that I am very proud of you. In all my long life you are one of my most magical creations and my final child, you are and always will be dear to me. If you are reading this then your quest has failed and I have passed the veil into the next Great Adventure. Don’t be disheartened my dearest, the journeys of all our lives are woven in the tapestries of the Gods long before we are born. It is my time to move on and it is yours to grow, thrive and become someone new and extraordinary.
The only gift I have for you Cotton is a companion, a friend of your own. Look in my jewellery box. There you will find another one like you and a vial of my blood. Poor my blood onto the new one and speak the Secret Name. I have secured that final boon for you, because none of us should be alone. I’ve rambled long enough and Alice is hovering like a mother hen so I shall finish simply by saying that I love you Cotton. It is often the smallest of us that have the greatest destinies. Go forth and meet yours with pride. Your baba,
Poppets can’t cry, but the emotion welling up in Cotton’s tiny frame would have done credit to a giant as the small creature hugged the letter close and then began to fold it carefully away in the small carrying bag – a treasure among treasures. Appearance and personality:
Cotton is a small little construct, stuffed to the brim, full of fabric, standing at a little under 2 ft tall. Cotton's body is mostly made from a rough, cream-coloured cloth, but parts of her body have been patched up over time with mismatched thread and fabric. Her most favourite patch is a small circle of blue-dotted silk that Baba had found to cover up a fray that just wouldn't go away after Alice's new Puppy had become much too interested in the Poppet. Cotton's hair is a collection of different coloured woolen strands all woven together held up in a rough bun with two pins for safekeeping. Her eyes are made of two shiny navy buttons at the moment, however, she has been known to change these on a whim. On Cotton's shoulder, you will find the symbol that all Gatewalkers had as soon as they exited the auidara. On Cotton, the symbol is sewn on with thread. Once, out of curiosity she tried to unpick it, but try as she might the thread would not budge. Strangely, you will find Cotton regularly enjoying sweet treats, although it is unclear exactly where the food all goes as she never seems to gain or lose any height or weight! You will never see Cotton without her little bag slung over her shoulder, which contains a surprising number of little trinkets. Her other "trinket" is the tiny little construct made of cotton, thread and stuffing that looks vaguely similar to herself. She converses with it regularly, calling it "thread" but nobody who has observed the duo has ever has seen it move or reply. Cotton is an incredibly upbeat little construct with a can-do attitude. She likes to spout little truisms for those around her; even in the face of utmost adversity, she will always find a silver lining.
Her favorite of all is one she tries to live her life by; Happiness is the only thing that multiplies when you share it. Internally, Cotton was secretly very anxious when Dr Ritalson contacted her, however The Brave Little Poppet put on her sunshine exterior and set off to see how she could help, hoping that she could find a new purpose to her life, now that Baba had passed. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this game. This is probably the most excited I've been for a Paizo AP yet!
I just cant wait until the street date after seeing all the feedback above. If the whole 1-10 game is as good as the quality of the Players Guide this will certainly be the best 1-10 so far this edition.
Bunnit manages to usher both his children and that guy with the thing that sometimes irritates but occasionally endears out of the hall. Luckily a close friend sees Bunnit with his children, "I'll take them out of here! You go help your wife!" One of Valda's arrows strikes true, and pierces one of its webbed wings. The flames whip up further reaching the ceiling and inch through the chamber, acrid smoke filling the room. The giggling flaming cretin turns its focus on Valda, flapping its wings haphazardly as it makes its way closer, and flames erupt from its mouth, engulfing the brave halfling. ◆◆ ,
The calls for help intensify from the residents underneath the benches. The town councilors all rush from behind the desk, towards the mess of benches, calling out for people to remain calm. Recall Knowledge Arcana/Nature DC 15:
Its a fire mephit, an elemental creature that delights in inflicting pain and flames. It can often patch itself up surrounded by fire and is weak to the cold. GM only:
-5. Can reuse breath weapon on round 3
Just wanted to say thanks - as I have just discovered this tool and its great! Even convinced my husband to download it and he loves it too! My only issue is that if I make both an organized play and alias inactive, next time it loads up, all my aliases have become active again (only the organized play alias stays inactive)
Thanks - thats done it.
Im trying to redownload the Age of Ashes players guide from my downloads and I get the following error when I click on it. I have previously downloaded it successfully before. <Error>
Having just checked it is doing this to all of my downloads and I cannot access any of my purchases.
Folks, I've got a potential GM lined up (they're just waiting for Gatewalkers #1 to drop to make sure they like it), which means Ithuriel may get to be my first PF2 character who actually sees play! :D We will keep our fingers and toes crossed for you!
The farmer continues running past you, just as a large angry boar rounds the corner at speed. Upon seeing you all it squeals loudly and charges right at Rashk, its closest nuisance!
The boar dashes at Rashk and plunges its tusks into his calves, with the momentum from its charge, they go very deep.
Help with stat line if you want it: In Gender on your character's profile: Gender Ancestry Class Level | HP: X/X | AC: X | In Race on your character profile:
In classes/levels on your character profile:
If any of you are interested and still want to play AoA, then I have a recruitment for AoA on pbp currently open (closes next Sunday). I see a few of you had applied already! :) We will be using discord for OOC etc but not for gameplay. I do find that discord really helps keep a group together though!
Breachill’s local government has a long and proud history of hiring adventurers to tackle any challenges its residents face that fall outside the scope of the town guard’s duties. The merchant whose expected shipment of goods hasn’t yet arrived, the shepherd whose herd of goats mysteriously died in the night, the farmer whose entire season’s harvest was ruined or stolen—investigating and resolving any of these matters are considered good jobs for adventurers, and so Breachill’s town council uses its resources to hire heroes as needed. These monthly meetings, known as the Call for Heroes, are distinct from the council’s normal regular governance meetings, a tactic that separates such matters from regular municipal business and shows the townspeople that the council indeed allots sufficient time to the issues that are often most important to them personally. Spending public money on hiring adventurers to help the townspeople serves several purposes, as far as Breachill’s leadership is concerned. First, it provides the townspeople with an official and fully funded way to seek help when they’ve exhausted all other options. Second, it allows the salaried town guard to focus on run-of-the-mill crimes and mundane threats to the townspeople’s safety. And third, it provides experience to local adventurers—and allows the council to vet out-of-town heroes—whose presence and talents the council considers boons to the populace, harking back to the hero Lamond Breachton, Breachill’s original patron who saved the town’s founders. Owing to its proximity to Breachill Town Hall, the Wizard’s Grace tavern is the favored establishment of many adventurers who wish to seek work from the council in the town’s monthly Call for Heroes. Here, adventurers and municipal workers regularly mingle, exchanging stories and generally enjoying the atmosphere created by the diverse clientele. In the days leading up to each council meeting, the tavern is particularly busy, as adventurers schmooze with town officials and even the occasional council member who might show up for a drink and a meal. Before each meeting, the inn’s tavern has a long-standing tradition of holding toasts and serving meals of boar stew with lentils—a practice owner Trinil Uskwold highly encourages, as her grandfather, himself a prominent local adventurer, loved eating that meal before embarking on his own many daring journeys. Because of the politics of socializing here, the crowd tends to be both well-mannered and chatty, though occasionally a brash adventurer or two gets rowdy. The time has come for the monthly Call. Will you be chosen as Breachill's newest heroes? This is a 6 book AP taking players from Levels 1 - 20. About me:
>I'm in the GMT timezone and aim to post 4-8 times per week, depending on the players posts and my own irl schedule. >I have fully read all 6 AP books and done the heavy lifting of the prep-work, note taking and community resource research already in my trusty onenote. This means that running the game shouldn't be too taxing as a lot of the hard work has been done already! > I've GM'd PF1e a lot over the last decade, some of which has been pbp. >I've played in a fair amount of pbp games both Pf1 and pf2e, with the good fortune of being able to finish some modules and an AP! >I still consider myself a new-ish pf2e GM, so may make some GM rules mistakes. I am currently running the Fall of Plaguestone module to get my feet wet. The aim is for that to be finished in the Spring. >I enjoy roleplay rather than just rollplay Gameplay:
>Milestone levelling >I will be "cutting" the filler encounters. They will still happen, but I will just describe them for your PCs, rather than go through the combat. I will keep the interesting encounters such as moral dilemmas and anything necessary for the story. This will give us a much better chance of finishing the AP in a good time and giving players the chance to focus on the roleplay and the story that matters. For example, I have pre-planned to "cut" 13 encounters from book 1. >No need to track bulk for equipment or tiny payments such as a tankard of ale, just be sensible. >All gameplay will be on the Paizo forum on a gameplay thread. >Out of character discussion will be on a discord text channel (basically the same as a forum). I will send an invite to the selected party. >I do not provide maps for every combat, only ones where it will enhance the game. >I will provide loot but its up to the players to track whatever they have between them and figure out how you split it. >After a party has been selected, I will ask all characters to have at least one connection to another character to aid roleplay opportunities. This is not needed before the party is selected. >There will be downtime which will include some building opportunities. Build Information:
>Official Paizo-only sources will be considered. >Level 1 start. >Ability scores - Please do not use the optional rule to trade 2 extra flaws for a boost. >Ancestry: All Core/Common/Uncommon ancestries are fine. Rare will require a really obvious motivation to be considered. Common ancestries will generally have an easier time fitting in, but Breachill is a fairly inclusive place. The same counts for versatile heritages. The players guide recommends one of the 6 core ancestries which is a good recommendation based on story opportunities but not mandatory. >Classes: All classes are allowed. >Free Archetype: From L2 we will use the free archetype rule as it adds some nice extra flexibility for the players. >Backgrounds/reason to be here: Background must be from the Age of Ashes Player's Guide. Being a local helps, but not required. If you are not local, you must have a reason for being in town with no plans to leave Breachill any time soon (see application below). >Alignment: The Players Guide states "There isn’t any restriction on PC alignments in the Age of Ashes Adventure Path, although the fight against an impending doom and the push against a mysterious organization of slavers works best for non-evil PCs. As long as your PCs can get along and aren’t the type who want to raze and ruin the towns they visit instead of help the locals out (whether this is out of a sense of altruism and kindness or in the pursuit of fame and fortune), your PCs should fit in fine." >They are going to need to be a team-player as AoA, like all APs relies on this to a certain extent. There can be many reasons for needing to work as a team - selfish or selfless. >Religion: See spoiler. Spoiler:
Any religion will be suitable however in Breachill but is not a particularly prominent part of daily life in Breachill; its residents are more focused on community and communal survival. However, there are pockets of faithful here.The most prominent religions are that of Cayden Cailean, Desna, Shelyn (popular among the town’s artisans and tradespeople; in fact, the town’s artisans’ guild doubles as a temple to the Eternal Rose). Far less common but still worth mentioning is the Church of Asmodeus- there is no Asmodean temple in Breachill and worshippers of the Dark Prince aren’t always trusted around town, but they’re accepted. In general, Breachill residents are welcoming to worshippers of any good- and neutral-aligned god. In fact, given the number of adventurers who pass through, there is a general laissez-faire attitude toward faiths of almost all stripes. Many residents don’t even mind adventurers who openly worship evil gods, so long as those adventurers don’t do anything to disturb the public peace. The town guard is known to casually shadow such adventurers, however, just to make sure they don’t cause trouble in public areas Application:
> Level 1 character built to rules above. >A short backstory/personality description containing who your PC is and their motivations for the Call to Heroes. >Please ensure you have read the player's guide to help shape your character in Breachill. >Before the Call for Heroes each month, there is a hand written questionnaire provided to each applicant that they must complete at least 5 days before. If you’d like to use this to help craft your background/motivation, then please feel welcome but this is not compulsory. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------
2. Age: 3. Gender (strike through as appropriate): Male, Female, Prefer not to Respond, Other (please state) 4. Place of Birth: 5. Current Residence and how to contact you (for payment purposes): 6. Faith (you may choose not to share this information): 7. Current employment (please state if not applicable): 8. Details of your next of kin and how to contact them (in case of emergency - adventuring is dangerous): 9. How did you first hear about the Call for Heroes? 10. Why should we select you to aid in our call? What are your greatest strengths? 11. Tell us about a time when you made a mistake. What did you do to solve it? 12. What do you like to do outside of your official responsibilities? 13. Is there anything else you would like us to know before the Call for Heroes?
I am looking for a party of 4. There is already 1 player (Nikolaus d'Shade as Orchid, a poppet cloistered cleric) who will post his character build and background below so please do look what he already has planned. Looking for a player group interested in roleplay who will make as much effort as I do to ensure their characters are invested in the town, NPCs and each other. Deadline for applications: I will be selecting a party on New Years Day (1/1/23) 5pm GMT giving 10 days from now. The aim would be to get everyone talking between then about character links and the start of the game and I'm aiming to have the first post up on 5th January.
With the defeat of the Twilight Four, and especially the revelations of Reginald Vancaskerkin’s treachery, Dora found herself tired of police work. She’d joined the Edgewatch to make a difference, to prove herself, and although she’d played a huge part in saving Absalom the victory still felt somewhat hollow. What good was arresting criminals when some of the highest in the city were corrupt? What good was putting away drug dealers and petty criminals when politicians could do far more evil by lifting their hands or the stroke of a pen? What was the point in working with a man who would not love her, no matter how hard she tried? So when Wynsal Starborn contacted his allies, asking them for trustworthy names to aid him in rebuilding Absalom’s government Dora saw her new path. She resigned her commission to the Starwatch and took up a new appointment in government, Senior Undersecretary to the Primarch. Politics proved to be Dora’s natural habitat. Her charm and skill made her a superb politician and the fact that she was one of the most potent sorcerers in Absalom mades negotiating with her… challenging. More than one politician’s scheme quailed in the face of a raised eyebrow from Dora and a few sparks playing across her fingers. Nearly two decades later when Starborn stepped down as Primarch the Grand Council voted unanimously for his successor – Theodora Cassia Morilla. Faced with such a request there was only one response and Dora took up residence in the Wise Quarter as Sea Lord, Primarch and Chair of the High Council. Unsurprisingly, following her appointment, Uncle Morilla was heard in the Council proudly proclaiming that “My niece is the Primarch now. It’s quite the boon for our family. I always knew she had it in her.” The Primarch was seen to raise her eyebrow at that particular statement. Three years later, when an envoy from the great empire of Casmiron came to Absalom Dora finally found what had been missing in her life – love. Although marriage between a member of the Emperor’s family and a ‘commoner’, even one in such an influential position, was impossible arrangements could be and were made and the Primarch and the Ambassador for Casmiron conducted a, suitably discrete, relationship for many years, providing the last piece of happiness that Dora needed. Eventually Primarch Morilla resigned her position and then a week later the Ambassador also resigned their post in a letter to the Emperor. Neither the former Primarch nor the Ambassador were ever seen again in Absalom and many gossip columns speculated for months as to what had happened, but it was Wynsal Starborn himself, now approaching his ninetieth year who had the final word on the matter. “It is none of our business, but wherever she is I wish Primarch Morilla good health, long life and happiness. It is the least she deserves.”
Im going to go for a poppet fate witch. She was originally a familiar herself. Using the Lost Loved One background. She was originally a familiar and she went exploring to find a cure for her owner's terminal illness. Through the arch she saw sun orchid elixir that she thought was the cure to everything. She came out from the arch 3 months later and her owner (Baba) had already passed in the meantime... Read the background below for some *feels*. She now has lost her main purpose and her new purpose is to investigate whats happening further - what fate has in store for her? Character background: “Oh Cotton, your’re back! It’s so good to see you! We thought you were lost for good, that you’d been broken or something. Baba passed – two months ago. I know you were looking for a cure and right up until the end she was hopeful, and so very proud of you. She left you this, said I had to give it to you when I next saw you. She was always certain that I would see you again – it was fate she said. Why don’t you go to your room, we’ve kept it just as it was.” In the large cupboard that had once held a proud tinkers pots and pans and had, for the past decade, been Cotton’s home the poppet broke the seal on Baba Elena’s letter, comforted by the familiar trinkets and smells of home. "My dear Cotton, I want to tell you that I am very proud of you. In all my long life you are one of my most magical creations and my final child, you are and always will be dear to me. If you are reading this then your quest has failed and I have passed the veil into the next Great Adventure. Don’t be disheartened little Twig, the journeys of all our lives are woven in the tapestries of the Gods long before we are born. It is my time to move on and it is yours to grow, thrive and become someone new and extraordinary.
The only gift I have for you Cotton is a companion, a friend of your own. Look in my jewellery box. There you will find another one like you and a vial of my blood. Poor my blood onto the new one and speak the Secret Name. I have secured that final boon for you, because none of us should be alone. I’ve rambled long enough and Alice is hovering like a mother hen so I shall finish simply by saying that I love you Cotton. It is often the smallest of us that have the greatest destinies. Go forth and meet yours with pride. Your baba,
Poppets can’t cry, but the emotion welling up in Cotton’s tiny frame would have done credit to a giant as the small creature hugged the letter close and then began to fold it carefully away in the small carrying bag – a treasure among treasures.
I'm going to have to drop - I've come down with a bad cold and won't have time/energy to put a character together by Sunday. It looks like you have a good number to choose from, anyway :) Thanks for letting me know! I know the feeling - currently recovering from COVID! Looks like we will have a good group - if anyone else wants to consider the game, then you have another 24 hours!
Eliza, still tired in the morning from her over-exertion yesterday and incessant dreams last night, closes her eyes momentarily and takes a very deep breath to steady her patience before replying. Unfortunately, the deep breath wasn't quite enough to hide all of the frustration in her voice, and she replies tersely. "This is our best option Tadia, it is safer to stay here than the Manor whilst we are still trying to learn about what has befallen it. The quicker you learn about it and clear it, the quicker you can get out of here."
"I definitely had too much cheese last night. The last time I dreamed so vividly was when I had some aged Blue Galtian for dinner whilst I was teaching some first years about Nethys' links to dark rituals. Im still not sure if my brain was over-active or Nethys appeared to me to silence my next lecture....." She says, trailing off in her own memories. Eliza, is too busy remembering past events in order to decipher her dream. She suggests they eat a hearty breakfast before returning to the manor to continue the exploration of the ground floor.
My husband and I have done Mummy's Mask and are currently doing CotCT. I know he has done a few solo games and loved them with another GM. I think they have done Hell's Vengeance, Strange Aeons and Strength of Thousands. I love a solo campaign as you can develop the one character and their relationships in so much detail!
"Well we can't have that can we?" Muminofrah cries. "Someone get the Hat-ya here at once. Whatever little games she's playing simply won't do!" The Hat-ya appears as though summoned, which of course she was, and bows to Muminofrah. "How may I serve the Ruby Prince?" She asks. Sense Motive DC15:
The Hat-ya is not pleased to be here, but she's obedient none-the-less. "Doka. You will provide My Warrior here with access to the Spiral Archives." Muminofrah says grandly, laying one bejewelled hand on Adol's arm. "He wants to see all the knowledge we have collected and I want him to have whatever he wants!" She gives another smile. "Have three days My Warrior. Then you must come and visit me again. We can't allow our love to be spoilt by musty paper can we?" The Hay-ta keeps a smooth countenance and bows again. "As the Ruby Prince commands. He may enter in the morning, I will inform the custodians at once." She takes advantage of the situation to dismiss herself and backs away while Muminofrah is still clinging to Adol. "Doka is a good girl but so boring." The noblewoman says, in a tone that is meant to be intimate but still carries. "Not like you My Warrior. Tell me a story of your prowess, entertain me!"
The Spiral Archive is located below the Great Library’s Outer Sanctum, past the trapped door of the eye (area A5) and down the limestone stairs, and the next morning the Falcons find themselves not exactly welcomed, but expected. The curators in the Outer Sanctum give directions, and information about some of the Spiral Archive’s guardians - mentioning a bound demon who may be bypassed by showing their signed letter of access, and the possibility that some sort of 'invisible spirit' may be encountered below. They also go into great detail over the Archive rules, which are numerous, include an absolute prohibition on food and drink and conclude with. "Anyone attempting to remove materials from the Archive will suffer the Hom-Dai." They don't go into any more detail but exchange significant looks. "There are no other visitors so your time should be quiet and swift." One curator notes. The walls of the first, hexagonal chamber are covered with scribbles carved into the stone. Lit with regularly spaced continual flames illuminate a brown, shaggy-furred beast which stands on slate grey hooves. Its head resembles that of a maniacal horned ape and its mouth twists in an expression of glee until the Falcons produce their signed letter. With a resentful frown the creature retreats to the wall to allow you access. Abbyssal/Infernal:
The writing on the wall appears to be long lists of names, written in various hellish scripts. Continuing down a long curved passage a small reading room appears on your left. There is a woman in there, reading a scroll by the light of a single burning lamp...
The Hummingbird presses harder on his wounds out of spite, as she watches the man pass on. "You deserve much worse than this," the vigilante snarls with pure hatred. After a few moments, allowing the man to bleed out across the floor she unceremoniously kicks his lifeless body into the water. Just as the body hits the water with an almighty splash leaving a smear of fresh blood on the planks, The Hummingbird hears a very familar voice calling to her. Mum! Mum! Mum, come quickly, I need you! This has happened before. Right after Teo went missing. The Hummingbird knows he is not there. She knows it he not real. Tears well up in her eyes and she closes her eyes as her heart begins to pound uncontrollably desperately trying to hear the sound of her son's voice again. "Teo, I love you. I'm coming for you." Adriel mutters to herself. His voice sounds again, calling faintly Mum, I need you! She hears as tears start streaming down her face and her breath catches in her throat. Mum, come quickly! Finding it difficult to know if these are memories, hallucinations or something else altogether, she allows herself to lose all composure, sobbing uncontrollably, Adriel sinks to the floor, her back to the wall, her hood falling from her head as she holds her head in her hands. "Teo, I love you. I'm coming for you. Teo, I love you. I will find you." She repeats until she let's it all go. After five solid minutes of sobbing, Adriel wipes her eyes and takes a deep breath, her expression darkening as she pulls her hood back up, eyes red raw. Pull yourself together. He needs you now. Let's find out more. She walks over to Lamm's things and begins to search for anything that may give her a clue taking her time to not miss a thing.
Dora takes in a shaky breath and shuts her eyes, as her body tries to reattune itself with its normal processes before moving her still stiff joints to embrace her savior. Dora, unable to talk much louder than a whisper still realizes she should probably say something before this gets awkward. "Th-thank you. That was petrifying - I could hear and see everything, but couldn't even take in a breath. I was trapped inside myself....but at least I knew I could rely on you, Devon, to get me out of it. That little glimpse of hope is what kept me going. I cannot say thank you enough. I owe you a life debt. I don't know how I'll ever repay you." ---------------------
"Dani is right, the stealthy approach may be better - I'm not sure how well a disguise would go from the off, having not had as much time to set everything up as we woudld like." "Let's get a better whereabouts on him, so that we can strike directly at the source and minimize any warning he may have. Not giving him time to prepare for our arrival will certainly be the most advantageous."
Noting everyone else's embarrassment, Signe clears her throat. "Oh, well, yes. I will have a look as I have no other plans and would like to learn more about the village. Kendra, I'll skip breakfast this morning and come back for lunchtime. Gaius, perhaps we can continue last night's conversation over dinner?" Signe rushes back out the room in haste and gets changed, muttering as she goes. "How stupid of me. You're in someone elses house and you hardly know them or the routine and company they keep." After becoming much more prepared Signe rushes out to the village without checking back in on the kitchen to try and find the source of vandalism. She realises she should have asked Gaius for more information, but couldn't bring herself to come eye to eye with him again so soon after the earlier encounter.
With Melody's aid Morgana manages to impale the choker grappling her and Shaumatiel finishes it off with a blast of ice, leaving only one 'sweet. angry. mother' to deal with. Jenica lurches through it, but can't land a telling blow.
Clearly reading the room and establishing that Jenica is the most... 'open minded' member of the group the remaining choker swings on her and attempts to give her first hand experience of what tentacles can do! Jenica finds the whole situation somewhat... *ahem* moving on!
This has always happened to me and my husband who uses this and we have used 6 different devices over the last couple of years.
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I have the honour to be your obedient servant,
Upon attending the Mausoleum that evening, in whatever manner of dress you deem appropriate for the event, you are greeted by two acolytes who show you to Sebti's grand private quarters in a private wing attached to the Mausoleum. Pteminib also seems to have been invited with his unusual tiny Psychopomp you remember conversing with not all that long ago. It is a joyous affair and the food never stops coming; there is course after course of divinely prepared dishes and both Sebti and Pteminib continue with their well-rehearsed party talk. Anytime anybody tries to pry Sebti for information, they receive a sharp look to quieten them and a swift change of topic. Sebti's face grows more solemn as the last dish of juicy dates drizzled with honey and sprinkled with crumbled almonds, is cleared from the table and the server leaves the room at Sebti's command, closing the door behind them with a click. "Jamie, if you would be so kind as to check nobody is listening before we begin?" She says softly, to avoid anybody overhearing. When she is satisfied that you are all alone, she takes a chain from around her neck that was not previously visible and passes it to Jazadi"Jazadi, take this key and open my wall safe behind that portrait over there to remove the mask so that we can examine it whilst we discuss this artifact you found and its significance." "I have conversed with my superiors about this mask to find out everything I can. I ended up conversing directly with the Ruby Prince, Khemet III himself who agrees that this mask should belong to you due to the rules of the lottery that were in place. The Ruby Prince agrees this would also avoid any other.....political repercussions." The mask, now lying on the table in front of you all, is a stunning masterpiece carved from gold and inlaid with cobalt, lapis lazuli and Onyx. Sebti stares at the mask for a few moments, clearly lost in her own thoughts before continuing. "I have reason to believe that there is a group who is after this mask for more nefarious deeds and I don't believe we have seen all this mask has to offer yet. I was made aware of their existence in the past two days and we need to ensure that they do not get their hands on this artifact but we also need to learn what their plans for it may be. After the destruction it rained down on Wati, we cannot leave this to chance." "We know nothing of this funerary mask apart from the fact that it is very powerful and was for Hakotep I or the Sky Pharoah, I am not entirely sure if they are one and the same. All information on the Sky Pharoah has been removed from our archives, I personally looked through the records we have in Wati on the Pharaohs. All I could find is that Hakotep was a Pharoah of the distant past. I think another Pharoah claimed the title "Sky Phaaroah" - Menedes I - but he seems to have no connection to Hakotep. We know that Hakotep built the "Slave Trenches of Hakotep" as we can find his cartouche there, but no other information was found in our records. If anywhere is to have more information, then the library in Tephu would be the place to start. " Pteminib looks concerned before reiterating Sebti's previous request."As the High Priestess said before, we feel it is vital we learn of the dangerous mask's origins and more about the strange cult seeking it for our own safety, but we have no servants to spare. We would suggest, if any or all of you are willing, for you to travel to Tephu, the City of Reeds, and consult its extensive library - perhaps the greatest repository in all of Osirion." Player reminder - out of character: As its been a while, I would like to remind people about the following as it has not been as long for your characters!
1)Remember that a mask was stolen from the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye in your lottery sites. 2) This post.
Splitting into two groups, since that never goes wrong, you go to investigate the other rooms. Jazadi, Adol and Dhakira head down a long and winding stair to look at the model room. The gentle sound of lapping water echoes off this chamber’s
Meanwhile Say'ri, Uthe and Jamie head into the only room you haven't investigated. Carvings of somber women and vulture-headed angels adorn the walls of this chamber, and the smell of cedar, onions, and myrrh is overwhelming. Viscous amber fluids fill glass reservoirs, while stone bins of sand, sawdust, and salt crowd the floor. Hooks, knives, and other grisly-looking tools are neatly stored on several worktables along the walls. A ghoulish looking woman is hunched over one of the workbenches but the moment she hears you she spins round, her huge teeth protruding as she lets out a painful sounding scream and leaps towards the fresh meat that walked into her realm. Initiative:
Orchid comes out with a lot of strange pronouncements, and this is one of the stranger ones. However Akira has a lot of experience with the leshy and she knows that its ideas are often correct. So she clears her throat, takes a moment to decide on her tune and breaks into one of her favorite love songs - a nice cheerful one. "I used to think maybe you loved me, now I know that it's true
The kitsune spins to point at Orchid as she continues. "He's walking on sunshine," "Wow!" replies the leshy in practised harmony. "She's walking on sunshine (Wow!)
"Hey, alright now
"I hope so!" Flori replies, equally quietly. "Sylyn and I will do the bartering!" She says, speaking up so that everyone can hear her. "I'd like to practise my dialects. Is there anything in particular we need?" Between her knowledge of language and Sylyn's good cheer Flori is blithely confident that the villages reserve will melt like ice in summer.
Say'ri goes slamming into the door and finds it locked! Fortunately the gunslinger has an excellent lockpick and blasts through the door with a single shot! Jazadi and Uthe barge their way through, followed by Jamie, Say'ri and Dhakira as Adol heroically brings up the rear! A fifteen-foot-tall statue of a matronly woman with long, flowing hair stands in the center of this chamber between two large stone tables. Ten curtained alcoves break up the hieroglyph-covered walls. Enormous bronze doors stand to south, matching the ones that you've just barged through. Apart from the two sets of door, three passageways lead off from this central chamber. One set of footprints can be seen on the floor, although they are themselves acquiring a light covering of dust.
"Ben, there is no need to demean your crew - I believe they are all grown women...well perhaps Talah is not quite yet, but we should all be known as Ladies or Women, not girls. Girls implies a child." Katherine chastises, not being able to hold back the very fast spoken correction from spilling out of her lips.
Since Ben seems to be on target for once, no doubt thanks to the focusing effects of adrenaline, Katherine aims for the sniper this time.
Correction: Katherine aims three feet to the sniper's left, hoping to draw him out of cover. Her shot is exactly where she intended it to be. Unfortunately the plan does not work, but that is because the sniper is too foolish - not because the plan was unsound.
Flori makes a point of hanging onto a couple of keepsakes from Ravenscraeg, adding them to her collection of treasures. She is extremely excited about the prospect of crossing the Crown of the World, but not so excited as to forget the practicalities. She lays in a large store of warm clothes, fluffy socks, extra furs, mittens and just about every other form of clothing she thinks might be required. Sylyn may have her own fire to keep her warm but Flori is well aware that she is human, and one who doesn't like the cold and damp at that! Thus, when they set off, Flori has claimed about half a wagon for her gear and spends most of her downtime burrowed right into a mound of warm clothes, reading contentedly.
"You're going to be right at home Orchid!" Akira says delightedly, pointing to the various pictures on the walls. "I bet you could do all those things! Hmm, maybe we need to commission an artist, especially when we reach the Finals! Capturing our triumph forever will be important!" She wanders over to look at the tools. "Someone was here... someone small... hmm. Perhaps a twisted cult of halfling murderers have been staying here... or a tiny monk who wished to make a home for himself in the temple..."
Akira frowns when Orchid tries the pesh and then starts wafting ineffectively at the haze surrounding the leshy. "Just because you can see through smoke and darkness doesn't mean you should be practicing!" The cleric says sharply. "Is your body not a temple? A finely honed weapon for Hei Feng's glory?" Seeing the Warrior Princess becoming maudlin Akira bounces over to her. "Don't worry Xena. I have exactly the story for you! Sit, sit!" She insists that Irekeek sit down and then sets to work. "Once upon a time, far to the west, was a young woman who was born to a loving mother and a mysterious father. Once she grew up she found that a good friend of hers was the heir to the ancient kingdom of... Monkai! Our heroine, Flori, was a budding wizard with a lust to see the world. She of course went with the queen and together they fought their way through a haunted castle, great swarms of traitorous ninjas and a mighty oni who was sworn to end the queens line!" The story goes on for some time...
Flori's chanting rises to a crescendo and a fearsome beast of the southern jungles appears out of thin air. It clearly left the southern jungles because it was teased mercilessly by all its peers for not being a 'proper' cheetah. Or possibly Flori's summoning spell was suspect - but the first option is far more likely! Either way the green-with-pink-spots cat leaps upon the oni with all the celestial fury of the mightiest of angels!
Dora is completely overwhelmed by the spell and stands there in amazement as she tastes cherry air for the first time. It goes wonderfully with the light green sound of the battle that she knows is going on somewhere behind the rather loud symphony that keeps jumping up and down in front of her.
"No, no, no! This isn't how the story ends!" Akira declares, calling upon Hei Feng's might to bring the warrior princess to standing once more. "Get up Xena!" She calls, although honestly she's not sure why.
"I don't see why that deserves a congratulations Penny, if anything it is certainly a demotion from Joint Science and Medical Officer. Anyone can be Captain, but only a specialist can perform my prior role. I suppose you're just as frustrated about that as I am. You would certainly have been a more qualified Captain." Katherine replies in annoyance and places the pen she was using down on the table. "I suppose I should head back to the Oliphaunt and ensure that in my absence no harm comes to the ship from its' other residents. You finish up here Penny and head straight back. I may need your counsel as, now Ben has gone a little while, we could use the time to reorganise that shoddy non-existant filing system he keeps on his personal devices that he only arranges by timestamp. As Captain, I would be derelict in my duties to let such an oversight continue to exist." Captain Hamilton heads back to the ship in haste, not wanting to find out what Talah and Chase would do if left to their own devices for too long and gets to work on recategorizing the Captain's personal logs.
Jamie puts on a good show but doesn't manage to get her blade anywhere near the ghoul. Jazadi likewise doesn't achieve anything, although she does at least get her whip on target. Uthe pummels it with magical missiles before Adol removes the creature's head with a righteous blow!
Dhakira applies her healing wand to Adol's injuries while the rest of you surveil the scene. The alchemist was well equipped, with six vials of greenblood poison, a robe of needles, an alchemy crafting kit and his formula book. Hidden in a pile of earth in the corner of the make-shift lab are four doses of mumia, worth 500gp each on the street, although the drug has numerous terrible side-effects. When you emerge from the lab it becomes clear that the thugs have taken advantage of your absence and fled with what they could carry. You still have the lead they mentioned though, a small pyramid a couple of streets away.
Penny and Katherine: Either not realising there is a growing queue behind them, or not caring, Katherine does not make to speed up Penny. She knows the woman is very capable at such skills, and to rush an expert would be to call for chaos.
The thought that they had to wait seven to ten buisness days on the other hand, horrifies Katherine. Ben sent them to get this done, and Katherine will not be known to fail at such a crucial moment. How would the Captain handle such a situation? "Now Mary," She starts, trying to find her train of thought carefully. Katherine does not usually start such an action without thinking it through, but such a situation does not give her the necessary time to plan. "Unfortunately seven to ten business days will just be too late to contain such a dire biological threat and if we leave it that long then many lives will be at risk across multiple stations, and we cannot risk such a political fall out can we? Imagine what would happen when the hold up would get traced back to this office? Penny and I would very much like to help you avoid such a situation. I'm sure there is another form that could expedite it further? Say, seven to ten....minutes?" Katherine glances towards Penny in hope that the mystic knows of such a form.
Now thats exactly how the Captain would have handled it. Now to see if it ends up being more successful that the Captain usually is.
Having fled the tavern incredibly early in the morning, so as to avoid the innkeeper and settling the fee for their rather extravagant rooms, a vulpine woman finds herself walking down a woodland road away from the town, the sunlight not yet peeking over the trees. Scuffing her feet across the floor, disturbing the collection of fungus growing alongside the path, she scrunches up her face with annoyance at another plan gone awry. "Well, that didn't exactly go to plan Orchid. If only you had convinced that woman to tell us of the drug lord's whereabouts, then we could have disbanded them and returned to our main...patron with the money!" The kitsune says, with an unusual emphasis. She grabs her fairly light coin purse from her waist and opens it up, looking to count the coin and very few gemstones they have left to keep them traveling in style. Spying an unusual larger silver coin, she plucks it out from the purse. "Oh-Oh! Where did you find this? It's magnificent!" She asks, before examining it closer. "Maybe this could make us enough coin to pay them off? Or maybe it leads us to a new quest to slay an evil tyranical dragon subjugating a poor city....or even..." She sucks in a deep breath, her unusual amber eyes with swirling specks of reds, blues, greens and white lighting up with her excitement. "Maybe it will lead us on the course to become Hao Jin's personal champions!" The Kitsune pockets the coin before grabbing the small flower and swirling him through the air. "Oh Orchid, just imagine the crowd shouting our names at the torunament, cheering for us both as we strike down our opponents! We'd be famous, we'd be rich, we'd be able to do anything!" The Kitsune's feet glide gracefully across the woodland path, as she swirls with the lesy in her arms.
Pteminib and Sebti the Crocodile also attend the funeral out of respects to Ammon. Sebti, who does not often attend private funerals herself, steps forwards to show her respects. "Duty, decency, reliability, honour and respect. These are all qualities that Ammon held in high esteem within his life and he has given his own life in order to protect his home now, when it is most in need. Wati is grateful for your sacrifice." Sebti's eyes scan the crowd, taking in their mourning, their grief and their loss. "Remember, the life of the dead is placed in the memories of the living; remember Ammon and the sacrifice he has made. Remember his virtues and implement these yourself, as if you practice these virtues, you will also carry a little of him within yourselves. May the Lady of Graves watch over Ammon Al-Mukhalas." After the funeral is over, Sebti approaches your group directly. "I appreciate and respect all of your sacrifices given that I sent you to the Necropolis. Are you all still willing to put an end to this uprising? The city is holding, but I do not know how long it can hold for. I know you are all grieving, but there is no time for me to wait. If you all feel incapable of continuing, then tell me now and I will find an alternative but please know, I truly believe you are all our best hope. We all know the alternative of the Psychopomps" Her forehead shows all the signs of concern and worry, the dark grey circles under her eyes show her continued lack of sleep as she works tirelessly in her current defence of the city. Clearly, taking time out to come to Ammon's funeral was important to her, whether it was to pay her respects or whether it was to talk to you all, it is unclear. "I have sent in another Lottery group just after yourselves as a precaution but they were not my first choice. I have not heard hide nor hair of them since. They were capable, but some did not have the same resolve as yourselves and a necropolis is indeed a dangerous place. They were focussing on the elegiac compasses and the Cenotaph of the Cynic based on Nakht's suggestion. Perhaps if you head there you could join forces together to scout out the necropolis and find the source of this uprising and put an end to it." Sebti looks at you all questionningly, waiting an answer, furrowed lines on her forehead showing the concern she holds deep, worried about your final answer.
You make it back to Sandpoint after a long trek through the woods both cold and damp, but sustained by the amazing sugary power of Sabriyya's delectable sweets. Arriving in an awakening Sandpoint, just as dawn is breaking, you immediately trudge over to Hemlock's house and rap upon the door to report in. The Sheriff listens to you, albeit bleary-eyed, growing more and more sombre as your tale goes on. "Well, at least Sandpoint won't be facing any more ghoul attacks and murders in the coming months." He says thankfully, "It sounds as though this is just one part of a much bigger problem. I will write to the law enforcement in Magnimar but after badgering them for reinforcements, they probably won't give me the time of day. I think you can be rest assured that you can take a few days now to recuperate, but if you are all willing, I'd appreciate you following up on these leads just to make sure that nothing is going to come back to Sandpoint. Sandpoint has suffered enough."
Amethyst and Morgana both slash at the ghoul bat, cutting rents into its undead flesh as Jenica gains corporeality and the support duo unleash their various supportive powers. The bat seems to be immune to the mental effects of Sabriyya's hex, but the amount of noise and light Morgana is emitting still draws its attention! It latches onto the paladin again - clearly goodness is tasty!
GM: Bat -18
Katherine's face muddles in confusion entirely missing the point. "I don't think thats helpful advice Kesred, I don't honestly think he cares what their reputation is anyway."
The route leading out to Foxglove Manor is a 3-mile hike along a narrow path that follows the Foxglove River from the covered bridge where it flows under the Lost Coast Road to the dark sea cliffs overlooking the Varisian Gulf. Here, wild sea birds call out to a roaring ocean that churns hundreds of feet below. As you near Foxglove Manor, it almost seems as if nature herself has become sick and twisted. Nettles and thorns grow more prominent, trees are leaf less and bent, and the wind seems unnaturally cold and shrill as it whistles through the cliffside crags. The path slowly rises, bending around a steep corner in the cliffs, and then Foxglove Manor looms at the edge of the world. The strangely cold sea wind rises to a keening shriek as Foxglove Manor comes into view. The place has earned its local nickname of the “Misgivings” well, for it almost appears to loathe its perch high above the ocean, as if the entire house were poised for a suicide leap. The roof sags in many places, and mold and mildew cake the crumbling walls. Vines of diseased-looking gray wisteria strangle the structure in several places, hanging down over the precipitous cliff edge almost like tangled braids of hair. The house is crooked, its gables angling sharply and breached in at least three places, hastily repaired by planks of sodden wood. Chimneys rise from various points among the rooftops, leaning like old men in a storm, and grinning gargoyle faces leer from under the eaves.
"Whilst you all poison yourselves with alcohol, I am going to head back." Katherine, not one to spend time socialising, follows Ben back to the ship and helps him with his wounds which now look much better than before. "That was reckless Ben. I know that Chase and Kes are not the brightest people on this ship, but sometimes if someone approaches in that way, you should let them go ahead of you. They are expendable compared to you on this crew." Fussing over him for a few moments, she adds, "Penny on the other hand is a genius; you look to be in perfect working order. She is certainly not expendable."
"But Penny, the cooking wine is needed for our bourguignon on Fourthday, and if they drink it now it will just be beef stew!" Katherine complains. "We had planned for it to be bourguignon just two days ago!" Katherine seems to have moved on from the problems of the job, knowing that they are doing it and realising there is not point in questioning it further; it wouldn't change matters. "It will be like the time we were planning on the luxury chocolate celebration cake, but somebody at all the chocolate."
"Lamashtu's Lair doesn't sound like a sensible place to conduct business." Katherine says, stating the obvious. "And your statement makes no sense Tarika. You said no questions asked and then told us to pass questions along. Please clarify your meaning." Katherine shakes her head a little with pursed lips, clearly disapproving of Tarika's explanation. "We need to perform a good job to make up for our quotas and that will be dificult without clear instructions."
Abomination vaults is also a 3 book dungeon crawl which really isn't everyone's cup of tea, especially in pbp as it can be very slow so isn't really a good one to judge if you're looking at forum gaming. I think its also a matter of time. At the moment, may haven't tried PF2 as they haven't had time to try a new system. Overtime when they start running out of PF1, maybe PF2 will get more take up. Maybe just take time?
Well I think we're currently in book 3 in our game on here on pbp and we started back in July so we're doing pretty well but have a little time before we get to book 6 but we will keep bugging him for renders as we go along! ;)
"I never agreed to tell you about her. Just agreed not to warn her." She says, snappily whilst gathering up maps books and other items from the room. "Let me back to my room to pick up my pay and I'll get the hell outta this dump. I'll find somewhere to do my research better than this anyway." She says with bitterness running through every syllable. Her eyebrow raises at Amethyst's question. "Someone like you wouldn't go to my tailor in Magnimar." She replies, not elaborating on what she means. As she packs, she shoots glances at the rest of you as if she is planning each of your demise in detail, but doesn't seem to carry out any of these thoughts before she is escorted out of the fortress. |
