Shugo sighs and readies his action. He still doesn't want to make the first move despite Liivi moving in. So he will hold his action until either the psudodragon or dragonborn starts heading for him. Once one of them do, he will strike at them with his sword then attempt to kick them.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(Unfortunately there is absolutely no way Alex would pass that arcana check.)
Seems how his friends don't intend to withhold their attacks, Alex changes his mind on casting Sanctuary. He lets out a long breath, wishing that he still had some time left for his wings. This whole thing is just so messed up.
He shuts his eyes for a moment, drawing his sword slowly and reluctantly. Instead of holding it by the hilt however, he grips the blade in his armored hands in a half-swording position. "I wanted to avoid bloodshed, but I guess we don't have a choice."
He grips the blade firmly so it won't slip and cut through the leather of his gloves, raising it above his head to deliver blows with his pommel instead. He could have used his war hammer, but that might be too much blunt force. So, he'll strike with the hilt and pommel.
Action: Flicking her tail underneath her coat, a small white flame suddenly comes out from underneath her disguise and launched straight for Karina, who is an ice type (DC 13 DEX for Karina or else 3 Radiant)
Karina: DEX Save—16
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.
Round 1
All attacks miss the target.
Karina ducks under Shugo's kick and slash then backflips over Liivi's swing and Maya's Scared Flame. Canopus flies out of Alex's reach, then he quickly counters him with a jab from his stinger to Alex's neck. If this hits, he'd suddenly feel dizzy and sleepy, pseudodragons are venomous, and getting stung by them can cause someone to fall asleep.
These two are very acrobatic for a spellcaster, they must've trained a lot. By the time you're done figuring out what's going on, she disappears from your sight and reappears in the other corner of the room.
"Karina, do your thing!" Canopus smirks... well, as best as a pseudodragon like him could, and Karina immediately understands the assignment.
She waves her claw around, and particles of snow start floating above you—it then condenses into a giant ball of snow. She makes a sweeping down motion with her claw and the icy globe falls onto the centre of the room, hitting everyone except your two adversaries, "Ice Storm!"
A few seconds after the fight starts this place already looks like a dump. There is ice everywhere, and books and stuff from the cabinet explode everywhere, but surprisingly, the table where Renno's brain is placed and the cabinet full of brains are completely unaffected. Paulis made sure that 'accidents' won't happen inside his domain.
Karina:
Action—Ice Storm—12 bludgeoning and 15 cold damage on everyone; DC15 Dexterity Save.
Bonus Action: Disengage.
Nimble Escape. Karina can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of her turns.
Canopus:
Action—Stinger at Alex—10 to hit, 2 piercing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target falls unconscious for the same duration, or until it takes damage or another creature uses an action to shake it awake.
Note: Renar can choose another action if he cannot go into melee.
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.
Maya DEX: 12
The poor kitsune shrieks when the ice storm hits her badly and sends her toppling on her feet; Already about to lose her conscience, she was forced to go on the defensive and heal Renar first on the first round (held BA) before she heals 8HP on herself. And then her entire body glows white as a sphere envelopes every single ally, boosting them with her own resolve.
Twilight Sanctuary: Everyone immediately gains 6 Temp HP for the battle
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)
"You hypocrites! As the next queen of Platone I won't stand for this! Not especially since you dare disrespect my bloodline! And the rebellion I long to revive!" Mira curses after taking the full brunt of Karina's Ice Storm. As promised on the previous round, her spectral clock that hovers behind her moves in front and turns blood red in retaliation. "I'll make you three atone for this! NOW!" She yells out to Karina, once again hiding her enchantment in her words. However, because of Twinned Spell, Canopus will also be affected by her.
DC 13 INT or suffer from 2 Psychic and substrate 1d4 from the next attack roll they both make.
Renar
Arcana: 18
I had this gut feeling that something was wrong with those two, but before I could figure it out, my train of thought was interrupted by the snow storm, knocking me out for a few seconds until Okaa-san heals me from a distance. Getting back up, I nodded back to her as thanks for healing me, then eye the dragon girl with absolute fury. Yet... I can't seem to move properly across the snow to catch the escaping dragon... urgh!
I don't have many options right now Before she can disengage out of my sight, I snarl as I unleash a lightning bolt at her whilst I also strengthen my defenses (Bladesinger: AC goes back up to 18, Walking speed increases by 10ft, Extra +4 to Concentration), hoping to hold her in place for everyone else to easily connect their hits. "Yamero! (やめろ)" I yell again as I do so. (DC 14 WIS or be paralyzed)
Liivi is admittedly surprised by the quick reactions that Karina and Canopus both show. However, she seems to not be concerned about her miss and nimbly dodges to avoid much of the ice. She steps forward, her focus shifting to Canopus who is now closer. She hopes that the others can handle the dragonborn. She again raises her greatsword, swinging it at the pseudodragon, again trying to deal non-lethal damage.
Alex doesn't have time to react when Karina suddenly turns the room into a winter wonderland. Not only is his armor cumbersome, but it also amplifies the cold, making the icy blast nearly unbearable. Additionally, Alex nearly loses his footing, making him an easy target... or perhaps not since his slipping and sliding make his movements unpredictable. So fortunately Canopus's stinger doesn't even graze him as he struggles against the ferocious cold.
"I really didn't want to fight," he says through chattering teeth.
Once again he strikes at Canopus, though now he's second guessing his target... he should have gone for Karina first.
(So that ice storm would technically hit the egg....)
Shugo grits his teeth when both his strikes miss. Fighting with this extra baggage isn't easy. His eyes widen when the dragonborn casts her spell. His quick reflexes keep him from suffering from the full damage, but it still hurts nonetheless. As he dodges he shields the egg as best he can. These maniacs! He'd thought telling them he had an unborn child with him would at least make them wary of hitting it. But that attack makes no discrimination! If you are within it's area of affect, there's nothing you can do to avoid it. He scowls. Coming here was a mistake. So far this so called pacifist has been the most violent individual they've come across accept maybe Cezars. ...at least Cezars' could somewhat try to justify his reasons even if they were still ********.
With his left hand covered in ice and still shielding the egg, he rushes toward Katrina then leaps over her to land behind her, flanking her. Psudodragon's may have some tricks, but they can't take many hits. That said, Katrina is the main problem here....assuming Paulis continues to stand there like a stuck up king letting his cronies do all the work. TCH, what would that guy do if one of his pet's accidentally killed one of them? Add another brain to his collection?
Letting his breath hiss through his teeth, he unleashes a flurry of blows against the dragonborn mage with advantage from flanking.
Sword to hit: 19
Damage: 9
Unarmed strike: 20
Damage: 8
Flurry of blows: 19
Damage: 8
(If Renar's spell works, all of these would get double damage from critting her.)
I don't have many options right now Before she can disengage out of my sight, I snarl as I unleash a lightning bolt at her whilst I also strengthen my defenses (Bladesinger: AC goes back up to 18, Walking speed increases by 10ft, Extra +4 to Concentration), hoping to hold her in place for everyone else to easily connect their hits. "Yamero! (やめろ)" I yell again as I do so. (DC 14 WIS or be paralyzed)
Karina: WIS Save—15
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."
"Ahh!" Liivi's cleave was enough to send Canopus flying, he slammed into the wall and poofs out of existence, smoke included. He's fine, he's a familiar and he can be resummoned back at any time by Paulis.
"NO!"Karina screams, but before she can let out any tears, she gets struck by Renar's paralysing spell. She falls to the ground, her body stuck in place like a statue, eyes still widened.
(Note: Your attacks don't go off because you want to solve this without using too much violence. You can keep your attack rolls for later in case you change your mind.)
The room falls quiet as the ice slowly disappears from the room, Karina lies on the ground, helpless. At least this fight was over quicker than you'd expected, she seems to be capable of intermediate-level magic, which can hit hard.
You have around one minute to tie up Karina and interrogate her, or you can try to search through the pile of rubbles to find some information (DC20 Perception check)
There is one more thing that catches your eye, though—among the many piles of books, there is a framed painting of Paulis, Janus, and a drow lady with her face marked off with black ink. The background is a snowy field with mountains, it seems like the background is based somewhere in Nemos, but you don't know where, not enough detail.
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."
Still primed for action, Liivi moves swiftly and deftly over to where Karina had fallen paralyzed. "Excellent work everyone," the tabaxi says as she takes a look at the dragonborn. Then reaching to her pack, she grabs the coil of rope from there and begins to bind up the mage. "How long will she be like this?" she asks as she works.
Once she feels reasonably comfortable that the dragonborn is secure, her eyes start to flit about the room. She does make note of the painting. 'Odd that woman is marked out,' she thinks. 'Perhaps she is the cause of the rift between the two.' She keeps looking through for any signs of anything that might be of use - especially in getting past the minefield outside. (Perception: 9)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Renar
Far out. That Ice Storm hit us harder than it should've. Good thing my electric paralysis worked though, surprisingly. When the dragon girl rapidly goes down at my command, I was half stunned that it worked on the fly. I didn't expect her to fall instantly when she could've instead set an ambush if any of use were to be in close proximity from where she's standing. She's down though. And... where did the other one go??? I scanned my head around to find him and... he's gone. Tch. Whatever. We need to hurry up; If we don't find this manual fast we're gonna be toast before I can even return to Neverwinter and fight off Tiamat; I turn my head towards the leopard girl too.
"She''ll be down for a minute, which isn't a lot of time." I reply without a trace of sympathy in my voice. And then I began to rummage my bag for my rope. "Unless if we tie her with rope of course then-" Before I knew it though, I grit slightly when the leopard girl in fact beats me to it; Not that I care. Right now I just don't want to die before the mission even starts for real..."Search the room. I want us to get out of here unscathed so the future queen can enact whatever she wants to scheme."(Perception 5). I can't really find much on my end; Just stuff that's of no desires minus the fact that he's hell bent on transporting to another world. Ironically though, whilst I clearly disliked how Paulis attempted to coerce us by force, his words, his intentions... there was just something that aligns with me and Okaa-san's current situation. Somehow, something is directing my instinct to follow his path...
Right now though, I couldn't help but bare my fangs at the incapacitated dragon girl being tied up. I really wished we didn't have to fight her but... we've been cornered it seems; Our only option is to threaten... "Every person no matter what race they are has the potential to take lives; If you don't want us to devolve into the killers that your master has always feared to this day, you better reveal to me how to disarm the mines. Don't give any more excuses! Tell us how, and we won't cross paths ever again as I said." I couldn't help but snarl with zero sense of empathy to the dragon girl. I tightened the ropes binding her, to the point where I thought I might've constricted her. (Intimidation: 15)
I then turn towards the rest, who seem preoccupied with a painting that hangs near the mound of books that I can't be bothered to search."What's so interesting about that picture?"I couldn't help but scoff. Even though it was a portrait, I don't see it as any importance to us... unless if someone convinces me otherwise. I then flashback to Stupid Rixi's behaviour, how he behaved savagely like what Paulis fears, how he intends to destroy the world for his own amusement. How Adelaide... that Vujica... those people wanting to disrupt the 'peace'... I had to swat them out of my sight to avoid becoming feral. I don't know about Okaa-san, but I take it she has a similar train of thought to what I currently feel right now...
And besides I've made my choice. Okaa-san has too. I don't if Stupid Rixi burns to the ground, I'll admit. But... he dares lay his wretched, oathbroken hands on Sword Coast or Japanese Soil, and I will mercilessly rip his flesh to the bone, provided that another Shifter doesn't beat me to it first. Also... I didn't think about this until now but, the reason why I want Lancea to die is... I don't have anything to fight for in this world. I turn to the rest unknowingly and squint. Do the others align with our thinking? I need to confirm as I clench my fist and shudder unknowingly...
"Those of you who think about saving the entire world though, just... just ask yourself... carefully: Other than your loved ones, your family, anyone you care for... what are the things or people in Lancea do you value... that you're willing to put your life on the line for?"
Mira
After the battle, Mira takes a moment to regain her senses as she stands back up again; She is hurt like the rest, but barely conscious. She might appear to be worse off than two of the three frontliners Alek or Renar... Tapping on Maya's shoulder, she turns to her. "Ow... I... I think you should focus on helping me and Alek recuperate. That Ice Storm hit us hard." She groans, before she notices Karina stuck from Renar's spell and bound by Liivi.Ugh... Good thinking for trying to paralyze her there. Mira smirks, seeing that her initial spell had no effect. But at the same time, she become incredibly terrified when she had learnt Liivi had just about smashed that pseudodragon into nothing but smoke. But... that was the Liivi I was scared of... She shudders, maintaining her distance from the newcomer of the pack for now. Whilst the battle is over though, she is a little confused when Renar said something to paralyze Karina. What is Yamero though? She thinks... and then right before she has a chance to ask she gets flabbergasted as Renar's remark such that her fluffy rabbit ears perk up in anger. "Wha-?! Hey! I'm not scheming anything, excuse me! There's a difference between the revival of a long-dead organisation and schematics you know!" She pouts as she jumps up and down. If she was a bit more muscular and taller, she would've wanted to give Renar a good blow to the face just for that. Trying to distract herself from this, she hops over to Liivi...
"Woah. Uh... yikes. You packed a punch just now." She shudders as she eyes up... and gasps. It seems that... Janus and Paulis have been in fact, best friends, judging by the mysterious. But there was also this lady whose face she cannot comprehend. Maybe she should gather more info about her and why Paulis came to decimate her ancestors... At least, until she couldn't help but scoff at yet another blunt sneer coming from none other than the hoodie boy himself.
"Wow, rude. First you ignore the injured states of us like it's nothing and now you're being insensitive about us?!" She scoffs back at Renar's sour remark. Does he even have a ounce of empathy for his teammates other than Maya presumably? "You might not think that painting itself is special, but... looking at it, it seemed something is off. Something seems far more significant than you stubborn eye." She eyes the painting again. Eyeing the messed up bookshelves, she does scatter them about to see if there are any clues to disabling the mines for good. (Perception: 16) Regardless if she succeeds or not, she then turns to the tied up Karina with a furrowed frown.
"Karina... your mentor... he hates Janus doesn't he? So why... were they best friends previously? Who is she? The third person? Was she responsible for... for decimating my bloodline? For disrespecting my real mother, my real father, who both died from a cause I never knew... I order you to explain! Don't keep any secrets from me when you know that we're responsible for deciding who lives and who dies! I'm about to make my choice while I'm at it!" She turns back to the painting as a gesture. But... regardless of what Karina says though, waves of concern and anxiety flood the young rabbit's brain as she looks to her tiny paws.
"To sacrifice 80% of Lancea... or risk having our loved ones perish in their place... Our decision rests in the throes of our hands." The rabbit queen whispers to herself. She then hears Renar asking the entire team; She wanted to spit out yet another mockery at him, but decides to eat it. Of course, she hasn't fully known what Renar, Maya, Alex and Liivi are like. Do they have families? Is there anything in this world that they treasure? Shugo mentioned to her that he has a family to take care off, so she'll have to factor their survival in her difficult decision to revive the rebellion and save whatever the group's aiming to save. Liivi may have a whole tribe that may have similar values to the ones her own mother upholds. the oddballs... no information she can acquire. Other than the fact that Maya herself cannot speak their language. And Renar being able to understand her. Of course, another thing that interrupts her thinking is when Renar coldly asks everyone to weigh in what they value the most. Without thought, she couldn't help but bring herself to reply to that...
"And what about you, Renar?"She adds on whilst she moves over to where the jar is and clutches it with her tiny paws. "I'm sorry to say but I have to deflect your own question back in your face; Other than this mysterious lady which seems to have some kind of relation with you... what else is convincing you to save Lancea? Even if it means that she might be onf those that dies?"
Though there was also one thing she didn't dare to point out: it's when Renar threatens Karina that the royals will end up being the savage killers that Lancea swore not to be. She shudders at that thought... if every living creature is capable of being killers... then... can she really be one herself? As with her current companions? To Mira, her first impression seems like... they, the two oddballs... they want this world to die.
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)
After being wrecked by the Ice Storm, Maya breathes a sigh of relief and takes a moment to readjust her disguise and make sure none of her prominent kitsune traits have been on display to the others minus her son. Cluelessly, she scans the room, forgetting the entire reason why they were supposed to battle, other than the fact that she hates Paulis' guts and manner of speaking of course. Obviously, despite his rather brash behaviour, she too, doesn't want to see this so-called pacifist world live if it mean being discriminated for who she is again. Like Renar, she'd be happy to sacrifice this world in order to save hers and the ones she loves on the other side, besides her surviving child.
She feels a tap on her shoulder as Mira speaks for her and Alek to be healed; The amulet does its job of translating the other queen's distinct accented Lancean for her. Though she cannot speak for herself just yet, she does stare at Alek with a nervous glance and her shoulders tucked inwards, hoping that he does understand her body expressions. Regardless, Maya does take a moment to heal Mira for 9HP, however, she doesn't drop her sanctuary in case Karina decides to break out; She doesn't notice that Canopus has indeed vanished.
Curiously, like a typical fox investigating for food, when her son orders everyone to go search for the manual, Maya decides to poke around at a loose book sticking out from the rest like a sore thumb... she ends up toppling the stacks out of panic as she does so and yelps whilst she loses her footing a second time. Despite her clumsiness though, hopefully this will make it easier for her or whoever else is searching to find whatever they're supposed to find; She's got no clue of what they're searching for.
(Perception: 18)
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)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Alex pulls his attack short as Canopus disappears into smoke. The sight caused his gut to clench, even though he knew the little dragon was a familiar, seeing him disappear felt to similar to seeing him die. Shaking his head, he quickly turns to Karina, only to find her trapped by Renar's spell.
Lowering his sword, he lets out a long breath, shivering slightly due to the frostbite he'd received from the Dragonborn's spell. Thank God that fight didn't go on much longer. Another hit like that and he might actually have died. Steeling himself, doing his best to pretend he isn't too hurt, he moves to help Liivi bind Karina with the rope. "I'm glad we had you with us," he says to the Tabaxi.
Once done with tying up Karina, he takes a brief look around, a look that yields nothing aside from making him slightly dizzy from his injuries. (Perception: 4) Ugh, he might have to give in and use his own healing on himself. He really hates doing that. It always feels selfish. Maybe he should ask and see if anyone else needs healing first... he did hear Mira mention that she could use some...
He flinches as Renar begins interrogating Karina. "Woah... you could be a little gentler..." He stops himself, swallowing as he realizes that was a stupid remark. Renar is trying to get information out of her, but... (sigh) he really hates this method. "He's right. At this point, after that spell you used, at least one of us could die if we stepped on a mine. It would be better for all of us if you just disabled them all. We won't interfere with Paulis's plans... honestly I'm not even sure we could if we wanted to. But that doesn't mean we won't pursue our own ideas. So can't we just agree to disagree and part ways here?"
Persuasion 23
He then looks to see the picture that everyone else is looking at, "Why mark out just her face when Janus isn't on good terms with Paulis either? Why keep this picture at all?" He looks to Karina, hopeful for some explanation. "Hmm... maybe..."he doesn't want to say 'maybe Janus will be more forthcoming' in front of Karina, but he does want to know about this picture. For a moment, he considers taking a 'picture' of the picture with the camera he got from Elsa, but that seems a little wasteful after thinking about it. Instead he says to Karina, "It would be helpful if you could also answer our questions."
He gives a brief smile to Maya as she heals Mira. He doesn't quite understand her body language... but he does understand that Mira probably needed the healing more than he did. He's the tank of the group after all, and Mira is a spell caster. If that spell hit him hard it probably hit her harder. "Does anyone else need healing?" He hesitantly heals himself as he says this, a slight glow forming around his hands as he rubs his arms, using what little divine power he has left on himself. It wasn't much, but he doesn't want to use his only healing spell on himself too. He'll wait and see if anyone else will take him up on his offer.
Then Renar asks a question that catches Alex off guard. It felt... well a little targeted after their shared dream with the tarrasque. "Is it wrong to want to prevent the loss of life? There are billions of people on this planet who I will never meet. Some of them probably don't deserve saving anymore than Cezars. Still, that doesn't mean I would willingly let this world fall to ruin. The selfish part of me would be alright with just seeing my family and friends to safety, but... I just wouldn't be able to live with the guilt knowing I could have done more..." If he could do more that is. He never really let himself think of that option. What if there really isn't anything he can do to ensure the survival of all of Lancea? What if allowing Lancea to go to war, abandoning their no-killing rules, ends up being what really destroys the world? That seems unlikely, but... well now there are just so many questions. The thoughts cause a pit to form in his chest, and he averts his eyes for a while, "I... really don't know what to do."
Then Mira asks Renar to answer that question himself. While this doesn't make Alex feel any better, it does remind him again of the questions he has for Maya specifically... and now Renar too. Why can Renar speak the weird language that Maya uses? If he were some ancient being like Janus it might make sense, but... he isn't... right? Then again, there is a lot about Renar that Alex doesn't know, and he hasn't wanted to pry for fear of driving his friend away. Yet...
"I think it's a question we should all ask ourselves,"he says finally. "After all, it reveals where our priorities lay. ....And how realistic they are."
When Karina suddenly freezes Shugo pulls his attacks short. Hitting her could very well release the spell for all he knows. When Liivi approaches, he offers his own rope to tie up the dragonborn. The elf has been prepared to leave for quite some time, and his mood has not improved with the battle. Even Renar's harsh words don't seem to faze him. He'd actually started to expect this type of behavior from the guy.
Perception: 8
Shugo doesn't take much time looking around, he's already made it clear that he doesn't want to stay here. He doesn't want to see Paulis again either. Swinging his pack back around to it's proper position, he shrugs when the others start wondering about the picture. "Why bother asking this minion. We could always just ask Janus about whoever that is, since apparently we are required to go back and answer him." He grumbles. Then he turns to Karina, "Just tell us how to disarm the mines, and we'll be on our way."He glances at Renar, "If she doesn't tell us, we could always make her walk through them first. These jerks seem certain that those things aren't lethal after all."
He shakes his head when Alex offer's healing. With Maya's spell, Shugo really hadn't taken much damage in the fight.
When Renar asks his question, Shugo pauses for a moment as the other react before he responds, "Right now I just want my family and freinds safe. Though in the grand scheme of things Alex is right. If we can do something to stop this then we must. There may be thousands of people who deserve....well death, but there will always be another thousand who are innocent. I also don't think most of us can say we are fine with just letting the world we've been born into burn just because of this whole stupid thing with ideals."He crosses his arms, "This might sound horrible, but maybe this war will teach some of these stubborn people that there's never just one way to solve a problem."
He looks back at Renar, expecting a response. Shugo has never liked conflict, but this question has irritated him a little bit. Just a few hours prior the elf had asked Renar the simple question of 'is everything alright', and Renar had practically exploded in his face saying he doesn't like it when people pressure him. Now look at him. All that talk about not pressuring him and now he's asking the rest of the group an even more personal question. Shugo's not particularly mad at Renar, after all these past few events have pushed Shugo over the edge as well. However, Renar better answer his own question.
Liivi accepts all the help as she works on tying up Karina. She glances up when Mira hops over. "Packed a punch. Yes, I suppose I did. Strength of arms for the protection of others is what my order teaches." The rabbit woman is then distracted by the picture, and other comments impinge upon her attention.
Most particularly among those is the question that Renar poses. And the responses from the others. 'Mira thinks Renar and Maya might be related? They do seem to have similar ways about them,' she thinks. She's a little surprised at Shugo's words that seem to be accepting war as inevitable. But she does agree with the last part of his conjecture. "Shugo, I do agree there's never just one way to solve a problem. And often multiple actions can be taken that all lead to resolving a situation. Clearly Paulis has made his choice regarding us. But there's no reason his actions might not help some, while we can take actions to help others. I just fear that even leaving here Paulis will still haunt our steps. He seems intent on having only his solution."
She then looks back at Renar. "To answer your question briefly, I see Lancea as a rich tapestry of histories, cultures, and ideas. All of that is worth preserving to the extent we are able. All have value, even if we don't see eye to eye. That doesn't mean we suffer those who threaten us though."
"But enough talk," the tabaxi says. She again focuses back on the tied up dragonborn. "Will you help us get out of here?" She then asks the others, "Or has anyone found anything that might help us?"
Arcana: 20
Shugo sighs and readies his action. He still doesn't want to make the first move despite Liivi moving in. So he will hold his action until either the psudodragon or dragonborn starts heading for him. Once one of them do, he will strike at them with his sword then attempt to kick them.
To hit Sword: 10
Damage: 6
To hit , kick: 8
Damage:5
(Unfortunately there is absolutely no way Alex would pass that arcana check.)
Seems how his friends don't intend to withhold their attacks, Alex changes his mind on casting Sanctuary. He lets out a long breath, wishing that he still had some time left for his wings. This whole thing is just so messed up.
He shuts his eyes for a moment, drawing his sword slowly and reluctantly. Instead of holding it by the hilt however, he grips the blade in his armored hands in a half-swording position. "I wanted to avoid bloodshed, but I guess we don't have a choice."
He grips the blade firmly so it won't slip and cut through the leather of his gloves, raising it above his head to deliver blows with his pommel instead. He could have used his war hammer, but that might be too much blunt force. So, he'll strike with the hilt and pommel.
Attack: 15 Damage: 3
(OOC: Just realized I forgot to specify who I'm hitting.)
Seeing Liivi going for Karina, Alex moves to strike Canopus, moving up to his new comrade's side as they prepare to engage.
Karina: DEX Save—16
"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
All attacks miss the target.
Karina ducks under Shugo's kick and slash then backflips over Liivi's swing and Maya's Scared Flame. Canopus flies out of Alex's reach, then he quickly counters him with a jab from his stinger to Alex's neck. If this hits, he'd suddenly feel dizzy and sleepy, pseudodragons are venomous, and getting stung by them can cause someone to fall asleep.
These two are very acrobatic for a spellcaster, they must've trained a lot. By the time you're done figuring out what's going on, she disappears from your sight and reappears in the other corner of the room.
"Karina, do your thing!" Canopus smirks... well, as best as a pseudodragon like him could, and Karina immediately understands the assignment.
She waves her claw around, and particles of snow start floating above you—it then condenses into a giant ball of snow. She makes a sweeping down motion with her claw and the icy globe falls onto the centre of the room, hitting everyone except your two adversaries, "Ice Storm!"
A few seconds after the fight starts this place already looks like a dump. There is ice everywhere, and books and stuff from the cabinet explode everywhere, but surprisingly, the table where Renno's brain is placed and the cabinet full of brains are completely unaffected. Paulis made sure that 'accidents' won't happen inside his domain.
Karina:
Action—Ice Storm—12 bludgeoning and 15 cold damage on everyone; DC15 Dexterity Save.
Bonus Action: Disengage.
Nimble Escape. Karina can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of her turns.
Canopus:
Action—Stinger at Alex—10 to hit, 2 piercing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 hour. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the target falls unconscious for the same duration, or until it takes damage or another creature uses an action to shake it awake.
Note: Renar can choose another action if he cannot go into melee.
"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
Maya DEX: 12
The poor kitsune shrieks when the ice storm hits her badly and sends her toppling on her feet; Already about to lose her conscience, she was forced to go on the defensive and heal Renar first on the first round (held BA) before she heals 8HP on herself. And then her entire body glows white as a sphere envelopes every single ally, boosting them with her own resolve.
Twilight Sanctuary: Everyone immediately gains 6 Temp HP for the battle
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)
Renar DEX: 12
Mira DEX: 7
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)
Mira
"You hypocrites! As the next queen of Platone I won't stand for this! Not especially since you dare disrespect my bloodline! And the rebellion I long to revive!" Mira curses after taking the full brunt of Karina's Ice Storm. As promised on the previous round, her spectral clock that hovers behind her moves in front and turns blood red in retaliation. "I'll make you three atone for this! NOW!" She yells out to Karina, once again hiding her enchantment in her words. However, because of Twinned Spell, Canopus will also be affected by her.
DC 13 INT or suffer from 2 Psychic and substrate 1d4 from the next attack roll they both make.
Renar
Arcana: 18
I had this gut feeling that something was wrong with those two, but before I could figure it out, my train of thought was interrupted by the snow storm, knocking me out for a few seconds until Okaa-san heals me from a distance. Getting back up, I nodded back to her as thanks for healing me, then eye the dragon girl with absolute fury. Yet... I can't seem to move properly across the snow to catch the escaping dragon... urgh!
I don't have many options right now Before she can disengage out of my sight, I snarl as I unleash a lightning bolt at her whilst I also strengthen my defenses (Bladesinger: AC goes back up to 18, Walking speed increases by 10ft, Extra +4 to Concentration), hoping to hold her in place for everyone else to easily connect their hits. "Yamero! (やめろ)" I yell again as I do so. (DC 14 WIS or be paralyzed)
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)
(Liivi DEX Save: 24; Rage round 2 of 10)
Liivi is admittedly surprised by the quick reactions that Karina and Canopus both show. However, she seems to not be concerned about her miss and nimbly dodges to avoid much of the ice. She steps forward, her focus shifting to Canopus who is now closer. She hopes that the others can handle the dragonborn. She again raises her greatsword, swinging it at the pseudodragon, again trying to deal non-lethal damage.
(Greatsword Attack: 21, Damage: 13 slashing)
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Alex dex save: 9
(good grief... that's a lot of damage!)
Alex doesn't have time to react when Karina suddenly turns the room into a winter wonderland. Not only is his armor cumbersome, but it also amplifies the cold, making the icy blast nearly unbearable. Additionally, Alex nearly loses his footing, making him an easy target... or perhaps not since his slipping and sliding make his movements unpredictable. So fortunately Canopus's stinger doesn't even graze him as he struggles against the ferocious cold.
"I really didn't want to fight," he says through chattering teeth.
Once again he strikes at Canopus, though now he's second guessing his target... he should have gone for Karina first.
Longsword: To hit: 16. Damage: 11.
(So that ice storm would technically hit the egg....)
Shugo grits his teeth when both his strikes miss. Fighting with this extra baggage isn't easy. His eyes widen when the dragonborn casts her spell. His quick reflexes keep him from suffering from the full damage, but it still hurts nonetheless. As he dodges he shields the egg as best he can. These maniacs! He'd thought telling them he had an unborn child with him would at least make them wary of hitting it. But that attack makes no discrimination! If you are within it's area of affect, there's nothing you can do to avoid it. He scowls. Coming here was a mistake. So far this so called pacifist has been the most violent individual they've come across accept maybe Cezars. ...at least Cezars' could somewhat try to justify his reasons even if they were still ********.
With his left hand covered in ice and still shielding the egg, he rushes toward Katrina then leaps over her to land behind her, flanking her. Psudodragon's may have some tricks, but they can't take many hits. That said, Katrina is the main problem here....assuming Paulis continues to stand there like a stuck up king letting his cronies do all the work. TCH, what would that guy do if one of his pet's accidentally killed one of them? Add another brain to his collection?
Letting his breath hiss through his teeth, he unleashes a flurry of blows against the dragonborn mage with advantage from flanking.
Sword to hit: 19
Damage: 9
Unarmed strike: 20
Damage: 8
Flurry of blows: 19
Damage: 8
(If Renar's spell works, all of these would get double damage from critting her.)
Karina: WIS Save—15
"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
"Ahh!" Liivi's cleave was enough to send Canopus flying, he slammed into the wall and poofs out of existence, smoke included. He's fine, he's a familiar and he can be resummoned back at any time by Paulis.
"NO!" Karina screams, but before she can let out any tears, she gets struck by Renar's paralysing spell. She falls to the ground, her body stuck in place like a statue, eyes still widened.
(Note: Your attacks don't go off because you want to solve this without using too much violence. You can keep your attack rolls for later in case you change your mind.)
The room falls quiet as the ice slowly disappears from the room, Karina lies on the ground, helpless. At least this fight was over quicker than you'd expected, she seems to be capable of intermediate-level magic, which can hit hard.
You have around one minute to tie up Karina and interrogate her, or you can try to search through the pile of rubbles to find some information (DC20 Perception check)
There is one more thing that catches your eye, though—among the many piles of books, there is a framed painting of Paulis, Janus, and a drow lady with her face marked off with black ink. The background is a snowy field with mountains, it seems like the background is based somewhere in Nemos, but you don't know where, not enough detail.
"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
Still primed for action, Liivi moves swiftly and deftly over to where Karina had fallen paralyzed. "Excellent work everyone," the tabaxi says as she takes a look at the dragonborn. Then reaching to her pack, she grabs the coil of rope from there and begins to bind up the mage. "How long will she be like this?" she asks as she works.
Once she feels reasonably comfortable that the dragonborn is secure, her eyes start to flit about the room. She does make note of the painting. 'Odd that woman is marked out,' she thinks. 'Perhaps she is the cause of the rift between the two.' She keeps looking through for any signs of anything that might be of use - especially in getting past the minefield outside. (Perception: 9)
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Renar
Far out. That Ice Storm hit us harder than it should've. Good thing my electric paralysis worked though, surprisingly. When the dragon girl rapidly goes down at my command, I was half stunned that it worked on the fly. I didn't expect her to fall instantly when she could've instead set an ambush if any of use were to be in close proximity from where she's standing. She's down though. And... where did the other one go??? I scanned my head around to find him and... he's gone. Tch. Whatever. We need to hurry up; If we don't find this manual fast we're gonna be toast before I can even return to Neverwinter and fight off Tiamat; I turn my head towards the leopard girl too.
"She''ll be down for a minute, which isn't a lot of time." I reply without a trace of sympathy in my voice. And then I began to rummage my bag for my rope. "Unless if we tie her with rope of course then-" Before I knew it though, I grit slightly when the leopard girl in fact beats me to it; Not that I care. Right now I just don't want to die before the mission even starts for real..."Search the room. I want us to get out of here unscathed so the future queen can enact whatever she wants to scheme." (Perception 5). I can't really find much on my end; Just stuff that's of no desires minus the fact that he's hell bent on transporting to another world. Ironically though, whilst I clearly disliked how Paulis attempted to coerce us by force, his words, his intentions... there was just something that aligns with me and Okaa-san's current situation. Somehow, something is directing my instinct to follow his path...
Right now though, I couldn't help but bare my fangs at the incapacitated dragon girl being tied up. I really wished we didn't have to fight her but... we've been cornered it seems; Our only option is to threaten... "Every person no matter what race they are has the potential to take lives; If you don't want us to devolve into the killers that your master has always feared to this day, you better reveal to me how to disarm the mines. Don't give any more excuses! Tell us how, and we won't cross paths ever again as I said." I couldn't help but snarl with zero sense of empathy to the dragon girl. I tightened the ropes binding her, to the point where I thought I might've constricted her. (Intimidation: 15)
I then turn towards the rest, who seem preoccupied with a painting that hangs near the mound of books that I can't be bothered to search. "What's so interesting about that picture?" I couldn't help but scoff. Even though it was a portrait, I don't see it as any importance to us... unless if someone convinces me otherwise. I then flashback to Stupid Rixi's behaviour, how he behaved savagely like what Paulis fears, how he intends to destroy the world for his own amusement. How Adelaide... that Vujica... those people wanting to disrupt the 'peace'... I had to swat them out of my sight to avoid becoming feral. I don't know about Okaa-san, but I take it she has a similar train of thought to what I currently feel right now...
And besides I've made my choice. Okaa-san has too. I don't if Stupid Rixi burns to the ground, I'll admit. But... he dares lay his wretched, oathbroken hands on Sword Coast or Japanese Soil, and I will mercilessly rip his flesh to the bone, provided that another Shifter doesn't beat me to it first. Also... I didn't think about this until now but, the reason why I want Lancea to die is... I don't have anything to fight for in this world. I turn to the rest unknowingly and squint. Do the others align with our thinking? I need to confirm as I clench my fist and shudder unknowingly...
"Those of you who think about saving the entire world though, just... just ask yourself... carefully: Other than your loved ones, your family, anyone you care for... what are the things or people in Lancea do you value... that you're willing to put your life on the line for?"
Mira
After the battle, Mira takes a moment to regain her senses as she stands back up again; She is hurt like the rest, but barely conscious. She might appear to be worse off than two of the three frontliners Alek or Renar... Tapping on Maya's shoulder, she turns to her. "Ow... I... I think you should focus on helping me and Alek recuperate. That Ice Storm hit us hard." She groans, before she notices Karina stuck from Renar's spell and bound by Liivi. Ugh... Good thinking for trying to paralyze her there. Mira smirks, seeing that her initial spell had no effect. But at the same time, she become incredibly terrified when she had learnt Liivi had just about smashed that pseudodragon into nothing but smoke. But... that was the Liivi I was scared of... She shudders, maintaining her distance from the newcomer of the pack for now. Whilst the battle is over though, she is a little confused when Renar said something to paralyze Karina. What is Yamero though? She thinks... and then right before she has a chance to ask she gets flabbergasted as Renar's remark such that her fluffy rabbit ears perk up in anger. "Wha-?! Hey! I'm not scheming anything, excuse me! There's a difference between the revival of a long-dead organisation and schematics you know!" She pouts as she jumps up and down. If she was a bit more muscular and taller, she would've wanted to give Renar a good blow to the face just for that. Trying to distract herself from this, she hops over to Liivi...
"Woah. Uh... yikes. You packed a punch just now." She shudders as she eyes up... and gasps. It seems that... Janus and Paulis have been in fact, best friends, judging by the mysterious. But there was also this lady whose face she cannot comprehend. Maybe she should gather more info about her and why Paulis came to decimate her ancestors... At least, until she couldn't help but scoff at yet another blunt sneer coming from none other than the hoodie boy himself.
"Wow, rude. First you ignore the injured states of us like it's nothing and now you're being insensitive about us?!" She scoffs back at Renar's sour remark. Does he even have a ounce of empathy for his teammates other than Maya presumably? "You might not think that painting itself is special, but... looking at it, it seemed something is off. Something seems far more significant than you stubborn eye." She eyes the painting again. Eyeing the messed up bookshelves, she does scatter them about to see if there are any clues to disabling the mines for good. (Perception: 16) Regardless if she succeeds or not, she then turns to the tied up Karina with a furrowed frown.
"Karina... your mentor... he hates Janus doesn't he? So why... were they best friends previously? Who is she? The third person? Was she responsible for... for decimating my bloodline? For disrespecting my real mother, my real father, who both died from a cause I never knew... I order you to explain! Don't keep any secrets from me when you know that we're responsible for deciding who lives and who dies! I'm about to make my choice while I'm at it!" She turns back to the painting as a gesture. But... regardless of what Karina says though, waves of concern and anxiety flood the young rabbit's brain as she looks to her tiny paws.
"To sacrifice 80% of Lancea... or risk having our loved ones perish in their place... Our decision rests in the throes of our hands." The rabbit queen whispers to herself. She then hears Renar asking the entire team; She wanted to spit out yet another mockery at him, but decides to eat it. Of course, she hasn't fully known what Renar, Maya, Alex and Liivi are like. Do they have families? Is there anything in this world that they treasure? Shugo mentioned to her that he has a family to take care off, so she'll have to factor their survival in her difficult decision to revive the rebellion and save whatever the group's aiming to save. Liivi may have a whole tribe that may have similar values to the ones her own mother upholds. the oddballs... no information she can acquire. Other than the fact that Maya herself cannot speak their language. And Renar being able to understand her. Of course, another thing that interrupts her thinking is when Renar coldly asks everyone to weigh in what they value the most. Without thought, she couldn't help but bring herself to reply to that...
"And what about you, Renar?" She adds on whilst she moves over to where the jar is and clutches it with her tiny paws. "I'm sorry to say but I have to deflect your own question back in your face; Other than this mysterious lady which seems to have some kind of relation with you... what else is convincing you to save Lancea? Even if it means that she might be onf those that dies?"
Though there was also one thing she didn't dare to point out: it's when Renar threatens Karina that the royals will end up being the savage killers that Lancea swore not to be. She shudders at that thought... if every living creature is capable of being killers... then... can she really be one herself? As with her current companions? To Mira, her first impression seems like... they, the two oddballs... they want this world to die.
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)
After being wrecked by the Ice Storm, Maya breathes a sigh of relief and takes a moment to readjust her disguise and make sure none of her prominent kitsune traits have been on display to the others minus her son. Cluelessly, she scans the room, forgetting the entire reason why they were supposed to battle, other than the fact that she hates Paulis' guts and manner of speaking of course. Obviously, despite his rather brash behaviour, she too, doesn't want to see this so-called pacifist world live if it mean being discriminated for who she is again. Like Renar, she'd be happy to sacrifice this world in order to save hers and the ones she loves on the other side, besides her surviving child.
She feels a tap on her shoulder as Mira speaks for her and Alek to be healed; The amulet does its job of translating the other queen's distinct accented Lancean for her. Though she cannot speak for herself just yet, she does stare at Alek with a nervous glance and her shoulders tucked inwards, hoping that he does understand her body expressions. Regardless, Maya does take a moment to heal Mira for 9HP, however, she doesn't drop her sanctuary in case Karina decides to break out; She doesn't notice that Canopus has indeed vanished.
Curiously, like a typical fox investigating for food, when her son orders everyone to go search for the manual, Maya decides to poke around at a loose book sticking out from the rest like a sore thumb... she ends up toppling the stacks out of panic as she does so and yelps whilst she loses her footing a second time. Despite her clumsiness though, hopefully this will make it easier for her or whoever else is searching to find whatever they're supposed to find; She's got no clue of what they're searching for.
(Perception: 18)
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)
Alex pulls his attack short as Canopus disappears into smoke. The sight caused his gut to clench, even though he knew the little dragon was a familiar, seeing him disappear felt to similar to seeing him die. Shaking his head, he quickly turns to Karina, only to find her trapped by Renar's spell.
Lowering his sword, he lets out a long breath, shivering slightly due to the frostbite he'd received from the Dragonborn's spell. Thank God that fight didn't go on much longer. Another hit like that and he might actually have died. Steeling himself, doing his best to pretend he isn't too hurt, he moves to help Liivi bind Karina with the rope. "I'm glad we had you with us," he says to the Tabaxi.
Once done with tying up Karina, he takes a brief look around, a look that yields nothing aside from making him slightly dizzy from his injuries. (Perception: 4) Ugh, he might have to give in and use his own healing on himself. He really hates doing that. It always feels selfish. Maybe he should ask and see if anyone else needs healing first... he did hear Mira mention that she could use some...
He flinches as Renar begins interrogating Karina. "Woah... you could be a little gentler..." He stops himself, swallowing as he realizes that was a stupid remark. Renar is trying to get information out of her, but... (sigh) he really hates this method. "He's right. At this point, after that spell you used, at least one of us could die if we stepped on a mine. It would be better for all of us if you just disabled them all. We won't interfere with Paulis's plans... honestly I'm not even sure we could if we wanted to. But that doesn't mean we won't pursue our own ideas. So can't we just agree to disagree and part ways here?"
Persuasion 23
He then looks to see the picture that everyone else is looking at, "Why mark out just her face when Janus isn't on good terms with Paulis either? Why keep this picture at all?" He looks to Karina, hopeful for some explanation. "Hmm... maybe..." he doesn't want to say 'maybe Janus will be more forthcoming' in front of Karina, but he does want to know about this picture. For a moment, he considers taking a 'picture' of the picture with the camera he got from Elsa, but that seems a little wasteful after thinking about it. Instead he says to Karina, "It would be helpful if you could also answer our questions."
He gives a brief smile to Maya as she heals Mira. He doesn't quite understand her body language... but he does understand that Mira probably needed the healing more than he did. He's the tank of the group after all, and Mira is a spell caster. If that spell hit him hard it probably hit her harder. "Does anyone else need healing?" He hesitantly heals himself as he says this, a slight glow forming around his hands as he rubs his arms, using what little divine power he has left on himself. It wasn't much, but he doesn't want to use his only healing spell on himself too. He'll wait and see if anyone else will take him up on his offer.
Then Renar asks a question that catches Alex off guard. It felt... well a little targeted after their shared dream with the tarrasque. "Is it wrong to want to prevent the loss of life? There are billions of people on this planet who I will never meet. Some of them probably don't deserve saving anymore than Cezars. Still, that doesn't mean I would willingly let this world fall to ruin. The selfish part of me would be alright with just seeing my family and friends to safety, but... I just wouldn't be able to live with the guilt knowing I could have done more..." If he could do more that is. He never really let himself think of that option. What if there really isn't anything he can do to ensure the survival of all of Lancea? What if allowing Lancea to go to war, abandoning their no-killing rules, ends up being what really destroys the world? That seems unlikely, but... well now there are just so many questions. The thoughts cause a pit to form in his chest, and he averts his eyes for a while, "I... really don't know what to do."
Then Mira asks Renar to answer that question himself. While this doesn't make Alex feel any better, it does remind him again of the questions he has for Maya specifically... and now Renar too. Why can Renar speak the weird language that Maya uses? If he were some ancient being like Janus it might make sense, but... he isn't... right? Then again, there is a lot about Renar that Alex doesn't know, and he hasn't wanted to pry for fear of driving his friend away. Yet...
"I think it's a question we should all ask ourselves," he says finally. "After all, it reveals where our priorities lay. ....And how realistic they are."
When Karina suddenly freezes Shugo pulls his attacks short. Hitting her could very well release the spell for all he knows. When Liivi approaches, he offers his own rope to tie up the dragonborn. The elf has been prepared to leave for quite some time, and his mood has not improved with the battle. Even Renar's harsh words don't seem to faze him. He'd actually started to expect this type of behavior from the guy.
Perception: 8
Shugo doesn't take much time looking around, he's already made it clear that he doesn't want to stay here. He doesn't want to see Paulis again either. Swinging his pack back around to it's proper position, he shrugs when the others start wondering about the picture. "Why bother asking this minion. We could always just ask Janus about whoever that is, since apparently we are required to go back and answer him." He grumbles. Then he turns to Karina, "Just tell us how to disarm the mines, and we'll be on our way." He glances at Renar, "If she doesn't tell us, we could always make her walk through them first. These jerks seem certain that those things aren't lethal after all."
He shakes his head when Alex offer's healing. With Maya's spell, Shugo really hadn't taken much damage in the fight.
When Renar asks his question, Shugo pauses for a moment as the other react before he responds, "Right now I just want my family and freinds safe. Though in the grand scheme of things Alex is right. If we can do something to stop this then we must. There may be thousands of people who deserve....well death, but there will always be another thousand who are innocent. I also don't think most of us can say we are fine with just letting the world we've been born into burn just because of this whole stupid thing with ideals." He crosses his arms, "This might sound horrible, but maybe this war will teach some of these stubborn people that there's never just one way to solve a problem."
He looks back at Renar, expecting a response. Shugo has never liked conflict, but this question has irritated him a little bit. Just a few hours prior the elf had asked Renar the simple question of 'is everything alright', and Renar had practically exploded in his face saying he doesn't like it when people pressure him. Now look at him. All that talk about not pressuring him and now he's asking the rest of the group an even more personal question. Shugo's not particularly mad at Renar, after all these past few events have pushed Shugo over the edge as well. However, Renar better answer his own question.
Liivi accepts all the help as she works on tying up Karina. She glances up when Mira hops over. "Packed a punch. Yes, I suppose I did. Strength of arms for the protection of others is what my order teaches." The rabbit woman is then distracted by the picture, and other comments impinge upon her attention.
Most particularly among those is the question that Renar poses. And the responses from the others. 'Mira thinks Renar and Maya might be related? They do seem to have similar ways about them,' she thinks. She's a little surprised at Shugo's words that seem to be accepting war as inevitable. But she does agree with the last part of his conjecture. "Shugo, I do agree there's never just one way to solve a problem. And often multiple actions can be taken that all lead to resolving a situation. Clearly Paulis has made his choice regarding us. But there's no reason his actions might not help some, while we can take actions to help others. I just fear that even leaving here Paulis will still haunt our steps. He seems intent on having only his solution."
She then looks back at Renar. "To answer your question briefly, I see Lancea as a rich tapestry of histories, cultures, and ideas. All of that is worth preserving to the extent we are able. All have value, even if we don't see eye to eye. That doesn't mean we suffer those who threaten us though."
"But enough talk," the tabaxi says. She again focuses back on the tied up dragonborn. "Will you help us get out of here?" She then asks the others, "Or has anyone found anything that might help us?"
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer