Taliyah bursts out of her tent, a snarl on her face. She holds her staff in one hand, and her other is curled like she's clutching the hilt of a sword in a reverse grip. "LET YOUR SINS WEIGH YOU DOWN, BLACKGUARD!" She roars in Carolean, thrusting down with her empty hand and a sword of intertwined gold and black energy plunges into Cezar's back, Hexing him, giving disadvantage on his strength ability checks. She then clutches her staff with both hands, it's eyes and mouth gleaming with light as she goes through the familiar motions of an Eldritch Blast, sending the beam of golden light born of the Weave itself towards Cezars' back, forcing the ethereal sword to dig in deeper if it connects. Meanwhile Pixel flies out besides Taliyah, and with a shared though rockets after the fleeing trio while invisible, slowing down considerably once he's with 30, where he attempts to move much more stealthily.
Eldritch Blast: 15 to hit
Damage: 10 force and 1 necrotic, accidentally rolled two d10s so I rerolled
It's too late, by the time you can react, the three assailants just disappeared into a cloud of smoke from the fire, not giving any more answers to that (Refer to the private message). Due to the effect of the spell cast earlier, there were no footsteps to be seen, but it isn't like they have that many places to go anyway. There is only one way in and one way out, and they mentioned they will head directly to Paulis, which means they will be there in the glitched area.
Renar's ice beam significantly slows down the fire. Ice melts in contact with heat, which means water, and water stops fire. The villagers rush toward the now dying source of flame and douse it with water, stopping the fire completely... but the damage has already been done.
A few civilians, about five or so, seem to be injured by the smoke, they passed out from the lack of air in their lungs. They will be right, just need a little bit of water and some rest.
Maigurs slaps the fire out of his tail, it smells like a burnt electric socket, but his precious fur being ruined is less of a concern for him, because...
Then he shouts at Maigures, "Laine is with Cezars, she's betraying us! She set the place on fire!" He hopes that the wolf boy isn't too attached to the aasimar, oh Lord this has to be hard on him.
"WHAT!?" He gasps, covering his mouth. "B-but... I've known Laine since I was a pup! There is no way she would do that! It's... no... it's impossible!" He tears up, "We are best friends, and best friends are the ones you should rely on, the ones who you will share your deepest, darkest secret with, and they won't judge... but why!? She's always a good person, she's kind to me and she loves nature, setting things on fire is completely out of character for her! It's not her, there is no way that could be her!" He collapses on his knees.
"Wherever they are now, they won't go that far." The old halfling lady, Signeta, says. Her house is quite far from the flame source, so neither her bonsai nor the ginkgo tree got damaged by the flames. "There is only one way in and one way out, they're practically trapped in here with you. I think these folks will handle the aftermath fine, I'll help negotiate with the feys too if they decide to stir up some trouble, but for now, you should find the arsonists and bring them to justice."
"Please, guys! I just want to talk with the fake Laine!" He stands up, clasping his hands, "Find them, stop them, and bring her to me, alright? We'd like to go with you... but we have to tend to the injured and rebuild our camps." He gestures, "Come on, there is no time to waste, go now!"
Well... according to your map, the glitched area is right underneath the town Paulis lives in, so all you need to do is to get there before them. It's either back to the fiery zone where Alex fell down or the necropolis the villagers travelled through yesterday. It's roughly the same distance to the glitched area from here, anyway.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
I'm glad no one was critically injured, let alone died from the fire. I'm even more thankful that the fire didn't spread all over the place... *Cough cough* but... this is gonna take at least 1-2 weeks for the smoke to disperse fully, since there's zero ventilation whatsoever. But... *His hands glow bright yellow as he recovers his 2nd level spell slot; Arcane Recovery* I can't believe I have to waste my Arcane Recovery on something trivial
"WHAT!?" He gasps, covering his mouth. "B-but... I've known Laine since I was a pup! There is no way she would do that! It's... no... it's impossible!" He tears up, "We are best friends, and best friends are the ones you should rely on, the ones who you will share your deepest, darkest secret with, and they won't judge... but why!? She's always a good person, she's kind to me and she loves nature, setting things on fire is completely out of character for her! It's not her, there is no way that could be her!" He collapses on his knees.
What? So the girl he was dating with... was she a fake or not? I'm confused. But... the fact that Wolfy's devastated... its what I had to endure too, when I was a pup myself. Every single day. Hmm... maybe I should tell him something as well too, just in case they still intend on setting up their 'trap'... then again, I blew my chance, so... actially no, it might still work. But first... *He sternly glares at Maigurs* "Let this be a hard lesson, Wolfy. Don't always assume that even best friends are the most reliable beings in the world. Even amongst them there's always some bozo willing to take advantage of your kindness and stab you in the back when they have the chance, no matter how much you trust them."
*But then he walks up and whispers something in his wolf ear; A security measure, in case two of the same people appear to be in the same place at at time*
"I hope you're good at keeping secrets, Wolfy, but I'll tell you two things: One food I hate and then later, one food I like. So first, the next time we meet again, remember this: I like eating tofu. And second, listen closely. If we chat again about the food I like, look at my hands. If I say something I like but I then crack my knuckles, it means I actually hate it. Let this be my code to you in case I run into your girlfriend disguised as you. I not only want to test your memory and ability to keep secrets, but also your observance. Keep this to yourself. And I mean it." If his stupid 'girlfriend' appears to be around him again, I'll tell him what I dislike next, but in an indirect way. That way, if she appears to be disguised as him, I can ask both of them what I like and one of them will give the wrong answer for sure. It's almost full proof. Unless if she has a keen ear of course. Like example: I say I like tofu, but then I also say I like uh... salmon, but I crack my knuckles. If the changeling later gives the wrong answer whilst she tries to ambush us next time, I'll already know she's the imposter.
*He sheaths his katana back into its place as he holds the map and huffs* "If we find her near the glitched area we'll do what we must. But honestly, I'm not in the mood to talk anyways. Let's go. Before the situation crumbles even more." *He leaves with the group when the rest are ready to traverse through the threat level 6 area*
But... if those idiots are heading to the glitched area, we have to beat them before they can do I-don't-know-what to Paulis... I wonder if anyone else heard what they discussed? Or was it just me, Okaa-san and Shugo? I forgot he doesn't sleep either since he's an elf... *He turns to Shugo with an uneasy scowl; He's not going to fill in on the details he picked up until he gets an idea on who picked up what and also how much of the former* "How much did you hear? From those three?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Wildland Shifters Daisy Ethalena- Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer) Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade) Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer(Clockwork Soul); Lancea Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars) Yurime Hanasaki- Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Maya does her best to assist any of the villagers from the aftermath, though she is also struggling to stay conscious because of the smoke. Seriously, how did this spiral out of control against their favour again?! This is so ridiculous... When she hears the wolf boy breaking down into tears, she approaches him and gives him a comforting hug before gently stroking his tail with her own as a sign saying that he's gonna be fine. "Daijōbudesu yo. Daijōbudesu yo. Anata ni wa mada watashitachi ga imasu. Ano hidoi on'nanoko to wa chigatte, watashitachi wa anata no tame ni koko ni imasu. (大丈夫ですよ。大丈夫ですよ。あなたにはまだ私たちがいます. あのひどい女の子とは違って, 私たちはあなたのためにここにいます.You'll be ok. You'll be okay. You still have us. We'll be here for you, unlike that awful girl.)" She hushes with a soft, motherly tone, just how she imagined comforting her children, both ehr son and her deceased daughter, when either of them were in his shoes.. It's also at this point she realised: Neither she or her son felt scared of him even for a bit, which is super strange considering that over in the Sword Coast and Japan, the two of them a natural, but immense fear of dogs.
When her son says it's time to go and stop the trio from getting to Paulis first, she doesn't even say a word as she releases herself from Wolfy's grasp and becomes the last to leave. Seriously, if this world doesn't allow her to speak her native language, she may as well stay silent unless her son gives her the thumbs up to do so...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod) Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) Maya Kurosaki- Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time Shijiro Otsune- Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan) Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian) Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Venet stops short of her approach as the group vanishes, letting out groan of frustration and kicking the dirt. SHe takes a moment to simmer down, taking a deep breath and then coughing cause of the smoke. She grimaces, running a hand through her hair before walking over to the rest of the gathering party.
"I can't believe more of the guard is corrupt! What's the point in having them if they're evil!"it's clear the breathing helped very little.
Shugo stares off towards where the three villainous amigo's waltzed off looking a bit irritated. Everything just happened so fast! Then the real Wolfie shows up and starts ranting about Laine, causing the elf to get lost in thought. He thinks that was a fake Laine? That actually would make some sense seeing as how she was a changeling... but how do they know she wasn't always a changeling? Or did they kidnap the real Laine? Hmmmm.
He snaps out of it when Renar addresses him. "Oh I heard everything." He replies in a chipper tone laced with sarcasm, "From stealing unborn children to causing a pandemic. Yeah. I heard it all. ---Uh, You ok Venet?" He asks when he hears the triton start coughing. He puts his hands on his hips and stares off in the enemies direction again, "I know what you mean."He says. There are rats everywhere, the guards and the people's army. Do they all work for Birdie Boy? Or is there some other party involved? The latter seems the more likely option. He'd clearly heard them talking about someone else... He turns back to the group smiling. "We should get moving if we are going to catch them. Haha, there's no way they got far since they were trying to casually walk out of here. Plus I really don't want to let Cezars raise a dragon. That would be really really bad."
"I'm fine.." she mutters, although still clearly frustrated. "Yeah, letting them get the jump would be bad.. that hot head already has enough fire to work with. Doesn't need a dragon on top of it.."
He snaps out of it when Renar addresses him. "Oh I heard everything." He replies in a chipper tone laced with sarcasm, "From stealing unborn children to causing a pandemic. Yeah. I heard it all. ---Uh, You ok Venet?"
Right. You say you hear everything, yet you seem to be missing out on one important thing that we might look into later...*Renar's glare still remains* "Did you hear them talking about Golarion... Whatever the hell that is?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Wildland Shifters Daisy Ethalena- Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer) Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade) Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer(Clockwork Soul); Lancea Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars) Yurime Hanasaki- Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Hearing Maigurs's talk about Laine makes Alex question further what happened... could it be possible that the changeling wasn't even Laine to begin with? He looks back at the wolf shifter, not wanting to give false hope, but also unsure if the alternative is any worse... cause, well if the changeling wasn't Laine, then what happened to Maigurs's real friend?
"We'll take your word for it Maigurs," he says hesitantly. "Maybe that wasn't even Laine... I mean that's a real possibility if she's a changeling." He shakes his head, "But for now we need to follow them!"He motions to his comrades, "We can't let them get away with this!"
Not that the fire is out, there really is no reason for them to stay back. They still have to make sure that they get to their trial on time, but it would be best if they could catch the man responsible for all this trouble first. Plus, it seems like this goes deeper than he'd first expected, even though there is a lot that he still doesn't know since he didn't overhear everything that happened prior to him waking up.
Regardless if everyone else is ready, Alex starts running after the three criminals.
He snaps out of it when Renar addresses him. "Oh I heard everything." He replies in a chipper tone laced with sarcasm, "From stealing unborn children to causing a pandemic. Yeah. I heard it all. ---Uh, You ok Venet?"
Right. You say you hear everything, yet you seem to be missing out on one important thing that we might look into later...*Renar's glare still remains* "Did you hear them talking about Golarion... Whatever the hell that is?"
Shugo nods, "Yeah. I heard them mention that."He rubs the back of his neck, "I just couldn't remember the name. Haha. Anyways that leads me to believe we have a third party to worry about. We aren't just dealing with Elmars and the People's Army anymore." He sighs then runs after Alex.
The closest route to the icy cave (Which Renar suggests the party should go) doesn't have a direct path from here, they will have to pass the necropolis first, and so, the party heads toward where they came from yesterday.
An hour later…
The party arrives at the dark, damp stone city filled with undead... except it actually isn't. The streets are dead quiet today, unlike yesterday when there were protests and construction going on everywhere.
In front of you is a cave entrance, and you can feel the cold wind blowing from inside, conveniently, the entrance to both the grove and the icy area is right next to each other. You bring your torches out (Since Kristians told you not to stay in the dark) and walk toward the next cave's entrance, along the way, you pass some stone buildings and houses, all of which are clean and neatly designed, yet empty with little to no furniture at all. These houses are hundreds if not thousands of years old, yet it looks like it was built yesterday.
You thought it was all going well... until you see a hand sticking out of the ground, then another, and another—three in front of you and three behind you. Ghouls dig themselves out from the ground, their skin grey, old, and decayed, their nails are long and untrimmed, and their eyes glow red—an unusual sight. Last time you were here, all the undeads had no light in their eyes at all, this must be the work of a necromantic magic, and there is only one person that can pull something like this off.
The ghouls slowly lumber forward, moaning. At first, it sounds like a random noise to you, but if you listen closer, you can hear the words like "Help..." Or "Why...?" They are being controlled by Cezars from somewhere, and they have no choice but to obey.
Time to warm up before you get to confront Cezars.
Initiative
Note: In-universe, Undead follow the same rule as uncivilised and some semi-civilised creatures do, in that they don't have a name until a civilised creature gives them. For the sake of not getting confused, I'll assign each of them a number. Refer to Owlbear Radio for more information on who's who.
Also, if your character is carrying a torch, they will use their off-hand to do it, meaning they cannot use their off-hand weapons or two-hand something, If your character doesn't have a light source or adjacent to someone with a light source, roll d10 for me.
GH1: 11
GH2: 17
GH3: 6
GH4: 9
GH5: 19
GH6: 9
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Ugh... I knew stupid Rixi would be up to something no good... And yet... I can hear them begging us to release them. It must be his doing... *He crouches and grips onto his katana as he eyes the front* "These guys must be under that idiot's control... get ready!"
Initiative: 9
9
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
The Wildland Shifters Daisy Ethalena- Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer) Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade) Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer(Clockwork Soul); Lancea Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance) Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars) Yurime Hanasaki- Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Whilst everyone immediately zooms out, Maya is the last to leave. Standing in the middle of the pack before they reach the undead chamber, Maya cups her clawed hands together whilst she keeps the tiny flame afloat and whispers in Japanese before laying her hands on Taliyah, Venet and Alex. (Taliyah now can see up to 300ft whilst Shugo and Alex can see up to 360ft). Also, she generates a small white flame to help illuminate everything within 10ft of her just in case (Not concentration; Lasts until 10 minutes or Maya hurls it at something), since she noticed that hardly any of them gathered torches. When the ghouls emerge, the kitsune scoffs before she unfolds a small iron fan and readies herself like Renar.
Maya Initiative: 8
I'm gonna be busy too but if I can't post in this week here's Maya's action:
Barely audible to the others, Maya will whisper in Japanese as she blows a tiny kiss to Shugo, Venet, Alex and Taliyah, wishing that they Will make the most of this fight (All of them get an extra d4 to their attack rolls and saving throws. Sorry Renar but mama knows).
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod) Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) Maya Kurosaki- Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time Shijiro Otsune- Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan) Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian) Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Shugo unsheathes his dragon engraved sword and takes on a fighting stance. Of course Cezars has enslaved an undead army! GAH! Well...not really army...BUT STILL! Why does everything have to be so difficult! He blinks and shakes his head slightly when his vision suddenly improves drastically. Then the small lights appear. He glances at Venet and Maya and smiles knowing it must have been one of them. At Venet's reaction to the ghouls, Shugo considers the situation and for once decides to do the chivalrous thing. Moving with a hunter's grace, he positions himself between Venet and the oncoming enemies.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"ACK!!" Alex nearly jumps out of his skin at the sight of the undead. "Oh... Cezars has really gone too far." He readjusts his grip on his sword. "These poor souls..."
Taliyah draws near one of the others who holds a torch. "That fiend's evil knows no bounds, does it. Thank you for your assistance Maya." She turns to face the zombie horde, and slams the butt of her staff against the ground, creating a mine of radiant energy underneath the foot of one of the lead zombies with Sacred Flame.
Initiative: 12
DC 13 Dex save or 4 radiant damage is dealt to the lead zombie.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
GH2 moves first, they hop towards Renar with their two arms on the ground like a chimpanzee. Then they raise their claw and slash at his chest. Hit or miss, they stand still at the same spot, almost as if they're waiting for a command from somewhere, the way they freeze up like this actually look as if they're being controlled by an invisible string.
GH5 also walks toward Maya, their claw raised and slashes at her. Their motion is the exact same as the first ghoul.
GH3 and GH6 surround Alex, gripping him and biting him at the same time. Their flesh is mushy and their breath reeks of rot, as expected from a walking, decaying corpse like them.
Taliyah's attack goes wide, missing GH1's mark completely, and they turn their head towards their attacker. They stumble forward and slashes the Dragonborn with their claws, then their 'friend' grabs her by the neck and bites her from behind.
GH2:Claw at Renar—7 to hit, 5 damage—CON Save: 12
If the target is a creature other than an elf or undead, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
GH5: Claw at Maya—11 to hit, 8 damage—CON Save: 2 (Same effect as above)
GH3: Bite at Alex—16 to hit, 10 damage
GH6: Bite at Alex—21 to hit, 7 damage
GH1: Claw at Taliyah—9 to hit, 7 damage—CON Save: 20
GH4: Bite at Taliyah—19 to hit, 10 damage.
Round 1 isn't over until all players have described their character's action, only Maya and Taliyah did that, so that's Renar, Venet, Shugo, and Alex left. Please hurry up, we have to make up for the time we lost during the holidays.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
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Taliyah bursts out of her tent, a snarl on her face. She holds her staff in one hand, and her other is curled like she's clutching the hilt of a sword in a reverse grip. "LET YOUR SINS WEIGH YOU DOWN, BLACKGUARD!" She roars in Carolean, thrusting down with her empty hand and a sword of intertwined gold and black energy plunges into Cezar's back, Hexing him, giving disadvantage on his strength ability checks. She then clutches her staff with both hands, it's eyes and mouth gleaming with light as she goes through the familiar motions of an Eldritch Blast, sending the beam of golden light born of the Weave itself towards Cezars' back, forcing the ethereal sword to dig in deeper if it connects. Meanwhile Pixel flies out besides Taliyah, and with a shared though rockets after the fleeing trio while invisible, slowing down considerably once he's with 30, where he attempts to move much more stealthily.
Eldritch Blast: 15 to hit
Damage: 10 force and 1 necrotic, accidentally rolled two d10s so I rerolled
Pixel stealth: Nat 1 + 8 for a total of 9
It's too late, by the time you can react, the three assailants just disappeared into a cloud of smoke from the fire, not giving any more answers to that (Refer to the private message). Due to the effect of the spell cast earlier, there were no footsteps to be seen, but it isn't like they have that many places to go anyway. There is only one way in and one way out, and they mentioned they will head directly to Paulis, which means they will be there in the glitched area.
Renar's ice beam significantly slows down the fire. Ice melts in contact with heat, which means water, and water stops fire. The villagers rush toward the now dying source of flame and douse it with water, stopping the fire completely... but the damage has already been done.
A few civilians, about five or so, seem to be injured by the smoke, they passed out from the lack of air in their lungs. They will be right, just need a little bit of water and some rest.
Maigurs slaps the fire out of his tail, it smells like a burnt electric socket, but his precious fur being ruined is less of a concern for him, because...
"WHAT!?" He gasps, covering his mouth. "B-but... I've known Laine since I was a pup! There is no way she would do that! It's... no... it's impossible!" He tears up, "We are best friends, and best friends are the ones you should rely on, the ones who you will share your deepest, darkest secret with, and they won't judge... but why!? She's always a good person, she's kind to me and she loves nature, setting things on fire is completely out of character for her! It's not her, there is no way that could be her!" He collapses on his knees.
"Wherever they are now, they won't go that far." The old halfling lady, Signeta, says. Her house is quite far from the flame source, so neither her bonsai nor the ginkgo tree got damaged by the flames. "There is only one way in and one way out, they're practically trapped in here with you. I think these folks will handle the aftermath fine, I'll help negotiate with the feys too if they decide to stir up some trouble, but for now, you should find the arsonists and bring them to justice."
"Please, guys! I just want to talk with the fake Laine!" He stands up, clasping his hands, "Find them, stop them, and bring her to me, alright? We'd like to go with you... but we have to tend to the injured and rebuild our camps." He gestures, "Come on, there is no time to waste, go now!"
Well... according to your map, the glitched area is right underneath the town Paulis lives in, so all you need to do is to get there before them. It's either back to the fiery zone where Alex fell down or the necropolis the villagers travelled through yesterday. It's roughly the same distance to the glitched area from here, anyway.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
I'm glad no one was critically injured, let alone died from the fire. I'm even more thankful that the fire didn't spread all over the place... *Cough cough* but... this is gonna take at least 1-2 weeks for the smoke to disperse fully, since there's zero ventilation whatsoever. But... *His hands glow bright yellow as he recovers his 2nd level spell slot; Arcane Recovery* I can't believe I have to waste my Arcane Recovery on something trivial
What? So the girl he was dating with... was she a fake or not? I'm confused. But... the fact that Wolfy's devastated... its what I had to endure too, when I was a pup myself. Every single day. Hmm... maybe I should tell him something as well too, just in case they still intend on setting up their 'trap'... then again, I blew my chance, so... actially no, it might still work. But first... *He sternly glares at Maigurs* "Let this be a hard lesson, Wolfy. Don't always assume that even best friends are the most reliable beings in the world. Even amongst them there's always some bozo willing to take advantage of your kindness and stab you in the back when they have the chance, no matter how much you trust them."
*But then he walks up and whispers something in his wolf ear; A security measure, in case two of the same people appear to be in the same place at at time*
"I hope you're good at keeping secrets, Wolfy, but I'll tell you two things: One food I hate and then later, one food I like. So first, the next time we meet again, remember this: I like eating tofu. And second, listen closely. If we chat again about the food I like, look at my hands. If I say something I like but I then crack my knuckles, it means I actually hate it. Let this be my code to you in case I run into your girlfriend disguised as you. I not only want to test your memory and ability to keep secrets, but also your observance. Keep this to yourself. And I mean it." If his stupid 'girlfriend' appears to be around him again, I'll tell him what I dislike next, but in an indirect way. That way, if she appears to be disguised as him, I can ask both of them what I like and one of them will give the wrong answer for sure. It's almost full proof. Unless if she has a keen ear of course. Like example: I say I like tofu, but then I also say I like uh... salmon, but I crack my knuckles. If the changeling later gives the wrong answer whilst she tries to ambush us next time, I'll already know she's the imposter.
*He sheaths his katana back into its place as he holds the map and huffs* "If we find her near the glitched area we'll do what we must. But honestly, I'm not in the mood to talk anyways. Let's go. Before the situation crumbles even more." *He leaves with the group when the rest are ready to traverse through the threat level 6 area*
But... if those idiots are heading to the glitched area, we have to beat them before they can do I-don't-know-what to Paulis... I wonder if anyone else heard what they discussed? Or was it just me, Okaa-san and Shugo? I forgot he doesn't sleep either since he's an elf... *He turns to Shugo with an uneasy scowl; He's not going to fill in on the details he picked up until he gets an idea on who picked up what and also how much of the former* "How much did you hear? From those three?"
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Maya does her best to assist any of the villagers from the aftermath, though she is also struggling to stay conscious because of the smoke. Seriously, how did this spiral out of control against their favour again?! This is so ridiculous... When she hears the wolf boy breaking down into tears, she approaches him and gives him a comforting hug before gently stroking his tail with her own as a sign saying that he's gonna be fine. "Daijōbudesu yo. Daijōbudesu yo. Anata ni wa mada watashitachi ga imasu. Ano hidoi on'nanoko to wa chigatte, watashitachi wa anata no tame ni koko ni imasu. (大丈夫ですよ。大丈夫ですよ。あなたにはまだ私たちがいます. あのひどい女の子とは違って, 私たちはあなたのためにここにいます.You'll be ok. You'll be okay. You still have us. We'll be here for you, unlike that awful girl.)" She hushes with a soft, motherly tone, just how she imagined comforting her children, both ehr son and her deceased daughter, when either of them were in his shoes.. It's also at this point she realised: Neither she or her son felt scared of him even for a bit, which is super strange considering that over in the Sword Coast and Japan, the two of them a natural, but immense fear of dogs.
When her son says it's time to go and stop the trio from getting to Paulis first, she doesn't even say a word as she releases herself from Wolfy's grasp and becomes the last to leave. Seriously, if this world doesn't allow her to speak her native language, she may as well stay silent unless her son gives her the thumbs up to do so...
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod)
Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic)
Maya Kurosaki - Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea
Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time
Shijiro Otsune - Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan)
Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian)
Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
Venet stops short of her approach as the group vanishes, letting out groan of frustration and kicking the dirt. SHe takes a moment to simmer down, taking a deep breath and then coughing cause of the smoke. She grimaces, running a hand through her hair before walking over to the rest of the gathering party.
"I can't believe more of the guard is corrupt! What's the point in having them if they're evil!" it's clear the breathing helped very little.
Shugo stares off towards where the three villainous amigo's waltzed off looking a bit irritated. Everything just happened so fast! Then the real Wolfie shows up and starts ranting about Laine, causing the elf to get lost in thought. He thinks that was a fake Laine? That actually would make some sense seeing as how she was a changeling... but how do they know she wasn't always a changeling? Or did they kidnap the real Laine? Hmmmm.
He snaps out of it when Renar addresses him. "Oh I heard everything." He replies in a chipper tone laced with sarcasm, "From stealing unborn children to causing a pandemic. Yeah. I heard it all. ---Uh, You ok Venet?" He asks when he hears the triton start coughing. He puts his hands on his hips and stares off in the enemies direction again, "I know what you mean." He says. There are rats everywhere, the guards and the people's army. Do they all work for Birdie Boy? Or is there some other party involved? The latter seems the more likely option. He'd clearly heard them talking about someone else... He turns back to the group smiling. "We should get moving if we are going to catch them. Haha, there's no way they got far since they were trying to casually walk out of here. Plus I really don't want to let Cezars raise a dragon. That would be really really bad."
"I'm fine.." she mutters, although still clearly frustrated. "Yeah, letting them get the jump would be bad.. that hot head already has enough fire to work with. Doesn't need a dragon on top of it.."
Right. You say you hear everything, yet you seem to be missing out on one important thing that we might look into later...*Renar's glare still remains* "Did you hear them talking about Golarion... Whatever the hell that is?"
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Hearing Maigurs's talk about Laine makes Alex question further what happened... could it be possible that the changeling wasn't even Laine to begin with? He looks back at the wolf shifter, not wanting to give false hope, but also unsure if the alternative is any worse... cause, well if the changeling wasn't Laine, then what happened to Maigurs's real friend?
"We'll take your word for it Maigurs," he says hesitantly. "Maybe that wasn't even Laine... I mean that's a real possibility if she's a changeling." He shakes his head, "But for now we need to follow them!" He motions to his comrades, "We can't let them get away with this!"
Not that the fire is out, there really is no reason for them to stay back. They still have to make sure that they get to their trial on time, but it would be best if they could catch the man responsible for all this trouble first. Plus, it seems like this goes deeper than he'd first expected, even though there is a lot that he still doesn't know since he didn't overhear everything that happened prior to him waking up.
Regardless if everyone else is ready, Alex starts running after the three criminals.
Shugo nods, "Yeah. I heard them mention that." He rubs the back of his neck, "I just couldn't remember the name. Haha. Anyways that leads me to believe we have a third party to worry about. We aren't just dealing with Elmars and the People's Army anymore." He sighs then runs after Alex.
Taliyah will turn towards Maigurs. "I'm sorry about your friend Maigurs." Before chasing after the others.
The closest route to the icy cave (Which Renar suggests the party should go) doesn't have a direct path from here, they will have to pass the necropolis first, and so, the party heads toward where they came from yesterday.
An hour later…
The party arrives at the dark, damp stone city filled with undead... except it actually isn't. The streets are dead quiet today, unlike yesterday when there were protests and construction going on everywhere.
In front of you is a cave entrance, and you can feel the cold wind blowing from inside, conveniently, the entrance to both the grove and the icy area is right next to each other. You bring your torches out (Since Kristians told you not to stay in the dark) and walk toward the next cave's entrance, along the way, you pass some stone buildings and houses, all of which are clean and neatly designed, yet empty with little to no furniture at all. These houses are hundreds if not thousands of years old, yet it looks like it was built yesterday.
You thought it was all going well... until you see a hand sticking out of the ground, then another, and another—three in front of you and three behind you. Ghouls dig themselves out from the ground, their skin grey, old, and decayed, their nails are long and untrimmed, and their eyes glow red—an unusual sight. Last time you were here, all the undeads had no light in their eyes at all, this must be the work of a necromantic magic, and there is only one person that can pull something like this off.
The ghouls slowly lumber forward, moaning. At first, it sounds like a random noise to you, but if you listen closer, you can hear the words like "Help..." Or "Why...?" They are being controlled by Cezars from somewhere, and they have no choice but to obey.
Time to warm up before you get to confront Cezars.
Initiative
Note: In-universe, Undead follow the same rule as uncivilised and some semi-civilised creatures do, in that they don't have a name until a civilised creature gives them. For the sake of not getting confused, I'll assign each of them a number. Refer to Owlbear Radio for more information on who's who.
Also, if your character is carrying a torch, they will use their off-hand to do it, meaning they cannot use their off-hand weapons or two-hand something, If your character doesn't have a light source or adjacent to someone with a light source, roll d10 for me.
GH1: 11
GH2: 17
GH3: 6
GH4: 9
GH5: 19
GH6: 9
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
Ugh... I knew stupid Rixi would be up to something no good... And yet... I can hear them begging us to release them. It must be his doing... *He crouches and grips onto his katana as he eyes the front* "These guys must be under that idiot's control... get ready!"
Initiative: 9
9
The Wildland Shifters
Daisy Ethalena - Female Wood Elf Ranger (Monster Slayer)
Ethan Wolftree - Male Simic Hybrid Warlock (The Hexblade)
Mira Laurits - Female Harengon Sorcerer (Clockwork Soul); Lancea
Raiden Kurosaki - Male Kitsune Wizard (Bladesinger); Lancea
Rixian Nishinoya - Male Fire Genasi Paladin (Oath of Vengeance)
Tenebris Amaro - Male Dark Elf Druid (Circle of Stars)
Yurime Hanasaki - Female Kumiho Bard (College Of Creation)
Whilst everyone immediately zooms out, Maya is the last to leave. Standing in the middle of the pack before they reach the undead chamber, Maya cups her clawed hands together whilst she keeps the tiny flame afloat and whispers in Japanese before laying her hands on Taliyah, Venet and Alex. (Taliyah now can see up to 300ft whilst Shugo and Alex can see up to 360ft). Also, she generates a small white flame to help illuminate everything within 10ft of her just in case (Not concentration; Lasts until 10 minutes or Maya hurls it at something), since she noticed that hardly any of them gathered torches. When the ghouls emerge, the kitsune scoffs before she unfolds a small iron fan and readies herself like Renar.
Maya Initiative: 8
I'm gonna be busy too but if I can't post in this week here's Maya's action:
Barely audible to the others, Maya will whisper in Japanese as she blows a tiny kiss to Shugo, Venet, Alex and Taliyah, wishing that they Will make the most of this fight (All of them get an extra d4 to their attack rolls and saving throws. Sorry Renar but mama knows).
Wildland Shifters Pt 2 (Pt 1 with PyromaniIsDeadThankGod)
Celci (The Lamb) - Non-Binary Changeling Sorcerer (Shadow Magic)
Maya Kurosaki - Female Kitsune Cleric (Twilight Domain); Currently in Lancea
Randy Wolftree - Male Human Artificer (Armourer); Currently in Crimson Sands of Time
Shijiro Otsune - Male Kitsune Blood Hunter (Order Of The Lycan)
Trojan Dseyller - Male Tortle Barbarian (Path of the Ancestral Guardian)
Xenia Ironhide - Female Kobold Rogue (Soulknife)
"Nooo.. I don't want to fight you!" she says, putting a hand up as if that will help and stepping closer to Maya to be in the light.
____________
Initiative: 15
Shugo unsheathes his dragon engraved sword and takes on a fighting stance. Of course Cezars has enslaved an undead army! GAH! Well...not really army...BUT STILL! Why does everything have to be so difficult! He blinks and shakes his head slightly when his vision suddenly improves drastically. Then the small lights appear. He glances at Venet and Maya and smiles knowing it must have been one of them. At Venet's reaction to the ghouls, Shugo considers the situation and for once decides to do the chivalrous thing. Moving with a hunter's grace, he positions himself between Venet and the oncoming enemies.
Initiative: 12
"ACK!!" Alex nearly jumps out of his skin at the sight of the undead. "Oh... Cezars has really gone too far." He readjusts his grip on his sword. "These poor souls..."
Initiative: 19
Taliyah draws near one of the others who holds a torch. "That fiend's evil knows no bounds, does it. Thank you for your assistance Maya." She turns to face the zombie horde, and slams the butt of her staff against the ground, creating a mine of radiant energy underneath the foot of one of the lead zombies with Sacred Flame.
Initiative: 12
DC 13 Dex save or 4 radiant damage is dealt to the lead zombie.
(Note: I'll consider Maya and Taliyah to have taken action in Round 1. Since they described their actions in the post before.)
Also, I'll assume GH1 is the lead ghoul since their number is 1—DEX Save from GH1: 22
Initiative:
GH2
GH5
GH3
GH6
Venet
Shugo
Taliyah
GH1
GH4
Renar
Maya
Alex
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I
Round 1
GH2 moves first, they hop towards Renar with their two arms on the ground like a chimpanzee. Then they raise their claw and slash at his chest. Hit or miss, they stand still at the same spot, almost as if they're waiting for a command from somewhere, the way they freeze up like this actually look as if they're being controlled by an invisible string.
GH5 also walks toward Maya, their claw raised and slashes at her. Their motion is the exact same as the first ghoul.
GH3 and GH6 surround Alex, gripping him and biting him at the same time. Their flesh is mushy and their breath reeks of rot, as expected from a walking, decaying corpse like them.
Taliyah's attack goes wide, missing GH1's mark completely, and they turn their head towards their attacker. They stumble forward and slashes the Dragonborn with their claws, then their 'friend' grabs her by the neck and bites her from behind.
GH2: Claw at Renar—7 to hit, 5 damage—CON Save: 12
If the target is a creature other than an elf or undead, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
GH5: Claw at Maya—11 to hit, 8 damage—CON Save: 2 (Same effect as above)
GH3: Bite at Alex—16 to hit, 10 damage
GH6: Bite at Alex—21 to hit, 7 damage
GH1: Claw at Taliyah—9 to hit, 7 damage—CON Save: 20
GH4: Bite at Taliyah—19 to hit, 10 damage.
Round 1 isn't over until all players have described their character's action, only Maya and Taliyah did that, so that's Renar, Venet, Shugo, and Alex left. Please hurry up, we have to make up for the time we lost during the holidays.
"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference."
—Richard Dawkins
DM—Stories From The End of The World: Episode I