[Private to Cecil Bellic: The town of Qorlander Bay bustles with activity.  Every major kind makes its home here, however temporary.  The Invar outnumber all the others put together in the town, but it was Kradok designed and Unbular built.  There is no strict military presence, as the world is relatively at peace, at least among most sentient kinds of any significant number, but this city is heavily fortified and it's populace is heavily armed.  Few ships at a time dock at the small jetties located within the protective walls.  The rest remain outside in the wider bay, unprotected.  Four deadly looking Unbular frigates sit outside the walls, armaments positioned toward the wild land beyond the walls.

Within the town there is a solid core citizenry that operates.  Inns, shops, taverns, combinations of all three, and homes.  There is also an Invar academy, and Unbular inner castle (a small area more heavily fortified than even the city walls where Unbular train and live), and an underground Kradok workshop that doubles as a first line of defense against underground attacks from whatever unknown beastie decides to do so.

There are no humans to speak of.]

[Private to Xanthius Shariam: Life for you is already an adventure.  Humans are viewed as a nuisance in the tamer lands across the sea.  That one family, the Shariams, had the gall to settle on the wild mini-continent of Xamador and the temerity to actually survive, gives them no end of trouble.  It also grants them a measure of begrudging respect.

Today, you have headed into the nearby town, Qorlander Bay.  It is a coastal town with all manner of rugged individuals and even some strange creatures not seen elsewhere in the world...so far as you've heard.  The items crafted by you and your dad are mostly service tools and lesser things that you are underpaid for.  That's not the point, so far as your dad says anyway.

As you make your way past the small fortified dock area (the rest of the docks are unprotected beyond the wall) you the Morning Star, a large Unbular sea-monster hunter ship.  It was not built for speed or agility in any fashion.  Wide and sitting low in the water when fully loaded, it would not make more than 5 knots under the strongest manageable wind.  What Morning Star lacked in speed, it made up for in durability.  Its infra- and superstructures were both metal bound, reinforced double-layered and hardened wood.  The railing mirrored crenelations at the tops of Unbular fortifications.  The whole ship was designed as a floating fortress that could withstand a single large attacker, another ship, or significant boarding parties.  Pirates were not unknown in coastal waters and in the few remote island chains, but the larger problem lay in the huge reaches of uncharted waters and the crazy mad life below their surface.

After a double-take, you realize that the person debarking from the Morning Star this very moment is a fellow human.]

GM: Welcome to Qorlander Bay.  Future posts for you both will be in this thread until such time as you join the main group.

With a double-take at the fellow Human, Xanthius couldn't help but be drawn toward the newcomer.  Given the lack of friends during his childhood, he was instantly obsessed with the other Human.  Xanthius walked up to the person directly and introduced himself and his 'pet'.  "Hi!, I'm Xan and this is my pet, Scruffy.  Are you alone?  Are there any other Humans on the ship?"  As he craned his neck around to see behind the person, Scruffy sniffed the scent of the person being addressed.

GM: Remember, blue is speaking in Invaris.  Pink is human.  See the public thread on Etiquette and Protocol for more.

Cecil is surprised by this Xan's sudden appearance and barrage of questions. Suddenly running into a friendly and eager human where none were supposed to be was a little convenient. Cecil takes a couple moment to consider his situation before responding, taking time to survey the immediate area and identify an evaluate tactical positions as well as possible escape routes and other considerations. Finally Cecil decides to answer the man in front of him.

"Good day Xan, I am Cecil. I was the only human on that ship. If you'll excuse me I must now look for work." Cecil's Invaris was a little odd with a heavy accent. He waited for Xan to step out of his way, Cecil did not wish to push the man aside.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:46, Tue 25 Sept 2012.

Noticing Cecil's accent in Invaris, Xanthius decided to try Human instead.  "Well, what do you do?  Maybe I can help.  I've lived here my whole life, I'd know who's a hiring.

Where are you from?  What was your trip like?"  He nodded his head in an affirmative manner for no forseeable reason.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:46, Tue 25 Sept 2012.

The kindness of strangers had helped Cecil get this far, but something seemed off with Xan. What would one human be doing here alone for all his life? from everything Cecil had learned Xamador was a tough place to live. So much so that the average human, especially one on his own without a community to back him, would probably not last long. Of course this included Cecil, but he was used to pushing through where others would fall. "The trip was as to be expected of a long sea voyage." Cecil then started to walk away further into the town and away from the dock. Making sure to keep an eye on his surroundings. As he walked away he answered the first question "I do what is necessary to survive"

[Private to Game Master: cecil will make a spot check mostly looking for good locations to fight from, anything laying around that he could turn into a weapon is need be and also to try and general just notice stuff that might catch his eye


spot check: 22

21:52, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 22 using 1d20+4. spot. ]

As the two of you converse, the docks and town flows around you, almost ignoring you.  There is no aire of danger here [Private to Xanthius Shariam: as you will know from experience], but there is a large amount of disdain directed at the two of you in the form of sneering looks, rolling eyes, or the way others make an effort to ignore your presence.

Cecil was the only other Human aside from his family that he had ever seen.  Xanthius was fascinated by the newcomer.  He followed Cecil along the road, not wanting to lose the unique opportunity to make a friend.  "Well, you could work with the hunters I bet.  They're always short-handed.  I could talk my pa into hiring you for a little while at least, we make the weapons an armor around these parts."

the last comment Cecil made was in Echtinik, so if you don't speak that then ignore his question

"Where did you learn to speak Echtinik?"

"I see. I thank you for your offer, but I wouldn't want to impose. We are strangers and I'm sure your father has enough problems with out having to take in some random wanderer. Working for the hunters might work. I'm not really a hunter, but I've killed many a beast in my time when I needed to. I thank you for the advice"

He doesn't speak Echtinik, he was referring to Cecil's earlier comment about looking for work.

Xanthius looked confused for a moment, then smiled again as he ignored the strange other language.  "You're most welcome.  I hope we can be good friends."

The two of you move off about your individual business.

[Private to Cecil Bellic: You head further into town looking for work.  Over the course of the day you are generally ignored, "bumped into", and treated almost like a child.  No one has any work for you other than one Unbular barkeep mocking you by suggesting you should be a serving wench and holding out a skirt.]

[Private to Xanthius Shariam: You head on to your regular business managing once again to sell all the pots, trinkets, and so on to the elder kinds.  They also hire you for spot repairs on several objects including one stove in a favored eating establishment in town.  The townsfolk ignore you somewhat, but you are a familiar facet of town and some nod in greeting.  A couple come up, shake hands and converse in small talk.  All in all it is a typical day for you in Qorlander Bay.]

about his business, going as well as could be expected.

[Private to Game Master: "tempting, but I'd hate to wear your old uniform. after all then all you'd have to wear back there is an apron and no one wants to see that." Cecil replies to the bartender before leaving. Cecil would be lying if he said he wasn't a little disappointed, but he also expected something like this at least in part. After all who wants to baby-sit a human, especially one in worn almost tattered clothing and no money or equipment to speak of, in a dangerous place like Xamador. If he could get a chance Cecil knows he could prove himself, but the odds of getting that chance looked slim.

OOC: I'm guessing the hunter idea didn't pan out either? So Cecil's easiest and quickest option right now is to take Xan up on his offer and possibly put them at risk like those at the Unbular outpost. He'll try looking for work another day, before looking up Xan and seeing if he has any ideas or connections that could help.

]

PM

[Private to Cecil Bellic:
The bartender blinks twice before you leave, then you can hear his guffaws of laughter as you walk down the street.  Apparently your response amused him.

The hunter angle is met with worse derision and even a threat.  One Kradok offers to take you out with his crew.

{Roll Sense Motive}]

about town trying to make his own way...

[Private to Game Master: cecil was somewhat excited, finally a chance, though considering how everything went so far it also seemed a little to good to be true.

OOC: sense motive: 16

15:46, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 16 using 1d20. sense motive.
 ]

PM

[Private to Cecil Bellic:
The Kradok's name is Dimorak.  He shakes your hand and welcomes you to his team.  Dimorak explains that the rest of his hunting party is already out in the wild and that he had just come in for supplies.  The two of you head for the gates to the city and on out into the jungle.

Along the way you are welcome to chat with him.  He is generally a reticent being and will not venture much conversation on his own, but he will respond to questions.]

[Private to Xanthius Shariam:
As you finish up your sales and prepare to head back home, you see Cecil leaving through the gates of Qorlander Bay with a ne'er-do-well named Dimorak, a Kradok with a penchant for getting others into trouble.  The Kradok is a loner and not well liked even among the rough, close-knit group in Qorlander Bay.  In recent years he has 'lost' a number of partners while hunting for big game near the Bay, yet he always manages to bring in the game itself.]

walking

[Private to Game Master: Cecil asks him many questions "How many men are on your team? What are they hunting and what are it's usual habits and routine? How long will this hunt take? Are we using any specific methods for this hunt; stalk it, set traps, just pick a good spot and wait for the prey to show up or some combination of those? Are any sort of weapons particularly effective against this creature?

OOC:depending on the answers Cecil might have more questions. ]

PM

[Private to Cecil Bellic: The Kradok takes a deep breath then looks over at you.  His wide, muscular frame makes you look like a child in comparison, especially since his height tops yours by half an inch.  "You ask a lot of questions.  I don't want to have to go over this twice so just wait till we join with the rest of the team."  His voice isn't exactly irritated, more longsuffering, but its clearly an indication that he doesn't want to talk right now.]

more walking

[Private to Game Master: "Alright."

OOC: was that in Kradok? cecil doesn't speak kradok but I guess his voice and body language say later.

]

Dimorak leads you out into the dense jungle surrounding the wall city.  He immediately becomes more wary, eye darting here and there expecting attack.  After a few minutes of this, you come to a clearing.  The Kradok searches around the perimeter then comes back to you in the center where he had told you to stay.  "I do not know where they are.  This could be difficult.  Will you be okay here for a few minutes while I search for signs of my hunting partners?"

"yeah I should be alright." Cecil replies. Cecil takes a quick scan about to see if he can notice anything unusual.

[Private to Game Master: ok Cecil will take a quick look around the clearing as well with dimorak still there, then when the kradok leaves, just to be on the safe side and avoid an ambush cecil will hide for a bit. he'll also try another sense motive check just to make sure this guy isn't trying to just dump Cecil in the woods to die.

15:25, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 15 using 1d20. sense motive.
15:25, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 18 using 1d20+7. stealth.
15:25, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 18 using 1d20+4. spot.
15:24, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 8 using 1d20. search.

]

As Dimorak departs the clearing, you find a tree to hid behind.  It is not long before you hear trees cracking as something large moves through them.  You can also hear the whuffling as if something is sniffing for food.  There is no sound or sign of Dimorak.  Make of that what you will.

Cecil attempts to stay hidden and looks around for anything that might do as a weapon, even a large stout stick.

[Private to Game Master: 08:16, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 5 using 1d20+4. looking for a "weapon". ]

The creature ambles out of the woods [GM: Its about the size of a rhinoceros] shoving aside trees.  It's snout is enormous, each nostril as big around as your thigh.  Small horns, probably used for rooting out tubers and the like, surround those nostrils.  Short, stubby claws surround the hooves of the four footed creature.  Short brown hair is scattered sparsely across a dark, moss colored skin.  It has a long, thick tail which ends in more of the same spiky protrusions.  A ridge of black spikes along its backbone.  From the looks of its teeth it is likely omnivorous.

You find a likely wooden club, but there is little chance it would get through the creature's thick skin.  It is becoming more and more evident that you were recruited as bait.

Cecil tries to keep hidden. They may have recruited him as bait, but that didn't mean he was going to make this easy for everyone and get eaten. the creature was out in the open. they should have been attacking it. If they had been honest he might have been able to lead the creature into a better position to be trapped, but as things stood he wasn't going to risk his neck for them. Right now it was time to play the waiting game. No point in making a move before he had to.

The creature rummages around the clearing, digging up a few tubers and mushrooms, then ambles off again through the trees.

Several minutes later, Dimorak shows up.  He looks around the clearing, obviously baffled and more than a little frustrated.

GM: Sorry, this week was end of the nine weeks and I got busy with school work.

"A little warning would have been nice. Did you really expect me to stand by and let myself get eaten just so you could have a shot at that beast? If you had told me your plan than maybe we could have worked something out. I could have lead it to a trap or something. But since you just wanted a sacrifice you can find someone else." Cecil comments as he steps out of his hiding place. He will then head back to the town. He couldn't trust these guys anymore. there was no way he could work with them now.

"Woho!  The runtling has some sauce."  The Kradok chuckles and it is not a jovial one.  He pulls out a longsword that looks plain, but well made.  "You cost me a bag of gold, runtling.  Mayhap I should take it out of your hide!"

GM: By his tone and his mannerisms you know he is on the verge of lunging at you, which gives you the initiative should you choose to engage.

"You think a human's hide is worth that much? Try it then, but know it'll mean your end." Cecil didn't like Dimorak and was tempted to take a swing at him, but he didn't want to kill him. So far Cecil had only killed for two reasons survival protection. He wasn't going to add anger to that list. So he increased the distance between the two of them took up a defensive posture and waited for Dimorak to choose whether he wanted to live or die.

[Private to Game Master: Ok so cecil will switch stances to stance of clarity, giving him a +2 to ac vs dimorak and a -2 to ac vs everything else. he will move his speed away and will ready to use sapphire nigthmare blade on dimorak if he attacks.

if dimorak attacks:
wall of blades counter: If the attack result meets or beats the attack on cecil he deflects the attack: 18
concentration check vs dimorak ac: 22
if successful he is flat-footed against cecil's melee attack and takes an extra 1d6 damage.
attack vs dimorak (flat-footed?) ac: 25
damage: 16
sapphire nightmare blade damage: 6
total damage: 22

22:30, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 18 using 1d20+9. wall of blades counter if needed.
22:27, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 6 using 1d6. sapphire nightmare blade damage.
22:26, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 16 using 1d6+10. damage.
22:26, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 25 using 1d20+7. two handed power attack -2.
22:25, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 22 using 1d20+12. concentration check

]

Overconfident and completely underestimating a human, as many of the elder races are wont to do, especially one that is barely armed and virtually unarmored, Dimorak attacks.  His frustration is evident, but it turns to surprise when not only is his swing easily blocked by nothing more than a stick, but the returning blow is devastating.  He doubles over as several ribs are cracked and possible more.

"Hai, boy, you have some...(hack)...skill in you.  I...(cough)...underestimated you."  He begins to back away obviously disengaging.

"Is that it? You're finished? I thought you wanted to take your gold out of my hide?" Cecil steps forward, he keeps his stick down though. "So it looks like I have two choices here. Be nice and let you live or be smart and finish you. Which should I choose? It's tough. Maybe I should flip a coin. What do you say heads or tails?"

The Kradok glares and hunkers down as if to defend, but he slowly tries to keep backing away.  He also chooses not to respond.

"RUN! AND DON'T COME NEAR ME AGAIN!" After the Kradok has run away far enough to no longer be a threat Cecil heads back to town.

The town of Qorlander Bay seems a bit more daunting, a bit more unwelcoming after the episode with Dimorak.  The looks from the other kinds are surprisingly human, the furrowed eyebrows to show anger or disdain, the pursed lips, the narrowed eyes.  They all mean the same thing: "unwelcome."  There are a few that have different looks, but these are even worse in a sense.  They have a look of pity.

It's starting to look bleak to Cecil. It did not look like there was any work for a human out here. He couldn't exactly leave here with out any real equipment or supplies though. It was beginning to look like he had two options, both meant admitting defeat in a way. Either head back to the morning star and join up with them again or take up that other guys offer. He liked the morning star and the people on it, but working with them would not get him closer to his goal. Which meant he had to swallow his pride and ask for help from the only person to actually offer it... it was time to seek out Xanthius and his dad.

After a day of disappointment, its seems that Halai was beginning to favor you.  As you make your way back toward the docks, pondering each decision, you see Xanthius loading up a couple of bags with what looks like junk onto his back.

Cecil approaches the other human "Need some help carrying those?" he asks. all the while thinking So much for making it on my own. hopefully he's still feeling generous.

Xanthius looks up with a surprised but pleased look on his face.  "Sure.  Grab a bag."  He has switched immediately to the human tongue and, likely lacking others besides his family to speak with in it, prattles on cheerily.

He leads you out of the main gate to the west and down what looks to be a main road for a mile or more before turning north along a well beaten trail through the trees.  "We need to be careful now.  There are some critters between here and my home that like to eat metal."  He looks at your tree branch and nods approvingly.  "It's good that you aren't using a metal weapon.  Always good to carry a variety out here in Xamador.  We'll have to get you some better armor and equipment though when we get home."

Cecil picks up what he can carry without overburdening himself and follows the other human. "Thanks, but don't put yourself out to much for me. I'll earn my keep..." then Xanthius's comment about eating metal registars. "They eat what? how could anything do that? They must have skin and teeth made of hard stone."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:34, Wed 07 Nov 2012.

"It's actually related to the powder exuded by their feelers and their saliva.  It breaks the metal down and turns into something else, something they can siphon up through a tube in their mouth."  He looks around, focusing largely on the tree canopy.  "They aren't particularly deadly to us as they don't eat flesh, and they aren't all that strong, but for us humans, they can shove us around a little bit if they get moving fast enough.  Also, they can sense different qualities of metal so it won't help to throw rusty scrap metal out in bulk to save a well made sword or suit of armor.  They always go after the best."

"couldyou concel or camoflague the good metal? Like put it under a layer of rust or coat it with something that throws off their senses and makes them think it's worse quality?" Cecil replies as they walk.

"I hadn't thought about the potential for a chemical mask.  There are certainly magical ones that can be cast."  He tilts his head in thought.  "I'll have to keep that in mind."
This message was last updated by the GM at 16:33, Fri 01 Mar 2013.

"Do you know if they have any particular weaknesses? Specific methods of attack? Habits and behavior patterns?"

Xanthius thinks for a moment.  "Well, their exoskeleton is pretty tough and obviously metallic weapons are useless.  However, blunt weapons will crack it pretty good and non-metallic weapons tend to survive well enough.  They are just bugs and mostly after your gear.  I've never seen one actively attack a person attempting to kill them.  They mainly just eat the armor right off your body then scurry away.  There aren't any of the larger ones near Qorlander Bay, only the young adults.  You could likely handle one on your own as you are.  The bigger ones were hunted off a long time ago.  The smaller ones encroach from further out."

"I see. Well they certainly sound like a nuisance if nothing else, but at least there is one creature her we don't have to worry about wanting to devour us."

Xanthius smiles and takes you further into the jungle.  At one point, he stops and sets his bag down.  "Come here for a second."  His voice is not commanding, asking respectfully as if he wants to show you something.  He kneels down to the ground and clears away some jungle detritus.
This message was last updated by the GM at 16:33, Fri 01 Mar 2013.

Cecil moves forward "What?" he asks simply.

"Do you see this series of long marks in the ground?  These are the tracks of a young metal eater.  They are relatively fresh.  If we leave our bags here I could show it to you.  We have the drop on it."  He looks up at you and smiles.

"Is that a good idea? Leaving your bags here unattended? If you really want to fight this thing we can, just reminding you that we had another goal in mind here."

"It's only the one and this is just scrap metal for the forge.  It would be good practice for you if you've never seen one.  Also, it eliminates one from growing into an adult.  If you don't care to, we can continue on home, though."

"Ok, I'm sorta want to see what one of these things looks like anyway."

The two of you quietly put down the bags. Xanthius grabs his walking stick and leads the way through the brush.  He seems quite knowledgeable about the fauna and makes little imprint on it as he moves.

After several minutes of hiking, he stops and points.  At first, it is difficult to see.  A few moments later, you make out the outline of the rust-colored body buried partially in the dirt.  It looks to be about eight feet long.  It's body segments are akin to most insects, divided into three parts, head, thorax, and abdomen.  Large, muscular legs are folded at the back, ready to leap.  Middle legs are rotated forward, horizontal to the ground.  Forward legs have some kind of padded pincers that are likely for holding on to metal somehow.

Two massive feelers jut from its oblong head.  At the moment, they wave randomly in the wind.  Two deep red mandibles, shot through with dark metallic grey, clack lazily together.

It appears to be napping...or waiting.

Cecil looks at it for a moment and then carefully tries to move closer to get a better view and possibly get into a better position to ambush it. He moves slowly taking in his surroundings as best he can while doing so. taking particular care to be on the look out for other creatures and possible paths this insect like beast could take to escape.

[Private to Game Master:
19:10, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 12 using 1d20+4. spot.
 19:10, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 13 using 1d20+7. stealth.]

As you move around, the feelers instantly twitch in your direction.  The bug makes no other move.

So he noticed me...But he's not alarmed. good. Cecil then motions for Xanthius to move over to the other side of the creature so they could flank it and catch it between them. Once Xanthius is in position Cecil flashes a few hand signs. The first is his hand with three fingers raised. The second is his hand with two fingers raised. The third is his hand with one finger raised and then finally he shakes his fist. Cecil then moves forward, hoping Xanthius understood his signals and advances forward with him. When he gets with in range Cecil lashes out with a powerful two handed blow attempting to bring his stick down hard right on the top of the creatures head.

[Private to Game Master: Cecil will attack using emerald razor. hopefully Cecil will be able to flank with Xanthius to get the +2 and make it a touch attack vs flat footed ac. full power attacking.

attack: 17 (19 if flanking) vs touch ac ( or flat footed touch if flanking)
total damage: 20

18:04, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 2 using 1d6. punishing stance damage.
18:04, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 18 using 1d6+16. damage.
18:03, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 17 using 1d20+4. full power attack.
 ]

Xanthias is late to act on your instructions and is nowhere to be seen in the brush.

The cricket lashes out at your weapon with its feelers, ignoring your attack.  The feelers do nothing to the wooden club and hit the head of the creature full on.

A crack in the shell appears, but the creature does nothing more than scurry back.

Xanthias stands up from some brush with his staff.  His utter lack of armor and his stance indicate that he has little experience in martial combat.  He stands straight and confident, but appears simply to be watching and waiting for an opening or something.

This didn't feel right somehow. Sure the creature may eat metal and is probably a pest, but it didn't strike back despite Cecil's attack. It didn't even flee really. Just backed away a bit. He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for it. For years he had known nothing but violence, bloodshed and terror. He had escaped that, but now here he was visiting this upon another creature that didn't even feel the need to fight back. It made him feel a little sick inside. It was one thing to hunt out of some need, but for sport? He was sick of "sport". He had enough of it. He didn't want to be that anymore. What was the point of escaping the fighting pits if he would willing start up doing it again here? It's not like he didn't believe Xanthius. These metal eaters were probably a bane. But until they threatened him or his property Cecil just didn't have the heart to kill it.

"What are we doing to this timid thing? Ya know what? If you want it dead so much kill it yourself." Cecil then carefully backed away.

Xanthius' eyebrows shoot up into his hairline.  Then he nods and backs away from the creature.  With a tilt of his head back toward the bags, he disappears into the trees.

The creature continues to eye you, but with no metal on your person, you don't seem to be something it is interested in.  After a few more moments of your inaction, its twitches its feelers and heads off deeper into the trees away from the trail.

Cecil walks back to the bags and rejoins Xanthius. attacking that creature had been a distraction. Cecil had a goal and he needed to be get stronger to reach it. That would require sacrifices of some sort. Some of his own and probably many made by others, mostly those opposing him. But he didn't need to beat that creature to death, to make it one of those sacrifices for no reason. "Killing it just didn't feel right. At least not while it isn't harming anything."

Xanthias looks at you for a moment in silence, but eventually nods and smiles.  "I admire your restraint.  It says much about your character.  C'mon.  Father will have dinner ready by the time we get there."

Xanthias leads you through the jungle for several more miles, a trip that takes over an hour, though it would take less than half that over flat, open land.  The trees break into an opening that contains several acres of land bearing various vegetables, grains, and fruits.  It looks well tended and successful.

Xanthias heads to the larger of two buildings, a massive stone construct that might be a barn.  At one end a series of metal pipes protrude emitting a tiny tendril of smoke.  The air around the tops of the pipes ripples as if distorted by heat.

A smaller structure to the left is surrounded by a low rock wall that encompasses some of the garden.  Also made of stone, this structure looks somewhat like a house.  The roof is flat and covered in branches and other detritus from the jungle above.

"Nice place you've got here. How long did it take to set all this up?"

Xanthius smiles and looks back with a mischievous grin.  "Not long."

He leads you into the larger building.  In a pile of similar bags he tosses the ones he'd been carrying and indicates you should do the same.

The building is a wide open area with no pillars to support the heavy-looking stone roof above.  Much of the area is a metalworks of some kind.  In one corner at a smelter is a beefy man working bellows and hammering something on the anvil.

"My dad."

"He looks kinda busy. Is it alright to disturb him?" cecil asks.

By way of answer, the man at the forge smiles and sets aside his tools.  He cleans his soot covered hands on a dirty rag as he walks over.  "We don't see many other humans out here.  Camran Shariam."  He holds out a hand for you to shake.

Camran looks like an older version of Xanthius.  His hair is cut short, but has the same dark wavy look to it.  Soot covers the older man and his forge apron, but the wrinkles around his eyes are lines from lots of smiling over his years.

Cecil takes the man's hand and gives it a firm shake. "Cecil Bellic. Good to meet you."

OOc; decided I need to post more here.

"So how long have you guys been here?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:43, Tue 27 Nov 2012.

Camran scratches his head with a sooty hand as he thinks.  "Oh, I'd say about thirty years or so.  At least a decade before Xanth here was born.  Came out with a wave of human explorers.  I was the head smith of the settlement and my wife headed up the decryption team.  Xamador's a mean place though.  Wasn't too long 'fore nearly the whole group, almost fifty people, was just swallowed up by the jungle.  My Jessa disappeared maybe eight years ago?"  He smiles, the painful memory now a distant one.

"Why don't we go inside and get something to eat?  Talk over a good, cold drink?"  Without waiting for much of an answer he tidies up his forge in a few quick movements then heads to the smaller structure, the house.  Once inside, he rummages around the kitchen area for food and drinks.  They even have an iced cabinet for storing drinks and keeping food cold.  One section even has small trays of some kind with frozen water in it.  He takes a few of these and fills three clear crystal glasses with them, then pours a brownish liquid from a ceramic pitcher also out of the cabinet.  He places a simple ceramic plate of flat bread, meats, cheeses and some pickled something in front of you along with one of the drinks.  Xanthius and he also get a plate and a drink.  Xanthius delves into his with relish.

"What about you?  What brings you out to this forsaken place?"

cecil takes the offered drink after saying thank you and takes a drink. It buys him the time he needs to think without it seeming awkward...or at least he hopes it does. As he drank Cecil's mind raced. What should he tell him? the truth? If so how much? would they even believe? How would they react? Can he trust them? They have been helpful so far even invited him into their home. He's going to have to trust someone sometime. why not them? why not now? If it turns to be a bad idea he'll just fight his way out or die trying. Cecil will not stand to be chained again. "It's a long story and not a pleasant one. To put it simply; I escaped from the Echtinik fighting pits and made my way here to get beyond their reach. though that may be impossible for how much they hate me. One day, when I gain enough power, I will head back and free the others."

Conversation continues for the rest of the meal.  Afterward, Xanthius shows you around the compound including the room where you will be staying.  The smaller building, their house, is heated and cooled by a system of stone vents connected to the forge.  You adjust the temperature in your room by adjusting the metal vent slats on both the incoming (warm) or outgoing (cool) vents.

For a frontier homestead, this compound is quite modernized and advanced.  Everything is based on stone, metal, or crystal in some way.  Camaran and his son are not just skilled with horseshoes and other mundane practical things, they are artists.  This is evident in the subtle carvings within the stone buildings, but moreso in the intricate metalwork stored in the larger forge building.

Even the stone wall surrounding the compound is a masterful combination of artistry and engineering.  It would take magic of significant power to breach the wall.  It undoubtedly does a fine job of keeping out the indigenous lifeforms of the jungle.

As the world rotates away from the local star, the ambient noise of the surrounding jungle subtly changes to night sounds.  Xanthius indicates that you have free reign of the compound except where doors are locked and tomorrow off to explore.  Then, if you decide to stay, Camaran will outline any chores and training he might have for you.

Xanthius is available for questions throughout the tour and at the evening time after dinner.

Cecil starts off by asking Xanthius for a tour of the compound and it's facilities.

Cecil finds himself some open space out of the way of everyone else in the courtyard and starts going through combat forms, strikes, footwork and works on his techniques.

after exercising for a while. Cecil cleans up, heads to his room and sleeps. in the morning he will go to Xanthius and ask if there are any interesting places nearby he thinks would be a good idea to check out.

Xanthius thinks for a moment then nods.  "There is a small waterfall nearby, just to the north.  It's a beautiful place and most of the time there are only peaceful animals there."

"sounds like a nice place. I'll check it out."

"Take whatever supplies you need from the house.  Our home is yours, Cecil."  With that, Xanthius heads out to the forge to help is father for the day.

Cecil grabs a spear, a water skin and something to eat and then heads out to the waterfall.

The waterfall area is very tranquil.  It isn't a very high one, only dropping a few meters, but it is a broad river.  There are numerous stones at the top and bottom of the falls that are broad enough for two or more people to stand on.  For those who choose to train here, they would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful spot.

The birds call to each other in the trees.  Bugs sing accompanied by the babble of the river.  A couple of herbivores drink upstream.  The air here is pure, unburdened by any of the smells of civilization.  The river provides a bit of moisture to the air, which is cool in the morning shade of the trees, but will likely grow much warmer given Xamador's proximity to the equator.

Cecil takes some time to just enjoy the view for a while. then he takes off his shirt and his pants, to keep them dry, and wades into the stream. He walks over to the waterfall and steps under it and tries to meditate. After a while of that he will walk over to the stones and practice his strikes while moving from one stone to the other to work on his balance, and foot placement. After a few hours he'll sit down, have lunch and enjoy the view once more.

As you practice, a number of creatures come and go to the river.  Most don't even acknowledge your existence.  One, a bear-like creature with bony protrusions all over vital areas, looks your way and sniffs before going back to fishing.  You've heard of these before, the great Arktos.  Human legends tell of these as one of the first animals humans met.  This one must be very young for adults are said to reach two stories or more in height.

Toward the end of your practice you hear trees crashing.  Something very large is coming through to the water.  Every now and again it cries out with a kind of mewling roar.  Whatever it is, it sounds like it is in pain or in some kind of dire straits.

Cecil is surprised by the Clamour of this beast he moves out of the river and to his pack. he puts his pants back on and grabs his gear. he then looks for a safe place to hide for a bit. A large animal that is panicking and in pain is very dangerous. running might attract it's attention and he obviously can;t stay out in the open because that will do the same.

[Private to Game Master: stealth check;
18:50, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 18 using 1d20+7. stealth. ]

The creature shambles out of the trees.  It is a long necked reptile on two powerful legs.  It's arms claw vainly at its head, which thrashes about.  It appears blinded, though its eyes look whole enough and un-wounded.  Without stopping or even realizing it, it crashes into the water right above the falls.

Moments later, a group of small creatures darts out of the trees with spears, arrows, and other weapons to harry them.  Their armor doesn't look primitive, though most of it is leather.  From this distance, they don't look all that threatening.  Likely they surprised the beast with a trap and have been harrying it to the river in order to kill it.

The beast thrashes around in the water at the top of the falls, then falls over them to the deeper pool a few feet below.  There it regains its composure and surfaces its eyes and nose.  For a minute it looks around, then it spots its pursuers who point and jabber in their tongue then try to hide back in the trees.  The creature surges through the water toward the shore, rising up out of the water in a powerful display of muscle.  It shakes the water from its back in an impressive shower then looks around again.  The small creatures freeze in their tracks.  The creature snorts and waits.

This was interesting. Cecil didn't currently have any idea what to do. The beast was powerful and looking for a fight, but heavily outnumbered and already wounded. The little critters with armor and weapons were crafty, but obviously outmatched in a straight fight. Their only hope had been that ambush which seemed to have failed. Yet if they break and run the beast will hunt them down and kill them. It looked like the next move would decide things one way or the other. If he showed himself now the creature would attack, but what would the small critters do? take the chance to escape? let Cecil and the beast fight it out and kill whoever was left standing? Or would they join Cecil and help take the beast down? Cecil only took that spear so without armor that beast could tear him up pretty badly if Cecil didn't take it down quickly. same thing for the swarm of little guys if they concentrated their assault on cecil and were willing to take some casualties to earn the victory.

the best bet right now was to wait. wait for one side to make a move and commit to it. then cecil would make his move...whatever that turned out to be.

It seemed that the little creatures had the same idea about flight.  The backed slowly, until the biggest of them whipped its head about, barked at the rest then panted himself in front of the beast.  The wounded creature snapped at him, but he rolled out of the way.  Frustrated, the beast turned to follow him.  Soon the dodging creature had the beast turned from his companions and they faded into the trees beside the river.

Their companion had sacrificed himself to save the rest.  Now he appeared to face the beast alone.

Cecil took this chance to strike. With the beasts attention away from him it was his best chance to make a big difference. Plus the little guy showed a lot of heart and valor in choosing to fight the beast alone. It was time to reward it's noble decision.
Cecil rushed out from his hiding place and came around behind the beast. Flanking it with the little guy. Cecil studied the creatures movements as it went after the little guy and made sure to stab his spear so that it would deal maximum damage as the beast moved into it.

[Private to Game Master: cecil is going to move behind the beast to flank it and then attack with sapphire nightmare blade.
attack vs flat footed if cecil can flank: 23
total damage: 27

08:49, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 4 using 1d6. punishing stance damage.
08:49, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 5 using 1d6. sapphire nightmare blade damage.
08:48, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 18 using 1d8+14. spear damage.
08:48, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 23 using 1d20+6. flanking full power attack.
08:47, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 23 using 1d20+12. concentration check.

]

The beast roars in pain as the spear drives deep into its flesh.  It whips its tail around into your chest and throws you back into the river [5 dmg].  You land in water deep enough to break your fall, but shallow enough that you don't have to swim back to shore.

Wiping the water from your eyes you see the small guy, he looks like a furry reptile with dog-like ears, slash the back of the beasts knee.  The beast stumbles and looks like its having trouble walking now, but it does manage to turn and swipe at the small creature, missing by a narrow margin.

By that time, the others realized they now had a chance against it and in order to save their bravest, circled the beast and began to harry it.  It was easy to see, though, that they were still out-matched.

Cecil is now committed to the fight. He gets up and moves to the beast again. but instead of attacking immediately he waits for the beast to make a move and then he thrusts once more, knowing that the clawed and powerful creature will now have a difficult time dodging his attack.

[Private to Game Master: using emerald razor attack which allows me to resolves my attack as a touch attack

emerald razor full power attack vs touch: 14
total damage: 20

18:20, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 1 using 1d6. punishing stance damage.
18:20, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 19 using 1d8+14. damage.
18:20, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 14 using 1d20+4. Emerald razor full power attack vs touch.
]

The best steps forward and grabs one of the small creatures, but your spear immediately plunges deep into its flank causing it to drop its captive.  Blood gushes from the wound.

The other creatures step in with their minute weapons and poke and prod as they can.  A series of tiny wounds lace across the creature's legs.  You are the only one with the reach to hit at the arms.  If its mouth gets a hold on someone, they are dead given the sharp pointed teeth lining it.

The beast staggers this way and that, flailing but clearly no longer able to make a serious attack.

Seeing that the beast is near it's end Cecil steps forward and tries to flank the now severely wounded beast with one of the small creatures with a powerful two handed and well aim thrust tries to put the beast down and make it's end as quick and painless as possible. As wounded as it is letting it escape would only prolong it's suffering needlessly. but the creatures near death convulsions throw his aim way off...

[Private to Game Master: Cecil will make a single standard action attack to try and finish the creatue off and to refresh his maneuvers.

attack roll 12:02, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 8 using 1d20+7. power attack -4, flanking +2.

]

In its rage and pain, the beast manages to chomp down on the leg of one of the creatures.  It screams in pain as it is lifted into the air several feet.  The others attack as never before trying to free their companion.  At last they bring it done, the bravest climbing the beasts back and stabbing it through a templer membrane.

The beast gives one last grunt.  There is a horrible crunching sound and the creature in its mouth falls to the ground minus a leg.  Then the beast whimpers, falls over on its side, and lays still.  The little creatures do not immediately move and appear to be in shock.

Cecil moves forward over the beast and stabs his spear into it's heart just to make sure it is dead.

OOc: will do a coup de grace just to make sure.

The beast was dead before you stabbed it, but there is no doubt now.

On the ground, a few feet away, the little creature holds its stump.  It's wails of pain have died down some and it is definitely bleeding to death.  However, the other creatures have made a circle around it and face you, weapons out.

A quick glance beyond them shows you the road into town just through the trees.

Cecil puts his spear away and heads back to Xanthius and his father's compound. Leaving the little critters to tend to their comrade.

Xanthius sees you return and waves.  Then he does a double take and trots up to you.  "You okay?  You look like you've been in a fight.  Is the blood yours?"


XP: 500 for the encounter with the beast.

"I'm fine. Ran into a bunch of little critters wearing armor hunting a large beast. It turned the tables on them and was about to slaughter them all. I jumped in and helped them kill it."

"Hmmm, sounds like kolabs.  They can be friendly but are very skittish around other intelligent kinds."  Xan chuckles.  "One of the few kinds in the world who don't look down on our own."

For the next couple of weeks nothing changes.  You travel back to the river to practice and meditate or help around the forge as you feel like it.  Xan and his father never make demands and seem glad of the company.

After a couple of weeks, Xan approaches you with a favor to ask.  "Father needs to mine some raw metal from deeper in the jungle.  You care to go along?  The more the warier."  He grins at his own lame joke.

GM:  If there is anything you wanted to do within those two weeks just let me know.  Hope you had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year tomorrow!

"Sure, I'll help. What sort of creatures are we likely to encounter? Should we all wear armor?"

Xan looks at you and blinks, then bursts out laughing.  "I don't know what we'll encounter, but you definitely need armor!  And probably something more useful than that stick you've been swinging around."  He squeezes your shoulder firmly and heads toward the forge.  Along the way he asks, "so, what style of armor do you want?  What weapon do you favor?"

"Something light that gives good protection and allows movement. As for weapons I don't prefer any style really, though I do use two handed ones more than others."

Xan nods.  "I think father will have just the thing.  Something special we've been working on, but the elder races reject it.  They think its too light and won't hold up in battle."  He leads you in to the forge.  "Father, Cecil would like to try on the ceramic half-plate.  He also needs a two-handed weapon."

Ceramic? Like pottery? Sure I'll try it if you think it'll hold up."

"Oh, it will hold up, young man.  Come over here.  Let me show you."  The soot covered smith leads you over to a blank wall.  He looks back for a moment and gives you a sly smile.  Then, he touches the wall in what seems like a random set of places.  When he steps back, a hidden door swings open in the stone.  Beyond it, a stairwell leads down into the earth.  "The stairs are meant to be narrow in case the door is discovered when we have a need to hide down here.  It channels our enemies.  At the bottom, it opens up substantially...sort of.  You have a problem with enclosed spaces?"

"Depends on the circumstances. I'm not fond of them, but they don't bother me to much. I can see the value of channeling enemies though. makes numbers matter less, though in the end you still have to deal with attrition. Although also this confines you as well. Depending on how smart, clever or prepared the attackers are a position like this could easily become a liability."

The older man smiles, but says nothing more.  The way down is very narrow, only knives, spears, arrows, and a few other weapons would be useful in this confined area.  Those who were not prepared for it would be effectively disarmed.

At the bottom it does open up.  The wall to either side at the bottom of the stairwell do not move perpendicular to the stair walls as one might normally suspect.  Instead, they angle sharply back in the same direction the stairs come from.  Any person defending would have an open shot before the attacker could view the whole room.

Camran and Xan lead you through a maze of corridors in what turns out to be a vast underground complex many times larger than the homestead above.  There are no visible openings to the loose dirt outside, or vents, or any number of other potential ingress points, yet the air is not stale and you can feel a breeze.

At last the stop at a larger room with rows of benches interspersed with rows of stone walls that divide the room into smaller sections.  It turns out that those walls have thin closets in them one next to another.  Camran opens one of them and removes a grey body suit with some kind of smooth, polished plates on it.  He hands it to you for you to examine.

As Cecil saw more of the layout it was definitely less of a liability. He occasional even stopped for a second or two to think on how he would assault such a position. That there was a breeze meant his original opinion that poison and noxious gasses would be extremely effective was lessened. But that could still be useful. Plus a team with heavy armor, tower shields and short swords leading the push down the stairs and then fanning out into the open area in such a fashion to make an effective shield wall would limit the effectiveness of ranged attacks on the force coming down the stairs.

The Maze would definitely split their forces and make them easier to take down, but only if the enemy didn't use dogs or some other animal to track the defenders by scent or have another way of tracking them. Yes a pack of vicious dogs or even several large and trained cats or other clawed beasts released down here could do a lot of damage to the defenders, especially if there are only a small handful of them. Of course there were some counter measures for that. pit-traps, caltrops, poisoned meat and spiked or razor edged obstacles among other things, could reduce the effectiveness of using animals to harass and hunt the defenders.

It took Cecil a moment to realize that Camran was offering up the armor for his inspection since he was so lost in thought analyzing the tactical situation of an assault on this area vs it's defensive capabilities. He takes the armor from the man and holds it up testing it's weight. He then checks to see how the plates fit together. then he goes to put it on and then goes through a combat kata to see how much it restricts movement.

The 'fabric' is actually some kind of material you've not seen before, but it looks like it was made of glass of all things.  The plates feel like very smooth stone.  The whole thing is as light as studded leather.  The plates overlay like regular half-plate leaving few vulnerable points, but it moves with the freedom of chainmail.

"Here, try this."  He hands you a beautiful bastard sword.  At first it looks like some kind of ceremonial sword made of glass.  It feels a lot like the armor, though.  "It's tough.  More durable than metal and will keep its edge longer too.  Xan promises that it take enchantments better than metal, too."  The sword has the right weight distribution for a bastard sword, though it feels so well balanced that it feels like its lighter than it is.

Xan beams as you try out the equipment.  "There is a whole set, greaves, boots, the whole thing.  I helped shape them, though they aren't inherently magical.  They can be, but they aren't right now." He is practically hopping from foot to foot in anticipation of your judgment.  "Well, what do you think?"

"I think they are interesting and quite innovative, but I really won't know until I try them out in battle. Hopefully we won't need to field test it on this trip of ours to get more ore, but it seems like a good opportunity to at least test how it effects performance on a march." Cecil replies.

Ceramic Half-Plate
AC Bonus:            +7
Max DEX Bonus:       +4
Armor Check Penalty: -3
Arcane Failure*:     25%
Speed:               30ft
Weight:              25pd

*Geomancers take no penalty

Ceramic armor is made from high density, light ceramic (stone) plates fitted to a glass fiberweave shirt.  The fiberweave is as strong as chain-mail and more resistant to piercing.  Since the ceramic plates are not linked to each other, but the cloth-like fiberweave, it allows for much more flexibility than the standard metallic half-plate.

GM:  Your Ceramic Armor is Masterwork, though mundane, so it is actually a +8 rather than +7.

Crystal Bastard Sword
Attk:       +1
Dmg:        1d10 (1H)/2d5 (2H)
Crit:       18-20/X2 /19-20/X3
Weight:     6pd
Dmg Type:   Slashing/Piercing
Class:      Martial, Melee

The crystal class weapons seem frail, but are forged using geomancy and are actually tougher than metallic swords [+20% durability/hp]. Crystalline objects also hold enchantments better giving them a -10% chance of failure to enchant for each successive enchantment placed on them.  Because of their structure, all crystalline weapons function as non-magical +1 weapons compared to their metallic counterparts.

GM:  Your sword is considered Masterwork, though mundane, so it is actually a +2 to attack.

After putting the armor on Cecil jogs around a bit and even does a few rolls and tumbles. "I'm very impressed by how flexible and light this armor is despite how much it covers. The only real question left is how many hits can it take?"

Cecil stops moving and stands still "Xanthius hit me with something so we can test how well it withstands impact."


OOC: If the sword doesn't have a name Cecil will call it Shard. will handle that after the impact test is resolved.

Xan grins and grabs a nearby metal longsword.  He wears robes like a scholar or mage most of the time and looks thin, but he swings the blade well enough.  It clangs into your chest, but the clear ringing of the sword is the only real effect.  Your armor absorbed almost all of the impact.  You felt only a bit of pressure, like someone's hand against your chest for a moment.

Then, without warning, Xan commits to a series of swings, stabs, and smacks with the flat of the blade.  They all ring, and only one hits under the plates into the fiberweave.  It catches the blade well and you know you'll only have a bit of a bruise there, not an open wound.

Xan stands back and grins.

"Well I am more or less convinced. This armor is great and we'll prove to the other craftsman that your innovations are worth acknowledging."

Cecil then goes and picks up the crystal bastard sword and swings it around a bit. He moves through some more combat Kata; getting used to it's weight, balance and learning to make the sword a part of himself. "If you have not already named this sword. I'll call it Shard. fitting for a sharp piece of crystal I think."

Xan and Camran smile at the compliment.  They have already packed for the trip, which is half a day's journey.  You have a pack of basic supplies like food.  (GM:  If you want something special like chalk or some other odd or end, let me know now.)

They lead you through the dense jungle.

Camran is armored in some leather pants that looks like he's smithed in for years and a chain shirt.  His weapon is a huge hammer that looks far too heavy to lift with two hands, but Camran seems to have no difficulty whirling it around like a toy.  Either something is enhancing his strength far beyond human norms or the hammer is heavily enchanted.

Xan wears his normal robes and you are unable to catch a glimpse of what he wears below.  It is not bulky, whatever it is, if anything.

Nothing bothers you on the way.  The cave itself is on an open hillside.  The nearest jungle is half a mile away.  It is probably fifty feet wide and tall, though irregular.  You will have no trouble swinging your sword around in here, nor will Camran have issues with his hammer or Xan with his staff.

Camran holds up a hand at the tree-line looking out at the cave.  "Xan, check it out."  His voice is a whisper and he stands still, not making a sound.  He looks back at you and motions downward with his palm and either means 'crouch down' or 'stay still'.

Cecil crouches down as Camran indicates and takes a quick look around to see if he can notice anything.

[Private to Game Master: spot check

08:42, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 7 using 1d20+4. spot check. ]

Xan creeps through the rocky terrain surrounding the cave.  Soon he disappears into the landscape, his grey robes blending well with the rock.

He is gone for some time.  Then he is there, standing next to his father as if arisen straight out of the ground.

"Oulbaer."  His words cause Camran to grimace.  "They have made their den within the cave.  By the looks of it, its a whole family, though the cubs are grown enough to be foraging with their parents.  I make out a father, mother, and three or four cubs."

"Oulbaer.  They will likely be back before we mine enough ore."  He turns to you.  "Oulbear can be vicious, especially protecting their young.  Do you have any compunctions about killing wild animals you aren't gonna eat?  We plan on going in there, into what they have made their lair, though the mine is ours by rights.  You would be defending us."

Xan speaks up before you can answer.  "It's alright if you don't want to help.  I can watch father's back while he mines the ore.  We won't hold it against you if you feel you can't help."

"The deal with the rust monster was a bit different. I will help defend your father against these creatures. Although perhaps we could do something else to get rid of them for a while. For example maybe we could smoke them out keep a fire going near the entrance once they leave to keep them away until we are done?"

The Shariams are impressed and pleased with the plan.  They leave it to you to design the smoke defense, cautioning only that the smoke should not enter the cave where they are working.  Xan will check with you from time to time to see if you need additional help in case the smoke does not work.

The first thing to do is gather enough wood from the jungle to build your fire.  Please describe the way you would like to build the fire, its location, and how you will start, maintain, and direct the smoke.

The cavern entrance is over fifty feet wide and fifty feet tall.  Right now the wind is moving in front of the cavern at a 34 degree angle away from the face of the cave.

Cecil will not only gather firewood but branches with green leaves on them to make more smoke.  He will make a large rectangular box with the larger pieces of wood on the bottom and what he'll use as kindling underneaths and in the center of that. once the fire starts going he will toss the green branches and leaves on top to create large puffs of smoke. He will also look for large fronds he can use as a fan to help direct the smoke. He will

As for placement he will make the fire 30 feet in front of the cave and will try and make a small ten foot by ten foot fire break to keep the smoke from moving into the cave. This way it should get close but the vast majority of it should not enter it. he will use the frond as a fan to puff the smoke to the side and help direct it near, but not into the cave.

The plan works well.  While Xan and Camran are down in the cave mining out the ore, one of the oulbaer shows up.  It's a large creature so it could be the male.  It sniffs at the air and moves back and forth at the tree-line, but does not come near the smoke or the cave.  After half an hour it wanders off.

Toward the end of the day, when Xan comes out to report that they have finished and are loading it up, the fuel for the fire has almost been exhausted.  Xan suggests that you let the fire die down on its own and come help them carry the ore, if you don't mind.

Cecil pours some water onto the camp fire to douse it and make sure it won't spread and then heads over to help Xan and his father carry the ore.

The three of you gather the bags of ore and head back to the compound.  About half an hour out, there is a deafening roar from the left where before there had only been silence.  Something big crashes out of the trees and slams into Camran knocking him down.

The creature is nearly ten feet tall.  It stands on two muscular legs.  Two nearly equally muscular arms jut from a set of wide, lower shoulders.  These arms have three fingered hands and opposable thumbs.  The phalanges are each thicker than your arm.  Above that is a second set of narrower shoulders with a second pair of arms.  Each of these arms ends in a smooth bone spur that looks like it is normally used to shovel dirt in order to look for tubers.

Two curved tusk protrude from the creature's jaw.  It's teeth are sharp in the front, but flatten out in the back indicating an omnivore.  A wide, flat nose with huge flaps for nostrils could mean a good sense of smell.  Small eyes and no ears to speak of within the short, coarse hair on its head may make a fight with this thing survivable.

Camran was in the middle.  Xan is on the other side of the creature from you.

GM:  The creature had initiative because of surprise and attacked Camran.  It is now your turn.

Cecil draws the crystal bastard sword and watches the things movements as maneuvers into position to strike. He waits for it to being to move and then swings his sword attempting to catch it off guard and moving into his strike.

[Private to Game Master: cecil will use sapphire nightmare blade

concentration check: 26
attack roll: 12 vs flat footed (doesn't look so good).
damage: 22
sapphire nightmare blade damage: 6
punishing stance damage: 5

total possible damage: 33

16:51, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 5 using 1d6. punishing stance damage.
16:51, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 6 using 1d6. sapphire nightmare blade damage.
16:51, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 22 using 1d10+17. can't do 2d5 in dice roller.
16:49, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 12 using 1d20+8. full power attack.
16:48, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 26 using 1d20+12. concentration check

]

Xanthius drops his bags and scoops up some dirt at his feet.  He mutters something unintelligible and the dirt coalesces into a rigid shard of hard earth before streaking out of his hands to bury itself in the creature's body [dmg = 5].
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:09, Mon 28 Jan 2013.

Camran groans and tries to get up, but he is slow to move.

The creature ignores you.  With Camran down, Xanthian has become the biggest threat in its mind.  It lumbers around slowly and takes a swing at the young man.  It's claws rake across his robes, slashing them to ribbons.  Three shallow wounds bloom on Xan's chest.  He howls in pain and staggers back.

Cecil steps forward intent on not only saving Xan but also proving to the beast that ignoring Cecil is always a bad idea. Making sure to maintain an advantageous position; Cecil slashes at the beast with a powerful two handed stroke.

[Private to Game Master: Cecil will use Emerald Razor to make this attack a touch attack.

attack roll: 25 vs touch
damage: 24
punishing stance damage 4
total damage: 28

20:28, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 4 using 1d6. punishing stance damage.
20:28, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 24 using 1d10+17. sword damage.
20:27, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 25 using 1d20+8. Emerald Razor full -5 power attack.
 ]

As the beast rears back in pain, Camran finally manages to find his feet and draw his weapon, a thick two-handed battlehammer.

Xan takes advantage of the creature's distraction and points at the ground at its feet.  "Challuq tsuwr!"  Immediately the ground in front of the roaring beast grows smooth as glass.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:29, Fri 01 Feb 2013.

Furious at your attack, the beast finishes rearing and slams down, intent on charging you.  The moment its feet touched the smooth surface, the slipped out from under it.  It's ugly face slammed into the ground and the creature whuffed as its breath was knocked out of it.  Its momentum carried its whole body out onto the smooth area.

Though your wound was serious, it did not look enough to endanger the life of the beast yet.

With the beast prone on the ground Cecil immediately acts to try and seize the tactical advantage the opportunity gave.  He tilts his sword and thrusts down with it in powerful two handed stab into the beasts hide.

[Private to Game Master: if the creature is helpless and he is able cecil will coup de grace it. If not, he will use a standard action attack to regain his expended maneuvers.

full power attack vs prone beast: 29
crit confirmation: 27
damage: 24, 72 if a crit
punishing stance damage: 3

total damage: 27 or 75 if crit was confirmed.

14:20, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 3 using 1d6. punishing stance damage.
14:20, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 24 using 1d10+17. damage.
14:19, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 27 using 1d20+10. crit confirmation.
14:19, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 29 using 1d20+10. full power attack.

]

With a single thrust, your blade buries itself deep in the creature's brain-pan.  The beast instantly stills.

"Impressive, young man."  Camran pats you on the back.  "You really know your way around a sword."

"Not hard, you just point the sharp end at the other guy."

The two men chuckle and you pick up your packs and start back to the compound.

GM: Anything you want to say/ask them before you get back?

"What was that creature anyway?"

"Molesloth."  Camran looks back toward the beast.  "It probably sensed our ore and wanted a bite.  They are lithovores.  Haven't seen one that big in a while.  Might have been so old it was senile coming after us like that.  Normally they are pretty docile."

"Yeah, they can even be good pets if you keep them fed or don't mind them chewing on your metals and stones.  Folks with wood homes across the ocean sometimes purchase pups to keep as guards of their homes against thugs.  They aren't so fast, but they can smell pure metals and stones and will start harrumphing about when someone with a weapon, armor, or bag full of coins comes calling."

"Interesting. Sounds like they can be pretty useful. A shame we had to put one down."

"Oh no.  We wouldn't want one anywhere near our place.  It'd literally eat us out of house and home."  Camran chuckles heartily.  "To a smith and a wizard specializing in earth-based spells, they're a complete nuisance."

"Wasn't suggesting you take one as a pet. Just saying it's a shame we had to put down what's normally a docile and useful creature."

"Ah.  Yes, here on Xamador, things are a bit more aggressive than in other places.  It mostly has to do with our proximity to Niaaca's Cradle."

The trip back is uneventful, though a number of creatures can be seen in the distance.  Most are curious rather than aggressive and leave the three of you alone.

GM: 400 xp combat; 400 xp non-combat resolution to cave; 100 xp roleplaying

When you arrive back at the compound, there is a very strange humanoid waiting at the main gate.  Camran and Xan both nod with respect, but you can feel a tenseness from them as well.  "Shavon."  Camran says to you as an aside.

Shavon is generally humanoid in appearance and definitely a powerfully built male.  He stands as tall as a hobgoblin but not quite as broad, though whipcord muscles run down his arms and partially revealed chest.  Beyond that, from head to toe Shavon is alien.  His hair is silver, not just in color but appears to be the actual metal as it reflect light the same way the metal would.  His ears are somewhat larger than a human's with five points running down the edge, almost like wings of some sort.  The eyes are almond like an Invar's, but with thick brows and silver irises.  Shavon's nose is perfection for his face, pointed and turned up exactly right.  A mouth that most women would find perfectly kissable is unencumbered by facial hair.

Simple, yet elegant clothes adorn the strange body.  Shavon's skin is light grey with a tinge of teal to it.  His hands are thin but powerful looking and the three long fingers and two opposable thumbs each end in sharp fingernails almost like claws.  He wears simple boots of what might be leather, but the color is white, undyed.  His shirt is sleeveless and bares much of his silvered chest.  He wears a simple sash and loose white cloth pants.

You will be within conversation distance in about a minute.

"Is that his name or race? Anything I should know? Otherwise I'll keep quiet and let you do the talking since you seem to know him." Cecil replies quietly as they continue forward.

Camran sets down his two bags of ore.  Xan picks one up and motions for you to grab the other.  The two of you, now with somewhat heavier loads, pass by the enigmatic creature as Camran steps up to speak to it.

Once in the forge, Xan explains in a quiet voice.  You suspect the quietness is more out of respect than for fear this Shavon will overhear.  "His name is Shavon.  We don't rightly know what he is.  The thing to know, though, is that he only comes when very important events are afoot.  Last time I saw him...was the last time I saw my mother."  He looks off into the wilds wistfully.  There is absent any blame foisted toward Shavon, though.  Xan smiles and looks back at you.  "He is powerful beyond imagining, perhaps even one of the gods in disguise."

Cecil picks up the bag and follows Xan into the forge. "A god eh? Did his arrival prompt your mom's journey away?"

"Yes.  She was a wizard, like me.  In fact she began me on the journey when I turned out not to be so...built, as father.  When Shavon showed up one day, I was twelve at the time, he and mother and father had a very long conversation.  It lasted long into the night so I heard only the beginning.  It had to do with the legacy of humans, magic, and our place in the world."  He looked off into the jungle again.  "The last thing I heard before I drifted off to sleep was the Cradle.  I can only suspect that by that time I had been drifting in and out and was catching only a few phrases.  The only thing I can think of that bears that name is Niaaca's Cradle at the heart of Xamador.  The birthplace of the first god of this world."

"A pretty dangerous place I take it. You think your mother headed off towards there? Where should we put these bags of Ore?"

Xan returns to himself from wherever his mind had wandered after his mother.  "I'm sorry.  Just right here is fine."  He indicates a spot on the ground.  Once the bags of ore are piled correctly he leads you back toward the house.  "Yes.  She left the next morning and we have not seen her since.  That was nine years ago.  Dad said that what she went to accomplish would have meant some changes for us and he does not begrudge her trying, though he misses her something terrible."  He smiles at you with a sad smile.  "So do I."

"Who wouldn't miss a loved one? So was that time nine years ago the only occasion you've seen Shavon?"

"Yes, it is, mostly.  I asked about him for a couple of years after my mother disappeared, but being human, no one would answer my questions.  I know they know of him.  I've even caught a glimpse of him in town once or twice.  He's just...a mystery.  His presence here today, though.  I hope he is not here to take my father from me.  I hope he is here with news of my mother."

"Perhaps he is here for you. Your mother was gifted in the Arcane right? A talent you yourself possess."

Xan looks a bit surprised at the suggestion, but he does not dismiss it.  He is quite the rest of the way into the house.

Inside the house, Shavon and Camran are seated at the table.  Drinks sit mostly untouched in front of them.  Shavon's voice is powerful, connecting at a visceral level somehow.  He speaks Invar, but thanks to the learning you received on the ship over, you understand him well enough.

"...would not have asked if I did not think it of the utmost importance."  Shavon lifts a finger as if to emphasize the point.

Camran stares into his cup.  "You've already taken my wife.  I cannot bear to lose my son as well.  Why us?  Why humans?  We are the weakest of all the kinds.  Surely one of the elder kinds would serve better?"

Shavon looks up at the two young humans entering.  "Humans are more than the elder kinds know."  The word 'elder' is said with a hint of amusement.  "It is not in the body or mind that your strength is found, but your spirit.  Know this, if your son does this, it is possible he will not return.  If he does this, he will certainly not return the same as he is now."  Then the alien humanoid leans forward.  "Yet if he survives, he will be part of the salvation of your entire kind here on Loartec.  Heed the Message of the Evangiel.  Something is coming.  Something wholly evil and it hates humans above all else.  Most won't recognize it for what it is when it comes because it is not the only thing that will be coming to Loartec at that time.  If you want your people to have a future here on this world, then let your son go."

Camran finally looks up.  He turns to face his son.  "Xanthius is a grown man.  I cannot forbid him.  The choice is his."  He stares at his son, the torn plea warring in his eyes.

Xan takes a deep breath then tears his gaze from his father and fixes it like a vise on Shavon.  "Answer me this, creature, and answer it honestly:  Is my mother still alive?"

Shavon raises an eyebrow.  "You would make demands of me, boy?  You certainly have courage."  Then he looks pointedly at Camran.  "Are you sure you want to know the answer to that?"

Xan nods curtly once.

Shavon's eyes linger on Camran for a bit longer, but finally he blinks and turns to Xan.  "She lives."

Camran's fist tightens on the mug and it is a testament to his craftsmanship that it does not shatter.  "You LIED!  You stood there ten years ago and lied right to my face you snake.  Get OUT of my house!"

Shavon does not move.  He lets the emotional storm rage through the older human and only when Camran throws his chair back and tromps over to Shavon threatening physical violence does he react.  Camran rears back and throws a mighty punch which Shavon catches in his hand without even looking up.  Again the angry human swings, but before he can land the blow, Shavon gives a twist of his wrist dumping Camran on the floor.

Camran sits up, but instead of continuing the attack places his elbows on his knees and hangs his head.  His voice is barely a whisper now.  "Get out."

Shavon continues to look at Xan, who carries the same accusation in his face as his father.  Next to him you can feel him shake with contained rage.  He waits for the man to speak.

"I did not lie.  You believed what you wanted to.  She did not return because she wanted something greater.  It was she that suggested your son for this quest."  He glances over at Camran then back to Xan.  "Boy, your mother works to save your kind.  Will you give up all you have here, your work, your father, maybe even your life to achieve that end?"

"Will I get to see her?"

"Not likely."

"Father cannot come?"

"Its time to grow up, boy.  Leave the nest and learn to fly on your own.  Your father has his chance to have a part in this.  He chose a different path."

Xan says nothing, contemplating his future.

Cecil observes quietly. This is not his family and Xan has to make this decision on his own. It is a big choice and Cecil gives him the time and space he needs to make it. instead of goes over to the grieving, confused and distraught Camran. His offers the man a hand up and if the smith takes it helps him sit down in a chair and refills his drink for him.

Camran nods his thanks.  Xanthias eventually nods without a word and walks out.  He slams the door behind him, a surprising sign from the usually level wizard.

Shavon stands and turns to Camran.  "Xanthias needs to find the home of Torhavich on the west coast of Xamador.  There he will find out more about what his quest entails.  Torhavich will also have some gear that will help, something he may not find elsewhere because of the prejudice of the other kinds."

The alien creature looks for a long silent moment at Camran, perhaps with sympathy or maybe just in case there is a response.  When nothing is forthcoming from the armorsmith, Shavon turns abruptly and heads for the door.  He looks down at you from his seven foot plus height and nods once as he passes.

Cecil leaves Camran to think and sulk on his own and follows Shavon out. "How do you know all this? What is coming? Why does it hate humans?" Cecil asks.

Shavon turns to look at you.  "I know all this because it is my business to know, because I trust the Evangiel implicitly.  The ones that are coming are evil incarnate, though they will not appear so at first.  They will seem like friends, they will beguile with gifts, tempt with what appeals most, and eventually enslave the other races through their dependency on these gifts or through subjugation by the other races.  They will bring the final war to Loartec and we will fight among ourselves until we are decimated and Loartec is a lifeless ball of dirt."  His eyes flash silver with his passion then he pauses and takes a deep breath.

He smiles and takes a gentle step toward you.  Like an old comrade or trusted mentor he places a hand with its abnormally long fingers on your shoulder.  Then he looks down into your eyes and there you can see wisdom beyond ancient and with it, much sorrow.  "Humans...humans they will seek to eradicate.  They hate your kind because it is through your kind that salvation always comes.  Darksoul, the slayer of gods and demons is a human.  If there are no humans on Loartec, then Loartec will inevitably fall, even my own kind despite our power."  A bit of hope breaks through the sorrow then.  "So my kind and others, like the Evangiel, seek to preserve your kind, to find those humans willing to prepare for the coming of evil, to fight it and keep your kind alive, to fight to keep us all free."

"This enemy certainly seems insidious. What do they gain from destroying all life on our planet? How could that possibly benefit them? It just seems like a huge waste to me. Who is Darksoul?"

He pats your shoulder and removes his hand.  Then Shavon sighs and looks up into the sky.  "Some entities exist to provide souls a choice.  Most of us are the choosers.  The Evangiel represent a choice for good.  These others, some call them 'demons', represent the opposite choice.  Their sole purpose for existence is to corrupt the souls of mortals and destroy.  Their tools are greed, despair, death."

He looks back at you.  "Darksoul.  He is a human like you, though through his trials he has gained great power.  Some would say limitless power as legend says that he has slain gods.  One rumor says that he has even vanquished the leader of the demons whose name means simply 'Adversary'.  Through his power he has become immortal, though I would not ever call him a god.  It isn't...pleasant if he finds out.  He claims to worship a single god, one more powerful than all the others combined, more powerful than even Darksoul.  Supposedly this one god created everything else that exists, but he is above time and space and therefore not subject to it."  He shakes his head and dismisses the subject.  "You will not likely meet Darksoul.  He battles the higher powers in the universes.  We mere mortals are beneath his notice."

Then the alien creature tilts his head and smiles.  "You are an intelligent young man.  Perhaps you would care to join Xanthias on his quest.  He could use the backup and two would certainly have a greater chance for survival than one.  If you decide to, come to Torhavich's home on the west coast of Xamador with the young wizard.  More will be revealed there."
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:22, Wed 13 Feb 2013.

"I will consider it. They have helped me a lot, but I have goals of my own that I wish to accomplish. Though those are pointless if all of humanity is wiped out."

Shavon nods then heads off down the road.  Soon he is out of sight.

After he has gone, Xan returns from the forge.  "Rotten, no good, piece of peresh."  The arcane language of wizards is similar to Invaris in a lot of ways.  The last word, though, is pretty clear.

"Whatever you may think of him is not important. The real question is; what are you going to do? If he is even half right, the world moving into dire straights soon. Then again they'd be stupid to lay all this at the feet of just one person. If you don't go someone else probably will. Are you ok with that? Do you want to be a smith? Settle down, have a family and eventually take over for your father when he passes? Or do you want to head out there and fight against the evil Shavon says is coming? Either way you could make the world a better place."

Xan takes a deep breath and gives you a weak smile.  "I have to go.  Yes, I would like to help save our kind.  I even believe Shavon when he says that I will take part in that, though it is incorrect to believe that I alone will be efficacious in that endeavor.  I go because I have no choice.  If my mother is alive, its the only way I'll see her again."

He looks over at the forge then at the house.  "When the evil comes, it won't be possible to have a family and a home.  We will be hunted, eradicated.  Who wants to bring children into that world?  If I can help mitigate that...  Well, that's the only way I can have a family.  Again, what choice is there really?"

He turns to you and almost exactly echoing Shavon's gesture places his hand on your shoulder.  From him it is not the feeling of master to student that you got from Shavon, but friend to friend.  "Will you come with me?"

"Sure why not? It's not Like i have anything better to do. Besides saving humanity might be fun for a lark before I start doing some serious heroics." Cecil replies.

The banter puts a more genuine smile on Xan's face and he whuffs a quick laugh.  "Let's get our things, then."  He leads you down into the labyrinth under the complex where he and his father have hoarded stores enough to supply up to 50 people until the end of time.

The two of you gather whatever supplies you need and meet in the house where Camran waits over what smells like a stout whiskey.

GM:  You have access to whatever mundane supplies you care to write on your character sheet.  Write them now, let me know, and I'll look them over for approval (in case something doesn't fit the story).

Cecil grabs what seems like it will be useful while trying not to weight himself down to much. He then walks back with Xan. He stays quiet. He will let Xan and Camran speak. They probably need to say a few things to each other.

After everything was all packed up and Cecil believed he was ready to go he turned to Xan. "Any idea where this guy lives?"

Xan and Camran don't say too much.  Mostly just things like 'be careful' and other simple things.  They hug and Camran shakes your hand.  "Glad to have met you.  You take care of my boy and yourself, you hear?"

After any response and farewell you give to Camran, Xan leads you outside.  "I know where he lives.  I've not been there, but he gives good directions and I don't get lost.  He's on the coast so it shouldn't be too hard to find anyway."

"alright, lead on then. I'm guessing we've got quite the trek ahead of us."

"The trek through the interior of Xamador will be treacherous at best.  Qorlander Bay is on the southeastern coast so our trip will stay near the outer edges of the island-continent.  We could take an extra week and travel due south from Qorlander and stay on the coast from there.  Shavon did not give us a time table.  We might even be able to hire a healer to go with us in town, though they'll likely rip us off given that we are humans.  What do you think?"

"It's worth a shot. what's the worst that can happen? What do we have in the way of funds?"

"Do not concern yourself with funds.  I can supply any reasonable need by way of coin."  He pats a small pouch at his belt.  It appears to be fine metal mesh tied to his belt by some kind of metal wire.  No thief will be cutting that purse.  "Come, I think I know just the girl."

The two of you head into Qorlander Bay.  The trip is more uneventful than when you first came this way.  Soon the bustle of town and the requisite stares surround you.  Xan leads you unerringly to a local Kradok forge-shrine.  "Taphal is one of my favorites next to Halai as far as deities go.  My father has considered actively worshiping him in addition to the god of humans.  He hasn't quite committed yet.  That might work in our favor here."

He leads you inside.  Kradok work bellows, hammer out metals on anvils, and tinker with an array of contraptions well beyond your skill and knowledge to understand.  The wizard ignores these and leads you to the back, to a quiet room.  Inside, a young Kradok woman scribbles on a scroll.  For a Kradok she is very slender, almost as slender as a human male.  The robes do not hide well the curves of her body.  Were it not for the tell-tale points to the ears, she could almost pass for human.  A very beautiful human.

"Hey Talisi."
This message was last updated by the GM at 05:41, Sun 24 Feb 2013.

"Xanthrias?  Come to convert to the complex glory of Taphal?"  The woman puts down her scroll and steps around the desk to greet Xan.  Her demeanor is cool toward him, but not quite as standoffish as so many others in town.  "Did you bring Camran with you?"

Xan looks uncomfortable for a moment then motions toward you.  "No, my father is not with us this time.  This is my friend, Cecil.  He is new to Xamador and has been staying with us while he gets his feet planted here.  I don't know that he understands Kradok, though."

He turns to you.  "What languages can you speak and understand?"

"Human, Unbular, Invar and Echonea."

"Ah, I see.  It looks like we'll be speaking the Invari language for now."  Xanthrias repeats all that had been said in the Kradok language and reintroduces you in Invaris.

"Happy meet you."  Talisi does her best, but Invaris is most definitely not her native language.  Her shy smile as she struggles to communicate only makes her look the cuter.

"Same here. So how long have you known Xan and what do you do around here?"

Xan blushes when Talisi answers.  "I hold Xan when he in swaddle.  He chubby baby.  Make even Kradok proud!"  She laughs a bit at his discomfort.  Then her countenance sours.  "As for I do, not anything.  Bits whatever none else want.  Copy books.  Mend little things even Acolyte Artificers no time for.  When you young and scrawny like me, you start at very bottom."

"What you?"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:14, Sun 24 Feb 2013.

"Not to much. I landed here not to long ago so I'm starting at the bottom myself. So far I've mostly been helping Xan and Camran."

Talisi smiles, then she and Xan strike up a conversation in Invaris.  It quickly shifts into Kradok because of Talisi's lack of training in the other language.  You understand the word Camran, which makes Talisi smile, and a few other words.  The word Shavon brings a frown, though and a shake of the head.  At one point, Talisi shakes her head slowly and blows out a big breath.  She smiles at you again and leaves.

Xan chuckles and motions you to follow.  "She is going to meet us at the local in.  You and I are going to have a meal to start us of right on this journey."  True to his word, the wizard leads you to a local establishment and orders up two roasted legs of some kind of red meat animal and all the sides, trimmings, and fixin's of a seven course meal.  Most standard drinks are available, alcoholic and non.

Cecil eats heartily; enjoying the meal. He decides to stay away from alcoholic drinks for no real reason other than he prefers the taste of tea or water. "So what's the plan for the trip? We taking the long way or the short one?"

Xan swallows a mouthful of food, eating as heartily as you.  "I thought with Talisi along we would have more success crossing straight through and save time.  However, its still very dangerous and there would only be three of us.  Shavon did not give us a time table, though the Evangiel say we only have two and a half years.  What would you rather do?"

"No idea. You guys know this place a lot better than I do. I trust your judgement."

Talisi arrives and plops down at the table and grabs some food.  She eats voraciously and packs away more than the two humans combined.  After Xan explains the question she nods in understanding.  "I opinion, we walk coast.  Not faster through if must fight more."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:01, Mon 25 Feb 2013.

"Where exactly is his home? Maybe renting passage on a ship might be quicker?"

"No ship will sail that way.  That is the spawning ground of the Saelithist.  Its one of the reasons Xamador was so difficult to colonize initially.  If we take the coast, it is likely the only thing we will encounter are thistlings, her larval children.  Easy to kill, but in great numbers they overwhelm ships.  Not all that scary once they get into the sand, though."

"You stupid."  It is doubtful that is the description she meant for Xan, but with her limited vocabulary, that's how it translates.  She does roll her eyes and turns to you.  "He only know stories heard.  He not see close.  If go coast, hope you good fighter.  Maybe take two more?"  He speech is slow and the frustration shows.

"It's not that I don't know, Talisi.  Its just that I know what we face on the coast and know that the three of us can handle them.  We have no idea what we'll face going through the jungle, especially as we approach near the Cradle."

Talisi processes the words and grimaces, but its a grimace of acceptance that his words have merit.

"You two know this place better than I do so I'll defer to your judgement. Which ever path will be quicker is the one we should take; especially if we are traveling by foot. Only so much we can carry and only so far you can move, even at a slow pace, before travel starts to wear on you. I'm willing to risk a dangerous path if it will get us there faster without being foolish."

The two Xamadorians look at each other then Talisis begins a rapid fire conversation between them in Kradok.  Neither gets heated or angry, but they do seem passionate as they hammer out the details.

Finally Xan looks at you and takes a deep breath to clear the energy of the conversation from his mind.  "We've decided that through the jungle will be the fastest, even with what we may encounter.  The thistlings will be non-stop and will bog down the journey."

Talisi nods encouragement.  "Mokka."

Xan smiles.  "There is also the opportunity to rest about three quarters of the way to the coast.  An old stone outpost is manned and stocked along the way.  We can stop there and take a break.  That sound like a plan?"

"Sounds good to me. I'm ready to leave as soon as the rest of you are."

Talisi finishes eating while Xan takes care of the bill.  He never did explain where money would come from, but if the majority of the trip would be in the wild jungle, money likely won't be a concern.

Soon the three of you are leaving through the same gate you came in from Xan's.  Not long after, you pass the turn off to the Shariam homestead and continue deeper into the jungle.  Days pass with nothing but bird song and conversation to accompany you.

Talisi maintains conversation in Invaris, doing her best to learn the language along the way.  She improves steadily.

A week into the trip, the trail tapers off.  It is inconclusive what blazed such an obvious road this far in or why it ended so suddenly.  Xan just shrugs and Talisi shakes her head.  Neither seem to know.  As the group settles in for the night (watches having long been established), Xan holds out a hand for silence.

Through the gloom of twilight fading a strange low frequency buzzing sounds.  Talisi looks around and steps behind the two of you.

When the buzz is interrupted by a warble, Xan relaxes.  He turns to you.  "Do you want to see something interesting?"

Cecil enjoys the trip so far. It is a good change of pace from how he had started out as a freeman. Though he still worries about the bugs, cecil is pretty sure he has escaped them at least for now. "Sure. Does it have something to do with the noise?"

Xan leads the three of you to a clearing where some kind of ruckus is going on.  Out in the middle of the clearing, which is filled with sandy loam and the remains of some tall grass, a fight is going on.  The contenders are a much larger version of the rust cricket you saw when Xan was first taking you to his father's compound.  The other is some kind flightless bird on two enormous legs.

The bird has the cricket pinned, but not skewered yet.  The cricket is kicking out with its powerful legs, but cannot make contact with the more agile bird.
This message was last updated by the GM at 18:50, Tue 05 Mar 2013.

"Austoric."  Talisi's voice is a whisper as she points at the bird.
This message was last updated by the player at 18:51, Tue 05 Mar 2013.

Xan expands on Talisi's explanation.  "The Austoric is a giant flightless bird capable of some impressive speed.  They are omnivorous, but stick mainly to bugs.  The rust crickets are a favorite snack, though I think sometimes the crickets give the birds a bellyache."

Upon closer inspection, the 'wings' of the bird look to have a metal sheen.  They likely have some metal content and are used as a lure for the crickets.  Everything else about the bird is in greyscale colors.
This message was last updated by the GM at 18:51, Tue 05 Mar 2013.

"Have they been domesticated to help keep rust crickets out of settlements?" cecil asks as he watches the scene before him. The bird certainly was interesting. Keeping the cricket pined with it's powerful legs, using it's wings, not to fly, but to help keep it's balance as the cricket thrashed about was a sight he had not seen before.
This message was last updated by the GM at 18:51, Tue 05 Mar 2013.

Xan ponders the question for a moment then shakes his head.  "I have not heard of such.  The Austoric are powerful birds, but generally run from strangers.  I imagine it'd be difficult to train one.  Maybe from the egg."

Finally, the rust cricket is able to get some leverage.  It uses its powerful legs to spring into the air and shove the austoric back into a tree.  Maddened by the attack and driven by the lure of metal in the bird's wings, the cricket skitters forward before the bird can get to its feet.
This message was last updated by the GM at 18:53, Tue 05 Mar 2013.

"Xan!  We should help it!"
This message was last updated by the player at 18:53, Tue 05 Mar 2013.

The cricket lands on top of the bird and starts running its feelers over the wings.  The bird warbles in pain as the metal parts dissolve under the onslaught.

"Well, Cecil?  Your armor and sword won't be affected.  You up for helping the bird?"
This message was last updated by the GM at 18:54, Tue 05 Mar 2013.

Normally Cecil would let nature take it's course. If the bird can't catch prey or always chooses prey it can't really take down saving it now would be pointless. But their new companion wants to help it so Cecil obliges. He dashes forward and swings his crystal sword ahead of the cricket into what he believes it's intended path towards the bird is. IN the hopes of catching the cricket while it puts all of it's momentum right into the blade.

[Private to Game Master: Cecil will use emerald razor to make this attack a touch attack.

the final attack result is 10, but it's vs the creatures touch AC so it may still hit depending. the total final damage is 30. If Cecil can flank the cricket with the bird he will. Which would make the attack 12 vs flat-footed touch.


07:51, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 3 using 1d6. punishing stance damage.
07:51, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 27 using 1d10+17. damage.
07:50, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 10 using 1d20+6. Emerald Razor full -5 power attack.
]
This message was last updated by the GM at 18:54, Tue 05 Mar 2013.

The blade glances off the cricket's carapace and does no damage.  Focused entirely on the bird, the cricket continues its attack as described above. [Austoric - 8dmg]

Talisi rushes forward and with outstretched hands brings them together in a clap.  "SOUND BURST!"  A visible ripple sonic waves appears around the cricket's head shaking the bug.  It staggers from the energy of the spell.  [5dmg vs. cricket; stunned 1rd]

Xan splays out a hand and mumbles something.  A shard of sharp stone appears and leaps toward the cricket.  It punctures the side of the carapace and blasts out the back end.  [15dmg vs. cricket]

The Austoric rolls to its feet and circles the bug warily.  It glances over at the humanoids but either sees the bug as the larger threat or actually realizes that you are trying to help.  It keeps its focus on the bug.

Undeterred by his miss Cecil continues to press the attack. Watching the Crickets movements more carefully this time he waits for it to start an attack on the bird and then strikes just as it commits to it's move.

[Private to Game Master: Ok cecil will use sapphire nightmare blade

attack roll: 22 vs flanked flat-footed cricket
total damage: 28


14:04, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 2 using 1d6. punishing stance damage.
14:04, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 4 using 1d6. sapphire nightmare blade damage.
14:04, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 22 using 1d10+17. damage.
14:04, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 22 using 1d20+8. full powerattack vs flat-footed cricket.

]
This message was last updated by the GM at 15:58, Wed 06 Mar 2013.

The cricket rocks back from the damage dealt by the young warrior.  Part of its carapace is cracked and goop is oozing out.

It again tries for the bird.  With powerful mandibles it clamps onto a wing and starts to chew, all the while the feelers run over more of the bird's wings.

Successful grab; Successful chew - [9 dmg - Austoric]; Feeler weakens metal - [2 CON dmg - Austoric]

Talisi rushes forward with her warhammer and shield.  She swings down toward the creature's head attempting to knock it way from the bird, but only manages a glancing blow.  With her Kradok strength, however, it is just enough to dislodge the bug. [6dmg - Rust Cricket]

Xanthius again mumbles some words and throws a thin scrap of metal away from the Rust Cricket.  As the metal flies, it grows in size until it is the size of a small dog.  The rust cricket's feelers twitch in that direction and the creature's head turns.

Freed from the agonizing grip of the bug's mandibles, the austoric opens its beak wide and snaps it down on the cricket's abdomen.  There is a cracking sound as the carapace begins to give way.  [14 dmg - Rust Cricket]

making sure he and an ally are on opposite sides of the cricket Cecil moves to take full advantage of the groups assault. He attacks the cricket once again with a powerful two handed swing. Intent on finishing this fight.

[Private to Game Master: Cecil will make a single standard attack to regain his maneuvers.

attack: 22
total damage: 31

14:26, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 6 using 1d6. punishing stance damage.
14:25, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 25 using 1d10+17. damage.
14:25, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 22 using 1d20+8. full PWR attack vs flanked cricket.
]

You circle the bug and find just the right angle.  Your weapon comes down and goes right through the carapace into the soft tissue below then out the other side into the ground.  Though not fully cut in half, such a sizable chunk has been taken out of the creature that it effectively has been.  It staggers to the side then collapses on the ground.  Its legs twitch a few times then lay still.  Its feelers continue to twitch long after the bug looks dead.

The bird pecks at the soft tissue in the gaping wound once, then stumbles over to a tree.  It warbles once then hunkers down and nuzzles its injured wing, interested more in its significant wounds than in eating now.

Eyeing the cricket, Talisi calms her breathing.  After a few seconds she puts away her weapon and shield and approaches the bird.  She keeps her hands outstretched and her steps slow.  The words she uses are in Kradok, but they sound like nonsense words regardless.

The bird warbles and tries once to stand.  Talisi freezes and the austoric hunkers back down.  Eventually, the cleric makes it to the bird's side.  She croons and pets the shaking animal until it accepts her.

"Cecil.  Need you help."

Cecil puts his sword away. "Ok, what do I have to do?"

"Need you hold bird.  I heal."  She indicates where she wants you to hold the bird.  You do your best to get the bird to accept you before wrapping around its neck.

GM: Handle Animal roll then STR roll.

Cecil does his best to calm the animal, but he doesn't have much luck. However he is quite used to wrestling with things...

[Private to Game Master:
11:23, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 4 using 1d20-2. handle animal.
11:23, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 23 using 1d20+4. str. ]

The creature struggles mightily as you hold it, trying to wriggle free.  It is apparent it does not like you.

Talisi is fast with her prayers.  As she begins, the bird stiffens and does not move.  A warm glow covers the wounds and when it is gone, the flesh and feathers are whole again.

The moment she pulls back, the bird jerks free of your grip and stands.  It snaps at you, but does not connect.  Talisi strokes the birds neck and beak, calming.  She whispers more words.  Soon the austoric warbles then takes her shoulder gently in its beak and flicks its tongue over her armor.

With a final pat of its neck, Talisi pulls away.  The austoric turns to its meal and digs in with relish.

Talisi looks to you.  "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

With the bird saved, Xan suggests that this would be a good spot to camp.  The austoric would provide a bit of extra protection, however scant.  He sets up a firepit far enough from the cricket to avoid any smells.

In the morning, the austoric has bedded down near the campfire close to Talisi.  It allows her to pat it before the three of you continue on.  Just before you lose sight of it, the bird warbles forlornly.

The trail grows more rugged and barely discernible.  Two days from the fight for the austoric, the three of you come up over a rise into a small camp.  A fire burns in the center and eight humanoid creatures are in the middle of some kind of ritual.  A second glance at the spit over the fire indicates that whatever it is wore leather armor and might have been an orc.

The creatures dancing around make sibilant sounds.  They have hexagonal patterned skin like a serpent rather than the smooth flesh of most humanoids.  The skin is blood red.  All of them are bald, though a couple wear head gear of some sort.  Many wear crude armor, but their weapons and claws looks sharp.

They do not appear to have seen you as you duck behind trees.

"Evade, Attack or Talk?" Cecil asks quietly. those were the three available options and all of them had advantages and drawbacks. He wanted to see how his companions felt whatever they did would have huge impact on how they proceeded.

Talisi takes a sharp breath.  "They evil.  Children chaos.  Abominations."

The wizards places a firm hand on the cleric's arm.  He observes the camp for a few long moments.  "They are performing some kind of rite.  It is intended to summon something and whatever comes won't be good.  The question is, can we take them?  Likely not once they finish."

"With surprise? Maybe. summon something...can any of you do something similar more quickly? Maybe have a bunch of creatures harass, distract and break them up as we move in to finish? What sort of offensive spells do you have Xan?"

"I have one summon spell that might do what you are talking about.  They don't do much, but I can summon a minor swarm of rock beetles.  They should be annoying.  As far as offensive spells, I can do some pretty serious damage to one or two with my stonespear or summon boulder spell or some minimal damage to all of them.  My hail of stone spell might work well to initially disrupt the ceremony and my beetles will keep them hoping for a few minutes."

"I summon mechanik harrass.  Need bless against fire you, me.  Xan no get close."

"ok starting off with your hail of stone spell would be good. The beetle swarm and mechanik should attack the furthest targets. After the hail of stone I'll move in to engage and you start blasting away with your offensive spells. Reducing their numbers quickly and capitalizing on the confusion created by our surprise assault are key if we are going to stand a chance at victory.

 If it looks like we'll be overwhelmed cast something that slows movement and fall back. Don't worry about me. I'll catch up if that happens. Just get as much distance as possible between you and them. If we're lucky they'll break up, the faster ones outpacing the slower, when they chase us. Which will mean we can stop and take them out easier piece mail. But that's only if our initial assault seems like it's going to fail."

<blue>"Oh and we can't let them escape either. If it looks like they are going to run we need to slow them down. What we interrupt once they can start again.",/blue>
This message was last edited by the player at 21:39, Tue 12 Mar 2013.

The others nod and turn to the clearing again.

Xan scoops up a handful of pebbles from the ground and tosses them into the air.  "Barad'eben," he whispers.  On the far side of the scene, rocks the size of a man's fist fall from the sky at great velocity pelting four of the lizard creatures standing there.

At the same time, Talisi is kneeling on the ground.  She digs in her pack and pulls out what looks like a toy.  She places a hand on it and says something in Kradok.  There is a tiny column of light that surrounds the toy then it disappears.  Further into the camp (not quite on the other side) a large column of light appears and a human-sized version of the "toy" fades into existence.  It immediately attacks the lizard men on the far side of the encampment.

Cecil moves forward to engage as the others unleash their attacks...

OOC: How far away are the lizard men?

GM: They are at the bottom of the hill within striking distance in the second round for melee.  You will have initiative next round when you engage.

The lizardmen scramble to address this invasion of their ceremony.  Those in the strange headdresses continue on while those who are obvious fighters or archers engage the mechanik.

Once again, Xan chants in the wizard dialect.  He throws a handful of stones out into the clearing.  With a puff of smoke around each one, the stones turn into flying beetles half the size of your fists.  They fly into the faces of some of the lizardmen and distract them from the battle, though they don't seem to do much in the way of damage.

Talisi charges down the hill behind you.  "Kill hat ones!"

Cecil advances on the nearest Lizard man in a strange headdress. He observes the lizardman closely, particularly how he moves. Once within range Cecil attacks, swinging his sword mightily to try and take full advantage of his momentum and the lizard man's movements.

[Private to Game Master: Cecil will use sapphire nightmare blade.
concentration check vs ac: 17 if successful the attack deal 1d6 extra damage and catches the opponent flat footed.
attack (vs flat footed): 21
total damage: 29


19:19, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 5 using 1d6. punishing stance damage.
19:19, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 1 using 1d6. sapphire nightmare blade damage.
19:19, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 23 using 1d10+15. damage.
19:18, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 21 using 1d20+7. PWR attack -4.
19:16, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 17 using 1d20+12. concentration check. ]

As the first of those in the headresses goes down, the ceremony ends and the participants desperately regroup in the face of the onslaught.

One more wearing the headgear points at you and hisses something in its sibilant tongue. [Roll Fort]

Two more with swords approach and swing, but they are unable to even hit you, much less test your armor.

The beetles still bug them, but the lizardmen ignore them now for the most part.  The mechanik still gives them problems though as it damages the two on it.

With a shouted word in the wizard tongue, Xan launches a large spear of stone at one of the dragon men.  It lodges inside the creature's gut before shattering, ripping the lizardman to pieces and tearing through the flesh of those around it.

With a might swing of her weapon, Talisi finishes off another of the lizardmen.  It's skill collapses inward and it drops to the ground like a rock.

Only three of the lizardmen remain, including the one wearing the headdress and the two attacking the mechanik.  Those two don't seem to recognize what has happened to their companions.

Cecil advances on the one who had pointed and spoke at him. Enjoy Hell he shouts as he closes in. Cecil didn't understand much about magic, but it didn't take a genius to know that lizard-face had done something meant to harm the young human warrior. Once in range Cecil lashes out with a powerful and fast horizontal swing that would be hard to dodge or block.

[Private to Game Master:
Fort save is 24. If that is not enough He'll use iron heart surge to end the effect and gain a +2 bonus on his next attack roll.

08:15, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 24 using 1d20+8. fort save.


cecil is going to use emerald razor making this attack a touch attack.

attack roll vs touch: 8, 10 if he needed to use iron heart surge.

08:21, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 8 using 1d20+6. Emerald razor full power attack vs touch.

]

You barely register the effects of whatever spell had been thrown at you, shrugging it off like a single drop of rain.  However, you don't quite cross the distance to the creature and your swing catches only air.

The reptilians finish off the mechanik and turn to find their numbers decimated.  They hiss and back toward the safety of the trees.

The one remaining in the headdress pulls out a knife and mumbles some words as he draws the knife up his arm.  Blood wells and pours out on the ground.

Xan lowers his hands to his knees then raises them up about his head as he shouts some arcane words.  The ground around the last lizard man rises up and encases his legs in dirt preventing his movement.

It does not, however, cause it stop slicing into his second arm.  The pool of blood grows as it splurts out in a jet.

"Stop he!  He complete summon through blood!"  She races toward the reptilian with the headdress.  Out from behind a bush a hidden lizard man rises up and stabs her in the side.  Talisi cries out and bashes the attacker in the head with her hammer.  Its skull collapses and the body drops to the ground like rock.

Cecil continues to attack the lizard with the headdress. trying to bring him down before he completes his ritual.

[Private to Game Master: standard action attack to regain maneuvers.
attack roll: 17
total damage: 27

08:33, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 4 using 1d6. punishing stance damage.
08:33, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 23 using 1d10+13. damage.
08:33, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 17 using 1d20+8. pwr attack -3.
]

Just before your blade slices through him, the reptillian sisses at you in a way that sounds like laughter.  Blood fountains from his body and sprays all over you and the fire and the ground.  The fire gutters low and turns a deep red.

The lizard man who surprised Talisi squares off against her, but backs toward the fire and does little more than swipe at her with his short sword.
This message was last updated by the GM at 15:03, Thu 21 Mar 2013.

Xan makes his way down the hill toward the fire, but does not come within melee distance of the remaining reptillian.

Talisi feints one direction then attacks from a different direction.  Instead of dodging or trying to parry, the lizard man leaves himself open for the warhammer to strike him.  Talisi pulls the hit at the last moment and knocks the lizard man away from the fire instead, sending him sprawling to the ground with little real damage.

Cecil doesn't know much about magic, but the laughter and the fire changing color certainly don't omen well. He gets the "you just screwed up" sensation as the hairs raise on the back of his neck. "Put the fire out quick." he calls out hoping that maybe his intuition pays off and his accidental expedition of the ritual doesn't cost the team their lives.

The last reptillian scurries into the foliage and is gone as the three of you work to put out the flame.  Xan summons a cloud of dust that appears as a sphere above the growing blood-flame then falls in a thick shower effectively choking off any air.  The fire goes out in a whuff.  You and Talisi manage to kick dirt on any stray bits.

For good measure, Talisi prays to Taphal and a deluge of water appears much the way Xan's dustball did.  It falls on the fire extinguishing any residual heat.

The fire it good and out.

"That close.  Not know what summon, but blood summon much bad."

"One got away. Which is bad. He'll probably be back with more of his kind for revenge. If we are lucky their territory is far from here. If not, well it's probably best we move. So long as neither of you is gravely hurt."

"I hurt.  Not bad."  Talisi kneels and prays again.  She places her hand on her side where the reptillian surprised her.  A white glow surrounds the area and soon she stands.  Even the armor is mended where the sword went through.  "Good now."

"You're right about the lizard men.  I've never seen those before, but I've never been this deep into the jungle either.  There's no telling where the lair is.  Let's keep moving and hopefully they won't catch us before we get to Shavon's."

There is little of worth to scavenge from the dead bodies and Talisi advises against burning the bodies given the summoning fire and the ritual.  Xan agrees and with Cecil's approval, the group moves on.

As night approaches, Talisi asks permission to cast a spell on the group.  She explains that she can only cast it once a moon, but it will allow you to travel through the night without need for sleep.  The next night, however, will require everyone to sleep for 10 hours, though she says she can set up a mechanik to act as guard for eight of those.

Xan worries about ambush the second night, but tentatively agrees.

"Let's push on as fast and long as we can. We'll worry about sleep and ambushes when the time comes."

It seems the fears of ambush and the side effects of Talisi's spell were unfounded.  Nothing bothered the three of you for a week.  Travel grew slower as the jungle grew more dense, but it remained steady.

One night, as camp is made (fireless), the three of you find yourselves surrounded by strange, beautiful creatures.  They seem to be part mammal, part reptile, and part bird.  A hard ridge of leather bumps runs along the back of the creature all the way down a very long reptilian tail.  They use their claws and prehensile tails to hold to tree trunks, branches, or whatever they wish.  Their bodies are covered in a soft, luminescent fur (or possibly tiny feathers?) that change colors in waves.  These colors run the gamut of the visible spectrum, but they are subdued in their brightness and pleasant to watch.  The fur on their backs and bellies fades into tiny feathers on a fold-able membrane between the fore and hind legs.  The membrane stretches out on a thin skeletal frame to five times the width of the creature's torso forming true wings.  They can sustain real flight much like bats, though they tend to glide more than flap.  Often complimenting the beautiful, peaceful color show is the soft cooing and chittering of the creatures' song.

Cecil watches the...creatures. He has never seen anything like them before and is fascinated. "what are they? Cecil asks the others quietly. Not wanting to scare or disturb the creatures.

Talisi laughs in delight.  "Luminaunts!"

The wizard smiles.  "They are, well, not harmless.  Nothing in Xamador is that.  But they are friendly.  Lots of elder race wizards like to befriend them as familiars.  Most luminaunts are quite intelligent, moreso than canines or felines."

"They are a wonder. how often do they travel in such large...flocks? and what do they normally hunt?"

"Generally they eat plants and bugs, sometimes small rodents.  This is a normal sized zephyr, which is the proper term for their grouping."  Xan watches the luminaunts for a while longer, then beds down for the night.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:20, Sun 07 Apr 2013.

"They one wonder of Xamador."  Talisi smiles.  Her Invaris is getting better.  She has moved from simple nouns and verbs to being more comfortable with adjectives and prepositions.  Sometimes the results are pretty funny.  She finishes cleaning up from dinner then leans against a tree, having drawn first watch.

cecil watches the Luminauts a bit more and then goes stands up and beings one of his training regimes. He skips the calisthenics since they've been on the move a lot and he will need his strength for tomorrow. instead he just goes through his weapon kata's, footwork and striking techniques.

The night passes in peace with the cooing of the luminaunts to sooth the group.  Soon the three of you are pressing on once more.

Several weeks in, the jungle breaks and you find yourself on the seashore.  It is nearing dusk and the ocean breeze feels wonderful after the oppressive humidity of the jungle.  Talisi asks to make camp high up on the beach.  Her Invaris is sufficient that she rarely stumbles over words now and her sentence structure is usually normal.  The only significant thing left is the telltale Kradok inflections and the deeper, rich timbre in a language meant for those with a high pitched, lilting voice.

Xan has already drifted off to sleep.  Talisi douses the fire.  The ocean waves and gulls chirping begin to lull you. [Roll Will, then Roll Spot]

Cecil looks out towards the ocean.

[Private to Game Master:  Might need to use iron heart surge. using it is an immediate action and ends any one spell, condition or effect currently affecting cecil with a duration of 1 or more rounds. So can't do shit against instant death attacks or the like, but lots of other uses. probably the single most powerfull maneuver in the book of nine swords to be honest. gonna wait and see what happens though.

18:28, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 13 using 1d20+4. spot.
18:27, Today: Cecil Bellic rolled 10 using 1d20+1. will save.
 ]