You all know what this is for.

Hai guise!

Greetings and Salutations!

Still going through RTJ...all 23 of them!

Wait wait wait....wat? 23 RTJ's in like, how many days? 1? Holy cow.

"I am ready to take the high road through the Forest once again!"

"Those trees are wonderful to travel through, leaping from branch to branch.  You are no longer bound by brambles, boulders, and brooks.  You just sail above them.  It must be what flying feels like!"

You probably can't tell Swiftstrider is excited, can you?

I can never tell with Swifty. He just has the stony expression on his face.

Yep....23!! Down to 19 now. Some people wanted to play the warrior types and I asked if they wanted to play something else, since we have Swiftstrider and Myarra covering that area, and they said No. Oh well. Plenty more RTJ's to choose from! :)

Well, we could really use a cleric or two.  Myarra's delicate skin is getting dry and chafed from all this harsh treatment.

I'll be taking that spot.

Emerald the cleric at your service, don't ya know :)

Hello, all.  Cleric of Oghma, here.   Hopefully can be of help to you all.

Nolan here. Going back into tower now.

2 Clerics? Sheesh, we can take on anything now. A dragon, a bushel of orcs and a medusa all being down a healer....now we have 2. What could possibly go wrong?

Thanks, Silver.  Now we're totally screwed.   *sigh*

Oh!  You just had to go and say that, didn't you?  I can practically hear BB chuckling with maniacal glee.

Anyway, here's a hearty welcome to our two new clerics.

Yes, yes indeed I did have to do that.

*sighs*  Oh well.  I'll do my best to heal everyone after we all die.

Clerics goood.
Clerics frieennnd.
Hello clerics!

*laughs*   And I promise, no fire.  Fire bad.

*Swiftstrider removes flint, steel, and char from a pouch.  Then he grabs a fist full of dry grass... which bursts into flame in about 12 seconds*

Pointing to the flames flickering in his cupped hand, Swiftstrider states, "Fire goood!"  There is a merry twinkle in his emerald eyes  as he claps out the fire.

Yes, yes, fire is good, fire is our friend.  Electricity is what knocks one on one's arse.  We hates electricity, we hates it precious!"


So, BB.  Is this the party, or do you have others in mind to flesh out the ranks?

*grins*  I stand corrected.

"You need hard wood to get the perfect coals for roasting goat," Swiftstider adds with a grin, "Goat gooood!"

"You're always thinking with your stomach, big guy.  Besides ... goat?  Come on, everyone knows that six-legged sand lizard in a cactus reduction with basil is practically nirvana."

Activity is gooooood, yes?

I wonder how mad Nolan would be if we got another magic user....=P

In reply to Myarra (msg #24):

Oh!  I'll HAVE to get the recipe.  It sounds yummy.

OK, the list I have left is narrowing down fast. I'm just waiting on replies from the players, but in the end, I think it's going to either be a mixed class Rogue/Wizard or something like that.

Will it bug Nolan? Probably not. He'll use them to see if they can get past the barricades. ;)

I thought I should mention, I've tweaked my character just a little. He is now Emerald the druid.

Variety is the spice of life :)

That works.  I'm more than willing to be the second cleric, but as an elf, I'm happy to hang out with a druid.

Maybe you'll turn into a cozy dog or cat?

"I know 57 ways to prepare goat," Swiftstider says proudly, "And 12 recipes for elk.  Not counting the recipes where you use elk in place of goat."

"On a trade mission a dwarf taught me how to cook cave fisher.  But I don't even know what a lizard is.  Does it use magic?"

Not the little ones.

The bigger ones, who have their own treasure?
That's a bit iffy.

Swiftstrider squats down so he can look Emerald in the eyes and says, "Keep away from green dragons.  The last druid I knew was killed by one!  The brute sent me flying with a tail swipe and broke three of my ribs!"

"Green dragons are nasty creatures.  At least the four we've run into in the past month have been.  And they aren't very sociable, even when you politely tell them the trap that just injured them was set by the orcs headed into the clearing now.  I got a chlorine bath for being neighborly!"

"Green dragons baaad," the goliath says with a wink.

"If you like coughing up your lungs, green dragons are delightful", Myarra adds, snarkily.  "Although if you can get Swifty to partner you on the other side of them, they'll go down just like any other lizard ... eventually."

"The six legged lizards don't use magic, but make sure you count carefully.  The eight legged ones can turn you to stone just by looking at you.  That will ruin your day.  Problem is, if you're counting legs, it's probably already too late."

Yes, I'm not looking forward to a confrontation with Green Dragons.  I'm hoping that we can chat with them or something.

I wonder if I can make a basilisk a familiar? That would be interesting.

Yes you can.    Once.   Then it makes you into shade.

Or rather, you can get along with it very well, as long as you're not worried about trying to see "eye to eye" with it.

"Trying to chat with one got me an acid bath," Swiftstrider notes, "It opened it's mouth to reply to my cordial, informative statements.  It just chose not to reply with words..."  He shivers in rememberance of the burning agony of that reply.

*winces in sympathy*

Sorry about that.   Okay, no talking.  Got it.

"But the eight legs make a real smooth ride over the dunes.", Myarra lets out a whistful sigh.  "Those were the days!"

"If you can turn invisible and cause your voice sound from up in the tree across the clearing from you, you might could talk with it while it rips the tree apart looking for you," Swifstrider notes, "That doesn't mean it will answer."

*chuckles*

Well, ripping up the forest to get to you IS kind of an answer?

Yeah, and then people die, and it's no fun. And then you end up punching mages, and thats never a good idea, and not very fun either, since SOME mages have jaws of steel that almost break your knuckles.

Oh yeah, btw, I'm ready for the game to start. Um. Re-start? You get my meaning... heh.

How did we get to punching mages?   *smiles*

Hang around Nolan enough and you'll find it's easy!  ;o)

"I guess I have the patience of .... something really patient.  I had to spend a week alone with the wizard, and I never hit him once.  Although I confess I thought about it ... frequently."

I'm just waiting on a few replies from some of the RTJ's and for people to finish up their character sheets. If everything goes smooth, it might be today! :) I understand that some of you can't post during the weekend, but that's OK.

Ironically, I'm headed back to work Sunday night, but I'll still be able to hop on once a day, in all liklihood.

Main thread has been updated!

link to a message in this game

A hundred dragons? I know there's a lot of them in the forest, but I don't know about a hundred.

You're busy in your stuffy old tower obsessed with your current project.

We're in town recruiting. So let us recruiters recruit!  Besides, what's a couple of tens of ten between friends, eh?

Swiftstrider is a storyteller by nature, even if he is saddled with using Common to tell them.  Now if he were using his native tongue or Dwarvish, how the eloquence would flow!

Sorry for the silence.  I've been a bit busy the last couple of days.  Time enough to read, but not enough to post.  Hopefully today's the day to get caught up.

In reply to Swiftstrider (msg #51):

I actually meant to buy Dwarven as a language, but I was in such a rush to make the character that I forgot.

Aliana: Talk to Big Boss (BB for short) about it.  Since your character is new and you haven't had a chance to do anything, he'll probably be willing to let you make a couple of changes before we get going.

The Forest of Wyrms is a redwood forest, like they filmed the Ewok sections of the 3rd Star Wars film in.

It would take a dragon as long to fell one of those trees as it would take you to fell a 4-foot diameter pine tree with an ax. Maybe longer, because they would keep stopping to forage for food.  You know green dragons, anti-social and always hungry!

Being a nomadic tribesman, following the elk herds of the high, alpine forests and meadows, and racing his fellow tribesmen up cliffs at speeds most flatlanders run across meadows, Swiftstrider is still a newbie to these flatlands (anything less than a 40% grade is flat to Swiftstrider).

Plucked from his alpine home by the Goddess of Magic and awakening in the Forest of Wyrms to the delighted squeals of a little girl, just over a month ago, the goliath and his similarly magicked comrades have fought a never-ending battle for Truth, Justice, and Freedom for the Village of Daak!

Sorry, Myarra.  I know it was a typo, but I couldn't resist!

I figured I'd let Silver "refresh" your memory on umber hulks.

Actually it wasn't.  She got it wrong way back when she and Nolan ran into them, and NOBODY has bothered to correct her until now :-)

I honestly thought you were doing it on purpose just to mock me, so I stopped correcting you.

Nope, she's uneducated and totally unfamiliar with this part of the world.  So I pick a word here and there for her to get wrong.  But she can be taught.

Aliana is a little like that.  She has impressive book-learning, but very little practical expirience.

Emerald, would you mind putting something in your character profile?  It would help get an idea of what you look like, etc.

His name matches my eyes... just saying.

I'm not worried about the trail rations and the silver mirror...those are book price. But, Myarra was mentioning the Spy Glass and found one. Are you buying it, Myarra?

Yes, It's a shiny thing.  Girls like shiny things.  And barbarians like high tech.

I've updated my sheet to subtract the gold.

OK then. If there's nothing else, we'll start heading to Daak...

When everyone in the fight rolls their initiatives, go ahead and state what you want to do, even if you have a low initiative number. You roll initiative ONCE per fight. I write up a round summary based off the posts that are written, adjusting enemy targets and other situations to make the fight flow.

18:01, Today: Swiftstrider rolled 19 using 1d20+3. Initiative.

That's better than usual.  See, a little vacation helps!

21:10, Today: Myarra rolled 6 using 1d20+3. Initiative.

"Not so good, but I don't suppose I can win them all."

20:33, Today: Sister Aliana Farwalker rolled 8 using 1d20+3. initiative

Also not great, I'm in no hurry.   :)

Oh, I didn't mention that the men were OFF their horses. They're around the A-32 area on the map.

You guys are in a fight already??

I DIDN'T DO IT!

Well...actualy, I guess i kinda did. Sort of, if you look at it a certain way.

In reply to Nolan (msg #71):

Well, they DID start it.   I was prepared to talk about it, but they went right for weapons.
*pouts*

Swiftstrider has his +1 large great axe ready and a dose of Bull's Strength and is ready to rumble.  And if that's not enough, he can Power Attack or Rage.

It will be Grey Hulk Planet on these puny humans!!!
This message was last edited by the player at 06:54, Mon 04 Apr 2011.

Nicely done, by the way.   :)

I've always liked that spell, and never seemed to get a chance to use it myself.

BB,

Would it be possible to adjust the initiatives now that the battle has commenced? I'm not sure what to post for my action because all the humans are going to go first, so no matter what I want to do, it most likely won't be possible because nobody will be where I think they are.

If you post an update now with Emerald, Silver, Swiftstrider, and the human's actions, then Aliana (who has already posted her move) and I could go.  We'd still be at the bottom of the round, but with better knowledge of who's alive and where they're standing when our turn comes.  Emerald, Silver, and Swiftstrider could post their actions at the same time for the top of the following round, and then you could do the next post with the human's actions, etc, etc.

Does that make sense?

Yes it does. I'll do that today sometime...it's 1:03 am right now. :)

Does everyone follow this? Emerald, Silver and Swiftstrider (once he posts) and the enemy humans will be written in a "half way post" by me, so Myarra and Aliana will know what to do with their actions. Once they post their actions (Aliana already has), I will put them at the top of the initiative order above Emerald. They're not faster than everyone else....they're just so slow during this fight that you guys will be doing your action right after them again.

This will help me write the post smoothly, and also will let you guys know what you'll be able to do.

Does this make sense to everyone?

In reply to Big Boss (msg #78):

Yeah of course. Not to tell anyone how to play or anything, but cant they also hold their action and move to the top of unit anyways?

Sounds good. That way we all go at once from round 2 onwards.

I'm okay with whatever you want to do.

You could think of it as we're holding our actions until the top of round if you want to.  But really we're holding our actions until BB updates the combat report so that we know what it is we're acting against.

By putting us at the top of the initiative chart, it just makes his book keeping easier, but doesn't change the order in which we act, or the number of actions we get.

I figured.  *smiles*   Like I said, I'm okay with it.

Well, yeah I could think of it like that, I understand that. But I was just saying, you could ACTUALLY hold your action, and move to the top of the init. I have done it several times. Yeah, you lose out on 1 round, but then you move first.

*grins*  Loved the song Myarra!

Now we need to come up with one for:

"I am the very model of a Modern Purple Dragon Knight."

Don't tempt me :)

Besides, I have three more stanzas left in this one.

I love Filks!   I'm SO tempting you!   *grins*

"Ask, and ye shall receive."
17:34, Today: Swiftstrider rolled 19 using 1d20+9. Fortitude Save.

It's tax time <shudder>.  I'll try to post tomorrow.

So whoch of you saw the "New" Robin Hood? You remember the last scene of the battle with the french, Robin's Super long shot that hit the guy in the neck?

Yeah, it's kinda like that.

BTW, Aliana, you are a GENIUS! Freakin' invisibility purge....amazing. Pro, even. Welcome aboard!

In reply to Silver (msg #90):

Thank you, and NICE SHOT!

I've never had Invisibility Purge before, but it's a really neat spell.

Good shooting!!!

Invisibility Purge excellent move.  Let's see if he was in range.

Now we just need to round up their horses and take them back to the village with us.  After swapping out a healthy horse for our wounded one, of course.

Just to let the DM know, I'm going to do a "spiral search pattern" as well, if I don't find the wizard quickly.

I'd suggest looking near the horses first.  Although if he tries to ride off, we can always have Sure-Shot the elf take him down :-)

I've asked the DM about what your spell revealed before I can post since my intent was to go after the wizard next and need to know if that's possible or not.

I'll be above him, probably about 30 feet or so, so you should have an unobstructed shot, unless my bear finds him first.   :)

Hey, I'm not greedy.  I'm willing to share with the bear.

*giggles*   He's a bear.   That's very wise.

Don't get the wrong idea.  I can take that bear two falls out of three.  It's just I was raise with proper manners.

Apparently, according to BB, I can see where the wizard got off to.  But I need to read over the bullrush/overbear/grappling rules before I can post.  I want to try and take the wizard alive if possible.

Well, then, pleae help yourself.  :)

If we catch him, we can bind and gag him and take him to Nolan.  I'm sure there is an anti-magic room in that Tower like the detention room in Sky High that negated super powers.

<bleep> the grappling rules and the horse they rode in on.

I read them over and remembered why I've never ever used them before.

I'll just beat the guy up normally.

Myarra, I'm afraid we'll have to see if the DM will let me find the wizard before we can beat him senseless.
I don't think that there's been a ruling yet.

Myarra is waiting on me to see if the Invisibility Purge works and yes it does. I gave her the coordinates: D-29.

Whoo Hoo!   Can my bear chomp his little head?  *grins eagerly*

Try not to kill him too much yet.  There are a couple of questions we should ask before we feed him to your bear.

*shrugs*  I have "Speak with Dead".   It's all good.

I'll try to get "Gentle Ben" to cooperate, though.  *grins*
Maybe I'll just have him gum the guy for a bit.

Gnawing on an ankle wouldn't be fatal immediately.

But I'll leave the details up to you.  Feel free to be creative.

Mmmmmm.....ankles.........Yum!

Aliana, check out house rule #3.  All healing magic outside of combat automatically gives maximum effect.

Oops!   I forgot!

I'm not used to this game's generosity.   :)

I'll edit.

My car was stolen this Saturday from my apartment complex and found later on in the evening. The tow yard towed it to their place and I couldn't see it till today (Monday). The thieves ruined the steering column and took everything of value...which wasn't much. My insurance company said they couldn't do anything for me, because the car has been salvaged twice. The car was on it's last legs, but I'm still upset. So, I'll try and post, but if you don't see me for a day, please excuse me.

Please don't worry about us.   I had a friend whose car was broken into two weeks ago, and she's still upset about it.

I'm sorry for your loss.   Even a beater car is still bad to lose.

Nah, he's not upset. BB doesn't GET upset. He gets even. When he's gone, he's actually out hunting down the faggle who stole his car, and ruining his chances of ever having children. Or living anymore.

The only problem is, his favorite baseball bat for such jobs was propping the front passenger seat in an upright position...

That baseball bat was still there! LOL But, the fart machine you got me for Christmas was stolen! Those bastards!

At least I won't be rolling the window down for fake ones any more! ;o)

The wolverine was supposed to only kill the man if he kept running.   If he stopped, the wolverine was supposed to as well.

It was hungry?

Bad Fuzzy!

From my reading of the summon spell, the default action of any resulting critter is to attack your enemy.  If you speak their language, you can tell them to "attack the blue haired man", "don't attack the guy in the vest", "rip open that door", "guard my tin of coffee", or some other specific instruction.  I don't believe you can give them detailed "If-then-else" instructions.

Besides, the cultist was SO annoying.

I suppose you're right.  Perhaps I was giving the animals too much credit.

Sigh.....

He did move....he fell down while you held him with your spell...and the Wolverine attacked...

You know, that could really catch on.

*smirks*   Great, my Wolverine is a lawyer now.

You're not full ling anyone, you know.   :P

Boo! That was bad! You'll probably get XP docked for that!

TOTALLY worth it!    *grins*

-1 XP ;)

*pouts and sighs*   Yes sir.

...still totally worth it!.....

*insert hearty chuckle here*

Only -1? Should have been at least -2!

I forgot.  But looking at the 1st campaign map, we have a clear road to Daak through the grasslands.  The forest starts about 1/4 mile beyond Daak. link to a message in this game

OK people...just wanted to mention to you guys that this semester at college is coming to a close and I'm working hard to get good grades, so if things get a bit slow here, please be patient with me.

I don't have any problems with that. Your track record has been good for many years and well worth the wait.

I can be patient too.   Take your time.

I've been pulling doubles for 2 weeks. Hour's ride to work, 16 hours at work, hour ride home, SLEEPSHOWEREATCLEANLAUNDRYCRYINTHECORNER back to work. So I've had little time as well. Thankfully it ends this week. :)

Aliana, Myarra dropped her disguise when we entered Daak.  The people here all know what she looks like as her magic headband is a recent acquisition.

Since we helped destroy/drive away the enemy, rescued half the current population from slave pits, have made the town safe again and helped with the rebuilding, we are Big Damn Heroes, in spite of how strange we appear.  Living next to a Wizards' Tower, the residents of Daak are used to a certain amount of strangeness.  :o)

You're right.  That's what I get for trying to update in a hurry.

"Post in haste, regret in leisure", eh?   *smiles*

Go ahead and familiarize yourselves with the tower map.

Map Message #2.

link to a message in this game

This semester of college is done! No more classes until August! Post coming up when I get home from work this afternoon. Thanks for being patient, everyone. :)

Felicitations!

BB, I assume in your latest post, "...That's why the magical barricades are in place to protect the unskilled. Nolan, nor Ashara, is in here,"  you meant neither of them were were in the wand room either?

Yes. Nolan or Ashara are not on level 2 of the tower.

You guys eat.  Then you can come out and watch over the prisoner.  Then the good Sister can take Silver and I in to eat.  :o)

Yo, Myarra, you are a riot! "of the noble Ling". Yes, you are superb in what you do.

Agreed.  :)

I don't know what to say.

That might be for the best.   *giggles*

Work's been hellacious, I'll get a post in tomorrow. Sorry for my lack of participation recently. Lot of "stuff" going on.

Stuff is so mean sometimes.  I understand.

Real Life is a Harsh Mistress.

Me too. Getting used to the heat again sucks.

It's 100 degrees Fahrenheit here in Texas, and I'm heading north soon, where it's just over 70.   I'm not sure if I'll handle it well or not.   :)

Had a busy weekend and my AC was broken. My cat is old and needed air and most of the weekend and yesterday sucked for her. Everything is cool now. Hope to post ASAP. :)

A broken AC is a horrible thing.  Ours died last summer, and the 95+ heat nearly killed me.

Take your time, and give your love to your kitty.

The landlords sent out a repairman and it's fixed. Thanks! :)

I hope my AC doesn't break. Those things are expensive to fix!

I wish I had AC. *sadface*

Ah, BB, what time is it, IC?

In reply to Silver (msg #157):

We spent much of last summer without a working AC.   Absolutely miserable.
It was 85 degrees at 6AM.

The time is mid-afternoon....2-ish.

Hmm, feels later to me.

Heck, this day/night thing you topsiders cling to is SO artificial.

The SUN is artificial???   *blinks in confusion*
I had no idea!

:)

Well, yeah!

Everyone knows that the so-called sun is just an magic ball placed by one of the gods onto a mine rail that runs across the roof of the topside.  What you call the "sky".

It lights up in the "morning", races across the top, and then goes out for "night".  It then runs back across so that it can light up again the next day.

*chuckles*   Well, it's better than the "fiery bird" theory that I've heard from some monks back at the Library.

Fiery bird?  That's silly.  Where does it nest?  What happens when it poops?  You'd think somebody would have noticed!  If you'll excuse the pun ... that theory just doesn't fly.  Fiery bird indeed. It's amazing the nonsense some people will believe.

*smiles*  Oh, I don't know.    The Fiery Bird nests in volanoes, and relieves itself there.   When the volcano fills up too much, it erupts.
That's why volcanic areas always have such lush greenery: They're well fertilized. :)

Heh....

Well, I don't know about that.  I've never seen birds land to take care of business.  Actually, from personal experience, I can tell you they absolutely, they don't bother.  Only thing I've seen them land for is feeding.  They'll have the skin off your bones before you're an hour dead. But I haven't seen any fiery birds descending from the roof for that either.

But that raises a more important questions.  What's a volcano?

Well, my friend, the fire bird can't land, or "take care of business" anywhere, since it would set fire to everything.  Great stories about wildfires have grown from accounts of the fire bird being lured too close to the ground by greedy wizards or warlords.
The Fire Bird is no ordinary bird, like a vulture or raven, after all.  :)

A volcano is a mountain that has a tunnel to what many scholars believe is the fiery insides of the world.   Much like the blood inside a living body is much warmer than the outside air, the deep, deep rock is much hotter than the rock on the surface.

Well, thats what I get for trying to throw a post up to show Im still alive. :( Sorry.

Wait, Amara has a player?

giggles

Now, now.  Dont't be a player hater.  *grins*

Makes things interesting, don't it?

Um wat. No, i though....but. when....Ahhh

Mind.

Blown.

Busy holiday weekend. Demolition Derby, BBQ and Geocaching!

Game Update soon!

I figure we're waiting for Silver/Amara/Nolan to question the wizard before we move on.  So I figure we can just chitchat for a while in the IC thread until BB gets the chance to play the interrogation out.

I'm game.  Chatting with a naked woman in a bathtub is a great way to pass the time.

So, Nolan, Amara and Silver are interrogating the prisoner while Emerald and Swiftstrider eat in the dining hall and Myarra and Aliana soak in the tub?

Sounds like a fun evening.  :)

Amara gives a girlish squee and jumps up and down.
"Yay!  Now I finally get to break out the thumbscrews that Mother got me for my first birthday!"

Thumbscrews. LOL

No dear a lower member.

Yikes!   The Wizard needs an adult!!!!
His "no-no place" is in dire peril!

I'm hoping that everyone remembers that the wizard wasn't supposed to be harmed. We're interrogators, not torturers.

*chuckles*  I think they're hoping that the wizard thinks that they forgot that.

Just as long as we remember to keep it as performance art.  Nolan's medallion will pick up subconscious answers that the wizard will never say aloud.

Yup, he remembers. it's why he actually asked a bunch of questions, to see if you could pick up anything. :)  I cant promise it stays liek this though. :P

i have to wait to hear what the captive has to say before I go any more.

And that post will come when I get home from work today...

No worries boss! :) Just getting back in the game, ya know. SOrry I've been such a crappy poster past few weeks.

As I recall, Swiftstrider is putting away his dirty dishes, then leading Emerald to the guy's bath.

Myarra there is no end to the the amusement you cause me. :)

Anybody else going on vacation? Aliana is out? Silver is on vacation, Nolan is on vacation, Swiftstrider is on vacation. Anybody else?

Ooooh no lol it's really all of us going out at once huh. Wow sorry! :P Best to take a week break instead of NPCing everyone lol.

I have been, and always will be, here.

What can I say, even on vacation, my job(s) require me to bring the internet with me.

I'll likely be able to post while im out there, but RPOL isnt very cellphoe friendly, its hard to post from one.

I'll be back tomorrow night.

I should be vanishing into the ether soon.   Feel free to NPC me.   Have fun!

Aliana blinked in confusion at Myarra's tale of them robbing and killing innocent travelers in the forest.

Um, the point was that you joined up with us, not really knowing if we were good people or not.  We could have been really bad eggs that did horrible deeds.  Luckily, we're not.


Anyway, have a great vacation!

*smiles*   I know.  But Aliana is a bit flaky and missed the point of that, though.

OK, you people have the current mission. Go through the portal, travel through the ruins and head into the forest to look for more ruins. Is everyone ready for me to update the post, or shall I wait a bit more for people to return from vacation?

It looks like you and I are the only ones currently here.   We might just as well wait until Monday and see if anybody gets back.

IM BACK!!!!  :)

I'm back too!

I've been here all along, having the world's longest bath.

And I'm sorry for that. There's only so much NPCing a GM can do before he's running the whole game himself. You know what I mean?

I also noticed that there might be some confusion here in the posts:



So, when the girls will still talking about the bath tub and their stories, it might appear that things are a bit twisted in their sounding.

Also, when I looked at the cast and saw that a couple of our people logged in, I was thinking they might post something to add to the conversation.

For my part,I was assuming we were waiting a couple more days for vacations to end then we'd head out like Nolan had outlined. I'm currently pecking away on my phone, but I'll try to post for real when I get home.

Well, I saw a couple people log in, so I was waiting to see if they were going to post something.

Anyways, are we all here now? If so, we need to get the prisoner situation settled before we move on, it seems...

I'm checking in on my phone, due to a pm I got, and am heading home right now, but won't be "back" until someone tomorrow.  But I can catch up, so feel free to start again.

I just checked the cast list and Emerald has been removed.  I guess that means he's gone for good.

Which is really too bad.  I'm sorry that a single disagreement is sufficient to make someone quit.

I was trying to work up a reply to his last post, but I guess the point is moot now.

Let's try to get this part over with so we can get back to the adventuring.

I wonder if it really was because of that, or something else? If it WAS because of that he wasn't right for this game anyways. And honestly, probably not right for many others either.

I'm sorry that he left, as well.   Aliana feels very similar about the situation, but felt it wasn't her place to get involved.

The Cult of the Dragon is a plague to Faerun and it's obvious Emerald had no clue who they were, or else he wouldn't have had any problems. I was informed by BB that he thought I was evil or something. I just chuckled. Sure, I spoke some gruff talk, but that doesn't mean that I'm evil.

You're not evil, you're Grumpy!

That's why you always wear a robe, to hide the stilts!  Nolan is really a dwarf on stilts!  That's OK, it really doesn't what you are, we still love you anyway.  :o)

*grins*  Well, we ALL know you're evil, but that's a whole seperate issue.
Certainly you're less evil than the Cult, anyways.

You're more of a "Lovable Evil", like a plush Cthulu.

Either the wizard was an excuse to leave, or he thought we were going to let the villagers kill him like an angry pack of dogs, which would be a bit unpleasant to be part of.

Yeah, well I'm sure THAT'LL happen lol.

Really the villagers will probably decide to hang him as should be done. Oh well. On with the show!

Swiftstrider grew up in a harsh environment.  His tribe lived from day to day.  If a disaster of some sort hit, they had a week's supply of stores at most.  They were nomads, moving with the elk herds and living off the land. Death was always nearby, ready join Life's dance, and whisk away a participant or two.

Living in such a harsh environment, meant that Justice, when needed was equally swift and harsh.  Every hand was needed to gather and prepare food.  Prisoners were a drain on the tribe it couldn't afford.  Sentences were one of two: death or banishment.  And the tribe moved on.

If a tribe member became too ill or injured to travel, a special campfire was held where everyone in the tribe shared their memories of that person.  Next morning the tribe moved on without them.  If they recovered and caught up to the tribe again, everyone welcomed them back.  If not, the tribe had remembered them and said it's farewells.

Goliaths are a good people. They sing and laugh and turn most activities into a game.  They joke and wrestle and rough house. They find joy in day to day activities.

But the good of the tribe must take precedence over that of an individual.  Otherwise the tribe would be slowed down, lose the herd they follow and everyone would die.

So it is an easy choice from Swiftstrider's view.  Banishment would only free the prisoner to kill more people.  The only other option is death.  And the prisoner's actions deem death a just and appropriate measure for the protection of the village and it's people.

I couldn't have said it better.

trouble in paradise guys. but i'll post tomorrow. i feel like shit.

I hope you feel better soon.  We'll be here for you.

So I had to go to the emergency room for an exploding tooth. Or at least, thats what it felt like to me. Abcess. baaaad. I was in there for 2 days, they said if I left it any longer, I likely would have died.

So they fixed me up, a little bit and I get to go to an emergency dentist this week, after the antibiotics kick in all the way. Fun times.

I had a run in with one of those myself. I remember the dentist telling me that after the anti-biotics did their thing, that he would like to put in a root canal. I laughed at the guy and told him to pull the tooth. That was 15 years ago.

Yeah I MIGHT get a root canal on this one, but most likely just pull it. It's a molar, I dont need it to maintain my impish grin. And a tooth that isnt there cant get a cavity.

Just my two cents on the subject.  Take it or leave it as you want.

Keeping a tooth is much much better than losing it.  I've had a half dozen root canals (I was really stupid as a kid and I'm still paying for it today) and they really aren't anywhere near as bad as they're made out to be.  Granted, they're no walk in the park, but if I can put with it, it can't be that big a deal.

I'm getting cyber-teeth when I'm rich...that way I won't have to worry about it.

I'll agree with Myarra.   Pulling a tooth, especially a back one, seemed like no big deal, but it's absense can cause further problems and annoyances.

Just my additional penny to put with her two cents.  :)

WHich is why I deceided to leave it up to the expert, the dentist im going to see.....someday. No one has time for me. Makes me wanna punch small asian children...

OK, it looks like everyone is in a good mood, so I'll update everything now.

Sorry it took me so long, once you post, I'll make a summary post for what SIlver was doing during this time and whatnot.

You can probably do that now, if you want. My post is going to be descriptive, so Aliana will know what's going on, plus to remind everyone what they already went through.

I appreciate the extra information BB.  *smiles*

Well, today was fun.

I was sitting in my normal 1:00 - 2:30 Tuesday meeting when the room began rattling a little.  It was like a big truck going by outside.  Of course, we're in a federal compound, so there aren't any large trucks allowed and no roads per se for them to go down.  So we all stopped talking and looked around.  It continued for a few seconds and we all realized that it was an earthquake, which is rather unusual for Washington D.C.  I figured it was about magnitude 2, maybe 2.5.  It was neat.  The first one I've ever experienced.

Then the building LURCHED.  Let's just say the old duck and cover drills from elementary school never really leave you.  We were all under the tables in 2 seconds flat with dust and plaster from the ceiling raining down all around us.  The United States Geological Survey (USGS) now says it was a magnitude 5.8.  Nothing, I know, if you're from California, but remember pretty spectacular for here.

Seeing as the room we were in sits under the Satellite Control Center's computer cluster, with very little between us and several tons of computer equipment, we didn't bother waiting until the shaking completely stopped before we hightailed it out of the building.

Note that we have fire drills quarterly and management always complains that we take too long to get out of the building.  I've always responded that it's because it's a drill.  If it were an actual emergency, we'd move much faster.  Guess who was right all along?

Problem.  I'd left my car keys in my jacket pocket in my cubicle.  Bigger problem.  I'd left my car in the underground parking garage, so keys were the least of my worries.  They weren't going to let us back in the building for any reason until somebody official could check it out.

So we milled around outside in the parking lot for a while, trying to get cell phone calls to connect but couldn't because the network was jammed.  I found that text messages worked much better, so communicated with home that way.  Everyone's safe, no damage other than things falling off shelves.

Finally after about two hours, Dept. of Homeland Security arrived and declared the building was safe enough to let us go back in, grab our things (including cars), and get the hell out of Dodge.

So I'm home now, and I'll have to wait and see what the engineers find when they officially check out the building.  Maybe things will be back to normal tomorrow morning, maybe we'll get a couple of days off.  I just get to wait and see.

P.S.  If you never had duck and cover drills in school, you're non-Americans, or you're just too young to remember when Russia was going to be wiping us out any day now, and only a half an inch of wood stood between you and being vaporized.  Take my word for it, those drills were intense ... useless in the case of any actual nuclear war, but intense.

I'm just a bit too young for the duck and cover drills (or my school was too lazy to do them), but I've been in a minor earthquake before.
Very freaky.    I'm glad you're okay.

A 5.9 isn't that bad. Japan was well over a 9.0. That's bad.

*smiles*   It's not a competition, Nolan, you silly boy.

My internet is down. Verizon may require me to switch from low-end DSL to Fios (which I can't really afford).  Currently using Starbuck's WiFi at the Pizzaria two doors down (Starbuck's pizza is non-existent).

Or course, it's 109 F outside.  So I won't be walking over here that often.  So NPC me if you need to, BB.

I'm in Texas, with similar temperatures.   Thank all the gods for AC.

Polio Vaccines are cool.
Computers are neat.
Space travel is pretty nice.

But AC?   Best Invention EVER!!!

About an hour ago it was 113 degrees F. Yuck! :(

65 and holding. Beautiful day, I gotta say. :)

In reply to Silver (msg #240):

Yes, yes.  We hate you.   *pouts*

My father and brothers live up north, and have similar weather.   Though I get to laugh at them in the winter time.

Yea, me too! Lows around here in the winter might freeze for a couple hours, then be right back in the 60's!

Today is Hurricane Preparedness Day.

We're expecting Hurricane Irene to hit us starting sometime tomorrow (and lasting through Sunday) at Class 2 or maybe even Class 3 strength.  The current track (always subject to change) has her streaming by just off-shore (so she maintains full strength) with 200+ mile radius wind and rain bands.

I wish you luck, my friend.   We have fun with hurricanes here as well, getting all the ones that miss you guys.

We'll be hoping for the best.

It's kind of sad to see "The Wish" in the deleted games list.  *sadface*

What can I say? I took everything I needed from there and put it over here. Think of this game as an upgrade! :)

Experience thread updated.

So, what are you guys going to do? You're standing in the middle of the room that used to have all the statues in it. You can go West into the circular room or head North up the hallway....

I'll be posting when i get home from work its hard to do from my phone. I think i remember someone saying something about locks a.d traps though right?

Well, we got lucky, hurricane-wise.  Irene came ashore a bit early, so it was considerably weakened before it arrived.  We just got the moderate level winds and rain.  Still it took down some good sized branches, and knocked our power out for a bit over 12 hours (some people are still without power).  Clean up is going to take a while, but there's damage to people or property (or pets).

Had a busy week at work and now I have to take a Mortgage Education class today which lasts 8 hours! Sorry for the delay.

Take your time, sir.  We'll be here.

I agree

The class was boring, but they fed us lunch, so I can't complain. I got my certificate, so I can give that to my loan officer! Yay! :)

*grins*  It was a mortgage class, so we'd be worred about you if you had a blast.

It's worth it, though.

OK folks, I'm going to be busy all this week. I have a Demolition Derby at Pomona on Wednesday, my Birthday on Thursday and hopefully the keys to my new home on Friday with me hopefully moving in on Saturday. All this, plus a full time job, so please excuse my absence if posting is a bit slow. :)

Congrat.. Happy Birthday and another Congrat..

Enjoy yourself, and we'll be here when you get back.   :)

YAy back in business! I'll post tomorrow, had too much to do tonight. WB BB!

I was busy, but still didn't get the house....I just love county workers!

Please welcome Thelonious to the group, everyone! He's been waiting since early April to join the game!

Welcome Thelonius,

Sorry for the long wait, but I hope it will prove to have been worthwhile.

We're a motley bunch (and some of us [flashes a quick look at the resident wizard] can get a bit grumpy), but I think you'll find we're worth getting to know.

And you brought us a dragon as a party gift.  It's nice to know that good manners haven't completely died out. :-)

Thanks for the welcome Myarra...  Sorry about the dragon, but it was an egg when I first asked to join and unfortunately it's taken that long to make it in :)  Look forward to playing with you all.

Sorry I've been absent guys. Welcome to the game Thelonious.

I started my new job LAST Thursday, and I got called in on my one day off. So, 10 days straight no time off. I've been a little worn out. I get a little break tomorrow, I get to go in late, so hopefully I can make some posts to catch up with everyones post count. :P

Yes, Welcome Thelonious.  *smiles*
Judging from  your name, I take it you're a monk?   :)

I'm sorry it is so obvious .. but yes I am in fact a monk :)

Welcome oh winded lurer of dragons!
I hope this delightful diversion was worth your wait!

...er...

"Welcome Dragon-bait!
Maybe fun game worth wait!"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:51, Sat 15 Oct 2011.

*smiles*
It's not that obvious, don't worry.  I love it!

Have you played with this person before? Looking at his picture, he doesn't look like a monk to me.

Thelonious Monk is one of the most famous jazz artists in the history of jazz.

Who? I don't listen to jazz. Puts me to sleep. I listen to heavy metal. One of my favorite bands is AC/DC.

I don't listen to jazz or heavy metal, but I've still heard of the names of artists from both.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelonious_Monk

:)

I'm not a jazz person, either, but Thelonius Monk was a very famous person for his eccentric attitude, as well as his music.

Well, if this Monk pulls out a musical instrument against this dragon, he's going to get hurt....

Anyways, I'm just waiting for actions from Silver and Amara, then I'll update the round for you guys.

Good pun!  :o)

Swiftstrider is waiting for BB to evaluate the feasibility of what he wants to do before he acts - impetuous barbarian and all that.  And we know how busy BB is these days...

Fear not!  Swiftstrider isn't crazy, just impulsive!

And when the reality of his predicament hits him, he will have 2 or more escape routes rolling around in that stony-looking cranium of his!

XP thread has been updated:

link to a message in this game

Silver has gone up a level! Congratulations!

The house I was trying to buy failed escrow. My house was being funded by the county for the FTHB(First-time home buyer) program. They provided my 20% down. That went OK. The city where I was supposed to get my home would provide the 6% closing costs, but at the end, they ran out of funds and I had to look for another program. All this was happening while my realtor was fighting with the seller's realtor over who should pay what in the way of repairs to the home.

Stupid stuff like window screen, broken door handle, strainer for water faucet etc... I agreed to do to "keep up the good faith", while the owners agreed to do any major stuff. I technically didn't have to do crap, but I liked the house and the location. The house was a 2 bed/2 bath 1200 sq feet home sitting on .23 acres. It was about 1-1/2 miles from my work.

So, after the city's funding failed, my loan officer found another program that would pay 3 of the 6%, which meant I would have to pay the other 3%. I was upset, but my realtor told me I could claim that on my taxes. The new program sent out another inspector to look at the home and found termite damage that he didn't like. I wasn't upset about this, because I was happy somebody found something wrong with the property that was previously overlooked---or overlooked on purpose. Anyways, the damage came out to about $750.00 and the owners refused to pay for the damages. My realtor and I said it was the owners responsibility and I refused to pay.

It looked like it was going to end there, but my realtor didn't want to lose the money or the time we spent on this property over $750.00, so she wrote an addendum saying that she will pay for the damages out of her pocket. The sellers told her that if the house didn't close after this, they would not refund ANY money back to us. My realtor backed out. I'm getting my money back and I'm looking for another place....again.

So, I'm sorry that things have been running a bit slow here lately, but I hope you all understand. Things should be back to normal now...until I find another house. But I won't even make any bids until next year...when the city gets their funding again. Paying 3% of closing costs wasn't my idea of a good time!

We understand and take time to get yourself in order.  Buying a house is tiring.

Buying a home is a total pain in the butt, but it's worth it once it all works.   Please take as much time as you need, Boss.  We'll be here.

Totally feel your pain on that one.  We're living in a rental for 1450/mo and probably won't buy again until 2016 due to bankruptcy and foreclosure in the same year :P

I'm OK right now. Things won't start up again until next year. I'm just out driving around looking. Found a couple places, but several of my sources told me to wait...the market is still dropping in the real estate market...

In reply to Big Boss (msg #282):

I like to use Zillow when I'm interested in looking at places.  It is also pretty cool for getting design ideas :)

I know a couple of us are sick and all, but what about the rest of you? Is this it for the conversation? I know the dragon fight was shocking, but did it shock you into silence?

Heck, I've been asleep for nearly a week, and I still managed to post an ascerbic and pushy message :-)

I've been feeling a little under the weather, too.  I'll be back in the conversation soon.

I think everyone is getting sick. It's just that time of year.

We gamers are a delicate, frail breed.

Because we're always inside out of the sun.....

Oh, and Aliana, Silver also looks like a drow? Maybe? Perhaps he doesn't get out in the sun all that much either...

In reply to Big Boss (msg #290):

Does he?   There's no description, so I didn't know that.

Yea, I know.... Just remembering from the previous game that ended...

Quick, Silver! Put it up!

How did I miss that....wow... uh yeah sorry lol. I took over Silver a....long time ago. I'll re-type his description tonight and post it up tomorrow (hopefully) cause it's a little.... well it needs a little tightened up.

rood or rude?

I thought it might be too mean to point out that the wizard, known to be arrogant about his superior intellect, among other things, would mispell that.

Unless "rood" is a word he made up, and it the only one smart enough to use?

He's used that spelling as long as I've known him, and in multiple games.  I just assumed it was a variant spelling from where ever he's from.

I've misspelled is several times, but my spell checker always picks it up.

Spell checker wouldn't get rood because it's a real word.    It's a religious word.

I guess it is. I guess I spell the right rude correctly? ;)

FYI: A rood is a cross or crucifix, especially a large one in a church; a large sculpture or sometimes painting of the crucifixion of Jesus.

And now we know... and knowing is half the battle!  :o)

So, If I take the High Rood, and you take the Low Rood, who gets to Scotland first?

A Scotsman?

*blinks in confusion*    Ohhhhh.....Okay, that makes sense.  :)

<----------Even a guy like me can mess up his speech in the presence of so many pretty ladies.

*laughs and blushes*

Okay, you're TOTALLY forgiven now!

Nolan = Brown-noser

*giggles*   And it TOTALLY working!!!

Yea, totally working. I love it when a plan comes together!

Nolan apologizing for Myarra's rude behavior?  What is this, the mirror universe?  Do I have a goatee?

Yes you do, but it's ADORABLE!!!

Swiftstrider pulls out his mirror and checks his own chin...

Christmas is around the corner and the kids are going to have too much free time with Christmas break. I'll try and post when I can.

You never noticed how nice Nolan was with Kimora, acting boy-like with comments of happiness? Awesome! My plan is coming together perfectly!

I, too, will be swamped with holiday rigamorale and shenanigans.    As well as wacky hijinks, monkeyshines, and hulabaloo.
I'll post when I can, though.

Just waiting on Swiftstrider and Amara to tell the group what they see....

I just want to thank all of you for your dedication to this game. I've had alot of fun playing with you guys. I really appreciate it. :)

Christmas is early this year, since I will most likely be away from the computer. You can choose to raise your lowest attribute by 1, or take 5 skill points. Tell me in a PM. Merry Early Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate. :)

Yay!!!    Thank you for your generosity, BB.   I'm glad I was on my best behavior this year.  ;)

Happy Boxing Day!
And a belated Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, or whatever Winter holiday you celebrate!

Happy Boxing day to you as well, sir!   We've got many boxes here with which to celebrate!

Finally got some computer time as the kids went to the movies!

Excellent!  Movies make a fine babysitter.   Which one did they see?

So, what are you going to do? Swiftstrider's getting into fighting position. 8 on 1 odds are pretty steep.

All I see are 8 pairs of eyes just above the water. Piece of cake!  ;o)

Mmmmm....we can make some "Eye Soup"!  Yum!

For some strange reason, I think it's a tad more than just eyes above the water.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:19, Thu 05 Jan 2012.

Something about buying a zoo. I wasn't interested, so I stayed home.

In reply to Nolan (msg #326):

Ah, that one.   I'm a fan of Matt Damon, but that movie sounds painfully sappy.

Thelonious brought up a question about movement. The water is waist deep, so your movement is cut by a third. ie: 30 foot move is now a 20 foot move.

OK, folks. My computer died. It was 10 years old and I was a dumbass not to back anything up. :( I just bought a new computer and I'm getting used to all the new stuff. All my maps were on the old computer and the hard-drive crashed, so that means I have to buy another Paint shop pro 9/10/11? program and start the maps over. It's a minor, but highly annoying delay. I'm just highly upset that all my naked girl pictures are gone. :( I'm having a computer expert look at my hard drive to see if he can get the thing running again long enough to pull anything off. Hope, hope! So, things might be a tad slow here for a bit. Sorry :(

Swiftstrider emailed me a link to a program called G.I.M.P.. I'm going to try this one out, since it's free! :)

Good luck with your new maps, and try not to get TOO distracted by the naked girls.   :)

Wow, that sucks. I'm going to take over my computer from the kids for a bit and start backing stuff up. Don't want to end up losing anything.

My own computer is being repaired at the moment.  It will be a week or two until it's back, and I can stop  borrowing other people's laptops.   I feel like a cyber-hobo.

I know what you mean. I borrowed one from work and a friend's house. Cyber-hobo. That's funny. ;)

Found a copy of Paint Shop Pro 9. Picking it up tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.

*smiles*  No problem.  We'll be here.

Silver, weren't you going to put up a character description? Like two months ago?

Oh, and my New Year's resolution is to post more in this game... Just so you all know.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:57, Sun 15 Jan 2012.

Uh, yeah, I was. Seems I spaced it off again. I'll get right on it, sorry.

Got a copy of Paint Shop Pro 9 and with alot of help from Swiftstrider's player, I got my new grid up and running. The map is going to be bigger than before, which will give me room to bug you guys! ;)

OK folks I'm up and running again. I'm still getting used to Windows 7 from XP. What a trip. Anyways, here's the new map. It's a tad different, but close enough for Big Boss work.

link to a message in this game

I'll update the round tomorrow when everyone gets a chance to see the new map before it's updated.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:58, Tue 17 Jan 2012.

I can't believe my luck. I'm sick with the flu. I'm trying my best to fight it, but I'm losing. I'll try my best to update soon. I know you guys have been waiting on me, and I'm really sorry. :(

We're not going anywhere BB.  Get better and then get back to us.

Indeed!  We'd rather you GM when you're healthy!  You need a big bowl of chicken pho with lots of sambal in it!!!!

Those maps look like you know what you're doing!  :o)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:34, Thu 19 Jan 2012.

OK.  I just had to share this link.  'Nuff said!

http://laughingsquid.com/spark...nicorn-poop-cookies/

Well, I hope you're feeling better soon.   And, yes, we'll be here when you're ready.


Nice post, by the way.

Yea, I noticed the map was a lot bigger. Hopefully, you won't be filling that map with enemies!

Or at least we hope it fills up with enemies that we can easily beat up.

School started today for me, so I'll update for you guys tomorrow. It looks like you'll be going South, unless voted otherwise.

That works for me.

Will post update tomorrow after work. :)

Bump. Poke. Prod.

Not much I can do except wait for somebody to tell me something.

I'm waiting on a decision, too.   No rush, though.   :)

Wait is almost over!  ;o)

Posted my description. Sorry it took so long.

Aunt's memorial service tomorrow at Noon.  Heading out this afternoon.  Be gone through Sunday.  Please NPC me as necessary.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:20, Thu 09 Feb 2012.