((Happy new year, yis!)) ((Hyre gets 1 success towards investigation AND research)) ((Leon gets 1 success towards building STR)
Hyre finds a book on the history of the walled cities of Aden and discovers that apparently, the territory now called the Skell Hold was once called Thunderbeast Pass. While the largest city in the region, Fortress Corwin, was built into the side of a mighty mountain, the Pass was built on top of the body of a titan, using its very skeleton as the foundation for its settlement. The book doesn't spend much time detailing the culture of those who settled in the Pass, however, outside of some accounts by travelers saying that the decision was disasterous; Thunderbeast Pass had poor soil for agriculture, the surrounding land was infested with very dangerous creatures making mining efforts perilous, and when the people of the Pass had no other choice, they petitioned the city of Rondo and Fort Wolfbane to assist them in clearing out their lands. The campaign to secure the Thunderbeast Pass was met with failure. The combined subjugation forces of both settlements weren't enough to make the lands safe. The effort was abandoned after two bloody months of fighting with the most savage creatures the wilds could produce lead to such losses that both armies were forced to retreat. It was even rumoured that the land itself was cursed, that the spirit of the titan the settlers made their home in found them unworthy and was actively punishing them. When Wolfbane and Rondo withdrew their forces, that's when Thunderbeast Pass fell quiet and became highly isolationist. They apparently managed to secure their own lands at great cost and then closed their borders, until generations later they named themselves Skell Hold. Reading up next on the practices of magic, Hyre doesn't find anything he can really understand, but he DOES find a book on the history of spellcrafting practices in Guiston. According to the book, Guiston is unique amongst its neighbors in that it employs far more practical uses for magic, relying on an infrastructure carefully planned by the original city founders. It allows the population to live with running indoor water and plumbing, street lights, and public transportation, all thanks to a particular school of spellcrafting dedicated to the practice of 'life line weaving', an art dedicated to crafting autonomous constructs reliant on an energy source to function. Of particular interest to Hyre is that apparently, part of the reason the dwarves of Guiston are so important is because moving constructs in particular need regular maintenance. The process by which the constructs are animated is apparently very hard on metal, and parts that are not regularly maintained become very brittle around the 'life stone' that every construct has. If the stone is fractured, the entire construct will fall to pieces. Finally, Hyre is able to find quite a few books dedicated to birds in Geoffrey's collection. He learns quite a lot about the species, at least on a biological level.
Kallista meanwhile impresses Grimbuld with her work ethic, and she not only gets the hang of processing the herbs but proves she can memorize the catalogue. Grimbuld begrudgingly acknowledges her hard work with a small bonus to her day's pay, at 16 silver pieces. "Well done today, girl." he says, and points to the collection of coins he gives her. "Use some of that to launder your clothes later or I sincerely hope you are downwind of anyone you live with by week's end. You'll be doing more of the same tomorrow. Prove to me you're competent with processing herbs, and you can watch the till." he states. (As an aside Kallista, roll perception. DC 8.)
Carmine grins as she holds up her hands and then cups Lazlo's cheeks to silence him with a kiss. "One question at a time!" she laughs. "I don't know if there's any of the pipes left. They were these long, curved, heavy brass instruments that sounded like a strange lovechild of a war horn and this powerful, melodic wail. Most of them were melted down to make more piping for whatever wizard craft is used to keep the city water flowing. I tried looking for one... hoping to save the music from extinction, but they were rounded up pretty quickly. Only ones left would be in high-society collections or maybe one of the few living knights has one. Without the knights, the pipers kind of lost their place in Guiston's military. It's kind of hard to hear them over the barking of rifle fire." Carmine explains. When Lazlo mentions the Pitch, she visibly shudders. "Not in quite some time. I had a scare in there one time when I went swimming. Something grabbed me and tried to pull me down. If my brothers weren't there, I don't know if I'd be standing here right now. The only water I go near these days is hot and steamy." she says, shivering one more time. "Besides, I was a terrible swimmer anyway. Our legs really are not very well suited to it."
Sister Daar is happy to see Aelar, as the mission is quite busy with the needy. The night was fairly cold, and with the homeless avoiding contact with the city watch, they've had to huddle in some pretty inhumane places to find shelter for the night. "Oh! Aelar, thank goodness. If you would, I could use some help in the infirmary." she states, tossing a bloody smock over his head. "Put this on, quickly..." she says, sounding quite distressed. "I have no idea what happened..." she states as she hurries him over to the aid tent. There's at least 8 people inside... all non-humans... badly beaten and with serious injuries. "These people were just sheltering in an abandoned house when they were attacked. None of them can identify their attackers as they wore heavy cloaks, but they were trained well enough to savagely beat them all with their bare hands." she says. One of the people in the infirmary, a young male half-orc, has one side of his face almost totally swollen up and one of his tusks is broken. "Bastards were wearing armour underneath too. I broke m'****in' hand punchin' one." he says. Sister Daar shakes her head and sighs sadly, looking to Aelar. "I'll answer your other questions after we get these people patched up." she says. "I know this is asking a lot, just do your best. Wrap up any wounds you find and let me know which of them have broken bones."
Duncan is quite pleased with Leon's performance that day. Though the artistry of smithing is still a mystery to him, he manages to put in the work and then some. Duncan keeps Leon on the forge fire, keeping it very hot for Duncan as the smithy has a large order to complete. For his efforts, he's paid 12 silver. (Leon, roll perception)
Aelar feels a swell of sympathy for these poor people, beaten for who knows what reason and probably nothing good. They were probably just evicted by whomever owned the building. He sends a warm emotion to Raia inside but no words, and decidedly low-key on the whole mental connection thing. He just wants her to know he's thinking of her, supporting her efforts to heal, but doesn't want to wake her.
As Daar tries to put the smock over his head, he catches it, takes his shirt off first and folds it quickly but carefully, then dons the smock. That done he dives right in, wishing he had his powers already so he could heal these people, or take justice in their name, at least. As he works, he asks questions and talks, trying to get information about the attackers but doing his best to make it seem like he's just making conversation. He asks if they'd seen anyone like the attackers, did they remind the people of anyone by the voices or the way they moves, what the squatters were doing in the building (as that might give him an idea of who ordered the attack). He intersperses his questions with comments on his day and how his own experiences, about which he is vague, remind him of this or that. He does not forget to look for those signs and indications of deceit. It's not that he doesn't trust these people, exactly, and certainly not that he doesn't believe. Rather, they might not trust him enough to be honest and if he could spot the lies that would give him better information and let him help better.
In other words, he does his best to get information from the victims, for that is what they are. He'd watched his mother and cousin do this often enough to know how it's done, even if he has only a little experience at it himself. He does his best to commit everything to memory. He also pays attention to their clothing, shoes, even the nature of the wounds. Any information he can glean could be useful.
As for the wounds and such, he knows only what an active boy would pickup running around town, playing with friends and watching as they got hurt and fixed up, or himself. But he lends a willing hand and does his best.
Medicine: 14 Insight: 15 Investigation: 5 Persuasion: 15 CHA (DC 16): 11 INT (DC 15): 7
ooc: Not sure which rolls are applicable so I went with all that seemed like they might work. ooc2: Wow...another Insight success, if it applies. LOL. He is good at spotting lies LOL
(It's not applicable this time but only because he's not actively pitting his skill against someone who's trying to deceive him.)
Aelar is able to just do basic bandages for his part. Daar doesn't have time to give him the proper instruction as she gets the worst injuries treated. The people are shaken, confused, and most of all frightened. None of them recognized or knew their attackers, and at the time they were attacked, they were just resting because the nights are cold and the abandoned house was the only shelter they could find. There were just four attackers, and they easily overwhelmed the entire huddled group. What Aelar IS able to determine however is that these people weren't just brutalized by some thugs. They have injuries that have been sustained through knowledge of anatomy; arms given compound fractures from knowledge of wrestling, eyes and cheekbones precisely targeted, ribs cracked above the liver to inflict maximum damage. This was no random attack. This was planned and deliberate... and he can tell by the look on Daar's face that she has come to the same conclusion as him, and she is barely controlling her anger. She comes over to him and helps him apply a splint to a young kobold who was hurt particularly badly, eyes glossy with held-back tears. "Hopefully Barna returns soon with the supplies we need. I had to hold her back from taking off and trying to find the ones who did this."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM, professional illustrator and comic artist, suffering from severe spinal stenosis, married, middle aged, and nerdy.
ooc: I didn't think it would but there was a chance.
Aelar nods as he works. After they finish the splint, he stands and then stretches his back. Then moves on to the next patient. When he's done, he'll swing by the place of the attack on his way to the dwarven hall, see what he can find.
8-Character went on a 'spirit journey' and encountered the spirit of an ancient warrior who helps unlock the character's hidden potential. Character instantly gains a permanent +1 to STR, DEX, or CON, your choice, and an instant proficiency with exotic weapons.
ooc: Kina, I cannot find any mention of exotic weapons as a thing to get proficiency with. Where can I find it to add to the character sheet?
Kallista notices, as she gets ready to leave work, that Grimbuld has a number of requests on his work desk, one of them in particular an emergency order for healing salves. Grimbuld looks particularly worried as he digs about in the back room, doing inventory. She then notices that Barna is standing near the front of the store, looking quite distressed. She hasn't noticed Kallista in her apron and filtering mask.
(Was wondering where that comment went to when I came back to reply to it, unable to find it again. Now I understand...)
Hyre keeps reading, trying to soak all the information in. Even though it's not quite what he expected to find, any information might be useful one day.
He keeps looking for more information. Based on the findings from the previous books. He tries looking for books about Wolbane and Rondo. Maybe they will have something in them about the Thunderbeast Pass campaigns. He then looks for more information about the life line weaving or spellcrafting. He doesn't expect to find too much about it in a knight's private collection, but he's trying, at least. Lastly, even though the biology of birds is truly fascinating, he puts the books he found back on the shelf. It's interesting but... he should probably focus on other things at the moment. Instead, he looks for any book that might guide him in training animals. Surely, if Geoffrey knows it, that knowledge came from somewhere.
(About how much can Hyre read until the night falls? Also, are there any skills/abilities Hyre can try to roll for? I'm assuming INT and History, based on your last post, maybe Arcana, Nature or Animal Handling too? Animal Handling probably less relevant... but still possible. I'll just roll for all of them... Or something.)
Lazlo grins "Carmine my mind rebels at the thought of there being anything your legs can't do... Would that I could gaze upon them all day- but I can't. I'm going to try and catch my friends and make sure they're sorted out... then try and put an honest days work in at the farm. Rest easy knowing that though I herd fuzzy, grumpy pigs, my mind will be ever dreaming of those pillars that gracefully support you."
Grimbuld notices that Kallista has taken a peek at the ledger as he can be seen holding four vials of a blue milky liquid in his arms. "Mmm... there might be, girl. Not that I want to ask it of you.." he states as he gives the vials over to Barna, who peers into the shop further and spots Kallista, finally recognizing her by her wings. "Kallista?" she asks, looking surprised. "Oh, so you work here... good to know... I'll fill you in later. I've got to go!" she says and hurries away holding the vials. Grimbuld grumbles, stroking his beard. He steals a glance to Kallista, then sighs, telling her about the attack on Daar's mission. "They just bought out my entire supply of healing salves. It's not something I like to be without in my shop, especially since I get the feeling that what I had in stock won't be enough..." he states, then looks over at Kallista again. "What I'm about to ask of you is dangerous. You are under no obligation to agree, understand? I will not hold it against you if you aren't willing." he says. "But I could use your unique talents and certainly those people will need more potions." he states.
((Oh, they got rid of it in 5e? Huh. Well, I think it's still valid. Just add it as a 'custom skill' on your character sheet. It's at the bottom, the option to add a custom skill to your list.)) Aelar is needed to hold down a patient who needs quite a few stitches to close up a particularly nasty looking cut right by his eye. The work is tiring, but relief comes in the form of Barna dashing into the tent holding four vials. "I have the salve!" Barna says, before she sees Aelar. "Aelar too? Bumping into everyone today." she says as Daar takes the vials. "Is this all?" Daar asks urgently. "It's all he had in stock." Barna replies dejectedly. "It's.... not enough, is it..." Daar sighs and looks at the worst of the injuries. "It's better than nothing." she says. She has Aelar and Barna hold the most seriously injured patients still while she carefully measures out amounts of the potions and applies them like ointment, rubbing them over the wounds. The process looks painful as the stuff hisses, bubbles and froths over the wounds and creates a fast scab.
Hyre has learned all he can in the hours he has available to study, at least when it comes to the history of the Skell. It seems Geoffrey's collection only has one book about the city of Rondo, but nothing on Fort Wolfbane. He also has exhausted all of Geoffrey's books on spellcraft. The only other books on anything magical are tomes about the various deities and religions of Aden. They probably belong to whoever was in the portrait with Geoffrey. They're also the most dusty... he hasn't disturbed them in years. As far as books on animal training, it seems that Geoffrey learned from someone personally, because he has no books on it at all, just catalogues of the different beasts of Aden. (Hyre gains 1 success for researching and history. Also make a roll for investigation. If you succeed, you'll have gained a full proficiency in investigation and can then add your INT bonus when making rolls. You also have added 1 success to your INT for your intensive study and have 1 success towards arcana) Hyre is mentally exhausted after doing so much research. The door to the house proper creaks open and Geoffrey pokes his head into the doorway. "You've been studying like a mad wizard for hours now, lad. Would you help me put on some tea? It might do you some good to take a break before your eyes fall out." he says.
Carmine pouts but nods, putting her arms around Lazlo one more time to steal a quick, but passionate kiss before she lets him go. "We'll be at the Horseshoe, playing dull tavern music that the owner approves of. Hopefully our mad performance will have netted us a few more loyal fans who'll be generous with their coins." she says, then makes a face. "If my brothers ever wake up, that is. I should go and sneak back to the manor to see if they're still bedding their ladies or getting chased out naked... again." she smirks. (Make your rolls if you want to put in the effort at the farm, otherwise if you want to save your energy for something else, Lazlo will just make 6 SP for an 'average' day's work.)
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DM, professional illustrator and comic artist, suffering from severe spinal stenosis, married, middle aged, and nerdy.
((Oh, they got rid of it in 5e? Huh. Well, I think it's still valid. Just add it as a 'custom skill' on your character sheet. It's at the bottom, the option to add a custom skill to your list.))
ooc: Done but Weapon Proficiency (any of them) are not skills. I think it would make more sense to add it as a custom tool proficiency (there are no custom weapon proficiency).
Aelar is needed to hold down a patient who needs quite a few stitches to close up a particularly nasty looking cut right by his eye. The work is tiring, but relief comes in the form of Barna dashing into the tent holding four vials. "I have the salve!" Barna says, before she sees Aelar. "Aelar too? Bumping into everyone today." she says as Daar takes the vials. "Is this all?" Daar asks urgently. "It's all he had in stock." Barna replies dejectedly. "It's.... not enough, is it..." Daar sighs and looks at the worst of the injuries. "It's better than nothing." she says. She has Aelar and Barna hold the most seriously injured patients still while she carefully measures out amounts of the potions and applies them like ointment, rubbing them over the wounds. The process looks painful as the stuff hisses, bubbles and froths over the wounds and creates a fast scab.
Aelar nods a greeting at Barna as he holds the patient down, all the while thinking that Barna is stronger and would do a better job. "Who else did you see, Barna?" His first thought is Hyre but then he remembers that after the farm work, Hyre went off to his private library. "Who is 'he?'" Maybe it was Kallista at her new job, or possibly Lazlo, out and about with whomever he was out and about with.
The thought occurred to him that maybe Raia could help him. He knew she needed to rest but these people needed help. Reaching inside, he called softly, Raia? Can you hear me? I'm sorry if I wake you but I could use your help. He tries to open his memory to her, to show her what's going on. If that didn't work, he'd just have to tell her, which would be slower.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Investigation: 9
Hyre tries to get up, though his legs have fallen asleep, which results in stumbling back a few steps when he finally manages to get up. "Thank you, sir. I'll be right there." Hyre shakes his legs a little until they come back to normal. He goes to the place where he left the egg and picks it up, then heads upstairs. As he helps Geoffrey make the tea, he says: "I think I've read most of your collection by now. It's lovely to find so many books, so much knowledge in one place. It is, however, as you told me last time. I don't think I'll come here for a while, at least until the egg hatches. Maybe I'll come once to introduce you to the friend I told you about and try to read the rest of your collection then. Once the egg hatches though, I'll come again."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Saying goodbye to Carmine, Lazlo heads to the farm- hoping to catch up with his friends.
ooc: I'm going to write this as if it were in the morning. I don't wanna confuse the timeline so hopefully that's ok!
He's going to sneak up on Aelar if he could. Stealth6 (I think he could contest that with his passive perception?) "Boo!"
Skip forward to Aelar asking Lazlo about his day:
Lazlo brightens as Aelar asks him about the events of last evening.
“Oh- I don’t even know where to start! Well, after the pool, Carrie and I went back to The Horseshoe Saloon- and somehow I got this fiddle” Lazlo holds out the fiddle “and I guess I serenaded Carrie- the satyr we met- the beautiful, charming dancer! While she was up on stage. Then a merchant heard me and he paid me to play for the lady he was wooing. And I woke up in this amazing room with a bag of silver and this violin- and next to HER. Carrie, that is- the satyr we met. She’s a muse- I know it!”Lazlo spends what seems like an eternity for poor Aelar describing how beautiful he thinks she is. “..and breath like honeyed wine! Oh! And she has this cute little snore- it’s adorable!” He laughs and claps his friend on the arm. “So what do you think? She’s pretty wonderful, right?”
Then Lazlo visibly sobers in a way that Aelar has seldom seen with his old friend. “..Um..listen, Aelar.. I just wanted to… say that I’m sorry...I started thinking about your parents… and then what happened to the people of Hon- and your cousins... I just wanted you to know that I want to help. I want to get them back- all of them. None of them deserve that and- I...I know I seem silly sometimes and that it’s hard for me to think straight other times but… when it’s time to help I will be there for you, for all of you.
Carmine also told me something really interesting. In the days when Guiston had Knights, they were accompanied by musicians with these incredible military horns. The music they played actually inspired the knights to fight harder! I thought that if maybe I could learn to play like that then it would help us when we went up against the Skell! I could play and the rest of you could do the bashing. Or maybe I should learn to bash things as well? He thought of the practice sword he still had yet to practice with. "But- Guiston got rid of them- the horn players- when they put the Knights out to pasture. I wonder if there are any around still?"
“So what was your night like? After the pool? What have the others been up to? And what should we do next, about Hon and the Skell- we should do something… ”
ooc: Farm Work! I'm going to work with the herd today and maybe pick Edna's brain about training me with my handy dandy practice sword at a future date. So I'm going to train my DEX and try and improve my Animal Handling- I already have proficiency in Performance so not much I can do with that.
((Well, make it a custom tool proficiency then. I'm surprised they got rid of that. Well then! Welcome to KJ's custom weapon proficiency rule (based on 3.5)
Exotic weapons are custom-made, not widely manufactured, and typically made for a very small, specialized sect rather than for an entire army. They require a certain discipline to be used effectively. Unlike conventional weapons, trying to use exotics without the proper training leaves them fairly ineffective as simple bashing or slashing tools, so for anyone not trained, they will only inflict 1D4 damage with no bonuses applicable. These weapons, because of their specialized nature, can't be sold for anything more than raw scrap at most stores, unless your character is selling to a collector who recognizes its value. Those who are trained in exotics, however, get access to their full damage range and, additionally, because attacks made with these weapons employ techniques no other weapon would use, there is a chance to surprise your opponent on a natural roll of 16 or better unless they too are trained in exotic weapons. Surprised opponents will be stunned or staggered for 1 turn after being struck, regardless of the damage done and will have disadvantage defending themselves from all other attacks afterwards for that round. Additionally, some exotic weapons will offer additional attack types, such as entanglement, strangulation, or have slashing AND blunt attack options available at the same time.))
Grimbuld grunts and begins gathering up some materials. "We'll see if that courage holds, girl." he says, then gestures to her. "In the back room, second drawer from the top by the door, you'll find a shoulder bag. You're going to need it." he states as he opens a large, locked cabinet near the store till. Inside is not only the store safe, but an array of weapons and a very odd collection of ... creatures. Of the weapons, there are long bows, all custom made, a huge bastard sword, and wicked-looking spears. Grimbuld puts one of the longbows over his back and a full quivver of arrows. When Kallista gets her bag, Grimbuld beckons her over. "We're going out to acquire the main ingredient in healing salves." he states, dipping his hand into a large, murky jar. When he pulls his hand out, it's covered in huge leeches that he swiftly removes and puts into Kallista's bag. "We're going to hunt some trolls." he states.
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DM, professional illustrator and comic artist, suffering from severe spinal stenosis, married, middle aged, and nerdy.
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((Happy new year, yis!))
((Hyre gets 1 success towards investigation AND research))
((Leon gets 1 success towards building STR)
Hyre finds a book on the history of the walled cities of Aden and discovers that apparently, the territory now called the Skell Hold was once called Thunderbeast Pass. While the largest city in the region, Fortress Corwin, was built into the side of a mighty mountain, the Pass was built on top of the body of a titan, using its very skeleton as the foundation for its settlement. The book doesn't spend much time detailing the culture of those who settled in the Pass, however, outside of some accounts by travelers saying that the decision was disasterous; Thunderbeast Pass had poor soil for agriculture, the surrounding land was infested with very dangerous creatures making mining efforts perilous, and when the people of the Pass had no other choice, they petitioned the city of Rondo and Fort Wolfbane to assist them in clearing out their lands.
The campaign to secure the Thunderbeast Pass was met with failure. The combined subjugation forces of both settlements weren't enough to make the lands safe. The effort was abandoned after two bloody months of fighting with the most savage creatures the wilds could produce lead to such losses that both armies were forced to retreat. It was even rumoured that the land itself was cursed, that the spirit of the titan the settlers made their home in found them unworthy and was actively punishing them.
When Wolfbane and Rondo withdrew their forces, that's when Thunderbeast Pass fell quiet and became highly isolationist. They apparently managed to secure their own lands at great cost and then closed their borders, until generations later they named themselves Skell Hold.
Reading up next on the practices of magic, Hyre doesn't find anything he can really understand, but he DOES find a book on the history of spellcrafting practices in Guiston. According to the book, Guiston is unique amongst its neighbors in that it employs far more practical uses for magic, relying on an infrastructure carefully planned by the original city founders. It allows the population to live with running indoor water and plumbing, street lights, and public transportation, all thanks to a particular school of spellcrafting dedicated to the practice of 'life line weaving', an art dedicated to crafting autonomous constructs reliant on an energy source to function. Of particular interest to Hyre is that apparently, part of the reason the dwarves of Guiston are so important is because moving constructs in particular need regular maintenance. The process by which the constructs are animated is apparently very hard on metal, and parts that are not regularly maintained become very brittle around the 'life stone' that every construct has. If the stone is fractured, the entire construct will fall to pieces.
Finally, Hyre is able to find quite a few books dedicated to birds in Geoffrey's collection. He learns quite a lot about the species, at least on a biological level.
Kallista meanwhile impresses Grimbuld with her work ethic, and she not only gets the hang of processing the herbs but proves she can memorize the catalogue. Grimbuld begrudgingly acknowledges her hard work with a small bonus to her day's pay, at 16 silver pieces.
"Well done today, girl." he says, and points to the collection of coins he gives her. "Use some of that to launder your clothes later or I sincerely hope you are downwind of anyone you live with by week's end. You'll be doing more of the same tomorrow. Prove to me you're competent with processing herbs, and you can watch the till." he states.
(As an aside Kallista, roll perception. DC 8.)
Carmine grins as she holds up her hands and then cups Lazlo's cheeks to silence him with a kiss.
"One question at a time!" she laughs. "I don't know if there's any of the pipes left. They were these long, curved, heavy brass instruments that sounded like a strange lovechild of a war horn and this powerful, melodic wail. Most of them were melted down to make more piping for whatever wizard craft is used to keep the city water flowing. I tried looking for one... hoping to save the music from extinction, but they were rounded up pretty quickly. Only ones left would be in high-society collections or maybe one of the few living knights has one. Without the knights, the pipers kind of lost their place in Guiston's military. It's kind of hard to hear them over the barking of rifle fire." Carmine explains.
When Lazlo mentions the Pitch, she visibly shudders.
"Not in quite some time. I had a scare in there one time when I went swimming. Something grabbed me and tried to pull me down. If my brothers weren't there, I don't know if I'd be standing here right now. The only water I go near these days is hot and steamy." she says, shivering one more time. "Besides, I was a terrible swimmer anyway. Our legs really are not very well suited to it."
Sister Daar is happy to see Aelar, as the mission is quite busy with the needy. The night was fairly cold, and with the homeless avoiding contact with the city watch, they've had to huddle in some pretty inhumane places to find shelter for the night.
"Oh! Aelar, thank goodness. If you would, I could use some help in the infirmary." she states, tossing a bloody smock over his head.
"Put this on, quickly..." she says, sounding quite distressed.
"I have no idea what happened..." she states as she hurries him over to the aid tent. There's at least 8 people inside... all non-humans... badly beaten and with serious injuries.
"These people were just sheltering in an abandoned house when they were attacked. None of them can identify their attackers as they wore heavy cloaks, but they were trained well enough to savagely beat them all with their bare hands." she says.
One of the people in the infirmary, a young male half-orc, has one side of his face almost totally swollen up and one of his tusks is broken.
"Bastards were wearing armour underneath too. I broke m'****in' hand punchin' one." he says.
Sister Daar shakes her head and sighs sadly, looking to Aelar.
"I'll answer your other questions after we get these people patched up." she says. "I know this is asking a lot, just do your best. Wrap up any wounds you find and let me know which of them have broken bones."
Duncan is quite pleased with Leon's performance that day. Though the artistry of smithing is still a mystery to him, he manages to put in the work and then some. Duncan keeps Leon on the forge fire, keeping it very hot for Duncan as the smithy has a large order to complete. For his efforts, he's paid 12 silver.
(Leon, roll perception)
DM, professional illustrator and comic artist, suffering from severe spinal stenosis, married, middle aged, and nerdy.
Aelar feels a swell of sympathy for these poor people, beaten for who knows what reason and probably nothing good. They were probably just evicted by whomever owned the building. He sends a warm emotion to Raia inside but no words, and decidedly low-key on the whole mental connection thing. He just wants her to know he's thinking of her, supporting her efforts to heal, but doesn't want to wake her.
As Daar tries to put the smock over his head, he catches it, takes his shirt off first and folds it quickly but carefully, then dons the smock. That done he dives right in, wishing he had his powers already so he could heal these people, or take justice in their name, at least. As he works, he asks questions and talks, trying to get information about the attackers but doing his best to make it seem like he's just making conversation. He asks if they'd seen anyone like the attackers, did they remind the people of anyone by the voices or the way they moves, what the squatters were doing in the building (as that might give him an idea of who ordered the attack). He intersperses his questions with comments on his day and how his own experiences, about which he is vague, remind him of this or that. He does not forget to look for those signs and indications of deceit. It's not that he doesn't trust these people, exactly, and certainly not that he doesn't believe. Rather, they might not trust him enough to be honest and if he could spot the lies that would give him better information and let him help better.
In other words, he does his best to get information from the victims, for that is what they are. He'd watched his mother and cousin do this often enough to know how it's done, even if he has only a little experience at it himself. He does his best to commit everything to memory. He also pays attention to their clothing, shoes, even the nature of the wounds. Any information he can glean could be useful.
As for the wounds and such, he knows only what an active boy would pickup running around town, playing with friends and watching as they got hurt and fixed up, or himself. But he lends a willing hand and does his best.
Medicine: 14
Insight: 15
Investigation: 5
Persuasion: 15
CHA (DC 16): 11
INT (DC 15): 7
ooc: Not sure which rolls are applicable so I went with all that seemed like they might work.
ooc2: Wow...another Insight success, if it applies. LOL. He is good at spotting lies LOL
Tandor the White, Human Life Cleric
(It's not applicable this time but only because he's not actively pitting his skill against someone who's trying to deceive him.)
Aelar is able to just do basic bandages for his part. Daar doesn't have time to give him the proper instruction as she gets the worst injuries treated. The people are shaken, confused, and most of all frightened. None of them recognized or knew their attackers, and at the time they were attacked, they were just resting because the nights are cold and the abandoned house was the only shelter they could find. There were just four attackers, and they easily overwhelmed the entire huddled group.
What Aelar IS able to determine however is that these people weren't just brutalized by some thugs. They have injuries that have been sustained through knowledge of anatomy; arms given compound fractures from knowledge of wrestling, eyes and cheekbones precisely targeted, ribs cracked above the liver to inflict maximum damage. This was no random attack. This was planned and deliberate... and he can tell by the look on Daar's face that she has come to the same conclusion as him, and she is barely controlling her anger.
She comes over to him and helps him apply a splint to a young kobold who was hurt particularly badly, eyes glossy with held-back tears.
"Hopefully Barna returns soon with the supplies we need. I had to hold her back from taking off and trying to find the ones who did this."
DM, professional illustrator and comic artist, suffering from severe spinal stenosis, married, middle aged, and nerdy.
ooc: I didn't think it would but there was a chance.
Aelar nods as he works. After they finish the splint, he stands and then stretches his back. Then moves on to the next patient. When he's done, he'll swing by the place of the attack on his way to the dwarven hall, see what he can find.
Tandor the White, Human Life Cleric
Perception: 2
Elra Skylash - Human Cleric | Vanzaren Tanidoni - Half Elf Wizard
Mindartis Liadon - Eladrin Barbarian | Naivara Siannodel - Half Elf Ranger
Arrila Evenwood - Half Elf Paladin | Callaphe of Setessa - Human Rogue
Katernin Nemetsk - Aasimar Cleric | Melody - Tiefling Bard
ooc: Kina, I cannot find any mention of exotic weapons as a thing to get proficiency with. Where can I find it to add to the character sheet?
Tandor the White, Human Life Cleric
Kallista notices, as she gets ready to leave work, that Grimbuld has a number of requests on his work desk, one of them in particular an emergency order for healing salves. Grimbuld looks particularly worried as he digs about in the back room, doing inventory. She then notices that Barna is standing near the front of the store, looking quite distressed. She hasn't noticed Kallista in her apron and filtering mask.
(Hold on a tick, Aelar :3 )
DM, professional illustrator and comic artist, suffering from severe spinal stenosis, married, middle aged, and nerdy.
"Something I can help with Sir?" Kallista asks.
Elra Skylash - Human Cleric | Vanzaren Tanidoni - Half Elf Wizard
Mindartis Liadon - Eladrin Barbarian | Naivara Siannodel - Half Elf Ranger
Arrila Evenwood - Half Elf Paladin | Callaphe of Setessa - Human Rogue
Katernin Nemetsk - Aasimar Cleric | Melody - Tiefling Bard
(Was wondering where that comment went to when I came back to reply to it, unable to find it again. Now I understand...)
Hyre keeps reading, trying to soak all the information in. Even though it's not quite what he expected to find, any information might be useful one day.
He keeps looking for more information. Based on the findings from the previous books. He tries looking for books about Wolbane and Rondo. Maybe they will have something in them about the Thunderbeast Pass campaigns. He then looks for more information about the life line weaving or spellcrafting. He doesn't expect to find too much about it in a knight's private collection, but he's trying, at least. Lastly, even though the biology of birds is truly fascinating, he puts the books he found back on the shelf. It's interesting but... he should probably focus on other things at the moment. Instead, he looks for any book that might guide him in training animals. Surely, if Geoffrey knows it, that knowledge came from somewhere.
(About how much can Hyre read until the night falls? Also, are there any skills/abilities Hyre can try to roll for? I'm assuming INT and History, based on your last post, maybe Arcana, Nature or Animal Handling too? Animal Handling probably less relevant... but still possible. I'll just roll for all of them... Or something.)
Intelligence: 15
History: 14
Arcana: 18
Nature: 12
Animal Handling: 11
Varielky
Lazlo grins "Carmine my mind rebels at the thought of there being anything your legs can't do... Would that I could gaze upon them all day- but I can't. I'm going to try and catch my friends and make sure they're sorted out... then try and put an honest days work in at the farm. Rest easy knowing that though I herd fuzzy, grumpy pigs, my mind will be ever dreaming of those pillars that gracefully support you."
Fleabag Fleabane -Tabaxi Ranger | Lenny Coggins- Halfling Barbarian | Sid Shatterbuckle- Dwarf Fighter/Rogue| Lazlo - Satyr Bard in Training
(Um, stand by folks, today kinda caught me by surprise. My brain will be reset tomorrow, hopefully.)
DM, professional illustrator and comic artist, suffering from severe spinal stenosis, married, middle aged, and nerdy.
OOC: Yeah, you and a lot of people.
Tandor the White, Human Life Cleric
ooc: lol, posting here was a nice reprieve from the bats**t crazy happening in the news. Hang in there, all of you.
Fleabag Fleabane -Tabaxi Ranger | Lenny Coggins- Halfling Barbarian | Sid Shatterbuckle- Dwarf Fighter/Rogue| Lazlo - Satyr Bard in Training
Grimbuld notices that Kallista has taken a peek at the ledger as he can be seen holding four vials of a blue milky liquid in his arms.
"Mmm... there might be, girl. Not that I want to ask it of you.." he states as he gives the vials over to Barna, who peers into the shop further and spots Kallista, finally recognizing her by her wings.
"Kallista?" she asks, looking surprised.
"Oh, so you work here... good to know... I'll fill you in later. I've got to go!" she says and hurries away holding the vials.
Grimbuld grumbles, stroking his beard. He steals a glance to Kallista, then sighs, telling her about the attack on Daar's mission.
"They just bought out my entire supply of healing salves. It's not something I like to be without in my shop, especially since I get the feeling that what I had in stock won't be enough..." he states, then looks over at Kallista again.
"What I'm about to ask of you is dangerous. You are under no obligation to agree, understand? I will not hold it against you if you aren't willing." he says. "But I could use your unique talents and certainly those people will need more potions." he states.
((Oh, they got rid of it in 5e? Huh. Well, I think it's still valid. Just add it as a 'custom skill' on your character sheet. It's at the bottom, the option to add a custom skill to your list.))
Aelar is needed to hold down a patient who needs quite a few stitches to close up a particularly nasty looking cut right by his eye. The work is tiring, but relief comes in the form of Barna dashing into the tent holding four vials.
"I have the salve!" Barna says, before she sees Aelar. "Aelar too? Bumping into everyone today." she says as Daar takes the vials.
"Is this all?" Daar asks urgently.
"It's all he had in stock." Barna replies dejectedly. "It's.... not enough, is it..."
Daar sighs and looks at the worst of the injuries. "It's better than nothing." she says. She has Aelar and Barna hold the most seriously injured patients still while she carefully measures out amounts of the potions and applies them like ointment, rubbing them over the wounds. The process looks painful as the stuff hisses, bubbles and froths over the wounds and creates a fast scab.
Hyre has learned all he can in the hours he has available to study, at least when it comes to the history of the Skell. It seems Geoffrey's collection only has one book about the city of Rondo, but nothing on Fort Wolfbane. He also has exhausted all of Geoffrey's books on spellcraft. The only other books on anything magical are tomes about the various deities and religions of Aden. They probably belong to whoever was in the portrait with Geoffrey. They're also the most dusty... he hasn't disturbed them in years. As far as books on animal training, it seems that Geoffrey learned from someone personally, because he has no books on it at all, just catalogues of the different beasts of Aden.
(Hyre gains 1 success for researching and history. Also make a roll for investigation. If you succeed, you'll have gained a full proficiency in investigation and can then add your INT bonus when making rolls. You also have added 1 success to your INT for your intensive study and have 1 success towards arcana)
Hyre is mentally exhausted after doing so much research.
The door to the house proper creaks open and Geoffrey pokes his head into the doorway.
"You've been studying like a mad wizard for hours now, lad. Would you help me put on some tea? It might do you some good to take a break before your eyes fall out." he says.
Carmine pouts but nods, putting her arms around Lazlo one more time to steal a quick, but passionate kiss before she lets him go.
"We'll be at the Horseshoe, playing dull tavern music that the owner approves of. Hopefully our mad performance will have netted us a few more loyal fans who'll be generous with their coins." she says, then makes a face. "If my brothers ever wake up, that is. I should go and sneak back to the manor to see if they're still bedding their ladies or getting chased out naked... again." she smirks.
(Make your rolls if you want to put in the effort at the farm, otherwise if you want to save your energy for something else, Lazlo will just make 6 SP for an 'average' day's work.)
DM, professional illustrator and comic artist, suffering from severe spinal stenosis, married, middle aged, and nerdy.
ooc: Done but Weapon Proficiency (any of them) are not skills. I think it would make more sense to add it as a custom tool proficiency (there are no custom weapon proficiency).
Tandor the White, Human Life Cleric
"Whatever I can do to help," Kallista says, "I'm willing Sir."
Elra Skylash - Human Cleric | Vanzaren Tanidoni - Half Elf Wizard
Mindartis Liadon - Eladrin Barbarian | Naivara Siannodel - Half Elf Ranger
Arrila Evenwood - Half Elf Paladin | Callaphe of Setessa - Human Rogue
Katernin Nemetsk - Aasimar Cleric | Melody - Tiefling Bard
Aelar nods a greeting at Barna as he holds the patient down, all the while thinking that Barna is stronger and would do a better job. "Who else did you see, Barna?" His first thought is Hyre but then he remembers that after the farm work, Hyre went off to his private library. "Who is 'he?'" Maybe it was Kallista at her new job, or possibly Lazlo, out and about with whomever he was out and about with.
The thought occurred to him that maybe Raia could help him. He knew she needed to rest but these people needed help. Reaching inside, he called softly, Raia? Can you hear me? I'm sorry if I wake you but I could use your help. He tries to open his memory to her, to show her what's going on. If that didn't work, he'd just have to tell her, which would be slower.
Tandor the White, Human Life Cleric
Investigation: 9
Hyre tries to get up, though his legs have fallen asleep, which results in stumbling back a few steps when he finally manages to get up. "Thank you, sir. I'll be right there." Hyre shakes his legs a little until they come back to normal. He goes to the place where he left the egg and picks it up, then heads upstairs.
As he helps Geoffrey make the tea, he says: "I think I've read most of your collection by now. It's lovely to find so many books, so much knowledge in one place. It is, however, as you told me last time. I don't think I'll come here for a while, at least until the egg hatches. Maybe I'll come once to introduce you to the friend I told you about and try to read the rest of your collection then. Once the egg hatches though, I'll come again."
Varielky
Saying goodbye to Carmine, Lazlo heads to the farm- hoping to catch up with his friends.
ooc: I'm going to write this as if it were in the morning. I don't wanna confuse the timeline so hopefully that's ok!
He's going to sneak up on Aelar if he could. Stealth 6 (I think he could contest that with his passive perception?) "Boo!"
Skip forward to Aelar asking Lazlo about his day:
Lazlo brightens as Aelar asks him about the events of last evening.
“Oh- I don’t even know where to start! Well, after the pool, Carrie and I went back to The Horseshoe Saloon- and somehow I got this fiddle” Lazlo holds out the fiddle “and I guess I serenaded Carrie- the satyr we met- the beautiful, charming dancer! While she was up on stage. Then a merchant heard me and he paid me to play for the lady he was wooing. And I woke up in this amazing room with a bag of silver and this violin- and next to HER. Carrie, that is- the satyr we met. She’s a muse- I know it!” Lazlo spends what seems like an eternity for poor Aelar describing how beautiful he thinks she is. “..and breath like honeyed wine! Oh! And she has this cute little snore- it’s adorable!” He laughs and claps his friend on the arm. “So what do you think? She’s pretty wonderful, right?”
Then Lazlo visibly sobers in a way that Aelar has seldom seen with his old friend. “..Um..listen, Aelar.. I just wanted to… say that I’m sorry...I started thinking about your parents… and then what happened to the people of Hon- and your cousins... I just wanted you to know that I want to help. I want to get them back- all of them. None of them deserve that and- I...I know I seem silly sometimes and that it’s hard for me to think straight other times but… when it’s time to help I will be there for you, for all of you.
Carmine also told me something really interesting. In the days when Guiston had Knights, they were accompanied by musicians with these incredible military horns. The music they played actually inspired the knights to fight harder! I thought that if maybe I could learn to play like that then it would help us when we went up against the Skell! I could play and the rest of you could do the bashing. Or maybe I should learn to bash things as well? He thought of the practice sword he still had yet to practice with. "But- Guiston got rid of them- the horn players- when they put the Knights out to pasture. I wonder if there are any around still?"
“So what was your night like? After the pool? What have the others been up to? And what should we do next, about Hon and the Skell- we should do something… ”
ooc: Farm Work! I'm going to work with the herd today and maybe pick Edna's brain about training me with my handy dandy practice sword at a future date. So I'm going to train my DEX and try and improve my Animal Handling- I already have proficiency in Performance so not much I can do with that.
DEX 1
Animal Handling 4
Fleabag Fleabane -Tabaxi Ranger | Lenny Coggins- Halfling Barbarian | Sid Shatterbuckle- Dwarf Fighter/Rogue| Lazlo - Satyr Bard in Training
((Well, make it a custom tool proficiency then. I'm surprised they got rid of that. Well then! Welcome to KJ's custom weapon proficiency rule (based on 3.5)
Exotic weapons are custom-made, not widely manufactured, and typically made for a very small, specialized sect rather than for an entire army. They require a certain discipline to be used effectively. Unlike conventional weapons, trying to use exotics without the proper training leaves them fairly ineffective as simple bashing or slashing tools, so for anyone not trained, they will only inflict 1D4 damage with no bonuses applicable.
These weapons, because of their specialized nature, can't be sold for anything more than raw scrap at most stores, unless your character is selling to a collector who recognizes its value. Those who are trained in exotics, however, get access to their full damage range and, additionally, because attacks made with these weapons employ techniques no other weapon would use, there is a chance to surprise your opponent on a natural roll of 16 or better unless they too are trained in exotic weapons. Surprised opponents will be stunned or staggered for 1 turn after being struck, regardless of the damage done and will have disadvantage defending themselves from all other attacks afterwards for that round.
Additionally, some exotic weapons will offer additional attack types, such as entanglement, strangulation, or have slashing AND blunt attack options available at the same time.))
Grimbuld grunts and begins gathering up some materials.
"We'll see if that courage holds, girl." he says, then gestures to her.
"In the back room, second drawer from the top by the door, you'll find a shoulder bag. You're going to need it." he states as he opens a large, locked cabinet near the store till. Inside is not only the store safe, but an array of weapons and a very odd collection of ... creatures. Of the weapons, there are long bows, all custom made, a huge bastard sword, and wicked-looking spears. Grimbuld puts one of the longbows over his back and a full quivver of arrows. When Kallista gets her bag, Grimbuld beckons her over.
"We're going out to acquire the main ingredient in healing salves." he states, dipping his hand into a large, murky jar. When he pulls his hand out, it's covered in huge leeches that he swiftly removes and puts into Kallista's bag.
"We're going to hunt some trolls." he states.
DM, professional illustrator and comic artist, suffering from severe spinal stenosis, married, middle aged, and nerdy.