Rolen was shocked by the brutal display he had just witnessed.
That starspawn taken fool just killed a man in broad daylight!
Shaking off the moment disbelief Rolen quickly assessed the situation. Most of the crowds are running away from the murderer, while a few stragglers are either watching the display with morbid curiosity or reaching for a weapon. That foreign man with the gleaming armor and spear are calling the guests to arms. And in the middle the merchant is using an ungodly spell on the urns and looks like he intends to kill as many people as he can.
So you want to bring bloodshed to the city, fine. The gods themselves have judged your actions, and we’ll see whether you die in battle or by the gallows.
Making his way towards the chaos Rolen brought his bow out and notching an arrow into the bowstring, mentally running through the stance his mentor drilled into him. Feeling just a touch of sadness, Rolen leveled his bow towards the crazed man.
“I am sorry for the necessity of this,” Rolen thought, “but either I stop you here, or many innocent people will die.”
As the great horned man moves off, Erias is happy to chat with a local guardsman - they have an appointment later, after all.
"I have, sir. I left Narill this fortnight past. My home town is peaceful these days, so I can see your cousin's point. I am Erias. It is my pleasure to meet you," he bows slightly, with an expectant look, waiting for his name.
At that moment, Erias looks over at the fight developing. Immediately, Erias puts on his shield. Mob justice, not something he expected to see in this place. When the merchant makes his threat, he begins to move toward the crowd. "This is no way to conduct business," he calls out. Then a spray of blood and a dead man changes the tone.
"Come my friend," the knight starts to say, but strangely his new nameless acquaintance has vanished at the moment he is needed. Erias answers the shrill whistle with the ring of his unsheathed blade. "Lessons are not taught in blood, but justice is!" He moves toward the merchant, smelling a demon's work, "Submit or face the Light!"
Kithr is about to follow the directions to the museum, to make sure that he remembers, when the blond guards stops him, stammering something about the Maldorans. Despite himself his body tenses, ready to defend himself from attack, but the man looks little more than a boy with his soft eyes and softer voice. A sheep in wolf's clothes, without a doubt.
The Halfling laughs, adopting a shy, shifty posture. "Is this better, sir?" The guard flushes red and shows a quick embarrassed smile, making Kithr return to his usual, apparently confident, stance. "I'm afraid I am no Maldoran. I wish I were, my life would have been a lot easier! Heh, though I imagine they live a boring life indeed. No offense intended, sir." He shoots a glance at the Gnome, but the spectacled man seems lost in his job of taking down names.
When he looks back up at the guard, he finds him with hand raised in the air to salute a particularly fetching young lady standing near Haror. For a brief instant Kithr narrows his eyes at the blond man's rudeness, but immediately forgives him. He is obviously young, and the lady was very attractive. A bit tall, as most non-Halflings, but he could see why the taller races would have their eyes wander if she walked past.
With a smile on his face he cleared his throat, trying to bring the guard back to attention, but by now something else was drawing the eyes of those gathered nearby. Of those walking around on the entire square, in fact.
Kithr took in the tiny man, likely another Halfling or perhaps a Gnome, wondering if he had been too quick to his assessment that the invitation was the event Bothor had been speaking of. He saw arguments between vendor and buyer nearly every day, but this one had evolved into bloody murder surprisingly quick. His first instinct was to move away back to Fishport and let the guards handle this mess, but curiousity stayed his feet. There was no harm in staying to watch the events evolve, after all.
Even so, standing next to a guard was probably not the best bet to get out of this without harm. "Please excuse me." he said as he walked off, hurrying towards the nearest alley to hide in.
Chaos erupts as the urns topple over, their volatile contents spilling forth in a horrifying revelation as panicked merchants and civilians flee for their lives, the death cry of the commoner resonating throughout the suddenly alert market square. As your eyes study the strange creatures, your mind pieces together their bizarre appearances and violent behavior. Each of the creatures is small, about three-and-a-half feet tall, and skinny, looking as if they haven't fed in ages. Their pale blue skin is scaly, like a serpent's, but where their joints meet, tufts of what appears to be soft fur seems to sprout in odd angles. Their eyes are like a cat's, but each has a various number, ranging from one to what appears to be ten.
The foul creatures quickly swarm over the remaining commoners near the merchant's rug, cutting them down by virtue of surprise. Long, thin claws rake deadly slashes against the exposed flesh of the unarmed folk. Before you know, the foot peddlers have either fled or, in the case of those closest to the merchant, been torn to ribbons. The ferocious little cretins encircle their master in what appears to be a protective ring. Eyes sparkling, the strange merchant looks on without comment, whistle still in hand, his tiny form appearing all the more intimidating given his newly-revealed cunning.
Haror lets out a scream of horror as the little fiends turn his way, but there are several between the scribe and the swarming monsters. The house guards draw their blades, but even with their experience, the pair of soldiers seem taken aback; shock is still plain as day on their faces, and one of them seems to have trouble keeping his blade steady.
The little cretins, of course, know no such hesitation. Even as you keep your eyes on them, you notice that a pair of them, slightly bigger than the others, possess odd-looking quills, growing from their backs. The silvery spikes are very thin and almost appear fragile - until with a pair of screeching cries, the monsters lunge forward, shooting a volley of those quills at the foes they consider most worthy of pain.
Erias manages to bat aside those few quills that get near him with relative ease. Most fall short, causing the cretin to give a cry of dismay when it notices the paladin is unharmed and undeterred, blade in hand, glowering at the miserable monsters. Tsubasa, however, is not so fortunate. Try as he might to duck aside, the quills cut through the air with vicious precision. Few find purchase in his flesh, but those that do sting with a fierce fire. For a moment, thought of poison crosses his mind, but Tsubasa, steadying himself, feels no taint begin to sap his constitution, merely the sharp stabbing sensations giving him great discomfort.
Haror begins loudly pleading to the gods for aid, but if they are listening, no miracle comes at his behest. All the while, the strange merchant looks on, still as a statue, malice personified.
Studying these creatures, you recognize them as homunculi, magically-created servants that mock nature by their very existence. Alchemical products of warped flesh and gruesome anatomy, homunculi are commonly used by mages and alchemists as aids, carrying out tasks that their masters deem too demeaning to be done by hand. Homunculi are known to range in "quality"; dabblers tend to produce crude and savage homunculi, who understand only how to hunt and pursue, while skilled creators can produce homunculi capable of speech and mannerisms.
Due to their small stature and higher caliber of mental processes, these greater homunculi are often used as eyes and ears by mages concerned about local goings-on and plots in the shadows. Homunculi are bound to their masters, and serve with unflinching loyalty. When given a task, a homunculus is ready to carry it out to the letter, even if doing so requires its own destruction.
"I don't like X, they should remove it." "I like X, they should keep it." "They should replace X with Y." "Anybody that likes X is dumb. Y is better." "Why don't they include both X and Y." "Yeah, everybody can be happy then!" "But I don't like X, they should remove it." "X really needs to be replaced with Y." "But they can include both X and Y." "But I don't like X, they need to remove it." "Remove X, I don't like it."
Until you've had an in-law tell you your choice of game was stupid, and just Warcraft on paper, and dumbed down for dumber players who can't handle a real RPG, you haven't lived.
Lady and gentlemen.... I present to you the Edition War without Contrition, the War of the Web, the Mighty Match-up!
We're using standard edition war rules. No posts of substance. Do not read the other person's posts with comprehension. Make frequent comparison to video games, MMOs, and CCGs. Use the words "fallacy" and "straw man", incorrectly and often. Passive aggressiveness gets you extra points and asking misleading and inflammatory questions is mandatory. If you're getting tired, just declare victory and leave the thread. Wait for the buzzer... and....
One, two, three, four, I declare Edition War Five, six, seven eight, I use the web to
D&D should not return to the days of blindfolding the DM and players. No tips on encounter power? No mention of expected party roles? No true meaning of level due to different level charts or tiered classes? Please, let's not sacrifice clear, helpful rules guidelines in favour of catering to the delicate sensibilities of the few who have problems with the ascetics of anything other than what they are familiar with.
Just a quick note on the MMORPG as an insult comparison...
MMORPGs, raking in money by the dumptruck full. Many options, tons of fans across many audiences, massive resources allocated to development.
TTRPGs, dying product. Squeaking out an existence that relys on low cost. Fans fit primarily into a few small demographics. R&D budgets small, often rushed to market and patched after deployment.
You're not really making much of an argument when you compare something to a MMORPG and assume people think that means bad. Lets face it, they make the money, have the audience and the budget. We here on this board are fans of TTRPGs but lets not try to pretend none of us play MMORPGs.
Something like Tactical Shift is more magical than martial healing.
Telling someone to move over a few feet is magical now? :|
I weep for this generation.
Given the laziness and morbid obsesity amongst D&Ders, being able to convince someone to get on their feet, do some heavy exercise, and use their words to make them be healthier must seem magical.
Terios recognized something was wrong when the man started yelling for the guard and glancing around he saw there were none in the square. He started heading for the merchant, but then all hell broke loose and he found himself slowed down by the fleeing crowds. He did note that some of the other guests were moving to intervene also.
Wash: "Yeah well, if she doesn't give us some extra flow from the engine room to offset the burn through, this landing is gonna get pretty interesting."
Mal: "Define interesting."
Wash: "Oh god oh god we're all gonna die?"
Mal: "This is the captain. We have a...little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then...explode."
The bizzare creatures look like something from a nightmare. The quills in his flesh burn but Tsubasa is relived when he feels no spread that would indicate poision. He adjusts his trajectory and lands at the flank of the creatures. Seeing that they intened to attack Haror, Tsubasa moves to block the right flank. As he moves he shouts "You!, in the armor! Stop that big one!" (indicating #7) towards the man wearing the full plate and wielding the blade.
Tsubasa slides his hands down the shaft of his spear. The head of the spear actually holds something that looks more like a shortsword then a spear point. This blade-like point is accelerated to the to the point of humming as it is whipped around on the end of the flexible shaft. It cracks againts the vile thing's side.
Tsubasa can feel the whatever the things would call life force weaken a bit. He is able to transfer a small amount of it to the man in leathers that is charging forward on Tsubabsa's left. The man can feel a heat inside him that boosts his confidence and makes him feel tougher. "Do not let these creatures past. I will try and aid you." says Tsubasa to the woodsman.
Bharhas, Level 3 Human, Warlord | Sorcerer Human Power Selection Option: Bonus At-Will power Languages: Common, Elven Theme: Gladiator
CURRENT STATUS: Phase of the Sun: *At the start of your turn, each enemy adjacent to you takes fire and radiant damage equal to your Strength modifier. *You also gain resist 5 cold.
VITALS AC: 18 Fort: 18 Ref: 15 Will: 17 HP: 40/40
Surges: 6/6 Surge Value: 10
Initiative: +1 Speed: 6
CURRENT ABILITY SCORES STR 18, CON 10, DEX 11, INT 10, WIS 8, CHA 17
Erias walks to engage the spikey horror. Even though it nimbly dodges his blade, a soft light reveals the higher power protecting his allies others from it. The paladin nods at Tsubasa, "Erias! Would they were bigger, I might hit them."
Face knows the homunculi are vicious and indiscriminate and she can feel a formation of pain and confusion, like clouds or stains on an antique map, form at the edges of her mind -- but this does not distract from the elegance behind these eldritch mechanisms. She also realizes, with some regret, that this fight's solution will be violent.
The merchant, she notes,is dangerous.Others (Face recognizes some of her fellow invitees) have stood their ground and possess formidable auras, but the merchant looks on calmly. Face feels excited.She sees the homunculi attack the list-making gnome (and worries very briefly about her invitation) and they even manage to land a hit on the male with white hair and psionic power.
The giddiness she feels recedes only slightly, and Face measures the paces between her and the merchant. She doesn't want to expend the architecture of her mind, so the attack is wide and soft, throwing only tentative thoughts of defeat and memories of pain at the machines and their master. (Her parents and a budding life on the road have taught her to test the enemy, like a swimmer before some dark and dangerous pool.)
"You're not alone," she says to Erias and the man with white hair. "And you can call me Missine Asfar. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to move away from the artificer and artifices trying to kill us. "
Standard: Dishearten vs Strange Merchant(M), Feral Homunculus(1), Sneaky Homunculus(6) 18, 9, 24 vs Will 10 psychic damage, target takes -2 to attack roles until EoNT Move: Move to H10, haha, taking cover behind the statue, like the ranged coward she is
If, on a desert night, a traveler, outside the town of Balic, leaning from the steep slope, without fear of wind or vertigo, looks down in the gathering shadow (in a network of lines that interlace) on the carpet of sand illuminated by the moon around an empty grave, what story down there awaits its end?
Tsubasa grunts out "Tsubasa" when the others introduce themselves, yet he never takes his attention from the enemies. Seeing how strong things are he yells Guards! Get Haror OUT!"
Play by Post Haven Stop by, join us, and sign up for some games while you are there Real Adventures Come join in and have some adventures, real ones!
Want even more Play-By-Post games? Head over to www.Nerdbound.com to check some more out. People there are playing lots of systems, not just D&D
Bharhas, Level 3 Human, Warlord | Sorcerer Human Power Selection Option: Bonus At-Will power Languages: Common, Elven Theme: Gladiator
CURRENT STATUS: Phase of the Sun: *At the start of your turn, each enemy adjacent to you takes fire and radiant damage equal to your Strength modifier. *You also gain resist 5 cold.
VITALS AC: 18 Fort: 18 Ref: 15 Will: 17 HP: 40/40
Surges: 6/6 Surge Value: 10
Initiative: +1 Speed: 6
CURRENT ABILITY SCORES STR 18, CON 10, DEX 11, INT 10, WIS 8, CHA 17
The sudden offensive seems to take the homunculi by surprise, as Tsubasa delivers a swift spear strike to one, Erias beckons another with the grace of the Lightbearer by his side, and Face brings forth a wave of unease within the minds of a homunculus and the tiny robed merchant. Those closest to the merchant notice that he clutches his head in pain, and shake his head as if to sober up. As Face retreats behind the statue, the merchant's beady eyes seem to follow her, but it is unclear how he will respond.
Meanwhile, the homunculi recover from the surprise of enemies who will defend themselves and proceed to dash about the market square, quickly swarming Tsubasa and Erias. The two warriors, however, find that luck is on their side, as the razor sharp claws of the homunculi fail to find purchase in their armor. Up close, those claws look even more fearsome than before. In a way, they remind Erias and Tsubasa of a serpent's fangs; curled and thin, looking as if they could easily puncture flesh and leather.
Unable to lay low the two defenders, the homunculi slink around their quarry, hissing and screeching in irritation. Another homunculus tries its best to take Tsubasa by surprise. Leaping from the back of one of its comrades, it opens its mouth wide, revealing several rows of oddly-positioned, jagged teeth. Before the cretin can bring its terrible jaws down on Tsubasa's throat, however, the ardent brings his spear into line, batting aside the creature's fangs - not with enough force to cause any serious damage, but enough to elicit a hideous snarl of frustration from the one-eyed anomaly.
Meanwhile, the merchant looks on, fingers playing along the silvery whistle in his hand. Haror seems to notice the fortune his newfound defenders have found, and yells encouragement.
"That's the way, lads! Bob and weave, eh? Show those little devils who's boss!"
"I don't like X, they should remove it." "I like X, they should keep it." "They should replace X with Y." "Anybody that likes X is dumb. Y is better." "Why don't they include both X and Y." "Yeah, everybody can be happy then!" "But I don't like X, they should remove it." "X really needs to be replaced with Y." "But they can include both X and Y." "But I don't like X, they need to remove it." "Remove X, I don't like it."
Until you've had an in-law tell you your choice of game was stupid, and just Warcraft on paper, and dumbed down for dumber players who can't handle a real RPG, you haven't lived.
Lady and gentlemen.... I present to you the Edition War without Contrition, the War of the Web, the Mighty Match-up!
We're using standard edition war rules. No posts of substance. Do not read the other person's posts with comprehension. Make frequent comparison to video games, MMOs, and CCGs. Use the words "fallacy" and "straw man", incorrectly and often. Passive aggressiveness gets you extra points and asking misleading and inflammatory questions is mandatory. If you're getting tired, just declare victory and leave the thread. Wait for the buzzer... and....
One, two, three, four, I declare Edition War Five, six, seven eight, I use the web to
D&D should not return to the days of blindfolding the DM and players. No tips on encounter power? No mention of expected party roles? No true meaning of level due to different level charts or tiered classes? Please, let's not sacrifice clear, helpful rules guidelines in favour of catering to the delicate sensibilities of the few who have problems with the ascetics of anything other than what they are familiar with.
Just a quick note on the MMORPG as an insult comparison...
MMORPGs, raking in money by the dumptruck full. Many options, tons of fans across many audiences, massive resources allocated to development.
TTRPGs, dying product. Squeaking out an existence that relys on low cost. Fans fit primarily into a few small demographics. R&D budgets small, often rushed to market and patched after deployment.
You're not really making much of an argument when you compare something to a MMORPG and assume people think that means bad. Lets face it, they make the money, have the audience and the budget. We here on this board are fans of TTRPGs but lets not try to pretend none of us play MMORPGs.
Something like Tactical Shift is more magical than martial healing.
Telling someone to move over a few feet is magical now? :|
I weep for this generation.
Given the laziness and morbid obsesity amongst D&Ders, being able to convince someone to get on their feet, do some heavy exercise, and use their words to make them be healthier must seem magical.
