Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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ian_scho
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

Post by ian_scho »

Just to reply to one of the posts above. "I can see on the disk the symbol here of SAR... You see it?" And she indicates exactly where on the disk it was. "And also the symbol here of VEN. I have always associated it with that of poison but minds more twisted than mine have put it to different uses."

OOC - Thiy might have a better chance of spotting compared to others so she'll opt to look inside the tent - lets find out!

"We'll need the key to the chest." Thiy states, completely ignorant as to how those in the thieves guild could open the thing by 'alternative' methods. "It may be better to break the drovers arm to obtain it than us searching around for it." She then adds. "It's also possible that he will have hidden something by his precious grahhssks. I could go over there and take a look afterwards." She could search their harnesses and where they are attached to the stone, for example.

OOC - Spot hidden for the tent (1d20+3=14), and spot hidden for searching around the beasts of burden (1d20+3=4), which she didn't do very carefully!

Thiy nodded to Kassah and went inside the tent to start searching. She had become accustomed to entering the more alien of abodes but was always fascinated by the ingenuity of each different species and how it approached to resolve some of the most basic problems in life. It underlies her feelings that humans are not the most advanced or strongest of species but can sometimes appear to be so by either out-producing or out-sacrificing their competitors. She was more careful with the belongings of others than she ought to be, out of respect leant from her formative years of being an pre-apprentice merchant. Thiy also even had a look at the pile of fire wood around the side to check for anything there.

Finally she approached the grahhssk who appeared to loom even larger now that she was close to them again. For all of her 'searching' she ended up standing in the centre stone that the creatures were harnessed to attempting to shoo them away in the hope that their harnesses would magically extend some meters more. It was all a bit pathetic for someone attempting to control her own fears and emotions.
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raixel
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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Kassah nods at the monk's pointing out of the symbols. "Yes, that does look like the same symbol as the one on the traitor's chest. I have no runic instruction whatsoever, but I know VEN means poison, right? In Zaangaardian the glyph for the sound VEN is often put on poisonous things, although it doesn't look like two triangles. So, does anyone actually *know* why these runes would be there? I suspect VEN could be used to give poison." She thinks for a second, then her eyes light up. "It could be the reason why the rats seemed to be diseased? Maybe? But I don't know what SAR means."

Anyone can roll a knowledge (religion/arcana) since they use the same runes to get any further info about the specific recognized runes. But this one has to be trained cuz otherwise your e just gonna get the same basic infoj

The pathfinder picks around the firepit as Thiy enters the tent. At Thiy's recommendation upon finding the chest she flares her nostrils, something the humans are starting to notice the lizar do when they are amused. "Yes. We could do that. Or we could just bust it open." She looks up at Ktch'klik and Artaxes. "What do you two think?"

Ktch'klik shakes his thorax negatively. "My kind is fast, but not all that good at force. I may be able to break it, but I doubt it."

OB, if you want to break it roll a str in addition to any other search/spot rolls to just look around. Otherwise you all could go back to the drover and put the smack-down. I'm gonna wait for OB's post to resolve the results of the searches tho. And WB, Ian. Hope your trip was good!
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

Post by oh_brother »

Artaxes spoke to no one else in the group, but simply began tearing up the creatures belongings and tossing them around the tent. The rugs and pillows were the first things to be examined, both underneath and checking if anything was hidden inside. The bed-roll and the pile of wood were the next items to get tossed around. "He must have something here somewhere" Artaxes muttered, as he lifted up the floor covering to check underneath. Flinging the empty cup and spoon aside he picked up the red bag, quickly opening it and emptying the contents on the floor.

At the mention of looking for a key, Artaxes shook his head. "No time" he said, "and that drover gave up his rights to complain when he listened in on our conversation." With that he brought his boot down hard on the chest lid.

Search check was 20 -1 = 19. Strength roll on chest was 16 + 3 = 19. Go invisible castle!
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ian_scho
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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The Artaxes whirlwind starts inside the tent, leaving Thiy somewhat bemused by it all. What could he possibly find that she did not? She leaves him to it when she hears the crashing sound, underlying her opinion of him. Everything was tidy and organised when she left there. Typical brute.

OOC - I can visualise the fighter coming out of the tent wearing a chest for a shoe. knowledge (religion/arcana) (1d20+1=3)

Thiy just shrugs her shoulders at Kassah's suggestion over the VEN symbol. "I dedicate a lot of my time to study life, not to poison it." she replies. "That and a lot of sweeping in the cloisters" she then quietly muses as she really has no idea.
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

Post by raixel »

Hm. I think thats a good idea, Ian.. :D Well, I think you guys found everything in the tent with those rolls.

The monk enters the tent and carefully looks around. While nothing is immediately apparent, she lifts one corner of the hide-mat on the ground and finds a pouch. Inside is 6 small cut gems, green in color. Directly behind her comes Artaxes, who immediately starts poking through everything, using nowhere near as much care as the monk did. Between the both of them, they find a small bubbling blue potion secreted in the reed sack, which tumbles out on top of the pile of grain the humans assume is some sort of supplement to the grahhssk feed. Under the pillow is two thin grey darts with blue feather tufts on the end. They have a small leather cap on the needle, obviously to protect the carrier from being accidentally stuck. Inside the bedroll is another small pouch, this one with some strange gold coins of a make neither human has seen. Thiy counts out 15 coins as she examines the pouch.

Suddenly there is a loud crash as Artaxes smashes his boot on the top of the fine chest. The wood holds although cracks spread around the lid, and as the mercenary brings his foot up for another kick, Thiy decides she should probably go look around the ggrahhssk area, lest she be skewered by a flying splinter.

The large reptiles nose the monk as she approaches, snuffling at her hands and face for treats. She pokes around the area, but finds nothing besides some odd piles of black goop surrounded by a white mass. She hears a grunting sound behind her, and sees one of the grahhssk squat, its tail held out horizontal. Another black and white mass appears out of its cloaca, narrowly missing the monk's foot as it shits. Thiy's pig runs up when it sees her leave the tent, nosing around at the monks feet. Although, surprisingly it doesn't seem to be interested in either the grahhssk or its feces, the same thing cannot be said for the large reptile, which shrieks at the pig and raises its powerful clawed foot for a strong kick at the offending swine. The pig, smarter than initial apperances dictates, backs away with the large stupid beast chasing it until the grahhssk reaches the end of its tether. It stands there grunting at the annoyed grahhsk and looking at Thiy with its tiny blue eyes, as if it is proud. The other reptiles lift their heads and start shrieking at the nearby pig, causing an unholy racket that hurts the monk's ears and can probably be heard all the way to Banville.

The crash of the wooden chest shattering as Artaxes' foot passes through it finally is drowned out by an unholy shrieking coming from outside of the tent. The mercenary ignores the sound through long years of training and proceeds to search through the ruined chest. He finds some simple clothes, the long vests and tunics and baggy pants favored by common lizar. He also finds an odd device that looks like a cross between a scissors and a needlenose plier. THere are a few other simlar impliments, like a large metal file, a glass syringe with a long metal needle inside a bag that also contains some reddish powder, and what looks like a dagger with a highly curved point. Underneath that is a leather-bound small book and a simple white quill pen. Opening the book, he sees the common date used by all the races of Balance on each page gowing from right to left as he flips back and forth through the pages, although the pages themselves are filled with an unfamiliar glyphic script. The book is about a quarter full , starting from what would be the "back" if it was written in common.
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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Artaxes passed the book to Kassah. "Any idea what this thing says?" he asked quizzically. "Or what type of script it is written in?"

He carefully examined the other items. While they could readily be the typical tools of a grahhsk herder, in Artaxes mind he pictured the creature spreading the red dust into unholy shapes on the ground, while using the curved knife for some sort of sacrifice. He was somewhat disappointed that there were no black candles to be found to complete the picture.

"You people know better than us what is out of place here" he continued, looking at Kassah and Ktch'klik. "These coins, do they look familiar? Or this blue potion, or red powder?"

"Maybe they are for the animals, have you seen him give them anything? And where is that nun? I saw her hanging around the animal pen, maybe she saw some of this in use. If there is a legitimate use then fine, he can keep it all. But we need to know."
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raixel
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

Post by raixel »

Ian:
Spoiler
Thiy remembers seeing the odd scissors and pliers contraption used by the drover on the grahhssk's feet, to clip damaged scales and claw tips. The file as well serves the same purpose, to smooth clipped claws and scales so they dont have rough edges and potentially get caught on something. As for the rest of the odd items in the chest, like the syringe, powder, knife and other items, she did not see the drover use them but imagines they must have something to do with grahhssk care.
Will post when Ian updates
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ian_scho
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

Post by ian_scho »

OOC - Thiy would not have taken anything that she had found, not even the gems. It would not serve her 'cause' or final goal.

The nun flees the area of the grahhssks with haste. She has seen some strange creatures to be scared or wary of but her pig was the least offensive of animals that she knew. Moreover all of the noise was drawing attention to her and that was definitely not what she wanted.

Returning to the others, empty handed, she peered at the effects that Artaxes had laid out. "Hmm, I would say... Yes... This implement." she picks up the pliers, "is used in animal husbandry to clip damaged scales or... Remove chunks of flesh from between wolf claws. This lizar is no doubt well tooled for tending to the grahhssk. A true craftsman would you say, Kassah?" There was little here really incriminating in Thiy's mind. "We could ask him what the glass syringe and powder is for though, hmm?"

OOC - A Sense motive (1d20+3=16), if you need one
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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Well maybe the grahhssk just didnt like the pigs stink! They *are* pretty dumb. :D. Um. I just realized I kinda implied the drover is a dope-fiend. Not my original plan, but I'm gonna go with it!

Kassah and Ktch'klik look over the objects the humans have found in the drover's tent. Ktch'klik picks up a coin and looks at it, turning it over in a stubby 3 fingered hand before showing it to Kassah. It is about an inch across, although very thin, and has a swirling patterns on one side and what looks like a stylized mantis-head on the other, and a rippled edge with a tiny silver inlay around the circumfrence

"Looks to be of Keltian mint. But not one of their standard coins." he remarks, pointing out the delicately scalloped edge and mantis-shape to the pathfinder.

"Yes. I have seen coins like this, was payed in them once after a very successful run from Makan. They are called "kekk". Outside of Kelt, they are worth their gold value. By weight, they are exactly worth the standard trade unit of "one gold". But in Kelt they are worth twice that." the pathfinder says.

"As for the potion, I have no idea. Perhaps Thraxxiss will know when he awakes. Or you could try sampling it yourself." she tells Artaxes. Moving on to the tools, she looks them over while Ktch'klik turns over the book in his hands and flips through the pages.

Kassah nods at Thiy when the monk starts speaking, although seems confused when the monk mentions a "wolf".

"I have no idea what a wolf is," she tells the monk. "But you are right. This is a set of tools used for the care of grahhssk feet. The red powder is interesting, though. It is called jssiloh, and made from the juice of a rare swamp plant called thosssa. Its common use is a sedative to be given to an injured or stressed grahhssk so that the drover can properly care for it. However, it affects all reptilian beings. Including lizar. Also, it has an addictive quality if used too frequently and like most medicines, it is helpful in small doses. But in large doses, it can kill by slowing the breathing and heart of the creature too far. It is not unusual for a drover to be carrying it in case a grahhssk became injured and needed o be worked on." the pathfinder tells the humans.

"This appears a journal written in Makani-Zaangaardian glyphs." says Ktch'klik after Kassah has finished explaining the use of the tools. "Every Zaangaardian race uses its own writing system, Makani-Zaangaardian is used as the writing system of the Makan lizar. All races of Zaangaard races understand the Trade Makani glyphs, which is used as a common trade-writing between all the city states and is a simplified form of Makani-Zaangaardian. However, because Trade Makani is designed to be an easily understood and learned writing system, it is very basic and cannot explain some deep concepts."

He looks around and picks up a small stick laying nearby. "For instance, this is the Trade Makani glyph for "grain" he explains, as he draws a symbol in the dirt that looks like a circle with a small vertical bar coming out of the bottom of it, and then a horizontal bar attached to the bottom of the vertical bar. And, Kassah, correct me if I'm wrong, but this" he begins to draw a similar, but much more complex and detailed symbol. "is the Makani-Zaangaardian glyph for "grain"."

Kassah nods at the drawing. "Ktch'klik has it right."

"However," the arachne continues. "This glyph, the Trade Makani one, just says "grain". Not the type, quality, or amount. You must write a bunch of other simplified glyphs around it to describe it more fully. But in Makani Zaangaardian, just changing a line here..." he erases one of the little lines making up the glyph "and adding a line here...' he makes a little squiggle through the circle "you can now say 'low quality grain'. And a few other changed lines could tell you the type. Also, like most trade writing, there really isn;'t words for very complex concepts. They must be explained using similar, but less efficent ideas. Sometimes it takes a whole sentence to explain one word. But the reason why we all use it...." He looks up at the humans and spreads his mandibles wide, which they are starting to realize is him copying their smile.

"Well, perhaps I can illustrate it best this way. In Aran¿h, my peoples writing system, this is how you would write 'grain'. Which we dont eat, so it translates as 'prey food'."

He moves his abdomen forward and begins to issue a thin stream of webbing out from his spinnerettes. As it comes out, he deftly pulls it so parts are thinner and thicker, ties a few knots in it, and then snips it with his mandibles.
"This is 'grain' in Aran¿h." he says as he holds up the slender strand. To the humans, it just looks like a couple inches of string of varying thickness with knots tied in it.

"Now you can see why we all use Trade Makani, hmm?" he says with his mandibles wide. "It is incredibly hard to read Aran¿h 'books" unless you have four arms, as they are big bundles of strands all tied together by using a rod that goes horizontal so they all hang down like a curtain. The strands are made to hang in in groups of four with a gaop between each group to signify the end of a sentence. To read it easily, it really helps to have four eyes and four arms like my Kind. Others can learn, but it takes them four times as long to read a single sentence. And if you think thats crazy, the Kelt'chi have a writing system that incorperates both glyphs and raised areas designed to be "read" by running the antennae over it. So you can see why we all needed a common writing system!"

If RP wise your charcters pay attention to what Ktch'klik is explaining (im leaving that up to you) you can now identify Makani Zaangardian, Trade Makani, and Aran¿h script on sight and get a +2 bonus to identify any unknown script that looks like it might stem from the same root languages (like ancient forms ect)

The spider looks like he gets an idea and seems interested in something. "Hey, I would be happy to teach you both to read Trade Makani, if you want. Its a real simple language, and if you learn to read it, you can easily learn to speak Zaangaardian at the same time. After all, that was avery powerful spell Thraxxiss cast, but I have no idea how long it ill last. It might be good to be able to speak and read the common language of the area. You will probably have an accent, but thats the beauty of the language. Since so many different shaped beings speak it, accent are fairly common." he says excitedly.

Kassah takes the journal from Ktch'klik and looks it over. "Ugh. His handwriting is terrible. But if you want, I'll read it to you two. Since he was around Sssaaar, maybe theres some clues in here." she tells the humans,
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

Post by ian_scho »

Thiy agrees enthusiastically to Ktch'klik's suggestion. "Yes, that would be appreciated. It will break up the monotony of guarding the traitor, somewhat." Thiy was not the best of students, she had enough wit about her to admit that, but appreciated the opportunity to communicate with the other beings in the area - especially if she wound up being imprisoned or tortured by them. She cast a glance over to Artaxes, who was looking at the damage caused to the leather on his boots, probably caused by putting his foot through a reinforced wooden box. "Are you up for some language training? Or will you be practising more the martial arts?"
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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Artaxes put the coins back in the pouch and left them on the floor. "Maybe we will let Thraxxiss have a look at it" he responded to the comment on the blue potion, not wanting to sample the strange liquid.

His eyes glaze over somewhat while the details of the lizar languages are discussed. The only points that piqued his interest were the mentions of the arachnid books - those details were alien enough to interest even the mercenary. He chortled quietly, shaking his head at the strangeness of the other races.

The offer to teach a new language caught him by surprise. It was not something he wanted to do, but if they were lost in this country it might come in useful, if he could manage it. The fact that Thiy seemed so keen was another reason why he could not simply refuse.

"Don't worry sister, my martial arts are just fine" he replied to the nun. Looking back to the spider he continued. "I would be willing to learn, if you think you can manage to teach me. I never was a great student" he finished dryly.

As Kassah pored over the book Artaxes agreed that she should read it. "His possessions seem clean enough, but worth checking that out, just in case."

"And after this, what? We go through the rest of the passengers? Maybe we start a search, and if someone has a guilty conscience they will try to flee. Might be worthwhile leaving some inconspicuous guards around the camp, to catch anyone sneaking off."

Yeah, I don't think Artaxes would listen too closely to the explanations, even though the bonus would be nice. I found it really interesting, though! Heading away for work for a while, I most likely won't be posting, or will be posting very little, until Monday.
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

Post by raixel »

Alright, I'll have Artaxes loom in the back and scowl at all the weird swamp people. I'll also hold off on making any giant plot points happening, or putting Artaxes in a tu-tu. :D

Glad you like all my cultural weirdness! As I said before I'm a cultural anthro major with a focus on linguistics. So my main fun is crafting alien languages and cultures, when I'm not attaching weird growths or mirrors to my NPCs anyway. ;)

And I think thats cool that you gave up a bonus based on char. Thats what I love about this group, we all (beo and Ameena too) seem to be way more focused on the story than min-maxing. Personally, I hate players that take feats and stuff that make no sense for their chars but give them mechanical advantages. The bonus wolud come in handy, but not taking it isnt going to harm anything, and since it was not taken due to RP, i'll definately make sure a similar minor thing is given due to good RP.


Kassah flips to what would be the back of the book in common and begins to read.

"I have been selected by my House for a passenger caravan going from Kelt to Makan, which is good because although I like Kelt, it will be nice to get home and see Hosssli. This will be a diary of my travels, as I have heard reports of unrest on the West Road leading from Makan to Viborg which we will be traveling on for the last leg of the journey, and wish a record in case the worst befalls the caravan. It leaves in 3 suns time. Today I will go to T'kir'taap's yard, the main caravan yard of Kelt, to meet the pathfinder and other caravan guards. Also I wish to look over the grahhssk that will carry us on the journey. They are the property of my House, and although my House is one of the most reliable multi-city trading Houses out there, I couldn't possibly expect those fat arachne-silk bedecked merchants to understand how to care for and select a beast for such a journey."

"I met the pathfinder, Kassah, and her four hand-picked guard-leaders a few bells ago. There will be a few more hired by T'kir'taap later, and I at least hope he finds bonded House or Guild guards. I have heard of Kassah and her guard-leaders before, and am glad to be working with her. She is known to be fair and not willing to risk the caravan for speed's sake. That is good, as I still remember that terrible trip last cycle where I lost three grahhssk due to that stupid pathfinder being so concerned about his speed bonus. Fortunately when I went before the House Tribunal, I was found to have done everything in my power to care for the grahhssk, and it was the pathfinder who should be fined for endangering the caravan and causing the grahhssk to die, not me."

Kassah flares her nostrils in amusement as she reads the passage about herself. "Hmm, I wonder who that "stupid pathfinder" was?" she muses. "I should find out. Even if a House of self-merchant offers a speed bonus, pushing your beasts to exhaustion is never good form and could potentially strand the caravan. Anyway...continuing."

"This is the end of my first day on the road. Today was just a typical starting day, got to the yard early and the grahhssk fed and checked over before the wagons were loaded. These are fine beasts, and we are taking two male riding grahhssk as well. I made sure I had my grahhssk kit with me, and even put a supply of jssiloh in, as I will be completely responsible for stitching and caring for any injuries on the road, and I dont want to risk getting kicked. The travelers appear to be mostly lizar heading home to Makan. There is also an arachne, kelt'chi, and serpentus on board. Those three boarded together and keep to themselves, which is fine by me as I have always found archne slightly disturbing. I met a really nice self-merchant named Sssaar at dinner. He gave me some sssaaj out of a pod to put on my meal. I didn't realize until I tasted it how much I missed the spices of home. Sssaar and I sat with a tall, muscular female, dark green with dark orange speckles. Sssaar didn't introduce me, and other lizar went to her tent as soon as she finished eating, pleading tiredness. We spent time talking of Makan, our travels, and our mates. I told him Hossli and I were going to nest next drikkssa, and I was hoping for a girl. He said he has a kakkiss, a young girl about 12 cycles. It is always good to make friends, and Sssaar seems very nice. I must do my nightly chores before I go to sleep, but I look forward to talking to Sssaar again next break."

Kassah flips through the next few pages, reading them silently to herself. "These few pages are just him talking about the care of the grahhssk, what they ate, and their general health. Also the weather, and the condition of the harnesses. He mentions he eats dinner with Sssaar and that female, but doesn't say anything about what they talk about, only that the female doesn't talk much. I wish he'd give us her name!"

"Hm. Interesting...Listen to this" she says.

"Today during our nightly camp Sssaar came to me while I was checking the grahhssk for potential harness-sores and getting them ready to bed down for the night. He seemed interested in the grahhssk, so I showed him some basics of grahhssk care. He asked about harnesses, how much does a grahhssk eat, and if there was anything they should be kept away from, like plants they would try and eat on the road but could hurt them. He said he was interested because he was thinking of buying a one grahhssk wagon to go on his trading trips so he wouldn't have to pay caravan fees. He offered to help me with the nightly feeding, so as we talked about grahhssk I took him to where I had set up the harness and grahhssk feed leanto next to my tent, as we are too far out of any city-state to have campsites that are cared for by the road patrol with designated grain storage. While scooping the feed into buckets to be carried over to the grahhssk, I noticed that same female I have seen Sssaar with watching us intently from over by the campfire. She was standing facing us with her back to everyone around the fire, just watching us. Sssaar didn't notice, or if he did, he made no mention of it. I find it kind of odd. Sssaar mentioned he was mated, but I would think if this was his mate, he'd introduce me. The two of them boarded together, and I see them together quite a bit, although she doesn't really speak to anyone else on the caravan. Well, perhaps she is Sssaar's mistress and they wish to keep their relationship secret to avoid wagging tongues. I don't know if she shares his tent, but even if she does, it isn't my place to judge. I'll make no mention of her unless he brings it up, as I wouldn't want to be rude."

"Hmmm. I think we should speak to this female, since Sssar seems to spend quite a bit of time with her." says Ktch'klik.

Kassah flips through the journal some more. "Yes, and also why would he be interested in grahhssk so much? Especially about what they eat. Hmm. More grahhssk, weather and supply reports. Ahh, here's where he got the talisman."

"Whiteclaw had a mild scrape on the top of her left foot that I noticed at the check when we awoke. It looks like she might have snagged a toe on an undermud branch or rock when we went through that patch of deep mud yesterday and tore a few scales off . I kept an eye on it all day, but now that we have stopped for the night I wanted to clean it with the antiseptic and clip off the jagged remains of the torn scales so she doesn't tear it further or chew on it. While I was working, Sssaar was kind enough to bring me some food so I wouldnt have to eat the cold leftovers. He even gave me a gift! When I refused, saying that it was really too kind of him, he told me that he has really enjoyed talking with me and that he hopes we can continue to stay in touch even after we get back to Makan. So I happily accepted and wore it, as it would have been rude to turn such a thoughtful thing down. It is a pendant disk of bone, with some kind of symbols carved in it. Its pretty neat looking. I asked him what it was and he told me it was a swamp lizar good luck charm. Unlike some, I have never had anything against the swamp lizar, so am quite happy to wear it. I wonder if it really will bring me good luck? Most likely he probably just bought it from a trinket salesman in Kelt, but I can hope."

"Doubtful that pendant came from a market vendor in Kelt." Kassah murmurs as she flips through a few more pages of uninteresting reports. "He spends quite a bit of time with Sssaar, although he doesn't say anything interesting about him or that female. He does mention that he has started getting severe headaches every now and again, but says he thinks its just the weather and stress of travel. This page mentions a nightmare that he doesn't really rememberthat woke him up, but other than that, nothing. Heres where you two show up."

"Today, two humans approached the caravan! The pathfinder Kassah, who speaks the mammal language, approached them cautiously as there have been reports of bandits right in this stretch of the West Road. They looked ragged and bloodstained, and I had to calm both Three-spot and Darkeye, as they were closest to the two mammals and got upset by the smell of blood and were threatening to kick in harness. Although I don't speak mammal fluently, I have picked up a few words in my travels. When I went to sooth the two grahhssk, I saw Kassah draw something in the mud. The human's didnt like it. From what little I could understand, the human's group had been ambushed by bandits and they were the only survivors. Kassah let them join the caravan, and they sat in the wagon in front of the one I was riding in. Sssaar and his friend were sitting next to me, and I noticed they both became very upset when the humans boarded. It was kind of odd. I understand that mammals are very strange looking creatures with alien customs, but they came from the Place of Frozen Sleep like every other race, and they are part of the Balance, just like the races of Zaangaard. So Sssaar and his friend's agitation seemed very strange. Sssaar said he thinks they are bandits and that I should stay away from them. I just dropped the conversation, because I was getting another bad headache and really didn't want to argue with my friend. The humans dont look anything like bandits, and I trust Kassah's judgement. As pathfinder, she is aware of bandit activity and other situations in the area her caravan will be passing through. So if she vouches for them, that is good enough for me.
After we camped for the night, one of the humans came up to me. I didnt even want to try and speak mammal, but we were able to communicate by pointing. The human wanted to help, so I had it doing the harness-untangling while I did my other chores. It is nice to be this close to Makan, and we should be home in just a few days. I am planning on seeing a healer about these terrible headaches as soon as I am payed out and make my report. I noticed that female watching the humans with an ugly look on her face. Sssaar had already gone to his tent saying he was tired, which seems a bit out of character, as I have grown to enjoy our fireside chats before we turn in for the night. I got the human some food, as I can only imagine how I would feel if I had been ambushed far away from Makan and surrounded by mammals and their strange customs. It seemed grateful for the food and did a decent job with the harnesses. Tomorrow I might even practice my mammal-speech with it. It would be neat to learn about mammal customs."


"That's the last page." says Kassah. "So, what do you think? Personally, I think the drover is innocent, but that female bears looking at. I just wish we had gotten her name!"
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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OOC - Quote "I'm a cultural anthro major with a focus on linguistics." Ah hah! Now I know where all of this fascinating stuff comes from. Brilliant!

"Interesting. Interesting." Thiy muses. The life of an animal handler was set out before her in the journal. It was a simple story yet the ups and downs of what was a nondescript journey were set out as if they were of national importance. She would never be able to live like this. There was too much, in her mind, injustice to be righted.

"The grahhssk could have been useful for them as a... Getaway?" She wasn't sure if some of her words would be translated by the magic. It must surely be starting to wear thin by now[*]. "I mean to say that stealing these beasts of burden would be important after having destroyed the food for the caravan. Either that or these cultists intended to take over the caravan for themselves! An ambush may have been planned... Where would we be heading if we had no food now? Those rats would never have overpowered all of us surely, their objective was to destroy the food."

"As for the drover I agree. The talisman he wore must be handed over to the Runemasters or your wizards for investigation. It's purpose may be to drain the life of it's victim or even control him. Ask the drover which is the female lizar and we can take her to the same clearing as we did with Sssar. Artaxes my human friend can then work his own form of magic on her."

[*] Thiy was no magician but from what she had seen of the thaumatological arts the effects would always be strongly held on the subject at first but would inevitably dissipate and eventually become almost wispy and unnoticeable. A bit like Dwarf underwear, she was once warned.
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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Artaxes nodded at the nun's words. "We need to find that female. Perhaps the drover is innocent after all," he grunted. If he felt any guilt about his treatment of the lizar he made certain not to show it.

"These headaches and nightmares, they followed after he was given the circlet. Could be for the rune scholars to study."

Sorry for rough update, on the road typing on my phone![\b]
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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Thats cool, OB. I'm glad to see you around! No apology needed. and *snicker* Dwarf Underwear!

Kassah paces as she thinks, tapping the journal on one of her palms "Yes, what was their plan? Hmm... As you said, Thiy, it seems like the rats were to destroy the food. Lets imagine for a second that Sssaar hadn't been caught, and both disks were allowed to function until their magic burned out. The disk you threw would have summoned a lot more rats, perhaps even another giant one. They most likely would have stayed in the wagon, consuming all the food and probably wouldnt have been noticed until morning when someone noticed the heaving canvas from the swarm underneath it. The caravan most likely would have been taken unawares and there would have been more rats. So, the caravan would be out of food. And the swarms would cause chaos and panic if found and noticed by the passengers. So, what would be the purpose of ruining our food? It would slow us down, perhaps? Make us stop? But why?"

She hisses what sounds like a curse, although the spell can't translate it as Artaxes reinforces Thiy's point about the talisman and headaches. "Yes! That is the first step! We really need to get that talisman off of him! Who knows what it was intended to do/"

Ktch'klik is doing his best to fix the disorder in the tent due to the search. The arachne picks up the small circular mat and uses it to funnel the spilled grahhssk supplement back into its sack, sweeping the rets outside. Then he reties the bag, puts the floormat back, and generally tries to put everything else where ot belongs. THe chest is a lost cause, however, Artaxes' boot having smashed the lid into kindling and completely twisted one of the hinges. Kassah looks at it, then takes it outside and piles the drover's clothes and grahhssk care tools in the sopt it used to be in

"I'll have to find him something to store his belongings in. In any case, I think we should take that potion and have Thraxxiss look at it when he awakes. He didn't mention it in the journal, but we can't risk the chance that Sssaar gave it to him. As for the rest of his things, they all seem to be acquired legally and he has a right to them." she says.

If anyone wants to take anything, roll a Slight of Hand or Dex

The pathfinder strides over to where Hssilaa and Kassil are still holding the terrified drover at swordpoint. He clasps his hands to his bare torso when he sees Kassah walking up with the journal in her hands.

"You read my journal? But how did you get into my chest?" He looks at Arataxs' scowling face and starts visibly shaking. "I didn't know about anything bad! I swear it on Makanashht's name! Please don't kill me! I have my emergency savings hidden in my tent, as well as my advance from the Kelt branch of House Othasss for this trip. Please take it! Just don't kill me!" he says in a small scared voice

Kassah makes a soothing motion with her hand and gently grips the drover's arm. He flinches away from her touch, shaking visibly. "Shhh. Calm down," she tells him soothingly. "We don't believe you had anything to do with this or were aware of anything bad."

THe terrified lizar begins to calm down as Kassah gently rubs his shoulder. "You...you don't?" he whispers.

"No." says Kassah. Then her face turns stern. "But you were very close to getting youself killed! Something is going on here, and listening in on us talking could have led us to believe you were a traitor! Next time, don't sneak around!"

The drover nods emphatically, his head bobbing up and down like a diving bird in a school of fish. "Never again!" he agrees.

"There is one other thing. You mention you started getting nightmares and headaches bad ones that you didnt used to have, correct?"

The drover nods as she continues. "Have you removed that "good luck charm" Ssaar gave you since you got it?"

The drover brings his hand to the charm, his eyes growing wide as Kassah's implication dawns on him. "Nnoo...I haven't" he says slowly. "Just didn't really think about it. You don't think..." He trails off as Kassah nods.

"Please take it off. We need to make sure it's not dangerous." she tells him.

He reaches around the back of his neck, and a surprised look appears on his face. "What? The clasp is gone? Get it off me!" he says, attempting to lift the thong it is on over his head, but its much too small.

Ktch'klik closely examines the back of the thick braided leather that makes up the necklace, bringing his face down very close to the drover's scaled neck. The drover's discomfort at having the arachne's mandibles a few inches from his neck is apparent."There is no clasp or even knot back here, but the necklace is much to small to be slipped over the head. I have heard of things like this, items infused with dark mana that are hard to remove."

"What? Get it off!" the drover says frantically, pulling on the braided leather hard eough that he hisses in pain, but the necklace doesnt even stretch.

Kassah looks to the two humans. "Have you heard of anyhing like this? Perhaps we could cut it, but I have no dagger. And even then we run the chance of cutting him."
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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Thiy would be unlikely to steal from someone, unless it was a quantity of money sufficient to buy an army and roll over the male dominated human society. THEN she would be happily declared a thief, and the bringer of a new fairer and dawn. She had returned all belongings that she had uncovered.

"Ahhh, a cursed item." Thiy narrows her eyebrows in a statement of pity towards the drover. "Unfortunately I am not trained in removing such artefacts of maleficence." She then brightens. "However Artaxes has proven most sagacious with instruments brutality. Perhaps he could apply a sharp object between the neck and the binding? Of course... Our mage is surely the best answer to such a new and worrying discovery. He is a spent force at the moment though and any effort from his part will surely be delayed" She thinks for a moment and turns to the lizar. "Even if we were not to remove it here, getting to the city may well be your best course of action now that at least you know you are under it's cursed effects. I should imagine that you should still be sane... How far away is it again?"

With open arms and a look of utmost seriousness she asks. "Tell us Master Drover. Who is the shadowy female that you mentioned in the journal? SHE will know of the talisman's ultimate purpose and more importantly may even help us remove it from you by us offering not to slaughter her here and now." She approaches the drover, getting closer than what was correct in terms of etiquette. "Sssaar of course nearly died by us removing HIS accursed artefact. I now think his travelling companion was controlling him when he betrayed us all, don't you think?"

OOC - Some kind of verbal-threatening-persuasion-check. (1d20=14) Gimme a plus one for bringing poor old Sssaar into it? Another for Artaxes' alternative suggestion? Tired wizard? Distant city? Anything! :P
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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Kassah pulls the map out of her belt pouch and looks it over. "Four suns. Three if we hurry. I was hoping to get to the outer limits of the area actively patrolled by the Road guard in two suns, as they only patrol a sun or so outside of Makan, just past an area known as the Mother and Son rocks." She shows the map to the monk. It is a typical map, showing a path in black, presumably the road they are on. The path ends at a large dot. Various glyphs mark the path, ones the monk recognizes as being in Makani Zaangaardian with Trade Makani notations for pathfinders who may not be of the lizar race, thanks to Ktch'klik''s lessons. The pathfinder points to a mark on the map that looks like a large hump next to a smaller one, the glyphs next to it obviously spelling out its name. It is a short distance away from the circle the path ends at. She then points to a glyph much farther down the path, one that is repeated a few times all the way across the map.

"These are the MOther and Son rocks. Once there, we will not have to worry about bandits, for there are heavy patrols in the area. Some have mages with them who could signal ahead and warn the Runescholar's Circle of our findings. We are currently here, at this glyph. It means safe-camp." she tells the monk.

The dtover looks worried about Thiy's assumptions he will still be sane. "Still. I must do my duties, but I wish to have a guard at all times. And at night, please tie me up. Ive heard legends about these things, that they can make people act against their own will. Maybe the mage or the other human can get it off" he says, obviously terrified but trying t put on a brave face.

He frowns for a second at Thiy''s other question. "I...I don't know." he admits. "She seemed unfriendly. Sssaar seemed so nice, and I thought they didnt want people knowing they were together, that she was his ssslik'athha. I didn't want to be rude. Although looking back on it, it did seem odd. One of my House-associates kept a ssslik'athha, and she came with him to House functions whenever his mate was busy, he didnt hide her presence at all, although I have heard of mates not being as open to their males having another female so it wouldn't be unusual if Sssaar wasn't willing to disclose the nature of their relationship. Still it seemed odd, my friends ssslik'athha was cultured, graceful, and a good conversationalist, the way a ssslik'athha should be. The female with Sssaar was frankly brusque, quiet, and not at all beautiful."

Whatever the word is, Thraxxiss' spell can't provide a translation, but from the context it seems a ssslik'athha is some kind of kept female or courtesan.

And again, I drop the concept in OOC to keep from clutterng up the story page!

He stops and thinks for a second. "She was quite tall and stocky for a female. Her back scales were dark green and she had orange speckles along her back, arms, and neck. I saw her watching Sssaar from far away, and me as well. I don't know if they were sharing a tent during the trip because I always slept near the grahhssk. But I bet her tent is next to his! She seemed like she didnt want to take her eyes off him for a second."

At Thiy's mention of Sssaar having a cursed item, the drover again tugs on the cord tying the pendant around his neck. "What? He wasn't wearing a necklace? I saw. Did it make him be a traitor? I don't want to be a traitor!" he says fearfully.

Kassah rests her hand on his arm again. "Don't worry. We'll watch you, and even tie you up at night if it would make you feel better" she tells him softly. "And I promise you, whatever this evil is, we will find a way to stop it! You wont lose your mind!"

The drover relaxes slightly and nods at the conviction in the pathfindr's voice and stops tugging on the necklace. "Have you been to Sssaar's tent yet?" he asks. "Its over there. Perhaps the strange female's tent is next to his, or they were sharing one." he continues as he motions towards a cluster of 5 tents a bit south of where the humans, Ktch'klik and Thraxxiss set up their beds against the tree-line of the clearing.
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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Artaxes eyed up the pendant. "We should be able to remove it. If we were able to remove the item from Sssaar's chest, then this should not be a problem" he shrugged.

"But maybe you should help us find that female first. Just in case, you know." He gave Kassah a knowing look. Facing the drover again he continued "The faster we find her, and you identify her, the faster we get to work on this necklace."

"And don't worry, Kassah is right. We will make sure that evil does not claim you. Whatever it takes."

Turning to the rest of the group he spoke quickly. "Lets search the tent, and the surrounding tents. We need to find her straight away" he began to walk in that direction, without waiting for a response. Looking over his shoulder he added. "And bring the drover with you, he can point her out."

"And one more thing: expect resistance." He drew his sword from the scabbard as if to emphasise the point.
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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Thiy has a good look at the map. If they got separated from this caravan they could now get to the nearest albeit alien city via the road... Probably. "Fascinating." she replied. The maps on the walls in the monastery where she studied could fill a mammoth's hide and possessed more detail but the only problem being that you were probably damned if you found yourself located there. (She never did work out why you would want to leave the head on the beast while going about the intricate process of preparing it's skin for scribing, but it was damned impressive nonetheless!)

Thiy was surprised once more with Artaxes brutal resolve with the suffering lizar, it was plainly obvious that he held other humanoid races in low esteem. Thiy's thinking was actually the other way around and was rarely disappointed by her reasoning.

However, she had a problem. She didn't really want Artaxes to start ruffing up the other members of the caravan. She desperately wanted to be discreet and withdrawn from anyone's attention... Especially chaos worshippers from her local fraternity[*]. He was cocking things up, which was to be expected. "Kassah!" she hissed. "You are in charge here. If it was me then we would just observe this female until we just arrived at our final destination. I'm happy to support Artaxes and we need him in the coming days but you need to impose your authority as well."

[*] And she hated it when the humans called it a fraternity/brotherhood. Why could it not be a sornity or a sisterhood?

OOC - Persuade (1d20=1) Ack! I guess her attempt to undermine Artaxes might have failed then.
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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The drover looks less frightened at the conviction in Artaxes' voice. "Whatever it takes." he repeats. "Thank you, good human. I know that, if it becomes needed, you will not shy from doing what needs to be done. Rather that than let this thing consume me." He turns and glares at the unconcious Sssaar. "Go. Find the female he was with. That is more important, as I doubt five minutes could make a difference in this horrid thing, but it could give her the chance to flee and take what knowledge she has with her." he says, doing his best to control the quiver in his voice.

Ktch'klik crouches down next to the drover so hi sabdomen is resting on the ground, apparently a "sitting" position for an arachne. "I will stay here and contemplate this issue. One of us should be with him at all time, and although my silk reserves are low, I would be able to restrain you if you lose control" he says, nodding to the drover.

"Agreed." says Kassah. "Hssilaa, Kassil, one of you stay here with Ktch'klik, the other come with me. After a brief discussion between the two, the female Kassil sheathes her short-sword and grabs her spear from wher it rests against the side of the other food wagon, well out of the drover's reach. After a brief check of her weapons and armo, she salutes Kassah in the fist over heart style of lizar fighters before falling into place next to the pathfinder.

The two humans and two lizar walk over to where Sssar's tent was placed. Thiy had searched the tent and immediate environs earlier, finding nothing but a very...odd...marker made of sticks and string. However, this time the three are more concerned with the other lizar-style tents set up nearby. There are 3 that are near enough to Sssaar's tent to be considered "close", one to the left about 8 feet away, one to the right about 9 feet, and one in front of the entrance to Sssaar's tent about 6 feet away. All three are placed so their entrances are facing Sssaar's tent, and at least from the quick glance the humans give them appear to have their entrance flaps tied shut. Due to the way the tents are constructed and the dim light of early dawn, it is impossible to thell if they are occupied, as the thick fine mesh and lack of strong light prevents any shadows from being cast or silouettes shown.

Kassah hisses in annoyance. "Well, one of these has to be hers. Should we split up and each search one, potentially alerting her if someone is startled at the interuption, or should we examine the area a little better first?"

K, so there you go. Go ahead and roll whatever you think would be useful like spot/listen. Or just storm up the tents, or whatever. Regardless of what you decide, can both of you give me a straight d20? Sorry for the long delay on this post, ive been busy.
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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OOC - A straight d20 (1d20=2) A beautiful 2!

Thiy runs her thin bony hand through her short her. It was all going to shit. And she was becoming some kind of crusader to root out evil and the maligned. Worse of all she was chasing after a lizar that, to be perfectly honest from the description, will look the same as all the rest of them in her eyes. "Lets back up Artaxes, follow his path." she suggests. "We must stand by him but he will need your guidance. Come. Show him the closest tents you want searching and maybe in the first one we get lucky."

The nun moves quickly to the side of the party and attempts to find anything, anything around the tents that may point to a chaos cultist inside. It sounded ridiculous but the insane and the depraved tended to throw their faeces around a bit and maybe she gets lucky before the fighter steps in the shit.[+]

OOC - Search? Perception? Includes the WIS bonus. (1d20+3=19)

[+] In Abyssal you would say the fighter pushes the shit. Instead of stepping in it. Probably because everything gets stepped on in the end, where the Abyssal tongue is spoken.
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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K, Ian, Im going to give you an update for your roll, but I'll wait on OB to actually advance. And yeah, its a perception (spot to be exact). Just to let you all know, I *rarely* use search, unless its when you are looking for multiple somethings that a spot couldnt show you but that you know are probably there (the drover's tent for instance, you knew he had some kind of stuff in there, it was just a matter of finding it.) Personally, I think having both spot and search are unneeded and one of the only skills I am in favor of combining. But I dont feel like doing all the work to figure out how that affects skill points per class/level/ect, so they stand. Also, read other thread's OOC for info about goblin tits. Yes, you heard me right!

As Thiy walks with the group towards the tent of Sssaar, she shes a brief flicker of light inside the one that is in front of Sssaar's tent. It only lasts for a second, probably from the flare of a carefully-shielded lantern or oil lamp as the wick suck sup just slightly too much oil and the flame jumps out of its shielding for a split second. But the brief light is enough to see the sillhouette(sp) of a lizar crouched against the wall reaching into something.

EDIT Urg. I just forgot OB' s gone till Mon. And since you will be too, I'm holding the game till then. If you want you can post a reaction, but I'm holding off on updating till then since there's a lot of busy-ness
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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Thiy rushes up to Artaxes and Kassah, pointing to the tent. "That one." she hisses. "I think that the lizar inside has seen us and judging from the silhouette is already preparing something." There was no way Thiy was going in there first, but took the opportunity to indicate that she would go in round the back and when the ruckus started enter from there. She prepared a shuruiken for the initial tear and then a sai for dragging the tear open to the bottom of the tent.

She wasn't liking this one bit. This was not her war, she did not buy into this!

OOC - Move silently (1d20+2=13)
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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Artaxes could make out nothing in the low light of the morning except the dark canvas of each tent - they all looked identical. He hesitated, unsure of how to proceed, until Thiy helpfully pointed out one tent in particular.

"Right" he whispered, "lets do it." He sprung into action, crouching down and moving directly for the tent covering, with his sword ready in his right hand. After struggling with the ties briefly he lifted open the canvas.

So the straight d20 was 10, and the spot check was...1! Not so good.
Artaxes will open the tent rapidly. Preferably just by untying, but if it is too difficult or will take too long (more than about 3 seconds) he will cut the ties
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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After whispering to his companions, Artaxes rushes up and deftly slices both sets of knots holding the double flap of the thin tent-fabric in place. Unfortunately, when he goes to look inside after opening it, a breeze catches the outermos tent flap and wraps it around his head! Although the fabric is thin, it impedes his vision enough that he sees nothing but a shadowy figure darts out through the open tent-door, which he is standing next to. He is unable to react as the figure darts by, as he is too busy pulling the gauzy material off his face.

K, I know the spot was supposed to be if you could get any hint of what tent to look in, but since Ian already pointed it out I wanted to do something different So if it had worked, you could have approached and peered inside right after opening but before the occupant reacted.

Thiy is more lucky, and although she sees the fighter's mishap she has a perfectly clear view of a tall muscular lizar darting out of the tent holding a grahhssk skin sack in its hands. The lizar is dark green, with a dusting of orange on the tips of her scales on her hands, arms and neck. She hisses in surprise at the three others ringed outside the tent, but her surprise only lasts for a second as she looks from person to person. She charges directly at Thiy, attempting to bowl the skinny-looking nun over so she can flee into the woods.

Stop her!" Kassah yells as she sees what the fugitive is trying to do.

Alright, shes trying to overrun you, Ian. So you get an AoO, then if you choose to try and block her, you can roll either STR or DEX (whichever is higher). It woulda been Artaxes, but he was too busy getting a tent on his head! You also have the option of sidestepping and letting her go by, in which case you can all give chase. You get the AoO no matter what though.
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

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Lol, I imagine Artaxes struggling with the tent in the same way Leslie Nielson did with towels in the Naked Gun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4bu4DF7ewo (the Naked Gun was one of my favourite movies as a kid! And it still makes me laugh...Airplane and Police Squad too. Nielson was great).


Finally freeing himself of the canvas material, Artaxes turned around to see the lizar getting away. He began to chase after her, but it looked like Thiy was going to get her first.

Ok, so not much to do until the collision between Thiy and the lizar, but Artaxes will run towards them anyway.
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ian_scho
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

Post by ian_scho »

OOC - The AoO attack. (1d20+2=11, 1d6+1=3) A thumping failure!
Question : Thiy has Combat Reflexes "You may make a number of additional attacks of opportunity equal to your Dexterity bonus." Does this mean that we have all been short changing her?!
The second AoO attack if it exists!. (1d20+2=22, 1d6+1=4) GO ON GIRL! I couldn't have fantasised about that any better :)


Thiy is surprised by Artaxes novice-like efforts of chopping inanimate tents open. Surely they taught that technique in all homicidal schools of fighting! The ability to slash at curtains and tents was even pre-novice training where she came from. If you can't terrorize teenagers with your shadow and an axe behind some linen why bother leaving the horticulture industry?

Recovering somewhat she then slaps with her taught arm on the oncoming lizar with the back of her hand, only to recover by swirling around with her new-found kinetic energy, sinking her sai in it's back.

She was not finished and attempted to grapple the slippery thing as it hissed on by.

OOC - Grapple time! Grapple. Receive an AoO (you roll that), touch attack, grapple check. (1d20+2=7, 1d20+3=15)
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raixel
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

Post by raixel »

LOOL! OMG I love the Naked Gun and Leslie Nielson! That mental image made me laugh pretty hard.

And Ian, I hate to break it to you but thats not quite the way it works. Normally a char can only make one AoO per round, and combat reflexes lets you make as many AoOs per round as you have dex bonus, not per attack. In short, if an enemy charges through your threatened area, you get an AoO. Now normally, if another (or the same for some reason) enemy triggers another AoO from you in the same round, you wouldnt be able to AoO, as you used your rounds AoO up. But with Combat Reflexes Thiy could make another one cuz she has a +2 dex bonus.

I once had a fighter main bad guy I designed to fight like a dex based ranger (two weapon fighting) with a +4 dex bonus. The PCs were unaware of this fact, and tried to go charging by him to get to the underling mage they thought was the real main bad guy by having the tank soak the AoO so the weaker PCs could get by without getting hit. So youve got this lev 8 human fighter with all of his feats in 2 weapon fighting type skills, weapon finesse, AND combat reflexes. He dropped the already wounded mage with the AoO cuz he ended up hitting him 4 times for like a million points of damage. It was so awesome to see the look on the player's face when what they thought was a trypical grunt turned out to be the boss who dropped the mage in one hit cuz the stupid mage tried to run by thinking the barbarian had already taken the AoO!

I'm feeling generous today, so since you didnt roll STR/DEX to avoid the overrun attempt, I'll let you use the crit there. So you not only knocked her prone, she is fgonna take a penalty to resist your grapple in addition to the prone penalty. (As I said before, I hate the d20 crit system in combat where you only get extra damage if you confirm, even though nat 1s dont need a confirm. And in my system, since nat 1s are always failures and usually have some sort of other minor detrimental effect like a penalty, natural 20s are always x(whatever the weapon's crit mod is). And confirms act like targeted attacks that damage a certain part of the body or have other effects.

In short, if you roll a 20 in combat, always use your weapon crit mod, then roll a confirm. If it hits, there will be additional effects. Nat 20s *always* are really good and give a bonus nat 1s are always faliures and give a penalty of some kind)

Anyway, nuff rambling, on to the game


Artaxes manages to pull the gauzy cloth off of his face in time to see the lizar push past him. Fortunately. his cutting open the tent caught her by enough surprise that she seems startled. Kassah, Kassil and Thiy have surrounded the opening a few feet behind the fighter, and the lizar frantically looks from person to person. Obviously, in her mind the thin human in robes would be no match for her greater bulk as she pivots and charges directly at Thiy, teeth bared.

Thiy's training kicks in as she sees the tall lizar barrels directly at her, swinging the bag she is carrying and fully expecting to knock the much smaller monk out of the way. A memory flashes unbidden in Thiy's mind as her body reacts the way she has honed it over the years. She was younger, outside, a sunny day, the drums and chanting a constant drone in the back ground taking a final test for this phase of her training. This particular final test was to be able to stop a 300 pound wrestler-monk who was charging at them full speed holding a large wooden tower shield bristling with short spikes. Those who succeeded passed this segment of the training. Thiy didnt know what happened to the failures, just that becoming impaled on a dozen short spikes didnt seem conductive to a long healthy life.

Unlike the large stupid male initiates who felt that it was some sort of masculine test to plant their feet and show how manly they were by just grunting as the spikes impaled their flesh as they tried to hold the wrestler off, Thiy learned that some times the best way to stop someone bigger than you was not to be there at all. So as the lizar charges at her, she gracefully steps out of the way. She can see the surpried look on the lizar's face as the monk crouches and snaps her foot out in a perfect sweep kick, her foot effortlessly slamming into the back of the lizar's ankles. The fugitives feet go flying out from undr her, and there is a *thunk* as she lands flat on her back and lays there dazed.

Wasting no time, Thiy leaps on top of the lizar, attempting to pin her as Artaxes, Kassil and Kassah run up. The lizar quickly regains her senses and attempts to stab Thiy with a little dagger as the monk leaps at her. The blow goes wide as Thiy leaps back to avoid the wildly swinging blade. The lizar uses that instant to roll out of the way from the monk's grasping hands, but remains on her back.

Ok, I'm gonna start using round by round actions to describe stuff, but we're not in combat yet. The lizar is currenly prone, meaning she is taking a -4 penalty to everything plus another penalty for being dazed from hitting her head on the ground. So, Im gonna let OB post a reaction before the two NPCs go. You guys are basically surrounding her and shes on the ground on her back. So if she stands up everyone gets an AoO (including Thiy cuz she has combat reflexes). You can grapple her, talk to her, grab the bag out of her hands (that would be an opposed STR) or whatever you think would help. Have fun
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

Post by oh_brother »

Artaxes ran to the prone lizar. In an attempt to shock and subdue her he swung his longsword full force into the creatures face, though he altered his grip to ensure that it was the flat of the blade that struck home. A loud smacking noise reverberated as the flat of the metal struck scales and soft flesh.

"That was a warning. Drop the blade or you are dead" he snarled. To emphasis the point he drew back his sword, this time with the point aimed straight for the lizar's chest.

Attack was 15 + 7 - 4 (non-lethal) + 4 (prone) = 22. Damage was 4 + 3 = 7.
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ian_scho
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Re: Thiy and Artaxes' Excellent Adventure!

Post by ian_scho »

It was with surprise that Thiy saw Artaxes strike the lizar with the flat of his sword. He had been so brutal before, but now she realised that he did have his wits about him. She thought about her options and shifted to the opposite of him, flanking the lizar. She imitates the fighter and chooses to perform an effectively unarmed strike by her sai on the creature on the floor, without applying any lethal effects. She pummels it with her fists, but with the sai's prong catching one of her robes in the action. The nun was not used to wielding the weapon in such a manner!

OOC - Unarmed strike, non-lethal. (1d20+2=4, 1d6+1=5)
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