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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Jumpin' Jack Flash it's a... Solid Coloidal Aerosol? That ain't it...
28 Pharast
Hex B1
Northern Grasslands
As the monster tried to go around Kyrie to get away from the others, Miguel ran around the other side to cut it off. It tried to shake him, but he was a match for it this time, and struck at its scrawny bony body. As before, the creature's supernaturally strong body protected it from most of the damage but it was beginning to wear down, now bleeding thick dark red ichor from several wounds. (-4dmg Bloodied)
Miguel's manoeuvring left Kyrie in an ideal location at the centre of her group. She summoned forth her powers of judgement into a protective aura around her. The bubble encapsulated almost everyone at once, thanks to the dense fog and the single target requiring short range and close combat fighting. Only Krii behind her stood outside the range, though he was the least likely to need it at the moment.
Zeran stepped back from the monster. This time he'd prove that felling Happs was not a one-time deal. He spared a second to check his aim, willed his shot to hit, and fired. With an alchemical bang, the ball struck the monster in its back, where the feral head met with the frail, grave-clothed body. This elicited an angry howl of pain and frustration, though Zeran knew the shot did not go nearly as deep as he hoped—probably for the same reason that everyone else's attacks did not penetrate so far (-5dmg Red Status).
Despite his protected vantage Krii was finding more and more difficulties getting a clear shot off. He turned to his electric spell in case the frost on Kyrie's cuirass indicated an affinity for the cold that may reduce the strength of his own attack. Unfortunately, aiming for a small child between so many moving bodies proved to be a challenge. Once more the plains grass suffered the brunt of his arcane energy, blackening with the surge of electricity.
Frodrick stepped in front of Zeran before the creature thought to retaliate. He saw his axe, while mighty indeed, was likely not the strongest weapon that could be brought to bear on the creature, so ever thinking in terms of strategy and throwing the advantage to his allies, he scooped his axe behind the monster's leg. Startled, it clawed back at him, but Kyrie's protection reduced it's efforts to leaving a scant glazing of frost on his beard and a slight chill in his bones (-1cold Frodrick).
Frodrick scarcely hesitated as he swept the small monster off it's feet, knocking it onto it's back (prone). It writhed for a second in an uncannily child-like tantrum, then concentrated. Before the party could recognise what it was doing, it evaporated into a thick, dense cloud, clinging to the ground like the fog surrounding them. The small body of vapour drifted upward slowly, passing Frodrick and away from Kyrie and Miguel.
Frodrick 12/13 – K-Aura
Jargon 13/13 – Calmer, but still ansy and not moving any closer, thank-you very much.
Krii 8/8 – Mage Armour
Kyrie 7/13 – Bastion of Good +3 deflection AC
Miguel 9/9 – Dancing Lights (5/10), Combat Expertise +1 dodge AC, K-Aura
Zeran 10/10 – () 32 bullets, 3/4 Grit, K-Aura
Beastie: Red Status, Gaseous, 5' Altitude*
(Now's the time to press the attack! It only took a 5' step into the air, but otherwise it'd have triggered AoOs. You -can- still attack it (it has discernable location) though it's anybody's guess now how useful that would be. For the record, 'anybody' means “Miguel might have a pretty good guess, having studied the arcane for several years”.
*Also, for the asterisk on the altitude, a altitude of 0' is ground-level, thus 5' is the cube above where you're standing. If this confuses you, I can switch it so 5' is ground-level, like I was originally going to have, and it would be at 10', the same way people adjacent to you are considered 5' away.)
Posted on 2013-05-11 at 22:38:57.
Edited on 2013-05-11 at 22:42:24 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Miguel rolls low. Everyone else high. Hell, let's get dangerous.
Miguel saw Kyrie on the opposite side of the monster. He channel his arcane energy into his sword with a thought and stepped opposite her so the two warriors could take advantage of each other's distraction.
The monster wasn't willing to let it's guard down quite so easily against Miguel, though, and hissed as it dodged his blade. It did not realize it was leaving it's back exposed to Kyrie's skilled sickle. Honed by helping her parents at the harvest, she possessed lethal efficiency removing heads... of grain, leastwise.
The technique invovled proved to be not dissimilar. The tip of her instrument sank deep into the scruff of the monster's furry neck (*crit* -7dmg) but it's natural resilience to steel took some of the edge off (Yellow Status). The monster's his turned to a rattling cough—if they didn't see the hideous truth for their own eyes the party might mistake it for a sick child.
The farmgirl nodded to Frodrick as she took position to give the old dwarf the same shot at the creature's flank. Zeran was reloading his powder quickly while Krii struck again, not subject to the mechanical concerns of ammunition (at least with this simple trick of a spell). The sorcerer struck home this time, forming a layer of condensation across the monster's grave rags (-1dmg).
“Jabbers! To me!” Frodrick shouted. He pointed to Miguel with his shield hand while he moved into position. “Help.”
The dwarf turned his attention fully on the monster, hardly a foot shorter than him. “Alright you blighted beastie, let's see what you got. Surround and eliminate!” He struck a glancing blow to the creature's face. The blow didn't leave a cut, but it did cause the monster to jerk back a bit.
Jargon's mighty hoof beats pounded behind as his mount came to answer his call. Her noble equine form appeared out of the fog and the dark, dashing to Miguel's aid.
She never made it that far. With a shrill noise that sounded more like a scream than any sound a horse might make, she skid to a halt at the edge of the fog and reared on her hind legs, kicking the air uselessly with her raised hooves.
This unexpected development rippled through the battle with a change in fortune. The monster suddenly rounded on Kyrie and reached out to grab her—not with it's shadowy attack that it had been using, but with it's actual clawed hand. It grabbed at the slats in her armour with strength suprising for it's size and frail appearance and held for a second.
Almost at once Kyrie felt an intense shock of cold seep through her armour and numb her abdomen (-6cold Kyrie). She gasped for breath, her lungs suddenly feeling empty and her hair standing on end at brushing with the monster's shadow while it held her. With childlike glee the monster giggled as it skipped by her and away from Frodrick and Miguel.
Frodrick 13/13 – Defensive Fighting +2 dodge, -4 attk, Challenge
Jargon 13/13 –
Krii 8/8 – Mage Armour
Kyrie 7/13 –
Miguel 9/9 – Dancing Lights (4/10), Combat Expertise +1 dodge AC
Zeran 10/10 – (loaded) 33 bullets
Beastie: Yellow Status
Choman: ???
Wild: ???
(I believe the appropriate phrase at this point is “Let's get dangerous”. Zeran is now in melee range as a byproduct of how the monster moved. It's shadow is a non-entity just now since it's pointed away from the group thanks to the current positioning of Miguel's lights. It looks like the thing's decided to fight back in earnest.)
Posted on 2013-05-09 at 08:23:50.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Miguel rolls a 17, then everyone else rolls 4-9. Seriously you guys, buck it up.
Miguel stepped in as Zeran fell back. He slashed his sword down swiftly and expertly across the scruff of the small creature's neck. Despite the force of his strike, thick dark ichor oozed out of only a shallow wound left on the beastie's hide. Apparently it was supernaturally resistant to mortal instruments of cold steel (-4dmg Beastie, Green).
Frodrick had called for a flanking partner, and so Kyrie ran around to the other side of the monster, opposite Zeran even as he backed out of the way. She swiped at the vermin with her sickle. Despite its apparent top-heaviness, it's small size worked to its advantage.
Zeran, found this true, too. Taking a wider aim to avoid hitting either Kyrie or Miguel, he fired a ball straight into the blasted earth, throwing up nothing more deadly than a puff of dirt. The adventurer brigand cursed his luck in Hanspur's name.
Scoring naught for naught Krii experienced nothing less than the same fate. The sorcerer stepped back from the fight, searching for a clear gap in the fighters to shoot through while not providing too much opening should the monster rush break away and rush for him. Perhaps still bleary-eyed from recent memories of sleep, he fired a beam of icy energy from his finger at the creature, only to spread a layer of hoarfrost over the plains grass and turning the dense fog into snow where the narrow beam passed.
Meanwhile Frodrick finished fitting the straps on his hefty shield. There was no telling if it would save him from what manner of attack this beastie possessed, but it wouldn't likely hurt his chances of survival, especially lacking his armour. With multiple attempts flying sour around the field, Frodrick stepped into the position Zeran vacated directly opposite Kyrie and held his guard up, tempting the monster to try something against him.
The monster must have sensed the dwarf's unspoken challenge. Instead of lashing out as it had done with Zeran, though, it glanced blatantly to the long shadow it cast thanks to Miguel's lights, stretched across the ground to Frodrick's side. Rather than attack, it took a deliberate step away from Frodrick and Kyrie, throwing it's shadow onto the dwarf at the same time as it reached out to Miguel with it's profane ability.
Miguel's quick reflexes managed to dodge the shadowy attack, but nearly every hair on Frodrick's body stood on end at the touch of the unnatural shade cast by the monster. He apparently suffered no worse than Zeran had, though.
Frodrick 13/13 – Total Defence
Krii 8/8 – Mage Armour
Kyrie 13/13 –
Miguel 9/9 – Dancing Lights (3/10), Combat Expertise 0/+1
Zeran 10/10 – () 33 bullets
Woman: ???
Child: ???
Beastie: Green Status
(Also because I feel I need to mark this milestone, having hit it like 3-4 years after Reralae: 999 posts!)
Posted on 2013-05-04 at 07:11:02.
Edited on 2013-05-04 at 07:14:12 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: There's a certain joy to using monsters almost no one has fought before.
Kyrie dropped her shovel by her post. If there was serious danger going on she would want her shield going into matters. She waited at the edge of the fire light, quickly switching weapons while the others got themselves sorted.
Miguel sprang to life first, his soonest conscious thought (excepting perhaps hoping for cooked eggs and bacon) being a simple illumination spell. The four points of light appeared in formation beyond the edge of the firelight, illuminating the ground in front of Kyrie while Miguel reached for his sword and slid off it's sheath.
At this distance the lights appeared scarcely any brighter than the now-missing lantern, illuminating large clouds of fog but providing no insight as to what lay hidden in its depths. Kyrie eschewed her sight for this matter and reached out with more intuitive senses.
Almost as soon as the paladin begin focusing, a sense of formless malice drew in her mind, originating from somewhere out in the darkness.
Behind her the party assembled themselves, intentionally or not, loosely according to Zeran's direction, Zeran drawing and loading his pistol while Frodrick and Krii approached, one with axe the other with magical protections.
Frodrick 13/13 –
Krii 8/8 – Mage Armour
Kyrie 13/13 – Detect Evil (1st round)
Miguel 9/9 – Dancing Lights (2/10)
Zeran 10/10 – (loaded) 34 bullets
Woman: ???
Child: ??? (Gone quiet)
Evil: Definitely Evil.
(Round 2 – It didn't seem like I'd be taking particular liberties to suggest that people keep moving forward as a group, seeing as how that was the point; if you had a specific action in mind, Skype me)
Miguel joined Kyrie at her left while she continued to focus. She glanced at him as he arrived and together with the rest of the party they advanced slowly. Just before she released her concentation she felt a single, supernaturally powerful malicious presence out in the darkness. Normally most folk barely registered on her senses, so the strength of this aura was greater than any she had encountered before. (1 Aura: Moderate)
As the party passed below where Miguel stationed his floating lights, the fog seemed to get thicker—except that wasn't the case. They were only two-thirds of the way to where the lantern had gone down, but the fog seemed to stretch out of itself toward the party. As the bank of thick cloud approached them it separated itself from the surrounding fog and congealed on the spot in front of Zeran.
The gunslinger barely had time to react in fear and surprise as a monstrosity took shape, shrieking a bone-chilling cry, and lunged at him. It was about the size and shape of a child, dressed in a child's grave rags, but it could not be a child, at least not anymore. Atop it's spindly child-sized body sat an over-sized bestial head like that of a rat or an ugly dog, complete with sharp teeth and sunken, dead shadows for eyes.
Rather than grabbing onto Zeran, as it could have, it merely stretched its gnarled hand out—but on the grass below its shadow wasn't keeping still. The shadow of the arm continued to stretch where the monster's didn't, and grasped Zeran around the ankle. The man thought he was going to be ill at the sight of this unnatural event, but apparently suffered no further harm by the time the shadow retracted.
Frodrick 13/13 –
Krii 8/8 – Mage Armour
Kyrie 13/13 – Detect Evil (2st round – End)
Miguel 9/9 – Dancing Lights (2/10)
Zeran 10/10 – (loaded) 34 bullets
Woman: ???
Child: ???
Evil: Moderate and apparently furry.
(Don't think I can't hear the chorus of WTF. I do, and it fills me with pleasure - Have fun.
Also while we're at it, I'm not going to pretend at any point that the lantern at night = danger was a surprise, but I think perhaps what actually came of it will be enough to compensate. Also, you don't know what/if/maybe became of the woman and child yet. Finally, if you're curious, the monster's normal shadow lies just to the upper left, cast from the light source to it's lower right)
Posted on 2013-05-03 at 09:44:32.
Edited on 2013-05-03 at 10:17:37 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Jack o' the Lantern folklore
Hehe, I probably didn't need to keep researching for so long to answer this one, but just try to stop me from reading shit.
Anyway, no one possesses Knowledge (dungeoneering), so concrete information on aberrations is alien to you (beyond a basic knowledge DC 10), but in terms of rumour, folklore, and common knowledge you do have some info.
The bestiary entry for Will o' the Wisps states:
"Every trapper and bog farmer living near marshes or swamps has his own name for these faintly glowing balls of light—jack o' the lanterns, corpse candles, walking fires, pine lights, spooklights, rushlights—but all recognize them as dangerous predators and false guides in the darkness."
The nearest swampland, the Hooktongue Slough, is actually not too far away to the east, though the nearest form of civilization lies in Rostland to the north. Nevertheless, trappers who frequent the Stolen Lands occasionally bring back stories from the region of floating witchlights capable of mimicking lanterns, which lead lost travelers into danger if followed.
It may also be worth noting that Kyrie does hear two voices--the crying child and the woman.
Posted on 2013-04-26 at 23:17:58.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: On the Road Again.... Finally.
19-20 Pharast
Oleg's Trading Post
Brevic Borderlands
(Frodrick & Jhod)
Jhod appeared suspicious about the idea of talking with the dwarf in private, but agreed at once—whether he somehow understood Frodrick's intentions, or perhaps thought it best to keep further arguments to less public venues, only he could say.
When Frodrick finished his bit the middle-aged man smiled softly. “I know how difficult that must have been for you to admit. I accept your apology. Erastil knows I haven't always been the best judge of a situation myself in the past, but don't let it get you down too hard. I've only been here five days and already I've seen the great work you have done with these prisoners already. When you find one rotten apple, you don't throw out the bushel, you throw out the apple, after all.”
Jhod's face hardened just a bit, assuming his no-nonsense down-to-business look you've seen him adopt whenever there was work to be done over the the last few days. “I assume your party will want to pass judgement in the morning? I'll prepare my vestments, then.”
(...)
Jhod's 'vestments' turned out to mean a clean pair of everyday clothes, with a serviceable leather cloak thrown over, bearing the symbol of Erastil burnt into the hide. Being the single most qualified in the matters of life and death, he oversaw the execution with funeral rites.
Niko, for his part, did not seem to appreciate Jhod's services and sulked twice as hard as he had previously when he was pretending at obedience. When Jhod emphasised repentance and forgiveness, Niko merely scowled as if the world was to blame for his current situation rather than his own egocentric failings.
After Jhod's few words for the bandit, Niko was hung alongside Happs' well decayed and crow-pecked body without further ceremony.
Kyrie 10/13
Exploration & Mapping
20-28 Pharast
Hexes: B4, A4, A3, A2, A1, (B1) +125 XP Each
The party set out again not long after the hanging. Svetlana bid them each good luck, and Oleg told them to bring him back more loot he could trade.
They traveled northwest and coasted along the southern border of Brevoy for a few days without much disturbance. One night, camping a few miles from the northernmost point of the Narlmarches, however, sleep was restless and hard to come by. Beginning sometime in the middle of the night when Krii was on watch, a tremendous uproar of bellowing grunts and menacing hissing dominated the night. As far as anyone could guess, two massive animals, easily bear-sized or larger judging by the noise they made, were warring for some reason or another. While the sound was far away from where the party was camped, the cacophony disturbed sleep for almost half an hour.
Kyrie 13/13
(24 Pharast)
Early in the next day's exploration the party came upon the source of the night's disturbance—or at least one of the pair. A large pile of fur, feathers and blood was all that remained of one of the combatants, aptly enough about the size of a bear. Despite the damage done to the body, split open with the innards largely consumed, the owl-faced creature matched the description of the legendary owlbear.
No regular animal, Miguel identified the body as a magical beast, tougher and more deadly than any common bird or beast of the wilderness. It's generally agreed that the first owlbears were the twisted product of some deranged wizard's meddling in the past, but the species has long since flourished rather well in the wild places of the world. Miguel pointed out the creature's red-rimmed eyes which many scholars thought to be physical manifestation of some kind of bloodthirsty madness that compels them to kill anything larger than a mouse. Other scholars, of course, suggest that it's merely how the monster's eyes are constructed, though the owlbear's notorious temper and aggression is well known.
(More info to come in the Bestiary section of the Q&A, Miguel got a pretty sweet roll on the lore check and I'm not going to bore you with all the detail here).
It was almost impossible to tell what manner of beastie had actually slain the monster, but the several puncture wounds near its throat suggest some form of massive insectoid similar to the spider from the week before. Whatever it may have been, it had probably buggered off back to the forest after consuming its fill.
Other than this evidence of its meal, no further sign was seen of the predator (or, knowing the nature of the owlbear, erstwhile prey turned predator)—and perhaps just as thankfully, no other owlbears seemed to inhabit the immediate area, which would have been nearly as deadly if not more so of a find.
Around the far northwestern lands of the Greenbelt Charter, at the border between Brevoy to the north and the Hooktongue Slough charter to the west the party passed a scattered selection of large stones, apparently the remains of toppled cairns from a forgotten age.
(28 Pharast)
After about a full week worth of exploration the temperature took a sudden dip and the sky turned dull grey—no where near freezing, but enough to create a thick fog toward the end of the daylight hours. By the time the group made camp, visibility was reduced to hardly the span of the camp, even with a fire lit.
Overnight the fog muffled every sound and made it all but impossible to see anything outside the camp, resulting in a very sombre and subdued watch duty. As fate, luck, or dramatic tension would have it, though, such a night as this could not pass unnoted.
Toward the end of Kyrie's watch she was alerted by a faint, sobbing wail in the distance. She was only just able to make out the light of a solitary lantern working its way across the plain, though the fog obscured its bearer from sight. They must have noticed the campfire, however, and a woman's voice cried out in the fog.
“Help! Help me!”
Frodrick 13/13 –
Jargon 13/13 –
Krii 8/8 –
(Vilify) 15/15 –
Kyrie 13/13 –
Miguel 9/9 –
Zeran 10/10 – 34 bullets
Vilify’s Training: Day 13/21 (Success)
Bogdan's Training: Day 2/21
Matilda's Training: Day 2/21
(I forgot to include it in the actual post, but only Vilify was taking to the training and has moved on to the final half of his training. Bogdan and Matilda have both started over from the basics.)
(Oh, also only Kyrie is awake at the time. She can (and probably will) wake the others just by shouting to them or responding to the traveler. Her shovel is immediately at hand, and I guess it would make sense for everybody to be sleeping wearing their armour except Frodrick (not counting Krii, who has never worn his armour in a fight))
Posted on 2013-04-25 at 21:51:19.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Owen plays it fast and loose to get things wrapped up with maximum dramatic tension
“We need just a bit more information,” Miguel pondered. They had both come to some of the same conclusions, but the answers weren't all there yet. Technically speaking they needed absolutely no reason to bring down judgement on the person they thought responsible—each of the bandits here lived with a sword over their head kept back only by their good behaviour—but it would do well to get further evidence before rushing into any hasty judgements.
“Let's head to the stables—your laddie may just be able to help us out here.”
The two slipped into the stables where they knew Stefan would be still. This time Frodrick did not deign to hide back to listen in secret. Even if there were a place he could listen in discretely, his presence for this conversation would no doubt be more valuable up front than hidden.
The boy started when Frodrick and Miguel entered. He seemed slightly on edge, but he relaxed a small measure once he saw who had come to visit. It looked like he was merely checking up on the horses before turning in for the night; in the crook of his left arm he carried an empty bucket for filling the water trough, and he held a brush with his right.
“Oh, uh, hello sers. I just wanted to be sure Dandy Girl and Claptrap were settled in for the night.” While Stefan was not yet permitted to touch neither Jargon nor Vilify, he was beginning learning from Oleg how to take care of the remainder of the unclaimed horses until Oleg could sell them. He seemed to be finishing up.
“We won't delay you long, then. We just came to see how you were doing.” Miguel told him. The boy's eyes flicked between the two, a bit wary but not outright suspicious of their motivations.
“...Alright.”
“That's good to hear.” Miguel didn't want to drive the boy into hiding with excessive probing, so he got directly to the point. Stefan was the youngest of the lot, and unless Miguel missed his guess, the weakest link if there were any secrets being kept among the bandits. He didn't like using his skills this underhandedly, but in the world of intrigue sometimes it was better than the alternative. “So, uh—we hear Niko seems to resent his new place. The story goes he thinks he's better than the rest of us. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?”
Stefan writhed quietly under his skin. He was quickly beginning to look more uncomfortable with the situation. “Um—.”
Miguel paced conversationally. “You know you don't have to be afraid of him anymore. Frodrick made this promise to all the bandits—but it sounds like Niko doesn't think much of life here.” Miguel stopped to glance at Stefan. The boy's eyes were fixed firmly on Frodrick's boots. “What do you think of life here?”
Stefan managed to glance up once to look Frodrick in the eye. In that single moment the dwarf saw a decision being made.
The boy was the lowest rung on the ladder among the bandits. If there was a plot and he let something slip, he would be quickly punished—but if he didn't say anything, there were others who also held the power to make his life miserable.
His gaze settled on the neutral territory across Frodrick's expansive beard. “Niko, he—uh. He wants me to have make sure we have horses ready for some of us to use. He hasn't said when, but I think he's planning to get away soon. I think he's making Adela get us weapons. I'm sorry, I didn't want to, but I had no choice.”
(...)
The three stepped out of the stables together. Niko and Adela sat together at one end of the table. Miguel barely registered that Adela had not turned in yet before things escalated.
Whatever Niko may have seen in their faces, he needed only to glance at Stefan to know the boy had given him up. They had hardly made it halfway across the yard when he leaped up. In a quick motion he lunged for the guard standing hardly a few feet away and tore his short sword out of its sheath and roughly shoved the guard out of the way.
With the other hand he dragged Adela to her feet and held the sword to her body. “Stay back! I know you wouldn't want me to hurt her, now would you?” Nikodim's voice cracked with the edge of a madman driven to the point of desperation. The people sitting at the other table pulled back, shocked by the sudden turn of events. Nobody breathed for a whole second.
Which was plenty of time, in fact. A hand shot out from the shadows by the corner of the main house and grabbed Niko's sword arm, managing to wrench it away from the girl. The rest of Zeran's body followed immediately after, extending his rapier toward the unarmed Niko.
He supposed he could have tried to come up with something witty, but frankly he had acted without preparing a one-liner for the situation, and his mind was still racing to catch up. He was going to turn in some time ago, but when he saw Niko make Adela sit next to him he figured it couldn't hurt to keep watching. Luckily he figured right.
(Took one or two creative liberties, but essays are done now, so the time for this whole shebang has come and gone right back out. You can roleplay out the rest of the encounter pretty well—Niko's got no escape unless he manages to break away from Zeran without a perforated jugular and throws himself over the wall. His best bet would probably to plead mercy from his captors a second time. Feel free, if you like, to include mention of an extra hanging for the next morning in your post—that much can be taken for granted unless Frodrick goes Queen of Hearts on his head tonight.
Barring further unexpected ado, I expect to set this ship sailing full speed ahead as soon as I can start typing the next update. Please do treat Niko to your opinions in the meantime. Frodrick is probably the most relevant mover in this scene, so the spotlight remains pointed roughly in that direction, though commentary is welcome from all corners.)
Posted on 2013-04-19 at 10:00:56.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Miguel Holmes and Dr. Redbrew are on the case. Feel the intellectual swelter!
The following is the result of a brief RP over Skype, you've not really missed a whole bunch
Frodrick and Miguel began their investigation by seeking out the man whose dagger had been 'misplaced'. Kesten readily directed them to where he stood on guard, his recently returned dagger fastened to his belt.
He was the youngest of the three mercenary guards that had come with Kesten to the post, a guess would probably place him around Miguel's age, in his mid-twenties. Despite his recent embarrasment, he was open enough to discussing his dagger with the two impromptu investigators.
The guard told them that he could not say where or when his dagger was taken from him—up until the moment Kesten had called him to return it to him, he believed that he had stupidly misplaced it somewhere and was looking for it. Now, he says, he'll know better than to carelessly leave his equipment lying around where the bandits can reach.
Frodrick probed him for any impressions at all he may have had, or suspicions about the bandits. To him the lot seemed pretty alright—he wasn't concerned over the lost dagger because the lot seemed more or less content with their situation for the time. Except, of course, for Niko. That man's been a mild nuissance of grumbling and shiftlessness since the day the guards arrived, though he's never stepped obviously out of line.
They thanked the guard for his time—he thanked Frodrick for finding his dagger—and moved on. The sun had gone down not so long ago and the night was still young. The majority of the camp not on duty gathered around the tables between the two main buildings. Tanya and Gavril were betting imaginary funds on the outcomes of arm-wrestling matches, Luka was talking to another of the guards on duty watching over the crowd, and Stefan had slipped away to the stables.
“Arrigh', lad, yer runnin' this show. What do you think? I have a mind to go to the girl and settle this directly, but you're the one with the training for this kind o' work.” Miguel was a Restovian bard to be sure, and whatever his carefree nature might suggest, he was indeed trained in the triune arts of duelling, performance, and intruigue.
The blond man thought for a moment. “I have a plan. You go up to the palisade walk and hide just out of sight. I'll be up in a moment.” With that Miguel left off and casually strolled into the gathering.
Frodrick's good eye could easily keep track of nearly the whole area of the fort before the darkness grew too deep to penetrate, so he had no trouble finding a spot out of sight, though he had to remind himself a couple times that even if he could see as bright as day, he was still hidden.
Miguel entered the area around the tables more or less without comment and sat across from Adela. “Hey, can I interest you in a stroll around the wall?” To anyone listening in, he crafted his request to sound like a casual invitation, perhaps from one from a potential romantic interest, even. Bluff: 18 + 7 = 25
The dark-haired woman glanced at the others and decided she wasn't preoccupied at the moment. She rose to follow Miguel up the ladder leading to the palisade walk.
Miguel started the conversation unassumingly. Their previous chat ended with hardly anything said, merely confirming that they had met—or at least attended the same party—once before.
“So. This is a little ways removed from Cercei's latest fashionable venue.”
Adela snorted despite herself. “Oh gods, does she really still hold those ridiculous parties of hers?”
“They've only gotten worse since, I hear. I don't miss it.”
“That vacuous harpy, that's another thing I don't miss about... before.” Miguel realized she probably wouldn't elaborate anytime soon.
“Heavens know that's exactly the kind of thing my father sent me to Restov to get away from,” the bard reflected. “That's probably why I went in the first place. But no, that wasn't my kind of thing, either.”
“Oh, by the way—,” he transitioned abruptly from reminiscence to present. They had a moment since arrived near where Frodrick had taken up position. “One of the guards seems to have lost a dagger. You haven't seen anything laying around while working with Svetlana, have you?”
Hiding in the darkness, Frodrick could see the woman's manner, already reserved and careful by default, snap tight. She did not answer Miguel for several seconds, and when she did she was choosing her words with great care.
“Well, I think... it will turn up soon enough likely. You should be careful looking for it, though—some of us still miss being free, even if the dwarf's offer is better than most would get in our situation.”
Frodrick realized the care of her words was not as much about constructing a lie as it was intended to pass a message.
“Ah,” said Miguel, “that's helpful to know. I'm sure it will turn up soon, too. If it doesn't, though, would you have any recommendations where to look?”
“I wouldn't know anything, of course, but if you ask me most of this lot are about as subtle as Cercei's gaggle, but it's possible that somebody is doing the thinking while another does the work—people who think highly of themselves tend to be harmless as they are humble, but don't like to risk themselves.”
She turned to the ladder back down. “But speculation is worth more in hot air than in gold, they say. It's late and I have an early rise. Begging your leave, Ser Miguel.”
Miguel let her go and waited for Frodrick to come out of hiding. Trained though he was to work on the level of such political machinations, suspicion wasn't much in his nature. He waited to see if the dwarf's impression of the conversation matched the ideas he was getting.
(For those of you following along at home, if you missed some of the implications thrown around here's a quick-notes version: Adela seems to think the dagger will show up soon (not knowing Frodrick already returned it) but warns that missing daggers might be dangerous in the hands of certain prisoners. When asked which prisoners she declined to name names, but mentioned that most of the bandits are not very good at taking things quietly, but dropped heavy hints about self-important schemers using others to their own benefits
We're not quite finished with the evening scenario, but when Frodrick can get back to me, the next morning's actions can take place.)
Posted on 2013-04-06 at 22:49:46.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Intrigue at the Border Fort -- Double Post for the Win!
Rest
16-20 Pharast
Oleg's Trading Post
Over the next several days the group remained at Oleg's to rest and recover their strength. Frodrick spent most of his time out of the fort, gathering fruits and vegetables and trapping animals to add food to Oleg's stores, while Zeran took a couple days to make himself some new ammunition and replace the old, rusted, weathered and beaten pieces of his pistol with portions forged anew.
He replaced the wooden stock of the gun with a new, polished one, fitting on a shining new brass butt to replace the long tarnished old one. The flintlock mechanism itself received premium treatment, with a new flint piece, a replacement frizzen, and all the rusted screws exchanged.
On one of the days, Miguel and Zeran rode out together on a day trip to visit Bokken with a coin-purse from Krii to pay for the life-draining potions he had ordered (-150G). They returned later the same day after an uneventful ride. (They can also take orders for any potions the rest of the group might think of buying, but it sounds I guess like we're good without for now?).
One evening, as Frodrick came round the corner of the stables on his way to relieve himself, one of the ex-bandits bumped into him inadvertently from his blind side. Being the sturdy and stocky dwarf he was, the other practically fell over him without so much as budging his stance.
“Oop—sorry, my apologies,” the prisoner hastily excused and quickly departed from sight before the dwarf could hardly rouse anything more than a complaint about people who don't watch where they're going.
It was only another half a second after the bandit vanished that Frodrick realized that an extra knife had been added to his belt, complete with sheath. He could not think but somehow the bandit—he could not be sure which one in the confusion of the chance encounter, though his memory seemed to favour Adela—had slipped into his belt when they collided.
The dwarf removed the dagger and inspected it. It looked like one of the daggers carried by Kesten's men. If true somebody would be missing this, shortly. There were several questions to be raised, for sure.
-In the to and fro somebody bumps into Frodrick, he doesn't notice who, until he realizes an extra dagger has been added to his belt.
Frodrick 13/13 –
Jargon 13/13 –
Krii 8/8 –
(Vilify) 15/15 –
Kyrie 10/13 –
Miguel 9/9 –
Zeran 10/10 – 34 bullets
Bogdan & Vilify’s Training: Day 5/21
Matilda's Training: Day 5/21
(Understandably you should have a whole whack of questions concerning the knife, where it came from, how 'Adela' managed to get a hold of it, and possibly most important, what is the purpose of handing it to Frodrick in such a manner? Stayed up extra late for this one, so you know I love you guys (also my way of explaining why the prose ended up as stunted as it did).
I expect to be pretty frantic about essays in the immediate future, but I'll try to keep up in the small hours whenever I can. I've given you something to work over in the meantime, if I can't get more than small posts done over the next little while. If I do have time, though, I'll try to advance the exploration progress even while the knife plot plays out.)
Posted on 2013-03-29 at 09:31:46.
Edited on 2013-03-29 at 23:55:54 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: "Never trust a fool."
Jhod turned with glad, expectant eyes as Frodrick began, clearly feeling a receptive audience. His smile gave way to confusion, then darkened into anger when the dwarf accused the cleric of failing in the practice of his duties. Throughout the remainder of Frodrick's tirade, Jhod maintained a white-knuckled grip on his spoon and a hard-clenched jaw. Finally, when Zeran stood up abruptly he looked ready to give up.
The balding cleric stood up quickly. “I am surprised in you, master Redbrew. Surprised that the eldest among your party should also be the most ignorant! Everything you say betrays your foolishness! I am but a hunter and a priest, what would you have me do? You are the adventurers, that is the lot you chose for yourselves!”
The humble cleric had come to lean over the table in his excitement. By now the entire table had stopped eating and was looking at the two old men. Jhod glanced at the others, notably at Oleg and Svetlana. He cast his gaze down, apparently ashamed of his outburst. He returned to his seat.
“The Old Hunter's arrow never misses,” he muttered to himself, like some sort of aphorism.
His face was still stern, but his emotion much more contained. “I admit I have deeply personal reasons for being here that I do not expect you to understand, but my offer to provide whatever healing I can for a reasonable fee stands. It was my hope that, if you happened to see anything resembling the temple I have described while you explore these lands, you would simply inform me and this would not be too much of an imposition on your travels.”
[Space for perhaps a couple short responses, Jhod is not just addressing Frodrick, but he's pretty deflated from the heated discussion, so his contribution to any following conversation will be short.]
Jhod returned to his stew. He took only a couple bites before putting his spoon back down. “I beg your pardon, Svetlana, I seem to have lost my appetite, even for a stew as delicious as this. If I may excuse myself, I believe I have many things to think about before I turn in for the evening; it may be best to get a headstart so I don't lose more sleep than I must.”
Posted on 2013-03-29 at 08:32:51.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Rare Respite
16 Pharast
Oleg's Trading Post
Brevic Borderlands
Safe back within the four walls of the fort, nourished by Svetlana's cooking and sheltered from the (now perfectly amiable) weather the party took to resting up to recover their stamina. The Levetons were happy to see their return (even Oleg, who has managed a grudging respect for most members of the party) and hear of the tales of their adventure over the last week and a half. They related the epic of their encounter with the mad hermit Bokken, the perils of mild winter weather, and their heroic attempts at large pest extermination.
The small border fort had its own stories to tell, mostly in the form of a middle-aged man by the name of Jhod Kavken, a hunter and a travelling priest of Erastil. He explained that he had come to the post to offer his services in inexpensive spellcasting and other such services that a priest of hunting/farming/rural civilization might be of use to a party of explorers. The other significant arrival since the party’s last departure came in the form of an official messenger of the mayor, bearing the recognition of the Swordlords for services rendered, accompanied by the posted bounty of four hundred crowns for efforts made to combat banditry in the Greenbelt (see Wanted: Bandits quest).
Despite this reward, however, the post could relate stories coming from a sparse handful of sources that while the banditry near the border had certainly seen a cut in activity, the further south one travelled the more aggressive the bandits were becoming. All travel through the Greenbelt to and from Brevoy was growing nearly more dangerous than it was worth even for the more daring of woodsmen.
The party arrived shortly before supper, so there was yet time to mingle and take care of transactions before then.
When Frodrick mentioned to Oleg the possibility of putting down an order for some winter clothing, the trader admitted that he had noticed the party’s lighter dress, but hadn’t thought much of it at the time since the weather had been so mild until just that one snowfall recently. That said, he suspected it would be necessary sooner or later to pick up some kind of furs, so he put the order in advance, hoping to have the supply rather than need it later. As such there were thick woolen clothes, heavy fur-lined cloaks, and sturdy boots enough for the whole party (-8G each; each weighs 7lbs total, but they’ll stay in storage on the wagon unless explicitly needed anyway, so no matter).
Zeran chatted idly to Adela while she peeled potatoes for the pot. The dark-haired woman had more or less replaced Tanya for Svetlana’s assistant, apparently having more affinity for it than the other woman, who seemed happier working with Oleg and Niko (and, at least according to Oleg, was a sight more useful than the still resentful man, who had to be told in explicit detail what his instructions were or else he might ‘forget’ what his job entailed).
Adela listened to Zeran’s amiable rambling patiently and tolerantly without having much to respond with in kind. She did not seem to resent her part in the conversation, though, despite her flat, impassive expression and unresponsiveness.
Meanwhile Krii and Miguel enlisted the aid of the rest of the prisoners in attempts to further decipher the map. They confirmed that it was probably the plans of one of the Stag Lord’s men, especially given that he had a silver necklace like Happs’ and Krestle’s. They were not able to glean much from the diagram, but they told the two whatever they could guess.
“This here,” Tanya said, pointing to the hill the tree stood upon, “makes me think the loot is probably hidden in the Kamelands. The grasslands up here are too flat to draw something like that, I would think. There are trees all over the whole territory, though. I can’t think where yours might be.” Nikodim lifted his hands in a mock fanfare at the deduction and returned to his own thoughts. Apparently he didn't think crude treasure maps worth his ever valuable time and attention.
“It looks funny, kind of shaped like a claw,” threw in Stefan, trying to pull together clues. Suddenly the thrill of discovery brightened his face. “Hey, what about that big old lightning-blasted tree? It kind of looks like a claw if you come at it from the right angle. Plus it's out in the hills, tallest thing for a good couple miles.”
Luka rubbed his chin. “You may be right—I think I know the one.” He moved to the map. “Not this one here,” he said, pointing to the landmarked tree that the map's original maker thought a useful waypoint, “it's just north of that, somewhere around here. It was struck by lightning or something so it's gone mostly black and split down the middle. Well done, Stefan, for remembering that one.” (Luka indicates the area somewhere around D5/D6 at the northern edge of the Kamelands).
[Supper]
Not long after supper had begun, Jhod attempted to engage Frodrick in a conversation about the rumours he’d heard of lost ruins and treasure populating the Greenbelt. The dwarf didn’t need two eyes to see the older human was building up to something on his mind, so he let the man go on (with or without much response, as you decide fitting).
“Truth be told,” Jhod admitted sheepishly, “there is one particular, uh, rumour that has caught my attention especially. I figured since you’d be spending a fair bit of time exploring this area, you might be able to put it to rest for me.
“You see it seems worship of Erastil is not uncommon in the rural parts of this region, as is often the case in most places—there is something about the teachings of ‘Old Deadeye’ that appeals to small-town folk, lead by example and good deeds and none of this flowery rhetoric stuff.” The man almost lost track of his point, gazing wistfully off.
“But I’m rambling again, I beg your pardon my good fellow. What I’m trying to say is, I’ve heard it said some people seem to think there may be a temple dedicated to Erastil, lost somewhere out there in the Narlmarch Woods. I know these lands are mostly inhospitable save for bandits, but nevertheless there have been attempts to settle these lands in the past, and it would interest me to see if they established any centres of worship when they did, you see.”
“Oh, and I suppose I should mention—it would seem, ah, rumour holds that the temple is guarded by a fierce bear. I suppose I know it sounds strange, but so do most rumours about these areas, hey? Would you keep an eye out for this old priest?”
(Frodrick could tell from the way the man spoke he was a terrible liar, and it would seem at least as bad at attempting to choose his words delicately. If after that you’re tired of reading the words ‘seem’ and ‘rumour’ then I got my point across. You or anyone near you at the table can attempt a Diplomacy check to press the matter.
Also, I think Zeran may be a masochist, consistently choosing the ramble with the NPC least equipped to give him what he needs: attention. Finally I’ll start counting down the days until Bogdan and Vilify make the Handle Animal check to learn war-training.)
--This is the first 9/10ths of the post I was working on. Figured I'd give you something to work with while I went to supper.
Posted on 2013-03-27 at 02:45:03.
Edited on 2013-03-27 at 03:46:25 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Trapdoor Spider Loot
The thick webbing on the sides of the shaft make it a simple matter for anyone (except Krii at the moment) to climb down. The spider has apparently not cleaned out the bodies in her lair in the last week, and so her desiccated meals remain at the bottom of the shaft--mostly a couple animals, but notably including one dead bandit. Whoever goes down the shaft gives the body a once-over. He's not carrying much of value on his person, but he does have another of those stag skull amulets that seem to denote those in ranking positions in the Stag Lord's little army of bandits. Well, at least Happs-important.
-Short Sword
-Stag Lord Amulet
-Not going to list leather armour unless the searcher really feels like undressing the body of a guy whose innards have been liquified and sucked out of his body.
-10G
Just before the searcher climbs back up, though, they notice a slip of paper sticking out of the man's boot. Clearly anything worth hiding in a boot was worth a look. Sure enough on the slip was written "Loot here. Tell no one. This should be enough for us to leave the Stag Lord--together."
Evidently from (or to) the man's lover, the back bears a crude drawing of a claw-shaped dead tree on a barren hill, with an "X" in blood at the tree's roots. There is no indication how near or far the bandit may have been to the hidden cache, but having mapped the entire area of the spider's region, you know there are no claw-shaped trees to be found on barren hillsides in the immediate area.
-Crude Treasure Map
Posted on 2013-03-23 at 08:06:31.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Congrats. You murdered a giant spider who only wanted to invite you into her home... permanently
Miguel returned just as the rest had argued out the matter of using the flask in his hand. He kept it in the off event it was proven necessary. Zeran meanwhile brought the wagon to a stop on the far side of the hole and clambered out with his pistol in hand.
Kyrie and Frodrick continued to do their due diligence in unsealing the spider's den. Weakened as she was, Kyrie's blows felt sluggish to her, but Frodrick more than made up for whatever she missed with enthusiasm (-7dmg each). The trapdoor lid was beginning to crumble inward, though the vegetation and spider silk maintained a loose integrity (Trapdoor: Broken, but not yet Destroyed just quite). Probably only one more solid blow would be enough to smash it in.
The lid practically flopped when the spider's bulk surged up once more. Krii was waiting for this opportunity, but despite expecting this attack, he could not quite match the ferocious speed of the arachnid assailant with his aim. His spell struck harmlessly absorbed by the lid (0dmg Trapdoor) while his target lunged out and sunk its outstretched fangs into Kyrie's body again (-5dmg Kyrie).
(Vilify) 13/15 – -2Str
Kyrie 5/13 – -1 Str
Giant Trapdoor Spider: Red Status, Near Death, Cover.
5' Wide Trapdoor: Broken, barely any integrity remaining
Despite the venomous bite, the girl's strength of determination did not waver, and the strength of her body held, too. She raised her spade to deliver the final blow just as Zeran approached the congregation. True to prediction, at this last attack the barrier gave way, raining clods of dirt and root and silk down the 25' deep shaft onto the head of the giant spider at the bottom. With the trapdoor collapsed, Kyrie took a step back, lacking the means to fight the spider at such a distance and beginning to show the fatigue of her injuries.
Frodrick stepped back too, his work done with the cave in of the roof. His one good eye picked out the forms of a couple half decayed corpses, notably at least one human with leather armour. Miguel noticed, too, and privately reflected that it was probably for the best they didn't attempt to use the fire oil.
Krii stepped in and threw another arc of electricity down the hole. This one struck it's target square on the head, causing all of it's many limbs to seize up and curl involuntarily. (-3elec Spider Near Death)
Cornered and completely exposed, the spider had few options for fleeing or hiding. It shook off the chunks of earth adorning it's carapace and flew up the shaft in a burst of speed. Perhaps seeking revenge before it was killed, it sped straight for Krii.
The tall sorcerer tried to jump away, but the spider pounced on him and managed to leave small knife-like wounds in his upper thigh as he scrambled to get away from the monster (-2dmg Krii + Poison -2Str). The spider immediately turned to flee, the scene, around or through Zeran, if necessary.
Miguel saw the spider's intent to flee and lunged without a second thought. His diligence in keeping his sword primed with arcane energy paid off as he drove his blade deep into the spider's body, causing it to collapse on the ground just outsider the mouth of its lair, with its legs curling slowly into itself (-11dmg Spider KO). When he withdrew his sword, nearly a foot of its length was covered in the pale blue blood of the creature.
Meanwhile Krii found himself steadily losing strength to the debilitating poison. His scrawny body and frail complexion contrasting with Kyrie's hearty strength was hardly a match for the venom working its way through his system, and he lost a lot of strength before finally the pain stopped (-1Str, -2Str).
Frodrick 13/13 –
Jargon 13/13 –
Krii 6/8 – Mage Armour Poisoned -2Str (-1Str, -2Str = -5Str at end of 3 rounds)
(Vilify) 13/15 – -2Str
Kyrie 5/13 – -1 Str
Miguel 9/9 –
Zeran 10/10 – 4 bullets
Giant Trapdoor Spider: Unconscious, Basically Dead.
5' Wide Trapdoor: Destroyed
(I almost forgot Miguel was still standing there until I remembered that Spring Attack only protects you from AoO of the target, not any other movement, for which you normally rely on mobility, which the spider doesn't have because it got Spring Attack as a bonus feat.
Anyway, for some housekeeping, Vilify's Str has dropped to 14/16, thus making Krii's weight a medium load. Vil's speed at this load (35') is still more than enough to keep up with the wagon, however, so he is still good for riding. Kyrie's Str meanwhile has dropped to 13/14, reducing her loads to 50, 100, and 150lbs, which is still enough to cover her equipment. Krii's meanwhile drops to 6/11 which drops him to carrying 20, 40, and 60lbs which is nevertheless enough to cover the gear he actually carries around with him (if he was actually carrying that armour in his inventory, he would start taking penalties, however).
Ability scores recover at the rate of 1 point per night of rest. Given that we're making our return trip to Oleg's at the moment, it may be wise to rest up there a couple of days, giving Zeran time to make himself some more ammunition and fancy up his gun, and giving others time to interact with the Levetons, their prisoners, or each other, and take care of their own downtime needs—in character, that is; out of character this can be glossed or covered in backposting as much as you desire.)
+150XP Each
Posted on 2013-03-23 at 07:34:28.
Edited on 2013-03-23 at 20:54:49 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Did you know if a spider loses too much fluid it can't extend it's legs?
Krii, sensing that the spider wasn't going to make an immediate appearance above ground for the moment, dismounted Vilify. The horse would be faster without his weight, and he would have better manoeuvrability without having to deal with skittish nerves. He crossed over the green to stand with the rest of the group around the circular trapdoor of soil.
Whether or not they heard the direction from Zeran, Kyrie and Frodrick pounded at the door while Miguel ran to fetch the fire oil from the wagon. It took only a moment of rooting around in the loot loaded on the wagon to fine the flask of alchemist's fire.
Once Miguel had taken the flask, Zeran gave a call to the horses to drive them forward. They shied away from the trapdoor slightly, but passed between Vilify and Jargon as the dwarf was dismounting to get at the ground with his axe.
While Frodrick's axe was rather unsuited to the task of digging a hole (-1dmg Trapdoor), Kyrie's spade was finally seeing use as it was originally designed for (-8dmg Trapdoor). Between the vegetation and soil woven together with sticky spider silk, the going was tough as digging through weeds and roots, but the pair managed to make some progress against the door.
Apparently angered or made desperate by the knocking on its nest, the spider lunged out with near equal ferocity and speed as it had before. This time it's massive fangs managed to pierce Kyrie's armour and deliver a poisonous bite to her abdomen. (-3dmg Kyrie 10/13 + Poison -1Str). If the spider's movements were any bit sluggish from the loss of blood as it retreated to its hole, it would have taken an impartial observer to notice the difference.
Frodrick 13/13 –
Jargon 13/13 –
Krii 8/8 – Mage Armour
(Vilify) 13/15 – -2Str
Kyrie 10/13 – Poisoned (1/—) -1 Str
Miguel 9/9 –
Zeran 10/10 – 4 bullets
Giant Trapdoor Spider: Red Status Cover
5' Wide Trapdoor: Battered
(Battered here means something like 'roughed up but still functioning at full capacity'. Object obtain the 'broken' status at 1/2 hp, which means they're still functional, but may take penalties. At 0hp they are destroyed.)
Posted on 2013-03-22 at 00:07:30.
Edited on 2013-03-22 at 00:27:20 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: This is going to make for a disappointing turn round the green
Zeran took up the reigns again with his one free hand, willing them to be calm still. Each member of the Greenbelt Party manoeuvred themselves around the trapdoor lid, awaiting the chance to strike. Frodrick dropped his lance and drew his axe while Krii called a spell to mind. Kyrie wound up for another shot with Miguel keeping his sword mentally primed with arcane energy.
…
Nothing. The lid of the den did not swing open once more. Either the spider had retreated back inside to die, or else it hoped that it could convince its erstwhile meal to forget that it was still there.
Frodrick 13/13 –
Jargon 13/13 –
Krii 8/8 – Mage Armour
(Vilify) 13/15 – -2Str
Kyrie 13/13 –
Miguel 9/9 –
Zeran 10/10 – 4 bullets
Giant Trapdoor Spider: Red Status Cover
(Yeah. Little Sally doesn't want to come out and play. She said you were mean to her last time you played with her. I don't think she wants to be friends with you anymore. All readied actions return to normal initiative, untriggered. Whoop :3)
Posted on 2013-03-21 at 16:47:49.
Edited on 2013-03-21 at 16:48:07 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Animalia Arthropoda Arachnida Araneae Mygalomorphae Ctenizoidea Ctenizidae
15 Pharast
Spider's Nest; Hex C6
Northern Grasslands
Kyrie was first to react. While Krii wrestled to keep his black steed under control, Kryie leaped from the wagon with her spade in hand. Like a farmer hunting the gophers that were ruining his field, she took up position next to the den, her shovel raised at the ready.
Krii meanwhile alternately petted Vilify's neck and distracted the family horse away from the giant spider's nest. Thankfully the sorcerer's level head and soothing efforts got through to the pony and he was able to direct him calmly away from the threat. Wasting not a moment and keeping his horse from sensing his quivering adrenaline, Krii quickly summoned up and wrapped himself in a protective buffer of force energy around his chest.
Ride DC 20: 19 + 4 = 23
Vilify was clearly weakened by the poison running through his system, but the beast's large size seemed to be combating the effects of the toxin effectively.
Lacking Kyrie's practiced ease with wielding her shovel, Miguel was a mere moment behind her owing to the need to draw his sword. He took up station next to the young paladin, both standing back out of the way of Frodrick's line of attack. With a thought he channeled his energy into his sword and waited for the chance to strike.
Left alone on the wagon, Zeran fought with both the horses, coaxing them into not bolting immediately, then set about ramming one of his four remaining bullets into his weapon.
He had barely finished replacing the ramrod in its slot when the earth heaved up again. Kyrie was met face-to-face with the large black fangs of the ruddy spider. With a fierce shout she swung her shovel, but she was not faster than the spider's lunge. Fortunately for her, the massive she-spider's fangs failed to penetrate the wooden slats of her armour.
The spider quickly reversed it's movement and pulled it's fore-body back to retreat under the door once more, but Frodrick's charge ensured it did not escape unscathed. He had spurred Jargon into motion the second he sensed the slightest swell in the door. Frodrick was rewarded for his diligence by getting the last say in the exchange, striking just before the spider's speed took it once again from sight.
The tip of the dwarf's lance struck and penetrated the monster's chitinous abdomen, drawing forth a gush the clear bluish fluid that passed for the creature's blood (-12dmg Spider - Red Status). With clear blood oozing from it's abdomen, the red and black spider retreated back into its burrow, sealing the lid shut after it once again.
Frodrick 13/13 –
Jargon 13/13 –
Krii 8/8 – Mage Armour (1/100)
(Vilify) 13/15 – -2Str
Kyrie 13/13 –
Miguel 9/9 –
Zeran 10/10 – 4 bullets
Giant Trapdoor Spider: Red Status Cover
(I forgot to throw in the picture of the spider the first time. Arachnophobes need not apply, just picture a big ol' red and black spider. You may note that this time Krii cast Mage Armour instead of Shield. It turns out he never actually had a shield spell at any point. Thus Krii is protected for the next entire hour by the spell he actually knows.)
Posted on 2013-03-21 at 03:53:37.
Edited on 2013-03-24 at 18:40:58 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: What is it with these people and ambushes?
Exploration & Mapping
11-15 Pharast
Hexes: C7, C6 +50XP Each
The snow started around midday, falling thick in fat clumps. The temperature quickly grew cold enough that building a fire was necessary to stave off the numbing effects of the frost on the unprotected party members, of which Zeran and Miguel suffered the worst from the chill. In order to maximize the retention of heat and minimize the cutting effects of even the lightest breezes, Frodrick set up his tent and managed to squeeze everyone in, if barely.
Thankfully the warm spring of the Greenbelt was merciful. This was merely a modest, hearty snowfall in late winter, rather than a full-force snow storm known to fight back against the encroachment of the warmer months.
When the snowfall finished late into the afternoon and the sun peeked on the transformed landscape, the party emerged from the tent to find the grasslands entirely covered in a layer of snow of a hand span’s depth, save in places where the brush and tall grasses surpassed that height. They lacked any kind of tarp to pull over the wagon, and so that too filled with a generous layer of white powder while the four horses browsed on the taller grasses awaiting their feedbags.
The party was unable to all sleep in the one tent, so they laid out their bedrolls as close to the fire as they dare get, leaving one awake on watch at all times to tend the fire.
The following morning brought with it the temperatures the party had grown accustomed to in early spring, though the thick snow remained with them, melting over the next two days and slowing down their tracks. During this time their only close encounter with the wildlife of the region came on the second night, with a group stag elk, still antler-less in the early season of the year, who wandered too close to the camp and startled Kyrie on watch with their noises.
15 Pharast
Spider’s Nest; Hex C6
Northern Grasslands
Sometime during the day exploring the last region of plains to the southeast of Oleg’s, the Greenbelt charter party came upon an area strewn with piles of bones. The unfortunate donors of the remains appeared to come from a spectrum of creatures, some big enough to be sized for a bear, while others typical of deer, with at least a few identifiable boar tusks, complete with a handful bearing a very close resemblance to human. With few exceptions most of the piles seemed formed of individual creatures, apparently deposited from full skeletons of the bodies.
The party reminded themselves to be on their guard at this sight, the first real sign they had faced of the dangers living in the Greenbelt, other than that posed by the bandit camps under charge of the Stag Lord. That was, of course, assuming this field wasn’t some sort of dumping ground for the bodies of the Stag Lord’s enemies—though it would seem a bit far from the reported location of his fort, all the way down by the region’s main lake.
With a mind toward defending themselves should the predator that had caused this macabre boneyard return for another meal, they hastened on. Unfortunately not even Frodrick's natural affinity for the ways of the earth prepared them for the event that the predator had never actually left the area.
Fast than Zeran could utter a curse, the ground next to exploded upward and in a flurry of ruddy legs a massive spider the size of a small pony leapt onto Vilify, biting the black steed on the flank with knife-like fangs, before retreating behind its trapdoor. (-2dmg Vilify + -2Str Poison) The cork-like roof of the trapdoor sealed shut almost as if the attack had never happened. If the group had not seen the spider emerge, they almost could have missed the 5' circle door made of dried mud and vegetation on the ground beside Krii and Vilify.
Frodrick 13/13 –
Jargon 13/13 –
Krii 8/8 –
(Vilify) 13/15 – Poisoned (1/—) -2Str
Kyrie 13/13 –
Miguel 9/9 –
Zeran 10/10 –
Giant Trapdoor Spider: Uninjured, Cover
(Krii has to either control his mount or attempt to fall from the saddle without injuring himself when Vilify spooks. No one is armed, but everyone is wearing their normal armour (for Jargon this is none, since traveling in barding is not ideal for horses except in preparing for battle. Or hmm... that line appears to have been removed in the Pathfinder description.) Zeran's pistol is unloaded, but he is also in charge of driving the wagon at the moment. The wagon follows behind Krii and Frodrick, with Krii on the right and the trapdoor to his right.)
Posted on 2013-03-20 at 01:45:50.
Edited on 2013-03-20 at 02:12:22 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Funny
I actually considered finding some way to mark it, among them outlining the explored hexes. The problem with outlining explored hexes in red is that that is exactly the method I'd been using to mark the size of the kingdom in the second chapter (and the two demnotations are not mutually exclusive, they both have to coexist on the same map.
Beyond that, the reason why the map looks no different than it has since we ended the last game is because tonight will be the first chance I've had to get the original document and edit it XD so you should be seeing some changes then, to go with whatever we come up with as the best way to denote explored areas.
Also I forgot to bring it up but Jargon learned the Aid trick on the 10th. Congratz. I'll throw a note of it in the post.
P.S. It's actually more of a gentle but moderate snowfall. If it were an actual full-blown storm you'd probably be in real trouble.
Posted on 2013-03-19 at 16:08:26.
Edited on 2013-03-19 at 16:11:29 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Story time with Luka
A little extra info to be gained from talking to Luka.
-The perception of most the bandits is that the Stag Lord, after establishing his power base, seems to be slipping into the bottom of a cask of booze.
-Whatever they think of his leadership, he inspires fear in them... less immediate fear than the party, since he's over their and you're here, but they can tell you he's a deadeye with a bow and he's bloody strong--apparently once crushed a man's fist to mush with one hand.
-There are more tales and theories about whether the intimidating headgear he has is just a stag helmet with a mask, or his actual head. No one has ever seen his face without it. There is speculation that even if it is a helmet, there's no face underneath.
-It's hard to keep track of all the bandits in the region working for the Stag Lord, so there is a pass-code to get into the Stag Lord's fort, situated on the north shore of the Tuskwater. The current phrase is "By the bloody bones of St. Gilmorg, who want's to know?". No one knows who the hell 'St. Gilmorg' is supposed to be.
-The Stag Lord apparently keeps a strange old man locked up in the basement. It seems some think the Stag Lord might be a puppet for the old man, and most are incredibly creepped out by him. Luka personally isn't sure about reports about puppet lords, but he's seen the old man once, and his eyes are not ones you'd want to cross lightly.
Posted on 2013-03-17 at 23:15:36.
Edited on 2013-03-17 at 23:16:01 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Zeran likes to get poked by pointy things. I can't help it, I've been listening to Voltaire.
7 Pharast – Mid Afternoon
Bokken's Hut; Hex B6
Northern Grasslands
“Eh? Whassat? Oleg!” The mad hermit's face brightened. “Well, Oleg's a fine man. Buys me potions offa me when I head out that way. Good businessman.”
“So it's potions you're after then, eh? Well! As long as y'all got the coin, I make the finest potions for miles around!” While talking his other hand absent mindedly fished in a pouch and drew a half dozen or so vials out. Without looking he cast them out on the table, somehow managing to set them all standing in a neat arrangement.
“For friends of Oleg's—Fifty crowns for the li'l ones, and three hundred for the big fella.” He indicated the potions, four 'small' and one 'big'. Though all stood the same size on the table, the 'big' one was clearly marked of a higher calibre. “These two are for healing, these are for the weather, and the big one will fix just about any injury y'got. If'n you need sommat that's not here, it'll take a bit to cook it up, but I can get you anything I can cast in a bottle.”
(Krii and Bokken)
Bokken's face broke into an equally sly and oblivious grin as he listened to Krii describe what he needed.
“Say no more, I got just the thing that'll take care of your 'problems'. Jus' be careful not to mix it up with the rest o' the lot.” Whatever the hermit suspected Krii's use for the potion, it was probably not the actual cause.
(Leaving)
“Alright, now shoo! Off with ye! Martha will be back with supper any minute and I ain't sharing!” They didn't know who he could be talking about. The impression Oleg gave was that Bokken lived completely alone out in the wilderness, and the hut seemed laid out for a one person occupancy.
“One more thing!” He called almost no sooner than the party made it to the door. “I'm running out of fangberries to make my potions with. If you can get me a good supply I'll reward y'all handsomely for it. Now scat!”
Exploration & Mapping
8-11 Pharast
Hexes: B7 +25XP Each
Jargon's Training: Complete - Aid Trick Learned!
The weather remained seasonally cool for the next few days, with the overbearingly overcast clouds returning, as the group came to the far eastern border of their lands. On the morning of the eleventh Frodrick turned his eyes to the sky. It was getting colder.
Frodrick pronounced it was going to snow that day. It would be a long slog, but it wouldn't prevent them from continuing their exploration. The cold, on the other hand, could cause some problems for them.
Kyrie took her wool coat and a heavy cloak from her pack and bundled up into her warmer clothing. Unfortunately, no one else possessed these provisions, so they would be huddling in their regular day-clothes, though Frodrick possessed the know-how to at least reduce the feel of the chill.
(Everyone can try, but only Frodrick has a good chance of providing the bonus to more than one party member. In fact I don't think there's any reason not to take 10 on it, so that's like an automatic 19-20 or more, which is enough to cover for every member of the party, so nobody has to roll. Be benefit is +2 to Fort saves vs. Cold while moving at half overland speed -or- +4 to Fort saves vs. Cold while remaining in one place.
The snow that's going to fall is already going to slow you down by half, btw. Alternatively you could not bother with Survival checks and proceed at full speed, but there are penalties associated with failing Cold saves. Btw, if you choose to stay I'm not sure what's to prevent you from actually setting up a fire and ignoring both the saves and the +4 other than a lack of wood, which we're already not keeping track of.)
Posted on 2013-03-17 at 22:53:57.
Edited on 2013-03-19 at 16:09:22 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Old Lunatic Hermit is Old. And a Lunatic.
Exploration & Mapping
5-7 Pharast
Hexes: B5, B6 +50XP Each
The grasslands proved to be tame for at least long enough to give Zeran time to mend up with Kyrie's assistance. Oleg said he knew a hermit living not to far, named Bokken. It was Bokken who was responsible for selling Oleg the unusual, delicious potions that the latter eventually gave to the Greenbelt Party. The group decided to begin their chartered exploration in a circuit guaranteed to run across Bokken's hut and cover the entire grasslands to the east of Oleg's.
7 Pharast – Mid Afternoon
Bokken's Hut; Hex B6
Northern Grasslands
On the third day of travel the Party came across a small ramshackle hut that could only fit the description given by Oleg. Bokken was an . . . eccentric . . . man according to Oleg, but the potion-maker is happy enough to sell to anyone looking for good potions.
The party dismounted outside and entered the hut. Bokken was not a tidy man. There were several cases of empty glass vials on what appeared to be some kind of work table, but several of cases were only half full, and not all sold as potions but rather strewn about the bench and on the floor. There was a cauldron, filled with a cooking pot, a wooden bowl, and a pestle, but no accompanying mortar.
Rather the mortar was to be found across the room, laying toppled on its side next to a stray knife on a table under a collection of dried herbs handing from strings along the wall.Yet another table was dominated by flasks of varying size and shape, and a misplaced hunk of cheese, half-eaten.
This came in addition to the usual amenities of the home, including a small table evidently for eating (only evidence being a spoon laying abandoned in the middle of the table) with an accompanying stool, a straw bed tucked neatly in one corner, and an unlit fire pit in the middle of the room, straddled by a tripod, but lacking either a potion-brewing or a cooking cauldron.
With the crowded disarray and clutter of the small hut, it could hardly be called surprising that the party initially believed the room to be empty. Only Zeran did not catch a glimpse of the ladle as it quietly marched through the air from behind one end of a table to the other, but it didn't take him long to notice once he'd spotted it.
“Wh—?”
Nearly simultaneously with the question, an old man leaped up from behind the table with an almost avian yelp that could have passed for an ill falcon or perhaps an alarmed fox.
The man stayed frozen for a moment, ladle raised defensively by his head, before realizing that such an introduction probably did not stand on its own. Evidently nature won out first in the brief stand-off and the tension was broken when Bokken had to take the opportunity to scratch his ankle. What seemed to be a persistent jitter kicked in after another second.
Finally he resorted to using speech to resolve the mystery presented to him. “Who're you lot?” he demanded. “Whaddyou want?”
Zeran 9/10
Jargon's Training: Day 4/7
Handle Animal DC 20: 16 + 7 = 23
--Jargon Hooves will have learned the Aid trick after the day's training on 10 Pharast, assuming no interruption.
Finally, I won't be able to update the Greenbelt Map in the Q&A until I turn on my old computer and find the appropriate file, add the icon for Bokken's Hut to your version of the map, and then upload it.
Posted on 2013-03-16 at 09:33:55.
Edited on 2013-03-16 at 09:48:07 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Chaff loot
Thanks to Ray for reminding me to sell the chaff loot finally. Selling all three spare daggers, four longbows, four leather armours, one studded leather, four short swords. Adds up to 215.5G added to party wealth
Oleg's Coin: 284.5G remaining for this week. (4 Pharast - 8 Pharast so it synchs up with the order Zeran's getting and thus refreshes at the same time the shop does)
Posted on 2013-03-16 at 05:50:49.
Edited on 2013-03-16 at 18:06:47 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: Mapping
Just as a heads up when I next have the chance I am going to send things flying forward on a whirlwind adventure. I was just unreasonably tired of typing last night and ended up playing LoL for a couple hours. Besides, there was totally an appropriate point leave a break there! Right! That's my story and I'm going to validate my shortcomings with it!
Anyway, when I launch you off next, as guided by Frodrick's course (or just as likely just making up a course for you following Frodrick's vague guidelines, starting with the territory immediately around Oleg's, then moving across the whole grasslands area first. I'll finish the post when you guys either bump into a Location or else run into a Random Encounter that you have to fight (non-combat encounters, i.e. like sightings and random unimportant NPC's passing I'll leave a mention and move on letting you deal with it in Backpost if you even need to).
Looking at the map there are two possible Location Encounters for you to bump into first, with one seeming most likely. I'll start planning to post for that when I stop working.
Posted on 2013-03-15 at 22:44:53.
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Topic: Kingmaker Adventure Path 2.0
Subject: Moving it along a little. Kind of ends abruptly, but there's enough to entertain
3 Pharast – Twilight
Thorn Ford Camp; Hex D4
Northern Narlmarches
Since the majority of the party seemed to share a common interest in procuring the services of the ex-blacksmith, hoping he would take as quickly to his former trade as the others seemed to suggest, the chartered party lit a fire in the bandits' pit and settled into the camp for the night. True to Luka's prediction, they did not have to wait long for Gavril's return, no more than an hour as the forest dimmed to black, though through the frozen dead branches the sky retained a bright tinge that suggested dusk had not yet fallen.
Frodrick, with his superior vision in complete darkness and careful vigilance, spotted the movement first. A shadow hesitated in the darkness. Frodrick didn't give it time to think on the situation.
“Come on out into the light, lad, we ain't going to kill ye without cause,” the dwarf called into the forest. Everyone else looked to see a bandit man rise from the shadows and step into the area of the fire. He certainly had the standard blacksmith's build, large arms contrasted with underdeveloped legs, though the hard life of the outlaw had evened out his physique somewhat.
The man turned out in fact to be the much expected Gavril. He was dubious of the party's offer at first, though with Luka and Adela already among the party's numbers, he readily sought the opportunity to replace the tools of his trade with those of his former, dumping his sword, bow, and armour into the pile. (If you want to roleplay this encounter up a bit, or otherwise speak to Gavril independantly tonight, just use the tag (Gavril) to indicate in the backpost)
They divided the night into watches, in the event that any of the other bandits—or just as likely out in this wilderness, something bigger and meaner prowling the night—happened to show up. None did, however, and the night passed undisturbed
Pharast 4 – Morning
Thorn Ford Camp; Hex D4
Northern Narlmarches
The next morning they hooked two of their horses to the wagon, packed the valuable spoils the camp had to offer, and left the camp behind. They travelled north through the forest directly for Oleg's, using Frodrick's keen wilderness wiles to keep them from getting lost when the road gave way to smaller paths and obscure trails. Suvival DC 15: Take 10 + 7 = 17
The journey passed much the same on the way back from the camp as on the way toward. They ran into nothing large enough to be of note and nobody disturbed their passage. After five hours they passed out of the forest, and within another three they arrived safely back at Oleg's with their new prisoners and spoils in tow.
There were several new additions to the post's population coming from the civilized side of the equation. Namely one Kesten Garess, a dour mercenary guard captain on hire with his three men to take charge of defending the post from further harassment from the wilderness.
The three prisoners already held captive at the post were out of their cell and put to work at the jobs Frodrick had assigned to them, overseen by Oleg and Svetlana. They were, if not necessarily happy with their accomodation, content to perform without too loud of complaint.
(You may recall one Jhod Kavken from last time, but he's not due to arrive until the day after Kesten, which was only earlier today, being the day immediately after you left. Travel for this day is done and it's time to get to leisure or otherwise non-travelling activities for the rest of the day until the following day when you can head out again as you wish. Remind me to add a note to the Q&A detailing information learned from the new captives (this time without the... intense interrogation scenes that seem to follow our prisoners around like creepers)
Finally, Kesten's quest (already on the questboard in the Q&A from last time) is once again available. I don't especially feel like going to the effort of roleplaying it out for you again, but if you want to refresh your memory on this event in history, on Page 11 of the original game there is a large post about half-way down for you to start (on the 6th of Pharast). This post ends kind of abruptly, but it's all I got mind for this evening. Amuse yourselves with its contents and your reactions until I'm able to move us along further. At Frodrick's direction, unless otherwise demanded, we shall set out the next morning to begin the mapping of the Greenbelt, starting with the grasslands immediately surrounding the post.)
Oleg's Stock
Starting on 8 Pharast, Oleg's fresh stock will come in with all the kinds of things that a standard adventuring party might need, up to a total of 500G, refreshing once a week and growing each week by 100G up to 1000G on the fifth week. It's worth mentioning this stock includes materials ordered from Zeran's recipes for ammunition. For now, let's say you cannot spend more than 100G on any one item. If you need to go over these limits for any reason, it's a simple matter to place a special order with Oleg (such as Zeran did for his masterwork components) and the items will arrive within a week. Finally, Oleg has 500G on hand to buy the shit that you guys bring back from the Greenbelt, which refreshes weekly.
Oh, and after you sleep tonight:
Frodrick 13/13
Zeran 5/10
Posted on 2013-03-15 at 03:27:40.
Edited on 2013-03-15 at 03:28:07 by Sibelius Eos Owm
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Topic: Kingmaker Q&A
Subject: On Mercy Killing
I don't see any contradiction between Frodrick offering the surviving prisoners amnesty and Krii mercy killing the mortally wounded. If we explicitly wanted to tend, revive, and carry a train of bandits home with us, that's also possible, though they'd probably be even more of a burden on travel than Zeran is already. I suppose space could be moved out in the wagon to transport them, but they would require medical attention before they were even useful to working off their sins as it were.
Also that one (Gregor) tried to stab Jargon numerous times.
In other news, I happened to chance upon this song and thought it would be perfect for Zeran's situation
Posted on 2013-03-14 at 01:58:58.
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