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Old 07-16-2020, 07:32 AM   #161
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 38 (2020-07-12)

Thoughts on September 6th (continued)

Four city guards entered the inn and talked to the innkeeper before going upstairs. After a while they came back down and left the building. I finished the performance and took Olivia to bed.


Thoughts on September 7th

At breakfast, I asked the others if they had paid the September fee at the guild, but they hadn’t either, so we should all do that today. Tinalla made an appearance, so I asked Olivia if she had paid her for more days. She said they were going to discuss it now, so she wanted to know how long we were staying in Urdon. Ilzo said he had to stay until tonight, at least, prompting questions of why from around the table. The city guards, last night, had come because he had made a disturbance on the public street, and forbade him from leaving town until the case had been settled.

Va’lyndra walked over to the bar and bought some fancy brandy before vanishing into the kitchen. An ogre and a dwarf came over from another table and asked if they could join us. Ilzo and the ogre had some kind of bet, which Ilzo had won, and now the ogre had to follow him around for a month. Leopold was like “why?” and said he didn’t think this was the best way for Ilzo to gain new disciples for Gromsh. And by the way, Ilzo shouldn’t make deals to have people follow us without conferring with the rest of us first. The ogre asked who Gromsh was, and Ilzo explained that it was the god of physical strength. “Is it Burgodd you’re thinking of?” the ogre asked. Burgodd is the ogre god of battle, and Leopold said he thought that it was Farnotep, the three-headed goat, who was Burgodd’s orc equivalent. I thought that sounded familiar and asked if we hadn’t visited that temple. It turned out Farnotep’s temple was one I visited when Lady Karita and Kine were still with us, so Leopold and Ilzo weren’t there with us.

Ilzo and Leopold rose to join the ogre and the dwarf in their room for a more private conversation, so I asked if I should pay for them at the guild. Leopold said they’d take care of it later. I headed over there with Olivia and Tinalla, and paid my dues. We stayed for a few minutes, talking to other adventurers, and Leopold showed up just as we were leaving, so I nodded to him as we passed each other in the door.

Back at the inn, we found Ilzo and Va’lyndra in the common room, talking to two city guards, who wanted Ilzo to pay a fine for disturbing the peace. They had a signed and sealed document that they waved about so it was impossible to read what it said, at least for me. Va’lyndra, who was closer, probably had no trouble discerning the script. The fine was five gold pieces, which Ilzo paid immediately. The guards left, and so did Va’lyndra.

I asked Ilzo if he wanted to come outside and toss me. He accepted, and we had a nice practice session, him giving me a boost and throwing me up in the air, where I exercised a variety of stunts. Just to see how high he could throw me, I took a running start and leapt off his rising hands. Olivia estimated that I reached over nine meters into the air with my outstretched hands. Ilzo is incredibly strong, and I can jump quite high on my own as well.

Va’lyndra came wandering over, whistling a merry tune, so we took a break and talked. I asked if we were going anywhere soon; we might want to stock up on traveling rations and fodder for the horses. Va’lyndra said she was going to make a copy of the spell book translation so we could sell that. If she got Leopold to help, they’d probably finish some time tomorrow. Ilzo and I promised to see to the necessary purchases in the meantime. We still had some food left over, and Olivia went inside to take stock.

Va’lyndra asked if I could go back to the guild and buy two potions of bird control for her. I said I could, and she and Ilzo came along to pay their membership fee. I could do that for them since I was going anyway, but they wanted to look in on the place.

When we were done at the guild, Va’lyndra left to take Leopold back to the knowledge guild, where they could work on the spell book with fewer disturbances. Ilzo and I went to the marketplace to buy fodder. We checked with Olivia, and we had more than enough dried fruits and travel rations for Ilzo, her and me, even after setting aside a pile of fruit for Va’lyndra.

I did some more exercises on my own. Well, Olivia and Tinalla were there, and the inevitable crowd of onlookers gathered nearby, some of them even tossing me a coin or two, which Olivia collected, as usual. I had dinner with Ilzo, Olivia and Tinalla, and then I performed again.


Thoughts on September 8th

Ilzo had decided that he wanted to build an arena where people could compete in honor of Gromsh, and asked about my contacts, the people I used to set up the big shows. I told him they weren’t here. Henry Toyler was still in Garuk, as far as I knew, but he might have fled before the invasion, or he could be dead. As for Varek Mountlake, he had settled down in Valaria, on the east coast.

If Ilzo built an arena, I could use it to perform. I liked the idea so much, I offered to spend the day talking to people, to see if I could find someone who might be able to help. Olivia suggested the Sidel family instead. I wrinkled my nose and frowned at her. I really disliked that family, ever since I had to watch Lord Fidel torture and execute rebellious villagers, but Olivia insisted. In front of Ilzo and Tinalla! I studied her carefully as she argued her case. She was certainly becoming more assertive, standing up for her opinions in public.

We went to the Sidel residence, where we had to cool our heels for a couple of hours before getting to see Lord Fidel. I spent the time talking to Olivia on the other side of the antechamber from Tinalla and Ilzo. Olivia held my hands and looked deeply into my eyes, and explained that it was a long time since she had been a servant, and that she thought it was about time to stop acting like one. I detected a faint tremor in her voice. “What is it?” I asked. Olivia confessed that even though she had put on a confident face, she was still afraid for her physical well-being. “I get chills, deep in my bones, every time some guy looks at me.” I pulled her close and hugged her, whispering in her ear, “I love you, Olivia, as deeply as I ever did. I like that you’ve begun standing up for yourself. If someone takes umbrage and comes at you with fists or blade, I’ll kick their sorry asses from here to the Old World. If they find it attractive and get aroused, I’ll deal with that, too. You just stay close to me, Olivia, and everything will be all right. It’s just one thing … Does this mean I have to start mending my own clothes?”

Olivia’s pealing laughter chimed through the room. “Don’t be silly, Silly!” She lowered her voice and continued. “Did you really believe that I mended your clothes, prepared your food, did all those chores for you and your friends, because I was your servant? Because I thought you were my superior? No, Mattea. I do it because I’m the best at it. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. You don’t ask me to perform in common rooms to earn our keep. You don’t ask me to execute immense feats of strength or agility, or to go out and fight goblins and boogeymen. Why should you? I’m no good at it. But I can keep our room tidy and our clothes mended. I can take care of the horses when we go on adventures. I can clean up after our meals, so the rest of you can focus on exploring all those dangerous ruins. I may not be flashy or spectacular, but I can be useful!”

We held hands in silence as I mulled this over. Olivia had originally been my servant. In Duke Leonard’s mansion, she had been assigned to take care of my needs. She had continued doing so when we left. Pondering, I discovered a flaw in her argument. “But you don’t mend Va’lyndra’s clothes!” I blurted out. Leopold, in the gnomish tradition, seldom wore clothes, and Ilzo wasn’t exactly Olivia’s favorite person, so it was understandable that she withheld services from him, but what about Va’lyndra? “Well, it’s a matter of priorities,” Olivia explained. “There’s only so much one woman can do. And, see if you can get this through your thick skull, Mattea: I don’t love her.” Of course, she didn’t! What was she talking about? Oh! “But you do love me!” I asserted. For answer, Olivia planted a big, sloppy kiss on my mouth.
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 07-16-2020, 07:47 AM   #162
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 38 (2020-07-12)

When Lord Fidel finally showed up, I explained to him our needs. He agreed to give us a piece of land out in the forest, about ten minutes’ walk from Urdon, as that favor he owed us. I made clear that Ilzo would be paying for the construction. Lord Fidel gave us the name and address of the local master builder, and summoned a servant named Adolf to show us a suitable tract of land.

Adolf brought us out to the forest, to a large clearing in the trees, and declared that this was the land we could use. I immediately saw a problem with it. This was a bog. I don’t know much about construction, but the soft, wet ground would be hopeless to perform on, as I would sink into the ground. When I would have problems, think about the poor people who would compete in Ilzo’s tournaments. The master builder might have a solution, so I suggested we head over to his office and discuss it, but Adolf was impatient to get back to his duties at the Sidel residence. I told Ilzo to give him a coin, and once gold changed hands, Adolf was much more amenable.

We explained the situation to the master builder. He said it would be both difficult and expensive to build an arena on the mire. Adolf insisted that the mire was what Lord Fidel had given to us, but I didn’t recall him specifying that. I struck a pose for Adolf, brazenly pushing my bosom in his direction. “Don’t you think you might be able to find us another piece of land that might suit the Sidels?” On second thought, he just might manage that. The master builder sent an apprentice with us to survey the site.

The other tract of land we checked out was rugged, but overall, not sloping. The place was as tree-ridden as the rest of the forest, but the trees we felled could be used as building materials. Ilzo and I specified that we needed a circular area, twenty meters across, where the shows and competitions would be held and three rows of tiered benches going most of the way around. I added that a simple shed might come in handy, to store equipment between events. We helped Adolf and the builder’s apprentice make measurements, and then we returned to Urdon.

Olivia, not at all shy and timid, negotiated a deal with the master builder, and we signed a contract. It would cost fifty gold and take almost a month, according to the master builder. We would like the work to start as soon as possible. If the arena was finished when we returned to Urdon after our current quest, all the better. Ilzo paid in advance.

We returned to the inn and prepared to go. Va’lyndra and Leopold met us there, and I asked where we were going, seeing as they had wanted to sell the spell book copy before going south. Va’lyndra said that the knowledge guild would take care of the sale while we were gone, so we were heading straight for the wilderness.

We rode south along the road. After a while, we spotted something behind the bushes separating the road from the lake. It looked like the mast of a ship, and Ilzo, the ever-curious, wanted to check it out. We dismounted and made our way towards the shore stealthily. There was a small ship lying at anchor just off the beach, near enough that I could jump aboard if I so desired. The sailors looked to be waiting for something, while an elegantly dressed elvish woman strode across the deck with a lackey in tow. Ilzo turned around, to look for something, he whispered.

Va’lyndra said that these people couldn’t be from Tamburin, since the elf was clearly in charge. We snuck closer, and hid behind a large boulder on the beach. Behind us, Ilzo had found a large rock, which looked to be almost as heavy as me, but he put it down when he realized that there were many like it on the beach. While he made his way up to the rest of us, Va’lyndra and Leopold listened to the conversation on board. I couldn’t make out their words over the waves lapping against the shore, but the others had sharper ears than me.

I told Va’lyndra and Leopold about the people I had met a couple of weeks ago, the ones who were heading for the Land of the Free. Could this have something to do with that? Va’lyndra didn’t think so, for she recognized the elf as someone who had tried to enlist Kine to smuggle something for her. She thought instead these people were smugglers, perhaps moving contraband to the occupied Garuk, north of here.

Ilzo reached us, and Va’lyndra relayed that the smugglers had said something about waiting for the sunset. If they were meeting someone, Va’lyndra would be most interested in knowing who. It wasn’t that long until sunset, but I thought Olivia would start to worry if we didn’t show up before then, so I returned to her.

I found a nice lookout spot near the road, where I could watch for people approaching, and Olivia took the horses and luggage a little bit into the forest and made camp out of sight of the road, as we probably wouldn’t be traveling further, today.

Nobody showed up, not before Va’lyndra, Ilzo and Leopold returned, so I stood up and waved at them so they should see me. Va’lyndra explained that the ship had cast off and set a south-westerly course.


Thoughts on September 9th

We continued south along the road after breaking camp, and I asked Ilzo if he had remembered to buy a replacement sling. He had lost his old one in a boogeyman village on our last trip. As he was still sling-less, we stopped by a farmstead and bought one there.


Thoughts on September 10th

It started raining this morning, a real torrent which let up after just a few minutes, but it rained intermittently throughout the day. If this keeps up, we’ll be having a miserable journey. I can’t fathom why I enjoyed the rain so much that day back in Urdon.

A group of goblins had made their way farther north than I had expected, and Va’lyndra whistled a signal to alert us to their presence. I strung my new bow and skulked forward with Ilzo and Leopold. I was slightly disappointed that it was only goblins, but was pleased at the same time that this encounter didn’t really present us with danger. It’s been a while since the last time I returned to Olivia, wounded in battle, and she’s terrified of losing me, so even a scratch is heart-wrenching. These ten goblins, though, chose the wrong time to go into human lands.


Thoughts on September 11th

The occasional rain showers kept up as we left civilization behind. Va’lyndra used a spell to dry out all her things before putting them away in her tent for the evening, and Leopold availed himself of the opportunity to un-soak the waterproof container he kept his books and papers inside. I was slightly uneasy. Va’lyndra seems in control of her spells, but I thought it was better to be safe than sorry, and stayed away when she did her spell dances.


Thoughts on September 12th

As bad as the rain was, it relented for long enough for the mood to pick up before starting again.


Thoughts on September 13th

Why did I ever become an adventurer? Well, it certainly has its exciting moments, but I really could do with a roof over my head. Fortunately, Olivia and I have waterproof cloaks with hoods, but the water still finds its way inside.


Thoughts on September 14th

It’s a good thing our path is a seldom used one, otherwise the ground would be churned into mud. As it is, the soggy ground slows down the horses a little, but not as much as mud would have done.
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 07-16-2020, 07:59 AM   #163
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 38 (2020-07-12)

Thoughts on September 15th

Va’lyndra came back and warned us about insects approaching, as we had no whistling signals for that. It was around midday, and it was raining. “Really? Don’t insects usually hide from the rain?” I wouldn’t claim to be an expert on insects, but this behavior seemed strange to me. The swarm was gigantic, several meters across, and the bugs themselves were about the size of my little finger.

We sent Olivia away with the horses and prepared our weapons. Walter said something was controlling the swarm. When I said I couldn’t see anything, he explained that they didn’t have a physical body. How were we ever going to fight them, then? We would have to kill all the insects. I started shooting as the insects closed the distance between us and them. Ilzo used his sling. Leopold suggested we spread out, so I dashed off to the side.

My arrows passed right through the swarm, but I think it was dense enough that something got struck. Scorchmark could be more useful when the insects came closer, but for the moment, I worked my bow as fast as I could. Va’lyndra told me to aim for the guy in the middle of the swarm. I couldn’t see anyone there, but did as she told me. Leopold used his wand to launch a lightning bolt at the swarm, but his aim was slightly off.

Walter added that it wasn’t a ghost that was controlling the swarm, but something else. The swarm was large enough that at twenty meters, I didn’t bother aiming anymore. Leopold shot another lightning bolt, but it zapped by the swarm. Ilzo’s rocks might be the weapons doing the most damage on the swarm, due to their size.

I took a few steps to the side and forward, intending to flank the swarm, which seemed to be heading for Va’lyndra and Leopold. Suddenly the rain turned to hail in a large area in front of Va’lyndra, striking down insects in large numbers, but the swarm continued ahead. Leopold fired another lightning bolt, but he missed again.

Then, the insects spread into four smaller swarms, moving towards Ilzo, Leopold and Va’lyndra. I kept shooting, as did Leopold, who also didn’t bother aiming first. I would have thought he’d aim more carefully, seeing as he had yet to strike the swarm, but that wasn’t his logic. Of course, his bolt went wild.

The hail storm continued thinning out the swarms, and the insects picked up speed as one swarm buzzed around each of Va’lyndra and Ilzo. Ilzo launched another rock at the third swarm, and the fourth had been dispersed by Va’lyndra’s weather magic.

Leopold shot a lightning bolt at Va’lyndra, trusting her lightning resistant armor to prevent harm to her. This time, he actually hit, but the lightning didn’t seem to do much damage to the insects. Va’lyndra summoned a water jet to wash the insects off herself. They had landed and tried to find ways through her armor.

The third swarm turned towards me, but I dashed off. One second’s burst of speed showed the insects they wouldn’t catch me, so they turned around again, heading for Ilzo instead. Leopold shot another lightning bolt at Va’lyndra, and this time, he managed to fry quite a few of the crawlers. Va’lyndra kept up the water jet, but her movements became jerky as the insects’ poisonous stings started affecting her.

I took aim at Ilzo and split a bug that was crawling on his shoulder. He decided to move into the hailstorm. Wearing plate and mail, he wouldn’t be injured, unlike the insects. Va’lyndra had successfully removed the insects from herself, and followed Ilzo, spraying with her water jet, but she was quivering so much from the poison, she missed. However, the hailstorm did the job, and Ilzo managed to crush the ones that made it through his armor.

Walter informed us that whatever was inside the swarms shrank and vanished as we killed the insects. Va’lyndra was shaking badly, so I called for Olivia. She put a salve on the stings, but could do nothing for the poison that was coursing through the elf mage. We just had to make her comfortable and wait it out. Time heals all wounds.

We erected our tents so we wouldn’t have to stand outside in the rain. Olivia tended to Va’lyndra, who also imbibed a healing potion. Va’lyndra knew the insects were swamp creatures, but there were no swamps nearby.

After a few hours, Va’lyndra had fought off the poison, and was ready to resume the journey. We continued for a couple of hours before settling down for the night.


Thoughts on September 16th

Ilzo got stung by a lot of insects, too, in the battle we had yesterday, but as he’s a lot sturdier than Va’lyndra, he just shrugged off the poison. I kept a close eye on Va’lyndra all day, except for when she scouted ahead, to see if she had signs of relapsing. Olivia said not to worry, the poison had run its course, but she saw that it was good for me to focus on something other than the weather. Huddling in my cloak, I don’t get to practice much, except for what I do at night. I’m trying to insert a contortion act when Leopold takes over the watch, but after a long day of not touching Olivia, I have a hard time keeping my hands off her when we’re alone in our tent.


Thoughts on September 17th

Rain, rain and more rain! And to think I was concerned about snow! At least we still get the occasional minutes of relief between showers. Sometimes, we get as much as an hour of no rain!


Thoughts on September 18th

I noticed finally that the weather had gradually turned colder. Everyone except Walter has commented on it already, but I thought they were just complaining about the rain. That was miserable enough, but now the raindrops are almost frozen, and sting whenever they strike bare skin. Thank goodness for my hood and my helmet. I insisted that Olivia should wear my fine leather gloves while I brought out winter mittens. They got soaked rather quickly, but at least they protected from the sharp sting of the raindrops.


Thoughts on September 19th

It’s still not freezing, but it’s not far away, either. It might be time to bring out the winter clothes, soon.


Thoughts on September 20th

The rain stopped during our lunch break, and didn’t pick up again until early evening. I actually got to do a decent acrobatics practice session while we traveled!


Thoughts on September 21st

We’re getting close now. In a day or two we should reach the temple of Carnus, where Leopold and Va’lyndra will perform necromancy. I can’t say I’m looking forward to that.


Thoughts on September 22nd

Va’lyndra found kobold tracks near our camp this morning. She thought they hadn’t even noticed our presence. I complemented Olivia on a good job camouflaging the camp. Of course, the kobolds may have spotted Ilzo and decided it wasn’t worth trying to attack.
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 07-16-2020, 08:07 AM   #164
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 38 (2020-07-12)

Thoughts on September 23rd

We looped around the boogeyman-infested area and approached the temple from the east. That way, we avoided their town, where they presumably could be found in the largest numbers. We found that grove where Olivia and the horses had waited the first time we dug around in the graveyard, and parked them there again. Va’lyndra taught us another whistling signal that meant “That was not good, try again!” I recalled last time we were here, and Leopold hid on the wrong side of a tombstone, not knowing from where the boogeyman patrol was approaching.

Va’lyndra scouted ahead, and Ilzo, Leopold and I followed with digging implements. We caught up with her, and saw that the boogeymen had rebuilt the tower that Ilzo had destroyed the last time we were here. The new tower was sturdier than the old one, but about the same size, we could see through the trees. There were five boogeymen up in the tower.

I suggested that I moved directly towards the tower, while Ilzo, Va’lyndra and Leopold went around to the other side, so they could intercept runners heading for the town. Va’lyndra had a small change to the plan: She and Leopold would only go half-way around, and approach from the side, while Ilzo could continue all the way to the road leading to the town. He’d then go towards the tower, and the rest of us could start to shoot when the boogeymen focused on him. Ilzo would wear the blur ring, the one that makes it more difficult to hit him.

We split up, and I moved slowly and carefully towards the tower. Unfortunately, the boogeymen spotted me while I was still a distance from the edge of the forest. They dispatched a runner, and I hoped Ilzo would be able to catch him. I dashed ahead, taking cover behind one of the last trees before open ground, drew an arrow, aimed and fired. The boogeymen shot back, of course. I needed less time than them between arrows, and managed to fire five times before they ducked behind the wall. I hit once, and evaded all the arrows they sent my way. Maybe they had heard about a legendary sniper from a couple of months ago that had felled many of their fellows. Anyway, they realized they were overmatched, and decided to trust in their runner to get backup. They peeked up now and again, but never where I was aiming.

A couple of minutes passed, and then I noticed Ilzo coming from the other side of the tower. The boogeymen saw him, too, and opened fire. That was a mistake. My first shot got dodged, but the next three each took a boogeyman in the side as they were aiming at Ilzo. There wasn’t much for Ilzo to do when he finally reached the tower. One boogeyman apparently tried to swipe him with a knife, but even Leopold could have cleaned up in the tower once I was done with it.

We all met up at the tower. I convinced Va’lyndra not to tear it down, in case a boogeyman patrol looked this way. If we propped up the four dead boogeymen, a patrol might not investigate, but they certainly would if the tower lay in shambles on the ground. Va’lyndra contented herself with twisting the ladder so it wouldn’t be useful, while Ilzo and I headed down the road to make sure the runner’s corpse was well hidden. The runner had left the road when he saw the massive Ilzo coming at him, so we just threw the corpse into some bushes in the woods where Ilzo had overtaken him. I left it to Ilzo to toss the body; I took care of the head.

At the graveyard, Walter identified which grave was the one he sought. It was the same one that Va’lyndra just had started digging up when the skeletons made their appearance. Va’lyndra handed me a shovel, but I was so uncomfortable about what we were going to do that I gave it to Ilzo, who then had two. Va’lyndra didn’t understand why I was so dismayed now. I hadn’t had any problems breaking into the crypt by way of Ilzo smashing the door. I explained that there was a difference between desecrating a grave and performing necromancy, and that difference really mattered to me. Leopold decided to use his earth magic to open the grave.

There was a stone coffin down in the hole. Va’lyndra lay down on the ground and struck the lid with her staff. I stepped slowly backwards while Walter explained that we had to follow the ritual. How, Va’lyndra wanted to know. Walter told her to hold the scepter above the open coffin. The coffin wasn’t open yet, though. Va’lyndra turned to me and asked if I had thick rope. I said no, and she glared at me, not quite convinced of my truthfulness, but she made no comment. By then I stood ten meters away, bow at the ready, although I hadn’t drawn an arrow, as they have a very limited lifespan after I pull them from the cornucopia quiver.

Walter stated the obvious, that someone had to open the coffin. Va’lyndra lowered herself into the grave, and I heard her struggle to open the coffin. Finally, stone grated against stone, and Va’lyndra asked Walter what kind of person this was. A priest, obviously. “Does all Carnus priests have horns?” the elf continued. “Many of them do, yes,” Walter replied, adding, “And now you must hold the scepter above the bones.”
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 07-16-2020, 08:16 AM   #165
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 38 (2020-07-12)

I couldn’t see down into the grave from where I stood; I could barely see the top of Va’lyndra’s head. Nothing seemed to happen, though, and Walter instructed Va’lyndra to keep the scepter steady. It took a few minutes before Va’lyndra reported that something was happening: The skeleton’s eyes opened. Then the skeleton said something, presumably in Orcish, and Walter answered. Va’lyndra asked if she was supposed to do something else, now, and Walter told her, “He probably needs help to get out of the grave.”

Va’lyndra asked Leopold to shape steps in the soil so she could get out, and offered him the use of her ring if he needed energy. Soon, Va’lyndra emerged from the grave with a spectacle in her arms, a skeleton with some muscles and tendons. And glowing, red eyes! Ilzo asked how we were supposed to bring him along, and Va’lyndra said that if we fed him life essence, he’d become practically normal. Except for the horns protruding from the sides of his head, from his shoulders and knees! I was frozen in place, heart racing and sweat mingling with the rain water.

Leopold said something in Orcish, the skeleton answered, and Walter translated. The priest was named Zalek, and wanted to know what errand had brought such strange creatures as us to the orcs’ land. Leopold and Va’lyndra both replied that Walter had told us to unbury him. Zalek also wanted to know why Walter wasn’t at his door, and Walter started explaining.

After a while, Zalek requested more life essence. Ilzo, considering to volunteer, asked why we had resurrected Zalek, and Va’lyndra and Leopold said it was to create chaos. That was good enough for Ilzo, who approached Zalek, as the skeleton stretched out a hand towards him. Suddenly a red mist surged out of Ilzo and into Zalek. As I watched, the undead priest looked more and more like an orc, inner organs and muscles growing. Once he had eyes and a few patches of skin, he was satisfied.

Zalek asked if we were worshippers of Carnus. Va’lyndra told him we had performed some Carnus rituals to get acquainted with the god. Speak for yourself, I thought, but my mouth was so dry I couldn’t get a sound out. Zalek asked what we wanted him for. Leopold told him about the vision Va’lyndra and I had that we needed to create chaos, which prompted Zalek to ask if we belonged to the chaos cult, which we didn’t.

Walter reminded us that we had some questions for Zalek. Leopold and Va’lyndra started by explaining which gods they revered: Gubb, the god of gnomes, Elendus, the god of nature, called Vridis by orcs, and Carnus, just a little. Ilzo added Gromsh to the list.

With a feat of willpower, I tore my eyes off the abomination and darted behind a tombstone, where I hid and covered my ears. Why was I chosen for this mission? I’ve never been so scared in my life.

The others talked for a while, and then headed out, in Olivia’s direction. I dashed off, running around them so I wouldn’t get too close to Zalek, and Va’lyndra spotted me and whistled the signal for “Come here!” I ignored her, but Olivia heard too, and brought the horses closer, as she thought the signal was meant for her. I intercepted her before the others reached her and took a defensive stance between Olivia and Zalek. The horses started acting up just as I reached them; the undead menace was only fifty meters away. Va’lyndra and the others stopped when they realized that Zalek was scaring the horses. He walked on his own legs now, wrapped in Va’lyndra’s bear skin cloak.

They moved closer carefully, and Va’lyndra used a potion of beast speech to try to calm the horses. We found that the best course of action was to have Zalek walk some distance from the poor animals. We headed for our old campsite near the water.

I asked what the plan was now. Leopold said that Va’lyndra and I had to retell our visions in detail to Zalek. I let Va’lyndra do the talking, staying back with Olivia, just within hearing distance. After listening to Va’lyndra’s story, Zalek thought we should perform a ritual that would end one of the races. Leopold and Va’lyndra opposed the idea, but Leopold added that our problem was that we lacked a plan.

Zalek thought the Serals were trying to eradicate free will from the world. His solution was to create a new temple for Carnus. Va’lyndra wanted him to come back to civilization with us, but feared that we would all be executed if we brought him like he was now. Zalek wanted more life force, and received it from Leopold. Afterwards, he looked more or less normal, a scrawny orc with small horns on his head, shoulders and knees. Fortunately, few humans know enough about orcs to know that that’s not normal. Orcs should be big and strong, and should not have horns.

Zalek wanted to go into partnership with us. He needed financial backing to build his new temple, and needed us to locate a lost artifact. Va’lyndra offered to introduce him to people she knew at the knowledge guild, who might get him the money he needed. Zalek also wanted the scepter back, but Leopold said we needed it, otherwise Walter would stop functioning. Zalek offered to perform a ritual that would give Walter the life essence he needed for a year or so, and to replenish him at need. Olivia and I clung to each other, and for once, I was the one who needed it most.

Olivia talked to Va’lyndra, to see if she could convince Zalek to stay away from the horses while we traveled. She came back to me, and the others continued their discussion with Walter and Zalek, learning that there’s a fort in the north, practically on the way back to Urdon. The lost artifact was going there, and Ilzo, Leopold and Va’lyndra agreed to stop by on the way home, to look for the artifact.
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Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue

Last edited by coronatiger; 07-17-2020 at 08:36 AM.
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Old 07-26-2020, 01:51 PM   #166
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 39 (2020-07-17)

Thoughts on September 24th

We started moving back north. Va’lyndra scouted ahead as usual, then followed Leopold with Walter and Zalek, while Ilzo, Olivia, I came last with all the horses. Ilzo walked, for he had determined that in plate and mail, he was too heavy for his poor horse. I thought to myself that I’d find him a combat trained ox when we returned to civilization.


Thoughts on September 25th

It started snowing today, although it melted quickly on the ground. This year’s first snow came a full three months earlier than last year’s, so I don’t expect it to keep up for long. We’ll get a warm spell soon.


Thoughts on September 26th

The snow didn’t melt as quickly, today, and we passed several areas completely covered in white. Va’lyndra made us stop in bare patches, where the horses could graze.


Thoughts on September 27th

I took the opportunity to practice acrobatics in between snowfalls. We stopped for the evening near a snow drift, and Olivia and I had a snowball fight. When Ilzo joined in, we glared at him and retreated to our tent.


Thoughts on September 28th

It snowed lightly throughout the entire day. I did some contortion and balance acts in the saddle, keeping my hood up so I wouldn’t get snow down my neck. Olivia had scored a hit there in yesterday’s snowball fight, reminding me how unpleasant an icy trickle down the back can be.


Thoughts on September 29th

Although it had snowed all night, the sun broke through this morning, and we had a pleasant ride. I practiced acrobatics most of the day, exulting in the sun.


Thoughts on September 30th

Olivia pointed out to me that Zalek seemed to be deteriorating, looking more and more like the corpse he is as time went by. He will demand more life essence soon, but he’ll not get it from us.


Thoughts on October 1st

The snow had returned yesterday, and it kept up most of today, too. Va’lyndra was still able to find grazing for the horses, but it was getting more difficult. The snow on the ground was getting high enough that traveling slowed down because of that, too.


Thoughts on October 2nd

We reached the fort around midday. It was situated on a large island in the middle of a river, and Zalek told us the island was artificial. The river was partially frozen.

We tried to find a good place to camp, out of sight from the fort, which was a good thing, for Va’lyndra discovered goblin tracks in the snow. Patrols, she said, but I didn’t understand how she came to that conclusion.

Zalek informed us that the artifact we were to recover was a metal gauntlet that would allow him to control servants or lackeys. He wasn’t too fond of goblins, calling them perversions unable to worship Carnus.

Va’lyndra had seen a bell at the top of one of the towers, and said that if “someone” shot an arrow at it, we could see how many goblins who showed up. Leopold insisted that we shouldn’t let them know we were here, though. Instead, we should look for traps, as goblins are fond of those.

From our brief look at the fort, we could tell that the goblins had made simple repairs. Leopold thought we should spy on the fort for a while before deciding a battle plan. First, though, we had to make camp. While Va’lyndra summoned more snow to cover our tracks, the rest of us set up our tents in a secluded ravine.

After making it snow, Va’lyndra had to rest, so Leopold and I went to have a look at the fort. It was about one hundred by two hundred meters large, with a tower in each corner, as well as two smaller towers at the gate. The wall was ten meters high, and easily scalable due to the ravages of time, although some of the others might find it difficult to find handholds. I could tie a rope to the crenels and pass it down to the others. Not much happened while we spied on the fort, although we determined that there were goblins in two of the large towers, presumably keeping a watch.

We returned to camp to make plans. The others didn’t like the idea of scaling the wall, as we could be spotted from the towers. After much debate, we decided to fly in. We could get away with using only two potions of flight; Ilzo and I could carry Va’lyndra and Leopold.

Leopold and Ilzo went to have a look at the fort once the sun set, in case the nocturnal goblins revealed more of their activities at night. Olivia and I kept watch in the camp until they returned, then I declared that it was Leopold’s turn to watch. Olivia and I “went to sleep”.
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You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 07-26-2020, 02:00 PM   #167
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 39 (2020-07-17)

Thoughts on October 3rd

We had breakfast and prepared for our incursion. I took some ropes and made harnesses so we didn’t have to depend on holding on while in flight. Olivia said she didn’t want to be alone with Zalek, so we decided to take him along. He agreed, as long as he didn’t have to do any fighting. I made sure his harness was distant enough from the others that he wouldn’t accidentally draw life force from anyone in midair.

I carried Va’lyndra, and Ilzo took Leopold and Zalek, and we rose right up into the air. With all the weight, it was slow climbing, and it took us five minutes to reach high enough that we didn’t think the goblins would spot us. As an extra safety measure, we approached the fort with the rising sun behind us.

I landed lightly on the tower roof with Va’lyndra. Ilzo’s armor jingled and Zalek crash-landed. I wriggled out of my harness while the others struggled with the knots. Leopold drew a knife and cut himself loose. A goblin head peeked out of the window, looking up at us, one half of his face rotting away. I leapt off the tower and flew in the window, pulling Scorchmark and trying to swipe at the goblin on the way, but I missed. Ilzo flew in through another window, still wrapped in ropes and trailing Leopold’s and Zalek’s cut harnesses.

Va’lyndra shot the goblin right in the face, and Leopold made a hole in the roof. The goblin ran over to the bell and seized the rope hanging from it. There was another goblin in the room, but he just looked around in confusion. I landed behind the alert goblin and gave him two rapid cuts across his back, felling him. Ilzo tried to tackle the other goblin, but tripped on his rope.

I tried to attack the remaining goblin zombie, but he evaded my swipes, running to the bell and taking hold of the bell rope. I made a deceptive attack, but the goblin dodged away from it, giving Ilzo time to grab the bell’s clapper, so when the goblin pulled on the rope, no sound rang out. This startled my foe so much, my next attack decapitated him.

Ilzo reached up and lifted Leopold and Va’lyndra down through the hole Leopold had made. Va’lyndra had cut herself loose from poor Mr. Bond, and I thought I could splice him, but just then, a large piece of him slipped off the roof and fell into the river. I flew up to the roof and saved a five-meter-long piece. The other pieces were too short to salvage. I used my rope to lower Zalek through to the others, then packed it away and rejoined them in the tower room.

Va’lyndra looked out over the fort and decided we hadn’t been spotted; there was no activity anywhere. We moved down the stairs, going round and round, and passed several long-abandoned rooms. We moved by exits to the walls, and found passages into them on the floor below, choosing to enter the south wall of the fort. Ilzo, who led the way, looked out through a large hole into the courtyard and was seen by a patrol. Va’lyndra stopped him from charging out into the unknown, and I flew above them, preparing to shoot. Ilzo tore free and dashed outside, following the fleeing goblins. I fired at them, but missed. My second arrow struck, and then it was time for me to run. I landed and sprinted after Ilzo and the goblins, being faster on foot than in the air. Ilzo caught up with the last goblin at the corner of the keep, and I stopped behind him just as he cleaved the undead goblin.

We heard hissing around the corner, and I began digging for a potion of speed while Ilzo peered around the corner. Ilzo decided not to fight this time, and pointed back along the keep wall towards a wooden door that the goblins must have set up. He started running, and I stumbled backwards while retrieving the correct potion bottle from my pouch. I drank it and ran after Ilzo. Va’lyndra, Leopold and Zalek crossed over from the hole in the wall to the keep’s side door.

Ilzo told me that the patrol was alerting others, just as alarm bells started ringing. Va’lyndra tore open the door using her plant magic, and Ilzo ran inside, skewering a surprised goblin so violently that his head fell off. Everyone hurried inside, and Va’lyndra restored the door, complete with bar.

Ilzo asked Leopold where to go. Leopold told us he assumed the artifact was located in a central room, probably in a temple of some kind, like where we fought the strange troll in the perversion temple. This seemed like a basement to Leopold, so he thought we should climb a stair or two.

We headed towards the center of the keep, and soon found a set of stairs leading up. After some searching, we arrived at a grand hall, and Va’lyndra peeked inside carefully. There were two moving piles of corpses in the far corners, and a large group of goblins, mostly on the right side of the room. Va’lyndra said she could shoot one of the corpse pile monsters with her exploding arrow; she’d go for the one on the left.

We had heard goblins moving about while we searched the keep, so we knew there were reinforcements nearby for the group inside the grand hall. Hoping that we could finish these ones off before help arrived, I stepped up to the door and fired an arrow into the corpse pile on the right. As I did, I noticed that Va’lyndra’s “group” of goblins was a bit larger than I had imagined; there were about twenty of them. I stepped back to redraw.
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You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 07-26-2020, 02:11 PM   #168
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 39 (2020-07-17)

Ilzo charged into the room and Leopold aimed his wand. Va’lyndra stepped forward and deviated from her plan, shooting at the goblins instead. An explosion rang out inside the hall, but I couldn’t see how much damage Va’lyndra had caused. I could hear running, though, and someone yelling commands. Leopold shot a lightning bolt through the door.

Va’lyndra dropped her bow and retrieved a potion bottle from a pocket on her chest. I stepped up to the door again, seeing one of the corpse piles missing Ilzo with a swipe. Three spearmen surrounded the orc, so I shot one of them in the back. These goblins seemed resistant to impaling attacks, for with the one from the patrol in the courtyard, it had now been two of them that didn’t go down with one of my arrows in its torso. I seldom needed more than one to fell a goblin. These undead ones, though, were different. I quickly stepped back so I wouldn’t stand in Leopold’s way.

Ilzo positioned himself so he could see all his opponents, and cut rapidly at the corpse pile, but missed. Leopold put away his wand and said that he thought there was a mage in the corner. It would be nice to take him out, but there were a few too many goblins between us at the moment. Zalek alerted us to goblins approaching from behind. I drew Scorchmark and prepared to attack the first goblin to pass the doorway. Va’lyndra quaffed her bottle, and then two goblins came through the door. The first one went down with a deep scorch mark across his chest. He fell to the ground, bloated and bubbling, but I didn’t think I caused that. The other goblin was on fire, and came at Leopold with a knife, but he missed, luckily. I chopped him down, and Leopold said we needed to pull back from the bubbling corpse. Leopold and Zalek took off, but Va’lyndra and I didn’t have time to react before the corpse exploded, like the trolls on the mountain. I managed to pull back from the explosion and dodged the shrapnel. Both Leopold’s legs got struck, though, and he fell. Inside the grand hall, Ilzo kept the corpse piles busy, but neither party managed to inflict much harm on the other.

I dashed back to the door, where a burning goblin zombie wielding an axe had appeared. I gave him a shallow cut, but he was so severely wounded from Va’lyndra’s fire arrow that he collapsed. I could see another bubbling goblin zombie approaching. A group of goblins had left the grand hall by another exit, and began pouring into our corridor. On the other side, four more goblins approached, and as if that wasn’t enough, one of the corpse piles gave up on Ilzo and headed our way. A swordsman made a swing at me, but missed.

I cut down the bubbling goblin and ran back to defend Zalek. Two spearmen charged us and two archers drew arrows. Leopold fumbled in his backpack for potions of healing while scrambling back from the mass of enemies who now converged on Va’lyndra. She had an ice dagger at the ready and fired it along the corridor. Several goblins threw themselves out of the way before the magic missile struck one of those in the rear. She yelled to Ilzo, “Do you see one with a gauntlet?”

Zalek articulated a spell just as the spearmen reached us. One spearman stabbed at him, and I didn’t see if the attack struck, but the other spearman skewered the first one. As this was also an impaling attack, the goblin zombie remained on his feet.

Another bubbling zombie exploded, and Leopold took another hit in the leg. I dodged all the shrapnel, of course. Asking Zalek if he was in control over the situation with the spearmen, I turned the other way and drew an arrow to help Va’lyndra, dropping Scorchmark as I did so. The magic weapon floated in the air near my hand, ready for me to grab it again. Then I remembered that Zalek doesn’t understand Common.

Ilzo called out “Goblin boss!” in response to Va’lyndra’s question. Leopold finally retrieved his two healing potion bottles from his pack, while Va’lyndra scrambled to her feet, having dropped to the ground to avoid undead shrapnel. “Get the one with the gauntlet!” she yelled, “He controls the others!”

Zalek moved into a side passage to get away from the archers, while his two new minions turned and ran to keep them occupied. I fired my arrow at the corpse pile that squeezed out the small doorway and moved towards it. Va’lyndra swiped with her quarterstaff, but missed. Goblins swarmed her, but did no damage. She was wearing hydra leather, and had taken a potion of invulnerability, which hardened her skin.

I plucked Scorchmark from the air and stepped up next to Va’lyndra. I tried to cut the corpse pile, but missed. Suddenly, I felt very solid and brave. Va’lyndra smashed a goblin with her staff, cursing at Ilzo, “Get the mage!” I could just see Ilzo through the door, still busy with the other corpse pile. The goblin swarm attacked us, and we avoided their blows. Then the corpse pile grabbed me. I could hear the goblin mage call out a command, but I didn’t understand him, of course.

I swiped Scorchmark across the arm that held me, but not very deeply. Zalek called out behind us, and then there was an explosion back there. The corpse pile took better hold of me, preparing to rip me apart. A bubbling goblin tried to move past us, but I managed to bar his passage by holding out a leg; I couldn’t let him get close to Leopold. Again, I scraped futilely at one of the arms holding me, and Va’lyndra gave it a blow from her staff.

The monster wrenched me, and I never thought anything could hurt so bad. I nearly fainted from the pain, but managed to keep focus and bit deeply with Scorchmark, tearing off a large chunk of flesh. Va’lyndra smacked the arm again, and now the corpse pile only held me with one arm.

The bubbling goblin I had held back exploded, taking two of its fellows with it. Shrapnel flew everywhere, and I felt three of them strike me, but mysteriously, I took no damage. I learned later that Ilzo had bestowed a blessing of Gromsh upon me. That blessing had probably also saved me from being ripped in two. Multiple shrapnel struck the lumbering corpse pile, enough to bring it down. It dropped me, but I chose to remain in the air, since the flight potion was still in effect. Lying facedown among goblin zombies was not tempting.

Two goblins took advantage of the gap I left under me to charge Leopold, who had just found his feet again. Three tried to attack Va’lyndra, but she was so well protected that the hits did no damage. One reached up at me with a spear, but missed.

I missed with my counterattack, and Va’lyndra’s staff slipped from her fingers, so she kicked at one of the goblins instead. The goblins attacked again, and this time, Va’lyndra yelped with pain. I managed to parry the spear attack aimed at me; I was reeling from the injuries the corpse pile had given me, and didn’t trust in my ability to dodge.

Then, a huge explosion rang out from the grand hall as Ilzo’s corpse pile blew up. The fight continued for a few seconds in the corridor, but then the remaining goblins dropped to the floor. Ilzo had defeated the mage and broken his spell.
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You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 07-31-2020, 09:38 AM   #169
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Interlude

I watched Mattea and the others rise into the air. Either they took it slowly, or the potions weren’t as potent as Mattea had made them out to be. I’m not exactly afraid of heights, but as the party dwindled to small, dark specks against the morning sky, I was relieved to remain on the ground. Mattea must have loved it, though! My sweet, little butterfly had literally taken flight. It was a dream come true, I’m sure.

My butterfly… I’ve never called Mattea that to her face, for I knew she’d see all the meaning that lay behind the comparison, and frankly, it’s insulting. She wouldn’t get it immediately, but eventually, her mind would catch up; not that she’s slow or dim-witted, she’s just not as sharp as some. Like the butterfly, she’s beautiful to behold, fascinating to watch, dazzling in all her splendor. And she would be flying from bloom to bloom, sucking their nectar, if I hadn’t captured her. The net that holds her must be so fine, so delicate, for she is a frail creature. Physically, she is awesome – strong, fast and agile, but her psyche is scarred and bruised. Her wounds are buried deep, but we must be careful when building on unstable ground.

I returned to my chores, having taken a break to see Mattea off, and had just finished cleaning up after breakfast when bells started ringing in the distance. Could Mattea and the others even have reached the fort yet? I told myself that Mattea could handle any number of goblins, so them being aware that they were being attacked was just fair, but I couldn’t shake off that dreadful sensation that something horrible was going to happen to my precious flying archer.

The chimes sounded irregular, frantic even, not the kind of bellringing I would like to associate with Mattea. Not that that could ever be. The Church doesn’t recognize the kind of love Mattea and I share, and I can’t think of a priest that wouldn’t be deeply offended if we asked them to officiate for us. Maybe if Ilzo gets his religion going? I shivered at the thought. No, I don’t think I would ever let Ilzo marry us. But better him than Zalek, that hideous, unnatural monstrosity. Thank goodness Mattea took him along to the fort! Being near him creeps me out. Only Leopold and Ilzo seem to tolerate him completely, and even they have sense enough not to touch the life-draining horror.

Those are some strange traveling companions Mattea has found for us. Va’lyndra is perhaps the most normal of them, as long as one remembers that she doesn’t understand jokes and is likely to flare up rather violently if one sends irony or sarcasm her way. Being a mage doesn’t count against her in my book, but even Mattea has taken a liking to her. Luckily, Va’lyndra seems to put sex in the same box as humor, labeled “Things other people find enjoyable”, or else I fear she and Mattea would have gotten together.

Ilzo is a barbarian brute, crude, rude and with no sense of personal boundaries. He’s far too curious for his own good, and it’s only a matter of time before he oversteps too far. To his credit, I don’t believe he means any harm, but civilized culture is so foreign to him, his intent might not matter. Sooner or later, he’ll step into a mire so deep that his friends can’t get him out, and then he’ll either be executed or spend the rest of his life a prisoner. Lady Karita made an effort to acclimatize him to civilization, and she had the strength of will, the force of personality to succeed, had she not gotten herself killed.

I miss Lady Karita. She was nice and proper, if not exactly acting her station, leaving home on her own to find adventure, the way she did. Kine was nice, too. Perhaps a little impulsive, and too outspoken and opinionated for my taste, but still nice. Magnar was definitely not nice. He was loyal to a fault, and considerate of his companions’ needs, if not necessarily their feelings. Had he still been alive, I think he’d have eventually left the party, for he couldn’t stand not being the brightest star on the night sky, and grumbled about it incessantly. In the company of Maystatea Viashniskaya, there is only one star.

Leopold is a curious case. For someone as intelligent as him, he’s remarkably lacking in good sense, at least when it comes to adventuring. Mattea has told me time and again how he’s walked right into danger, completely unaware of the hazard, and how she and the others have had to save him. I’ve seen him do such things myself a few times, too, not that Mattea would ever lie to me. As I’m not the one who has to save his bacon, we get along fine, even if Mattea’s frustration sometimes rubs off on me. We might eventually have become friends, had our fields of interest overlapped, but as it is, I get the sensation that he thinks of me as an acceptable traveling companion, useful but replaceable.

I’d lump Walter in with Zalek as a ghastly undead, but while I haven’t yet come to terms with Walter, Ilzo definitely took the sting out of him by using him as a chamber pot. The talking skull with red-glowing eyes is simply less scary since he proved he can’t even retaliate against such a grievous insult. Words can hurt, but they can’t really harm you. Walter has some strange opinions, but I’ve found in him a fellow Ilzo-contrarian. He’s still a little creepy, though, so it’s just fine by me that Leopold keeps him occupied.

I came out of my reveries, realizing that the bells had stopped ringing. I glanced nervously around, looking for goblins sneaking up on the camp. I put away the half-darned sock I was working on, and went to check on the horses, telling myself that Mattea would be back soon. She would swoop into camp and take me in the tent. Then she would tell me all about how Leopold had tried to bargain with the goblins for the artifact, and how she, Va’lyndra and Ilzo had to save him before the goblins sacrificed him to whatever god they worshipped. Zalek would decide that he would use the fort for a temple, and not come back with the others. Of course, that wasn’t even close to what actually happened…
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You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 08-14-2020, 09:25 AM   #170
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 40 (2020-08-09)

Thoughts on October 3rd (continued)

Mattea and the others strolled into camp around midday, covered in filth and bandages. Mattea approached me, arms spread as if for a hug, but I recoiled at the stench and held out a hand to stop her. She turned to Va’lyndra and asked for a water jet to hose off the filth. “Yuk, you still reek,” I exclaimed, “you need to burn those clothes!” I turned to the others. “Do you guys have spare sets of winter clothes? No? Then you’d better wash those thoroughly! And I hope you cleansed your wounds before taking healing potions, so you didn’t seal up the filth inside you.” They looked at me with blank faces. “You realize your wounds can get infected? I don’t have the skills to reopen your wounds and clean them out properly!”

Mattea shed all her dirty clothes and equipment and ducked inside our tent. “Olivia, can you boil up some water for washing? I had better take a real bath,” she called out. I delivered a pot of water to her a few minutes later. On the road, we don’t have a proper bathtub, so we wash with soap and water from a small bowl and a wet cloth to scrub away the dirt. “Olivia, do you mind helping me wash?” Mattea asked sensuously when I passed her the hot water, making sure I got a good look at her naked body between the tent flaps. “I would love to,” I replied, “but I should clean your armor and your weapons, unless you want me to toss them on the fire, too.” “I guess you’d better shave off some pieces of this for the others,” Mattea said and raised her voice: “Does anyone want to borrow some soap?!”

Va’lyndra and Ilzo disappeared into the trees, but Leopold took advantage of the warm water I had boiled up. I set to work on Mattea’s gear. When I returned it to the tent, Mattea had finished washing, and wanted me to inspect her. What she alluded to was obvious. In the relative dark of the tent, I had to rely on other senses than vision, and so I smelled her, felt her, tasted her, and it was wonderful. The perfume from the soap hung heavily around her, egging me on. When my “inspection” was finished, Mattea started to reciprocate in earnest, but I pushed her away with an effort of willpower. “The others will be back by now, and waiting to strike camp and move on,” I told her. Mattea disagreed, “We have time for a quick lick!” I was pretty riled up already and didn’t mind at all being overruled. Well, not much. It’s all too easy to be drawn in by Mattea’s sexual magnetism. Even when she isn’t actively trying to be alluring, every fiber of her being screams that she’s going to give you the lay of the century, and when she turns on the charm … oh boy! You’re going to melt like butter in a frying pan. Mattea seized my hips with her powerful hands and had me sizzling in no time. Then she looked up at me, sighing, “I guess there’s no time for pillow talk. We’d better get dressed.”

We packed up in a hurry so as not to make the others wait, and then we headed northeast, homewards. Ilzo was still smelling like he had taken a bath in a midden heap, and Va’lyndra volunteered to wash his clothes. Mattea offered our soap before I could.

Mattea told me all about their adventures as we traveled, of course: “… and then we heard this great explosion, and just a few seconds later, all the remaining goblins fell to the ground, as if the puppeteer’s strings had been cut! We staggered into the great hall, looking for a place with fewer corpses, where we could do first aid and heal up. Ilzo shared out healing potions for everybody. Except for Zalek, of course, but once Lyn had bandaged Ilzo, the two orcs went outside so Zalek could drain the bear that the goblins had dragged into the courtyard. Then I asked if we should go and find the treasure chamber, so Lyn, Leo and I headed downstairs as well. Zalek looked much better when we met them there. As we told them we wanted to go treasure hunting, I recalled that the goblin mage had sparkled when Lyn took off the magical gauntlet, so I flew upstairs and picked the gems off him. And we found a treasure chamber, sure enough, in a room near the great hall, with some gold and silver, and more gemstones. We went through most of the place searching for more treasures, but all we found were thirty or so goblins, dead and rotting, probably unanimated when Ilzo killed the goblin mage. And then we came back to you!” Mattea finished her tale with a kiss, leaning acrobatically over me from her saddle.

When we made camp in the evening, I decided to take Ilzo’s washing from Va’lyndra. She had done a decent job on herself earlier, but the only way to be sure to get a job done right, is to do it yourself. With the new watch routine, Mattea and I have the first watch, and the others disappeared into their respective tents after the evening meal. Mattea was uncharacteristically focused for most of the watch. I believed it was due to our lunchtime snack. Of course, as the time for Leopold’s turn at the watch approached, Mattea got clingier and clingier, and the hushed conversation filled up with innuendos and her jokes got saucier and saucier.

When I declared it was time, Mattea dashed off to wake Leopold, sprinted back almost before I had time to stand up, and carried me back to our tent. If not for the groggy gnome, she would have torn my clothes off then and there, but she wasted no time once the tent flaps were closed behind us.


Thoughts on October 4th

We continued our trek towards Urdon. The sun chased away all the clouds, making for a very bright day with all the snow that still lay on the ground, so Olivia and I got out our snow goggles. They’re rather heavy, but they are very good at protecting the eyes from the glare. With the sun shining bright, the air warmed up around us, and the snow started melting.

Leopold alerted Olivia to his discolored wounds. Olivia studied them with an air of “I told you so” and agreed that the wounds were infected. She repeated that she didn’t dare opening the wounds to cleanse them, and muttered that she knew of an herb that could have helped, but she’d never find it with all the snow. She determined to keep an eye on Leopold’s injuries, to monitor their development. We had to get back to Urdon quickly!


Thoughts on October 5th

I practiced balance and contortion while we rode, to Olivia’s great pleasure. She was attentive enough then that I didn’t mind her focusing on Leopold whenever we made a stop.


Thoughts on October 6th

After a long day of travel, Olivia checked yet again on Leopold’s wounds, reporting that they were black and discolored. I asked if they thought a healing potion might help, and Leopold drank one. It perked him up, but did nothing against the infection.


Thoughts on October 7th

Olivia suggested a detour, for she knew an area nearby where she remembered seeing some useful herbs. Enough snow had melted for her to find what she was looking for, and she brewed a tea for Leopold when we had our midday break. She repeated that we needed to clean our wounds before sealing them up, in the future. She also revealed to the others that she was planning to find someone who could teach her to cut into people. Ilzo commented that that wasn’t so hard, and Olivia rolled her eyes.


Thoughts on October 8th

The herbal tea seemed to be working, for Leopold reported feeling better this morning. Olivia inspected his legs and agreed.
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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