#i love that we now have confirmation that shes an aasimar

[prankprincess123]

Just think about Percy, who thinks he's irredeemable and a horrible person, who keeps making deals with multiple demons in exchange for his soul, and his first born child is an aasimar. And of course he knows that Vesper's divine nature is 100% due to Vex, but still, he - no matter how flawed and bad he sees himself as - helped create this literal piece of heaven on the mortal plane in the form of this beautiful little girl - his daughter.

[rollofleaf]

WIP Wednesday!

Have some Arueshalae coming out to the party!

“And there’s one final announcement. Do you want to tell them?” She gently nudged Arueshalae, giving her a little prod to speak for herself.

She took the hint and nodded, stepping out from behind Hilde. “Y-yes, um…” She took a deep breath, squeezed Hilde’s hand, and let her heart flow. “I’m free. Free from the Abyss, at long last. I’ve transcended my demonic nature, and my touch no longer drains life. And…” She trailed off, glancing at Hilde and blushing, unable to vocalize her affection in front of so many others.

Nenio immediately darted up with a grin and hugged Arueshalae tightly. She squeaked out, but tentatively returned it. Nenio threw her head back and gave a wide grin to the assembled people. “I can confirm, I am experiencing no loss of life!” There was a soft noise of protest from the succubus as Nenio leaned into the hug, but the kitsune already had her rebuttal prepared. “Ah, nine months and sixteen days ago you said that you wanted to hug me and feel my fur if you were ever redeemed and I agreed!” 

Arueshalae let out a soft sigh and leaned into the hug, burying herself in Nenio’s floofy fur. “I… I suppose I did. Thank you, Nenio.” 

The former succubus let out a squeak as Aivu’s long neck curled around her. The dragon chirped out, “And me! You promised me a hug when you stopped being a demon!”

Despite her clear embarrassment, there was a bright smile on Arueshalae’s face. She squeezed Nenio and Aivu tight, and let out happy giggles as Hilde, Seelah, Ember, Anevia, and Sosiel quickly joined in the group hug. Even Irabeth joined in.

Woljif snickered and waved Ember off as she tried to drag him into the hug. “Hey, congrats. Knew you could do it.”

Greybor took a puff of his pipe and gave a satisfied smirk. “Normally I’m not inclined to trust a demon, but if everyone else is… Ah, why not? Good for you.”

Lann smirked and crossed his arms. “Well, you still look like a demon. Still, good for you. You must have earned it.”

Daeran let out a melodramatic sigh and struck a dramatic pose. “Alas, woe is me! Who shall I torment with demonic temptations now?” Despite his professed grief, Arueshalae caught his encouraging wink at her.

Regill remained silent, as did Galfrey. Slowly, she nudged the swarm of people hugging her away and cleared her throat. “There, um… There is more. Hilde and I…” She snuck a glance back at Hilde and her cheeks flushed. Her tail tightened around the aasimar’s leg as she froze up. “S-sorry, it’s so embarrassing to say.”

Daeran piped up to spare her. “You two are a couple? Like you have been for a about year now? You’re not exactly subtle.” He smirked with vindication as the former succubus squeaked and covered her flushed face.

Galfrey finally broke her silence. “Count, don’t presume. Or spread such improper gossip.” Daeran’s predatory smirk turned on her next, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Before he could get another sentence out, Hilde cut in. “He’s half right. We have not been a couple for the last year,” she lied. “But… We are now. I love her. With all my heart, I love Arueshalae.”

She squeezed the succubus’s hand tight and her halo brightened with joy. Arueshalae finally worked up the courage to agree. “Y-yes, um… I… I love her. I’m so blessed to finally be able to love her… A-and I love all of you! Your support means so much to me, and I think of you as family. I can finally think of you all as family…” Though she was clearly speaking to some of the assembled guests more than others, she did mean it for all of Hilde’s companions.

[viviennevivisection]

Session 28 - “Breaking the News” - 3/5/23

-We’re doing something a little different to start this session -- a scene for the audience! 

-A home office, a TV, flipping through channels. Landing on the evening news (Channel 3). THERE’S A BIRD PERSON? K. Roberts -- the news anchor. Topics of interest: rising oceans levels, mobile phone location services saving a life, pollen (?), someone from KT coming to be interviewed

-Also Porcia Eaton (a bug bear) is reporting live from Corsica 

-Calling the ambulance is what gave us away -- since they couldn’t reach the town 

-There’s a whole load of arcane investigators (pigs) trying to figure out what happened 

-They tried to call me back after the ambulance couldn’t get in and we were plane shifted (lol) 

-A voice is heard from off camera: “Dinner, my love?” 

-The person watching recorded the news broadcast

-This is almost certainly Fleur and Holloway 

-Oran is not sure if it’s back (?) (The town, maybe?) → if this the case, we were, Naomi plane shifted the town back last sesh 

-The soul trees are still here 

-The pools are in fact all connected, built on ley line hot spots. Asking if Oran can teach Naomi how to use them so we can fast travel 

-They did in fact use the pools to do the “baptisms” → separate the target’s divinity, their impulsive side, the “in tune” side → feed it to the Cor and allow them to be controlled 

-The Bestowing was the reunion of the two sides, a brutal ritual… the other selves were usually hungry 

-Come on, ritual sacrifice! 

-Whitmer sourced these sacrifices 

-The malevolent force (feeling of being watched, quicksand, etc) is gone 

-Our teleportation back didn’t feel as intense (not shifting planes)

-Asking about the fangs

-The [goal of the Collection was to study and document the] evolution of religion over time in order to figure out ascension

-Re: Coranimas, the body became less of an expression and more literal. People started to view vampires as being “afflicted” with a sickness 

-And vampirism at its core was “stealing” the body of others

-In the past, there was a change toward powerful, “supernatural” creatures

-They were welcome and living among the general population until they were not 

-When attitudes changed toward them, they fled and claimed The Wild Lands 

-Oran somehow did/does not know about Naomi’s formative Wild Lands Trip (seems it was an off-book decision) 

-Naomi asked Oran to crack the cipher on his diary and he…didn’t want to (which is understandable lol) 

-Oran is #confirmed a druid 

-There is now knowledge that Oran cannot access following the death of the Cor 

-Oran is the direct bloodline descendant of a powerful druidic circle 

-Whitmer had a huge research focus on druids and druidic rituals 

-Why aasimar, then? → theorized to be needed for ascension, a concentration of the divine 

-All of the Coralogia had their own offices, Whitmer’s is magically protected 

-Naomi gave Oran his diary back 

-The sigil on Whitmer’s office recognized her touch but will murder anyone else 

-Naomi can recall the Cor souls ?? 

-She crushed a flower from the Grove in her hands, as the petals fall they disappear before hitting the ground 

-The energy coalesces into a dark figure, looks similar to Dark Cass? 

-This figure touches the door and it explodes 

-They’re still there…everybody that was in the Cor. I just know they’re there anew -- the people who should have been dead → I think Naomi said this 

-The spell was conjuration and divine in nature

-The Hive Mind still exists just not in the form of the Cor? Not tied to the elder brain, but tied to the Grove 

-A shared roots system 

-Cass picked the lock on Whitmer’s office (I think this is the first lock we’ve ever picked?? It’s not -- the first was Mira’s bedroom. This is the second) 

-The room is similar to Oran’s office -- however, the room is uncharacteristically messy. This is the office of a very desperate person 

-Lots of work stuff -- resumes from prospects, ungraded papers from undergrads (focus on history and religion) 

-Stuff about druids 

-She had a list of papers to check on a visit to Aurora 

-A study from a student, 25-30 years ago (this is almost certainly Ellie) 

-”Sources of the Divine” 

-Also researching the auroras 

-The supernova? 

-VE called the library -- every single one of these papers are in the “special collection” and can only be accessed in person 

-Cass is looking for secret shit 

-Whitmer has a record of high performing students that dropped out recently 

-A record of Corsican citizens along with key secrets that could be used for blackmail 

-The Golden Angels have a special mark and more information than most other people 

-Rebecca Horn (the GA before Naomi) → Miles Horn. She was very bright and had an extremely protective and intelligent father 

-Whitmer’s personal journal → she was trying to identify for the deal was made with

-Cass’ research is certainly here 

-During the Cor fight, Cass tried to reach Corcillum and got Sonos -- he didn’t go anywhere, he was just changed 

-Sonos on the TV? 

-Whitmer has no love for TC, saw them as a necessary evil

-Everything they found about arcane tech got handed to TC 

-An ascension arms race 

-Whitmer had a specific TC contact: Alestra Haldia → we have her email 

-Whitmer has a laptop 

-The TC emails are all encrypted, use a lot of coded language 

-Most recent email is from about a week ago, regarding Rylar’s position 

-Regularly met up in person to speak (at Silver Echoes Park) 

-DN has known who N has been praying to this whole time 

DN: “It’s us, it’s always been us. What do you mean?”

-DN is typing on Whitmer’s laptop?  

-When N asked for help she saw DN? But she wasn’t TRYING to…? 

-VE cast magic circle, and Cass casted legend lore from the scroll (from like session 2) focusing on Saetus 

-Cass’ magic is present, the dusty violet motes 

-At first, nothing seems to happen. We notice that the ceiling fan has stopped. We feel an unnatural stillness. Oran, in the doorway, is frozen. A ball of light. The feeling of magical pressure. Twisting and turning. Standing in a vast, limitless space, like outer space. Surrounded by stars. As we look at them, they start to move, rearrange themselves into constellations that turn into actual images and scenes. 

1) Several figures. Different time periods. Dissolving and reforming into the next. We don’t recognize any of them, until the last one. Helen Smith. She extends a hand. (This is the evolution of the hosts of Saetus). 

2) Zoom into a town. Woodvale! A very long time ago. A young Helen is drinking a sodie with her besties. 

3) HS at the church is Woodvale -- Ms. Moody is not there. HS’ mom is there. She is participating in service. 

4) The old one room school -- HS is furiously taking notes. Seems very studious. She drew a perfect sigil and then was able to cast the flame cantrip 

5) She’s traveling through the forest, using her flame cantrip as a torch. She stumbles upon a green, glowing stone (DIR). She is proud. 

6) An unfamiliar lab area -- Helen is there, tinkering with a device (the tech seems old to us). A professor is passing out graded assignments. Helen has failed. 

7) A dorm room. HS is at a desk, ruminating on the failing grade. Looking desolate. She’s writing a letter home. She has the DIR with her. It’s late at night. A hand has reached out to her, it is writing something for her. The stars blink out until we’re back in the empty space. 

8) (This last one was a peripheral image, we had to specifically spot it) Cass casting a spell outside WV -- at the bluffs. She has casted detect magic and we see DN push N off a cliff. (This was the moment where Cass was able to burn two spell slots, a more significant moment than we thought before.) 

-We’re back in this empty void space for a long time. Whatever this is…is significant. Darkness. Two points of light opposite from one another moving toward us

-Helen in her current state, she feels…different. This LOOKS like Helen Smith. The lights moving, we can’t quite comprehend them. We rationalize it as hands reaching out, like in the Woodvale mines. That is how we can understand it. The hands reach out and touch, but they are cupping something between them, protecting it. We are the thing being protected. 

-A blinding light of an explosion as the lights connect 

-The hands touching again 

-Most of them are the same as the last time, but Cass is shaking hands with Norman 

-Helen standing there smiling after our eyes readjust -- feels outside of the spell. That was really her! No problems there, I assume 

-We’re back in the office 

-The hand at the desk that was writing for HS, it was writing the designs for the first computer 

-There are a lot of parallels between Helen Smith and Cass 

-The shifting images of people at the beginning were like hosts than warlocks 

-Heading back to the Pritchard home 

-The news is right outside 

-The cops are blaming protestors, because of course they are (they specifically named The Vanguard (lol) and other eco-conscious groups) → we spoke with him for a period. Stupid, taking credit for saving everyone, obviously being fed what to say. We kind of caught him out in this. 

-We tried to lay low in terms of being on camera, didn’t give an interview but EXTREMELY snooped 

-We got a business card for the news people 

-Cass has disguised herself as the cop, using the Mira necklace to mimic his voice. Telling Porcia (the bug bear) that there has been a development in the case -- trying to get it record (they’re not live any more) 

-Cass as the cop said the cause of the disturbance was caused by a glitch in the Sonos program -- asking people to turn it off

Porcia: “What are you doing? you know we can’t fucking air that.”

Cass, disguised: “Do you ever feel bad about what we do?” 

Porcia: “No. 🙂”

-She’s an icon, idc 

-Calling an emergency town hall to…update everyone 

-Ezra locked their parents in their bedroom once they came back to themselves 

-Ellie did a quick check up on Leah, Ezra, and Adrien (who was a little shell shocked) 

-Adrien’s internal ley system was fully in tact, Leah and Ezra were still the same (Naomi is still in possession of their dark selves) 

-Naomi confronting her parents

N: “I assume all the work you did to stay in their good graces was so you could still speak once I was dead.” (To Cyrus) 

N: “Tell me everything.” 

-Johanna didn’t know 

-Cyrus lied straight to our faces

Johanna: “I remember. Now.”

-Cyrus looked to Leah to back up his bullshit, and she shot him down. Standing up to him. 

-Cyrus helped Whitmer source individuals to be fed to the Cor, and then stole their shit for the collection 

-Miles #confirmed was all but smunched (spared only to serve as an example) for trying to save Rebecca 

-Cyrus…is just a coward

-VE have a vial of ash from The Cor 

-Ellie told Naomi that E+L’s ley systems were still off, she returned their shadows back. Everyone is healed! 

-Ellie went to the bathroom to clean up before the meeting (we all looked like Hell). Pricked her finger on her fang, and dripped blood into the chalice. Trying to reach out to Vitalia. Suddenly feeling very aware of their breath, their heart beat. The air around them. The familiar static-like feeling. 

-The blood transformed into a red rose. Ellie whispered into it that she would help if asked

[dmagedgoods]

Oh, for once I'm not late for the prompts! May I ask for "a kiss to prove a point" for Daeran and Sal? <3

Daeran’s melodic laughter echoed through the room. “You can’t be serious.”

Salvadore raised a brow. “I start to question your perception, my heart. At some point during the last years, you should have noticed that I don’t fall for lies and deception, no matter how well disguised the motivation. When I play along then because I decide to. My point stands: I’m immune to manipulation.”

Daeran looked at him with such a smug, amused expression, he felt a rush of irritation at the silent implication. But instead of provoking further, he took a small piece of paper from his desk, his quill, and started writing.

“What are you …?”

Before he could read the words, he was done and folded it once, then twice, and handed it to him.

“I’ll tell you when to open it.”

With a sigh, he gave into the little game and defeated his curiosity.

Their next visitor was Lady Arnsen from Absalom. She’d stay for a week, probably more interested in sightseeing than the planned discussion on further details for the new trade agreement. She had arrived earlier than expected and they would welcome her before the great meeting tomorrow, and Daeran entertain her by showing her a few of Drezen’s most impressive architectural and cultural achievements.

“Emere, what an immense pleasure to finally meet you in person,” his husband greeted her and gave her a bright smile when she walked into the room barely twenty minutes later.

The two of them were on first-name-basis?

“The pleasure is all mine.” She was an Aasimar too, her hair of a metallic black and she wore it pinned up to a complicated art piece with a few strands falling to her shoulders and onto the heavy fabric of her dark red dress. Her silvery eyes lit up while they rested on Daeran. Finally, she remembered her manners:

“Primarch.” She curtsied in his direction, then in his husband’s. “Lord Regent.”

“No need for such formalities, dear.” Daeran moved towards her, all elegant steps and charming niceties. He took her hand and brought it to his lips for a fleeting kiss. “You need to tell me everything about your travels.”

Salvadore stood up from his chair and moved to Daeran’s side. “Absolutely,” he agreed, and let his right hand rest on his husband’s waist. “We want to hear every exciting detail while you’re here.”

Daeran turned his head to him for a moment and gave him a little smile as well. “Does this mean you want to accompany us on our ride through Drezen?”

He had planned to continue with the paperwork and meet them again for dinner, but …

“I might as well join you, indeed,” he confirmed.

Now it was Daeran’s eyes that lit up. “Splendid!”

Salvadore leaned in to place a kiss on his lips – warm and chaste and brief, but enough to be a small demonstration for their visitor, should it be needed.

“Show Lady Arnsen the lounge, my love. I’ll order Baltran to prepare the carriage and be ready to join you there in about fifteen minutes.”

“Of course.” Something terribly pleased lay on Daeran’s features. “Oh, and don’t forget about the paper,” he reminded him while he left with Lady Arnsen.

Salvadore frowned and went back to his desk. There it was, the paper Daeran had given him. He unfolded it to find a note in his typical neat, entwined handwriting:

‘An arm around me, a possessive kiss, and an involuntary trip through the city. And all it will take for you to be manipulated in such a highly specific way is a tiny flirt and an innocent, well-aimed hand kiss. I’ll see you in the carriage, my love.’

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #196

Today on Fate and Phantasms we're building the last of the Three Goddesses Alliance, Ereshkigal! (It took her long enough to show up.)

Eresh is a Grave Cleric for relatively obvious reasons, as it lets her do pretty much everything she does- raise the dead, care for the dead, raise the dead properly, cause earthquakes, and start pandemics. Maybe don't do that last one right now, we're kinda busy with one already. It's a shame Soul Cage is a wizard spell, but pobody's nerfect.

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Next up: Now all of China knows you're on the naughty list.

Race and Background

Ereshkigal is part chthonic god, part human thanks to being a pseudoservant, that means Fallen Aasimar is a pretty good choice for her. You get Darkvision, Celestial Resistance to radiant and necrotic damage, Healing Hands to heal with your hands, and the Light cantrip to help the mortals with their dumb mortal eyes, using Charisma to cast it.

She's also the Three Goddess' Representative on behalf of humanity, trying to squirrel some away to prevent them from being entirely wiped out. This gives her proficiency with Intimidation and Religion, as well as an extended spell list we'll go over as it comes up. If you're wondering about the Intimidation: Yes the fandom thinks she's cute now, but you have to remember she's still a god of death. Most people aren't going to be as chill with her.

Ability Scores

Wisdom is first, Ereshkigal spent millennia honing her art alone in the underworld, so either she has a super high wisdom or an incredibly low one. But high wisdom works better for the build, so we'll go with that. Second is Charisma- some people love you, some people are terrified of you, those are both charisma. Your Dexterity is also solid, because your armor is not. Your Constitution is above average because while we don't need it for the build have you SEEN her HP stat? Your Intelligence is okay. You're not dumb, we just need other stuff more. Finally, dump Strength. You're a bit awkward with that spear, but we'll get some stuff to make it work later.

Class Levels

You're 100% Grave Cleric, so we'll just get into it. Starting off in this subclass gets you proficiency with Wisdom and Charisma saves, as well as Persuasion to show off your awkward charms and History because you're literally older than the written word. At first level you also enter the Circle of Mortality, so your healing spells automatically heal for max HP on creatures with 0 HP, and you get a suped-up version of the Spare the Dying cantrip that uses a bonus action and has a thirty foot range. You also get Eyes of the Grave, meaning you can sense undead creatures within 60' of you if they're not behind cover. It won't tell you about their identity though, so make sure you don't pick a fight with Strahd, you're still only level one. You can do this Wisdom modifier times per long rest. Starting in a spellcasting class also gets you Spells, surprise surprise, and having a Ravnica background gets you even more. Being a grave cleric gets you Bane and False Life for free, giving you easy access to curses and HP boosts early in the game. Something I want to bring up about the ravnica background before we move forward: I misread how these backgrounds work before. They add spells to your class' spell list, not your spells known. That means builds where you pick spells every level only get the opportunity to learn those spells, they don't just get all of them for free. Clerics can prepare spells from their spell list every long rest anyway so it's not a big difference here, but it is something I'll have to go back and fix for the other members of the alliance and Ishtar. Anyways, you get Illusory Script added to your spell list, not exactly something you'll probably use. For spells you can actually choose, grab Resistance for a goddess core that adds 1d4 to your next save, Thaumaturgy for when you need to get dramatic with extra magical effects, and Toll the Dead to do just that for some necrotic damage. You can also choose to prepare spells like Command to flex your authority and Protection from Evil and Good to flex on your sister.

Second level clerics can Channel Divinity once per short rest in two flavors. Turn Undead takes care of undead that fail their wisdom save, and Path to the Grave will clear out anything else. Spend your action to curse a creature, giving vulnerability to the next attack that hits it. Rules as written you can't target a mountain with this, and you definitely can't get the bonus for an Earthquake spell, but I'd allow it for the cool factor. Alternatively, you can Harness Divine Power to spend one use of Channel Divinity for an extra spell slot which is a level equal to or less than half your proficiency bonus. You can do this once per long rest, but that will grow as your Channel Divinity uses do.

Usually your third level doesn't get you much of anything as a cleric, but since you're a fallen aasimar you get a Necrotic Shroud, spending an action to get really spooky for a minute. Mechanically, this is your big ghostly form, and it'll frighten nearby creatures that fail a charisma save, and for the minute you're transformed you'll deal an extra bit of necrotic damage once per turn. You can go ghost once per long rest. You also get second level spells now, including your freebies Gentle Repose to prevent people from rising back as zombies and Ray of Enfeeblement, which weakens a creature's weapon attacks for up to a minute. They can make a constitution save to shrug it off, but not until the after the spell's already hit, so at least you'll get your money's worth. Thanks to your background you can also learn the spell Enthrall, making it harder for people to notice anyone but you. As someone who's existed in this fandom for any period of time, I can confirm Ereshkigal definitely has this ability. You can also prepare spells like Spiritual Weapon to have a spear that actually hits good and Protection from Poison for more goddess core shenanigans. Finally, make sure you pick up Silence. I'm still not entirely sure how we'll build Tiamat, but that should help shut off her immortality.

At fourth level you get your first Ability Score Improvement, which won't actually be improving your ability scores. grab the Eldritch Adept feat for the Armor of Shadows invocation so you can cast mage armor on yourself for free. You also learn how to cast Friends to make it easier to make friends and terrify your enemies.

Fifth level clerics get third level spells, including your freebies Revivify and Vampiric Touch. You're the god of the dead, so people should only really die when you want them to. Alternatively, you can Animate Dead to summon some skeletons for your own uses. You can also use Spirit Guardians to get more ghostly defenses. They'll slow down creatures of your choice in your area, and if they fail wisdom save they'll take radiant and/or necrotic damage, with it getting halved if they succeed.

At sixth level you get a second use of Channel Divinity per short rest, and a second use of Harness Divine Power per long rest. You also become a Sentinel at Death's Door, shutting down a critical hit near you as a reaction, turning it into a regular attack Wisdom Modifier times per long rest. Sure, you can bring people back later, but this is way less expensive.

Seventh level clerics get fourth level spells, like Blight and Death Ward. It is really hard for flowers to grow in the underworld. You can also use Leomund's Secret Chest thanks to your background, or you can prepare Banishment to throw Tiamat back where she came from, use Guardian of Faith for more ghosts, and leave an Aura of Purity around you to give your allies the blessings of Kur.

Eighth level clerics get another ASI, and this one will improve your ability scores. Kinda. We're grabbing another feat, but being Shadow Touched will improve your Wisdom by one point. It lets you cast Invisibility or Disguise Self once per long rest for free, or you can cast either spell as if it were a normal spell on your spell list. Now you can really make yourself look ghostly, if a bit undersized for your boss fight. Your destroy undead also bumps up to hit CR 1 creatures, but that'll blow up your skeletons as well, so be careful with it. Finally, Potent Spellcasting adds your wisdom modifier to your cleric cantrip damage. Nobody can toll the dead harder than the god of the dead.

Ninth level cleric, fifth level spells. Antilife Shell prevents anyone from getting too close to you, though it also means you can't get close to them without breaking the spell. It's almost poetic. Anyway, you also get Raise Dead, which is like revivify but with a more lenient time frame. You can also instigate your very own christmas event now with Contagion! This spell poisons a target, and at the end of each of its turns it has to make a Constitution save. After succeeding three throws, the spell ends. If it fails three throws, it gets a disease for the rest of the week. The closest thing to Sumerian Flu is probably Filth Fever, which gives disadvantage on saves, checks, and attacks that use strength, but there's all sorts of diseases you can give people. Technically this isn't a contagious disease, but talk to your DM, I'm sure you can work something out. You can also use Hallow to turn your room into a little slice of the underworld, shutting down your sister even further.

Tenth level clerics can invoke Divine Intervention with a 1 in 10 chance of getting a free favor from your god. Your god is you, technically, but it'll make more sense later. You can use this once per day, but it takes a week to recharge after it actually works. You can also cast the Light cantrip now. You could do it before, but now it's stronger.

Destroy Undead grows to hit CR 2 undead, and you can cast sixth level spells. Create Undead makes stronger undead for your army. Sadly dinosaur skeletons aren't available, so you'll just have to settle for ghouls. At higher levels you still won't get dinosaurs, but you can get ghasts, wights, and even mummies! Just be careful you don't stop recasting the spell, mummy rot can be rough. You can also summon a Heroes' Feast for more blessings from Kur, and you can take on an Otherworldly Form for another ghost transformation. This spell makes you immune to fire and poison damage as well as the poisoned condition. You can fly 40' per round, get +2 to AC, and you can attack with weapons using your wisdom twice per attack action. You're stuck with the UA version of this spell, so it takes an action, but on the plus side this just gives you an excuse to use Spiritual Weapon more.

Use this ASI to bump up your Constitution for more health. Health gets added retroactively, so you get +12 HP now instead of just +1. It's pretty nice.

Seventh level spells! Resurrection further cements your control over death with a time limit of a century, and you can also Plane Shift yourself (or an enemy) into the underworld.

Destroy Undead hits CR 3 creatures now. Not even mummies can stand up to your power!

Fifteenth level clerics get eight level spells. If silence won't keep Tiamat down, Antimagic Field should do the trick. The one problem there is it's only a 10' sphere around you, and you rely on magic way more than Tiamat does. You can also cause Earthquakes, turning a very large area into difficult terrain, disrupting concentration, knocking creatures prone, and destroying structures in the area. The one problem here is that you can't fly, so be careful where you're pointing that thing.

Yet another ASI. Use this one to finally max out your Wisdom for super strong spells and better protection from crits.

If you make it to level 17, you get the super powerful ninth level spells. Also, Destroy Undead hits CR 4 creatures, and you become a Keeper of Souls, stealing away some of a dying enemy's soul to heal an ally based on the creature's hit dice once per turn. Right though, ninth level spells. True Resurrection brings someone back even if they've been disintegrated 199 years ago. It's expensive, but you can always grab some gems from your sister if you're pressed for cash. The benefits of sharing a body.

At eighteenth level you get a third Channel Divinity and another use of Harness Divine Power. Really get those paths to the grave filled, it's kind of your thing.

Use your last ASI to grab the Tough feat for 38 HP now and another 2 next level. You have one of the highest HP stats in the game, this only makes sense.

Your capstone level is an improvement to your Divine Intervention. You know how I keep bringing up multiclassing as a con when we include cleric levels? This is why. Your divine intervention now always succeeds. Period. I mean, it makes sense. You are the god giving you power. But yeah, you get guaranteed god-level power freely given as an action. You truly have the power of god and anime on your side.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Clerics have a good variety of spells, and you take it even further with your background. You can heal but you're not completely hosed on your own like Medea Lily, you can deal damage and still do stuff outside of combat unlike your sister, and you have utility without your build being dominated by it like Hundred Personas.

You might not be good in a one on one fight, but you don't get into those that often thanks to your skeleton army. If you just dedicate harnessing divine power to keeping them in line, you can have nine extra bodies on the field to turn the action economy in your favor.

Even when we're not talking about spells, you're still really supportive of your team. Shutting down critical hits and stabilizing your allies quickly will seriously improve the longevity of your party.

Cons:

Dabbling in so many areas of magic means you're unfocused, so you won't excel in any one. You won't heal as much as Medea, deal as much damage as Ishtar, or be a skill monkey like Hundred Personas.

You also rely on magic completely for combat, which means stepping into an anti-magic zone can be deadly. This is especially bad for you, since an anti-magic zone will probably be the best way to deal with Tiamat.

You might have an undead army, but your best spells are area of effect and you're a cleric. Destroy Undead is kind of a big deal for you.

[draconpyrothayan]

Okay, so I’m actually going a little obsessive about guessing what the party comp for C3 will be. Reblog with your own guesses and theories, please!

To look forward, I tend to look back, so let’s see what folks have played so far:

Ashley :  Between War Cleric and Aasimar Zealot, homegirl is circling a Paladin like a stalking panther. She likes to be a damage monster, and she likes to have a divine connection. We also haven’t had any mainclass Paladins in the campaign thus far - both Fjord and Vax went at least 9 levels as non-pally first. This also allows Ashley to be charismatic, which lets her glory in the fact that she’s allowed to be here all campaign this time.

Laura :  Vex and Jester are a study in contrasts, and I am fairly certain that C3′s character will also be different. Having gone through my entire list of characters with her as a Wildcard, I realized the group doesn’t have a Barbarian yet - between Grog and Yasha, they really do love having them in the party, and imagine how hype Travis would be when she rages the first time.

Liam :  After Vax and Caleb, I’m guessing that Liam’s character in campaign 3 will also be dark. I’m further guessing that he will either take an early Actor, Alert, or Observant feat, because he does seem to delight in finding ways to make Matt have to think very quickly on his toes. However, his statement that his character is “Just some guy” makes me think he’ll be a Changeling Fighter or Ranger - he clearly enjoys being a backliner, and he’s aware enough of the mechanics to know the *massive* boost to Ranger that was given in Tasha’s. He’d avoid Beastmaster to stay away from Vex/Frumpkin parallels though. As far as Changeling is concerned... yeah. You don’t go from a human to saying “I’m just some guy” as your next character without it being an in-character protestation.

Marisha :  She’s been wise. She’s been smart. And now, she’s going to actually have proficiency in Persuasion. It’s no coincidence that Beau was fashioned out of Keyleth’s pain-points, and this particular issue was her most common plead with Beau. Moreover, there is a class that the party hasn’t really gotten to play with in some time that would fit the Charismatic role quite well that still gets to be an efficient note-taker. A role that I like to call the Arcanist (Full-caster of an arcane tradition, like Scanlan and Caleb have been) that gets to go ham with Identify and Sending and general arcana... I think Marisha’s going to be a Sorcerer. Possibly Shadow or Clockwork - Draconic’s too Tiberius, Storm’s too Keyleth, Wild Magic’s too Chaos Crew, and Aberrant Mind’s too Eyes of Nine. Possibly Divine, if they wind up not getting a Cleric.

Sam :  The only character he actually built for himself was a UA class that changed heavily between his c1 appearance and its eventual printing. However, he confirmed that Liam made his character again, so this time we are definitely looking at Scanlan and Veth moreso than Tary for this question. So to that end - Either he’ll be another small race, or one of the absolute massive folks. And he’ll be a class that can easily lead to in-character jokes, but with High Wisdom this time (to match previous Charisma and Intelligence). Thus, either Druid or Cleric.

Talesin :  Mollymauk was a mirror of Percy. Their souls and appearances were yin and yang. A study in contrast, designed to be as different from the former and from first impressions as possible. Caduceus was a mirror of Mollymauk. Their souls and appearances were yin and yang. Et c. et c. The fact that he managed this without making Percy again shows that he reflected himself across a different axis. I suspect we will see a character that is the opposite of Caduceus along another axis. Intelligent. Foolish. A different chaotic energy than Mollymauk. A mad scientist, of a different discipline than Percy. An Armorer.

Travis:  As with Ashley, this is a guy who likes the big numbers. And there is one infamous variety of big numbers he’s not played yet - Sneak Attack. He got a taste with Chutney, and tried to crit Santa Claus, so he’ll be back for more! Give the big guy a Rogue

TL:DR

Ashley - Paladin Laura - Barbarian Liam - Fighter/Ranger, also Changeling Marisha - Sorcerer Sam - Druid or Cleric Talesin - Artificer (Armorer) Travis - Rogue

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E66

This week’s guests are Sam Riegel and Liam O’Brien! 

Liam: “Listen, Sam and I went on a date before this. We came pre-greased!” 

Sam: “We are drunk!”

[id: A very cheerful Sam and Liam playing with giant metallic springs (Webby awards). end id]

Announcements: Starting with this week’s episode, CR is starting a live captioning service! There is now a live stenographer! There will be a sponsored broadcast before CR begins: at 3PM Pacific on Twitch, Matt and Marisha will play Knights of Pen and Paper 2! (The VOD will be on YouTube on Saturday if you miss it live.) CR’s Pride shirt is in the store! There’s a new emote of Bullock (Brian and Ashley’s new puppy) in the chat!

Episode 66: Beneath Bazzoxan

Stats for this week’s episode: Nott passed Caleb for 3rd most Natural 20s (44 vs. 42). Caleb passed Beau for 2nd most kills (34 vs. 33). Nott stole her platinum flask in Trostenwald 173 days ago in-game. It has been enchanted for 159 days.

Does Sam know where the flask is? Liam learned about it after the game. Sam: “I don’t metagame, Liam. I don’t metagame... but let’s just say I can hypothesize. My hypothesis is that Laura’s not quite as sneaky as she thinks she is. And maybe as she said it I saw her say it to Matt.” He loves the shit-stirring.

Liam startles Henry and runs over to apologize:

[id: Liam patting Henry while Brian looks on. end id]

Sam thinks that Yasha’s the strongest of the Nein, and if anyone’s going to be used as bait, she might be the best off. Caleb feels good about the group’s ability to handle threats together, and he isn’t too stressed out about this.

Caleb took the lead speaking to the drow soldiers in Bazzoxan when the rest of the group (especially Fjord) hesitated, partly because he felt responsible for getting them where they are.

Sam doesn’t think Nott has quite figured out what’s triggering her drinking versus not drinking. “There’s a lot of uncertainty in her life right now about where she’s supposed to be.” Caleb is really wavering about when/whether to give Nott the bottle of booze he bought for her.

Cosplay of the Week: an amazing Vax! (artist: minomotu, photographer: yenra)

Brian: “My only concern... they appear to be at the mall.” Liam: “Vax sees that Orange Julius and is about to double-dash.”

Nott doesn’t suspect Jester would do “anything against her co-detective. But sidenote: there’s a lot of members of the Mighty Nein that are shady motherfuckers.” She suspects pretty much everyone except Jester at this point.

For Caleb, the gods are greater beings and powers way beyond his control, and he thinks of himself as a rat in a maze trying to avoid the big predators. It’s only recently that he’s started to realize that the gods could provide useful abilities. Nott’s a little familiar with the Wildmother, coming from a farming community, but that’s about it (and the Wildmother isn’t approved in the Empire). “Not a lot of religion in Veth/Nott’s life.” Sam says that, next campaign, he’d be interested in playing a character with some religious facets. Liam: “I agree. Maybe I’ll tell you to do that.”

Sam has a whole character planned out for a theoretical campaign three. (”Might use it this campaign when Nott dies.”)

Caleb loved flying and being the Giant Eagle, and he found the lower intelligence freeing. “He relaxed in a way that he never thought that he could. He’s very confused that something that is not a cat could feel so awesome.”

Sam pulls a muscle in his side from laughing too hard. Brian: “You pulled a Marisha!”

Nott is more and more aware of how little they actually know about Yasha. “There is no world where the word Orphanmaker is a good thing.” Nott’s suspicious that something’s up with here. Liam points out that Yasha has told some people a lot, but other people nothing, which is often the case in this campaign. (Caleb actually missed most of Beau’s info-drops and knows basically nothing about Beau, aside from liking her and generally trusting her.)

There’s a debate about how to pronounce ‘Aasimar'. Liam: “It’s just ASMR.”

There’s a very convoluted conversation that somehow circles back to the Satanic Panic, as all things D&D must? Brian: “Satan was the friend we made along the way.”

Fan Art of the Week: Yasha with the statue weeping blood (by carnivalroses)

Sam: “The show is just petting Henry and checking Apple watches now. Max literally left. He walked out of the room. He’s done with the show. I think he quit.”

Nott hasn’t thought about the mask or the gloves for a long time, and hasn’t been wearing the wrappings. “It’s a bit liberating for Nott/Veth to just be out there. She hasn’t really had to hide in the shadows or feel like people are looking at her weird.” Caleb feels exactly the same at the moment; he doesn’t have to hide here. Sam: “Wow. Maybe we are in love.”

Brian mentions that All Work No Play season 2 production is underway. Sam confirms that they didn’t die while filming the first episode.

Henry gets his just rewards (Webby awards, that is!):

[id: Henry looking unimpressed, snoozing next to the Webby awards. end id]

Brian: “I’d like to thank you, drunk Sam, and drunk Liam for joining us.”

[bubblelliot]

Here's my second character! I will also present their teammates a bit since the crew is much more like a family this time! (Might also add pics of the others in following posts and MAYBE of his animals too)

Særos Sandiel and The zookeepers

(This art is a picrew which I do not have the rights on, here is the link to it: https://picrew.me/image_maker/62745)

The name of the team mostly comes from a joke saying that "Mama Lyræ is our zookeeper and that we are the Zookeepers to a ton of pets. Also, Yarina can shapeshift into beasts sooooooo yeah.

Technicalities:

Særos is my very first character played in D&D. We actually started playing on the other game I talked about last time, but we switched to D&D. His character sheet is actually available on DND beyond, but I'm still gonna give details here.

Those are his attributes. (He actually got an additional point of charisma after I wrote this and was too lazy to take another screenshot sorry x) )

He is recorded as a high Elf, but is actually of two different bloodlines. He is VERY young for an elf, but his exact age is unknown (well yes but know, you'll see). He has 5 wizard and 2 cleric levels, making him currently level 7.

Equipment:

I am NOT gonna go through everything Særos has, cause that would be VERY long. He has a heavy armor, he has a staff of healing and a shortsword, but he mostly uses his magic. He also has, in his spellbook, a collection of dried flowers.

Familiars:

Særos has a TON of pets he acquired through the different quests the party went on. The first one is a frog named Lepiota he found wounded and saved. He then bought an old black cat he named Persephone (even if the cat is a male 😂). Finally, he also bought two ferrets (fluffy noodles ❤️❤️) which he named Elton and Freddy (this one was as a reference to one of our former player who really loves Elton John and Freddy Mercury). He loves them with all his heart and will absolutely kill anyone who tries to hurt his babies.

Allies:

Særos' main ally is, obviously, his twin, Edran. They are very similar, but Særos is usually pretty well kept with his short hair always brushed and his braids made every morning, whereas Edran is a bit shorter, more immature, usually pretty dirty with blood all over their clothes (which are poofy dressed he hides poison in 😂) and messy hair. There is also Lyræ. She is a paladin coming from far away lands. She is a human with elf ancestors and dragon blood. She has a wife and children and thus, she is pretty much the mom of the group. (The DM literally gave her two custom attacks she can use in RP: the flick of anger that gives 1pt of bludgeoning + 1pt of psychic damage and the disapproving look that gives 2pts of psychic damage everytime she does it + makes the target intimidated). Then, there is Finian, a human assassin. Finian and Særos are pretty neutral about each other, but Edran is in absolute admiration of him, so Særos is grateful that Finian doesn't just shatter his sibling's trust. The last member, who was actually someone that was rescued by the party, is Yarina. She is a very shy aasimar and is pretty much the definition of being pure EXCEPT she is obsessed with daggers (no joke, she has 23 of them). They were recently joined by a rogue elf called Adressin who actually attacked them at first.

Appearance:

This picrew is already pretty accurate. Særos (as well as Edran actually) has blond almost white hair, but it's actually fluffier than on the picture. He has two braids, one in front of each ear, a few freckles and red-pink eyes. He is very pale, quite small and very frail. He looks pretty androgynous and rather young, though he usually passes as a bit older since he is an elf.

Backstory and campaign:

So the campaign isn't really a big story like in Rhodrag's case, so I'll tell the party's story, but not the quests.

The twins' first memory is waking up in a bed, only knowing their name. They meet with the lovely wood elf lady who save them, and learn they were found in the sand by a nearby river. For that reason, they are given the last name "Sandiel".

They live a relatively normal life with her, for around 10 years, until they are attacked by drows. Their adopted mother successfully hides them by using magic and they learn they are wanted because they are part drow and part high-elf, meaning pretty much every every elven races will want to kill them. The woman successfully protects the twins. She is taken out of the house and, to this day, the twins don't know what happened of her, whether she was killed or taken.

They left and reached a nearby city. There, they survived by stealing and being street entertainers (for example, even if he has no rogue level, Særos is proefficient in stealth, sleight of hands, deception, etc. He also is proefficient in performance. He learned to sing, the art of divination and a bit of magic.)

One night though, Særos came back to their hiding place to find his sibling dead. All he could understand was that they died of both malnutrition and hypothermia.

Out of desperation, he tried every spell he knew, but nothing happened. He tried reanimation, but it had been to long. Out of despair, he prayed any god possible to help him, saying he couldn't live in this unfair world without Edran.

A god did answer. He is actually a god from the other game we started the campaign in before switching to DND.

He is called Nuodai the Trickster.

He offered a deal to Særos: he would bring back Edran and even guarantee him power and success, and in exchange, when Særos would be powerful enough, the Trickster would take his elven traits which hold part of his powers, as well as 200 years of his life. Out of desperation, Særos accepted.

He woke up the next morning. His sibling was by his side, clearly not dead, but not entirely alive. They were now a revived.

Things went on, Edran not knowing, and Særos eventually stopped thinking about the deal, only happy to have his twin back. They moved from the city, trying to reach a bigger one, and were, once again, attacked by drows. He used a spell to put his twin in safety and attacked the drows, but was, if course, neutralized.

He was taken and they made him a slave while they tried to capture Edran to kill them together.

Fast forward, Edran is taken into an underdark prison. He meets again with his brother and both if them are beaten up. They successfully defend though and they are thrown in a cell as it is decided they're are to be executed the next day. This is where they meet Lyræ and Finian.

They plan to escape as well as a few other NPCs. They are able to leave the cell and steal a bit of stuff while a vrock attacks the guards. They escape and reach a teleporter. There, Særos successfully brings everyone back to the surface. Newly free, they all start to look for a village. After properly introducing each others, they finally reach a tiny elf village. The twins stay as stealthy as possible but end up being noticed and attacked by guards. They then have a choice: they could be changed into simple would elves or they have to leave. Særos knows it's not gonna work on Edran, and bargains to be able to stay. At first, the headmaster threatens to kill him for that, but he ends up agreeing to let them in the city, guarded, until the night falls.

They then shop and leave the city.

They end up in a forrest Særos realizes is corrupted. There, they were attacked by a HUGE snake touched by the corruption. At first, everyone tries to kill it except Edran and quickly, Særos and Finian join them. Særos finally cuts the tip of it's tail where the corruption was and Edran and Finian calm it.

Lyræ is terrified of it and finally lets them all know that her best friend was killed by a giant snake who ate her alive. (This is freaking terrifying yo.)

In the end, a fight starts and Særos, enraged, leaves everyone and runs towards the center of the corruption. There he is attacked by corrupted elves and tree creatures we happily called Groots. Edran joins him and Særos basically rages (he used they most powerful spell he had and literally exploded them.

Edran, while attacking, starts gaining weird memories.

Fast forward to the end of the quest, Særos is happily searching for animals and flowers when he and Edran hear strange noises coming from a tree. Edran climbs it and a wood elf girl falls from the tree, before Edran jumps on her from the too of the tree.

The team introduced themselves to her and she happily talks to them. So yeah, that's how we met Nayhru.

The team reaches a weird village and after the whole snake incident, leaves the party for a while, promising to find them again soon and assuring she would always be closer than they think.

They reach the village which reveals to be a village of gnomes and there they meet with a gnome (who's player inspired the names of my furrets x) ) and a Goliath travelling together. They all find the village empty before being attacked by a troll and... Metal gnomes?

They kill them, uneager to die, and search the village. They find flowers in the middle of the village and Særos takes one for his collection. Særos and Edran are attacked by an ooze and at some point, the ooze attacks Edran just before being killed by Nayrhu. At that moment, Edran starts turning into a robot as well, with the corruption growing from their arm. Særos tries to cut off the arm, but us unable and the corruption takes Edran's whole body.

They leave the village and are able to find a Druid eager to help them make a cure for Edran and the gnomes, but he needs Elder sage. He describes it and Særos shows his flower to the Druid, who confirms it is Elder sage. They go back to the village to get flowers, cane back and turned Edran back into a flesh being.

And that's when they remembered dying and being brought back to life. Edran and Særos cried in each other's arms and then continued on.

They got in a cavern near the village from where the trolls always came. There, the found a girl, chained, with glowing wings. They freed her and she introduced herself as Yarina. (Fun fact: Yarina's player is my SO, and both Yarina and Særos have the spell suggestion, so when the crew found a the boss hiding something, we just made it run away. Nice. )

The team found a clockwork dragon and helped it. They then left again. Finian had to leave a couple times, and at some point, the team realized that, even if they are young, the twins were actually a lot older than they thought: They assumed Edran's death happened when they were around 13 and that it had been around 6 years, meaning Særos was actually around 19.

They were reunited with Lyræ and began other quests. In one of them, the team encountered a wishing fountain that filled any wish you had under certain conditions. Særos asked to know his whole story, from the lives of his parents up to now. The fountain gave him a magic book that tells his story and updates. It has no name so Særos just calls it The story book.

Some time passed and the team continued on. They were traveling to the capital until one night, Nayrhu and Edran caught a thief about to steal their stuff. They quickly stopped him and realized he was very young. Instead of kicking his butt, they woke up the whole team and decided together to bring him to the capital and help him make money to survive there. And that's how they met Adressin.

The zookeepers reached the capital where they are supposed to find Finian who joined outlaws he met in another quest.

Before finding Finian, they decided to do a few quests to earn money with Adressin.

Everyone through the day kept noticing Særos bring super bold, a lot bolder than he usually is, for example, telling Yarina who was wearing a magic dress that she looked "Incredibly beautiful" as if she was "made if pure light". No one really thought anything of it though and just shoved it away.

One night, they decided a drinking contest was a good idea and everyone joined except Adressin. The next morning, everyone was doing good, maybe a tad nauseous, except for Lyræ and Særos who were absolutely fucked up. They both used spells to heal their hangover, but Særos remained mildly unwell, choosing to go on their quest anyways.

Symptoms were the following:

-A headache that was mostly located to the top front of his head

-His low back itching and hurting a LOT

-His eyes feeling dry

No one really knew what was going on, some didn't even really notice.

As they went on with their first quest, they started noticing weird stuff about Særos' appearance: His hair looked more golden than white, as they used to, there were two bumps appearing on his forehead around the location of his headache, his eyes looked.... Weird...? But no one really saw anything peculiar, his skin, usually also white, now looked kinda pink.

He doesn't really notice the changes and doesn't understand what is happening which utterly FRIGHTENS him, but he hides it. Yarina started understanding what was happening and Edran out all the pieces together and now they know everything.

To be continued...

[kiercorp]

Markus’ Backstory Master Post

Yesterday was Markus’ birthday so I figured it was the perfect time to piece together his back story based on what Nahal basically confirmed for us. Along with hints from his back story dream in “The Storm”, his visions in the wizard tower, the song “Ballad of Markus Velafi”, and the back story told to us in “The Campfire” episode. I’m trained to write things like history essays I apologize for that format ahead of time. 

But before we begin it is important to remember that Markus has admitted to lying and stretching the truth when talking about his past. From what I’ve gathered he doesn’t blatantly lie about his past instead, he lies through omission of details. Which Ashe also admits to doing when she tells her back story in the campfire episode. Therefore even though Ashe questions how much of his story is true. We can at the very least trust that what he says did happen even if he didn’t tell us everything that happened. But only when it comes to Markus telling the story. The Ballad of Markus Velafi should be taken with a grain of salt since it’s clearly a fantasized version of the story.

I’m going to tell the events of his back story in the chronological order that they happened. Not in the order, they were told to us. Yes, this means we’ll jump around with what evidence is where. But I feel like it’s the easiest way to tell it. There are some areas that are speculation but most of this is alluded to in canon. The very end might be spoilers for where Markus’ plot is going in the future. But it’s mostly theories on my part. The rest is under a read more because I wrote way too much. 1,500 words actually.

First we start at the very beginning. He was born and as the Ballad of Markus, Velafi says half tiefling and half not. Originally that would lead to the assumption that one of his parents was a demon and the other human. But Markus confirmed that his dad’s line had been serving the royal line for generations as tieflings. Then One in “God’s are Gone” confirms again that it was Markus’ ancestors that made the pack with Demons and that Markus’ demon blood is actually incredibly deluded. So when he says the line half Demon man he means half tiefling, not half demon half human. That leaves the other half of his family line completely unknown. With the easiest answer being that his mother was just a human. But in the campfire episode, he intentionally skips around his mother. Stating “I can talk about my mother another time”. If she’s dead there’s no reason for talk of his mother to be a completely different story.

Until what we got in the most recent ep the assumption was human and the theory was celestial. Nahal states that he smells Royal and Markus repeats the line he said to Ashe all the way back in the campfire episode. He’s not royal; he’s royal adjacent or almost royalty. Nahal then drops the name of the Royal group she thought he smelled like, Aasimar. Aasimar’s are angels (Don’t know if that needs to be explained or not.) which checks out with Markus’ admittance that the Royals were celestial in nature. But that’s not the point. The point is we all know a scent that “rubbed off on him” wouldn’t stick around to the present which is 20 years later. Especially when Ashe on multiple occasions has mentioned the brimstone smell that is always on him. The only way the Aasimar scent would still be coming off of him was if he was making it himself and it was just covered up to most people by the smell of brimstone.

So that’s all the new stuff which is just confirming a theory people have had for a while. Now it’s time to connect it to all the other parts of his story. Starting with his mom! In the campfire episode, he actively skips over her and focuses’ on his father even though by his own admission his dad was rarely around. Mostly because of his dad’s work and also because this would have been the time when Markus was sent away to “wizard high school” aka boarding school. To be half Aasimar his mother would have been one of the royals. It would have made Markus’ birth a scandalous affair. If not for that fact that it was clearly covered up. He grew up with his dad and the servant’s most likely being told his mother was dead. And when Markus’ uncontrollable magic, that was clearly stronger than an average tiefling, showed up he was sent to wizard high school to learn to control it. Markus is clearly now aware that his magic is stronger than the average well anyone. It’s where the label “sorcerlock” comes from. As well as his reading of Nahal in the most recent episode.

At some point when he’s younger, Markus labels the age “around 12”. His father sits him down to explain why it’s important they serve the royal family. Knowing that his Dad had been and might still be in a secret relationship with one of them explains what his father said. “True fulfillment comes only through obedience and servitude to something greater than yourself.”  It’s the only quote from the conversation Markus remembers. To Markus, it left a bad taste in his mouth that he remembers to this day. To his father, it was probably the only way he could keep his little broken family together. As long as he and Markus kept their heads down and served the royal family. He’d be able to stay near the love of his life. Assuming she wasn’t dead.

Meeting Silverfish in the woods most likely happened before he went off to school. Since little Markus makes no reference to magic. But he does tell the ironic lie that he’s a prince from a nearby kingdom. Because of Ashe and Gregor’s meddling, it’s impossible to tell how much of their part of the dream actually happened. I do believe Markus and Silverfish ran into a hunter and Markus convinced said hunter to help with the promise of getting paid. Of course, said hunter wasn’t paid and Markus ran away from them. It would have been the first time he put on a fake persona. The origin of Morkass Velafmor if you will.

Markus is sent to Wizard High school for the rest of his teen years. Some of his fear of high school is played up for laughs. But I do believe he struggled. The restrictions imposed on Inien’s type of magic would have made a very awkward learning environment for someone with basically unlimited magical reserves. He does eventually get a handle on his magic most likely through his own private studies. Once done with his schooling he returns to Tannhauser.

Upon his return he starts taking over his father’s duties as he was chosen to do. He does well in the position and gains the king’s trust. Then, of course, the big night happens. The king gets drunk and Markus escorts the King to his room alone. Markus learns two things that night. First is what he told the group at the campfire. The family line currently on the throne was not the original royal line. This truth shakes him, but it’s not the reason he left.

Markus learns of a second cover-up, all about him. He learns that his mother is part of the royal family either the king’s sister or daughter, depending on how old this king was. He was old enough that Markus was being trained to serve the next king and not this current king. He learns that even if he’s the oldest heir his half breed status would keep him from the throne. He also puts together that the king he’s being trained to serve is either his younger half brother or younger cousin. Which explains why Markus, Matt, and Jay all compare Markus to viziers. The head adviser to the king usually had some family relation to the king. It’s where the evil uncle stealing the throne from the young prince trope comes from. Young Markus literally reads a book about a Vizier that gets away with it in his flashback dream.

Learning this truth leaves Markus with a choice. The choice he tells Ashe. He can reveal the lie and along the way put himself on the throne or he can leave. This part is even in the Ballad of Markus Velafi. “This mountain that I’ve summited I’ve fallen from by choice.” He “laid siege to the gods” and was at the top. He easily could have taken the thrown either legitimately if he’s the oldest or illegitimately by causing another coop and “leading” the servants to revolution. Them never putting together that he was related to the royals they were overthrowing. But he chose to throw it all away. He left and never turned back.

Now it’s many years later. His father and the King are certainly dead and the current king is a younger relative of his. Wither that king knows of Markus’ relation to him depends on if the Tannhausers are showing up in TI anytime soon. And with multiple new characters referencing Tannhauser or straight up saying they’re from there. It’s incredibly likely we’ll get more of Markus’ story very soon. 

So yeah that’s where we are. Markus is half demon half angel and now we just need to wait for the others to put it together. I do wonder if the Celestial part is why his demon form is more colorful then One’s. It would also explain the invisible barrier that protected him along with his little demon wings when Ashe attacked him in the dream. There’s also the fact that Matt has admitted that Markus does a glamour spell 24/7. I’ve always seen glamour as a more light affiliated spell. It’s an illusion that affects what people see by changing what light shows basically.  Who knows but I’m really excited to see what’s coming!

PS. thank you for reading all this. Sorry, again it’s so long.

[nochiquinn]

c2e74: but then I gotta kill ya

I'm so tired. Kiddo started school this week so I've been up at 6, which I am NOT used to, and I didn't nap this afternoon, so if this post is half as long as its supposed to be you know why

when I looked up the lights made it look like sam had cat ears

no. the bit is dead. stop this.

okay the pushup fight is a little cute

and with that sam and liam's short film project is concluded forever

"we are impeRFECT CREATURES"

mala: bold of you to assume Laura Bailey is an imperfect creature

it's cinder

micaaaaa

asimaaaaar

golden freckleeeees

she sounds adorable

I have had Reani for ten minutes and if anything happens to her I will kill everyone in this room and then myself

"stop revealing I have a soul"

fjord: "I hate to interrupt the cupcakes - " jester: "THEN DON'T"

be au

"I'm just. I'm just me." heart eyes motherfucker

can wine snob beau happen now

jes

"as a cluster" - it's 8/8 - sense8 crossover confirmed

I want a comic series of reani

security book

do all aasimar know each other

oh no lawful good

(neutral?)

does anybody remember miko from order of the stick? what if reani is that but sweet-natured

Pink One

y'all gon fallen that aasimar

I miss Sprigg

it's Notes from bloodborne

this whole scene has fantasy costco vibes

mr green man

"can I call you pinky" "yeaaaah"

"ska is the line?!"

woodset otters

surname confirm??

the what

"they're really dumb"

I still want my comic book but so it can be a better "lightbringer" superhero book

wrassler ovarystick, got it

this is wan shi tong's library

it's the B.O.B.

werewolves. you're talking about werewolves.

taliesin: percy will remember this

sam trying to bite laura's arm

aw shit half-blood prince

"all forms of vague moral authority have left the building"

distracted by bf coming home and all I see is "oh no" in my chat; prepared to come back to a library-based tpk

but did u die tho

elf racist

laura: "......OH"

it took everybody a solid thirty seconds to realize what he was talking about

"you thought the word 'auditor' was safe, didn't you"

"keep pushing me, book boy"

YEET CIRCLE

yes good take the black/white morality to a country at war, there are always clearly defined good guys and bad guys in a war

"nobody can see it if they're dead!"

so this is a 2006 fursona is what this is

cad that's rude probably

there are no therapists in wildemount

look I love her but also she's spent the entire episode learning how to poison people better

this is gonna end SO WELL

fifteen second pause as matt tries to come up with a tree voice

[segway noises]

is this postknight

"87" it's like making a vax stealth roll

they're on top of the dragon

it's the snowager

(did I make this joke during the slayer's take white dragon) (I feel like I did but I'm not checking rn)

essik: 

[tmae3114]

The Mystery of Dareth Woodrow

*kicks down a door* HEY WHO WANTS TO HEAR A THEORY???

Okay, honestly, this is less of a case of Here Is A Thing That I Think Is Going To Happen In Canon and more of a case of me wanting to stretch my theorist muscles and “how well can I argue the validity of this possibility that I thought of?” Like, this is just. This is just for fun. This was practically a writing exercise, which is why it’s been sitting completely finished and unposted for months now, it was just fun to write but I didn’t know if I was ever going to actually share it, except maybe with friends.

So since this is just for fun, it’s waaay less timestamped than my last DCA theory (the “Diath Has A History With The Waterdeep Underground” one, which I am still giddy about having been so close with, that’s a good feeling) because I am currently A Very Tired University Student With A Lot Of Work To Do. Also it’s definitely far less grounded, mostly because the thing it’s about hasn’t really come up much and, unlike Diath’s backstory, there haven’t been many hints dropped. So, it’s also much shorter.

I’m going to keep with the format I went with for the previous theory  – a statement of the theory itself and then presentation of my evidence – though because it’s a format that works and also I already typed it up that way so here goes:

I think that maybe Dareth really was one of Diath’s descendants.

Dareth is a figure that we don’t know much of anything about. She’s been mentioned by name only once and not even alluded to since. We know that she’s related to Diath and that Gutter was forged for her and that’s it. We don’t even know if she was a Woodrow, though the fact that Gutter “wants to be with the Woodrows” certainly implies so.

The first and only time that we hear anything about her, Shemeshka states that she was “one of [Diath’s] descendants, I believe.” The general assumption, as far as I’m aware, is that that line was the result of Chris misspeaking and that Dareth is actually Diath’s ancestor. This does seem like a very likely possibility, as everybody makes mistakes and Chris has misspoken before and since, and the past tense means that it makes far more sense for Dareth to have been Diath’s ancestor rather than his descendant.However, this occasion stands out from other times that Chris has misspoken. Every other time that I can think of where Chris has used the wrong word or phrase, he has either corrected himself or acknowledged someone else’s correction – such as when he referred to Strahd as Paultin’s grandfather in Episode 78 and then quickly appended “well, great-great-great-”. As far as I’m aware, that hasn’t happened in regards to the statement about Dareth, which could be an indication that he wasn’t misspeaking and really did mean to call her Diath’s descendant.

If the circumstances surrounding the Last Lorcatha soul are such that it continually reincarnates, this is a situation which is entirely possible. Diath - or whoever he was before, if his name and identity change each time, which seems likely as evidence seems to point to him reincarnating without memories, given his displayed complete lack of memories of anything before being Diath Woodrow – would have lived quite a few lives, given that the Lorcatha-Skizziks conflict and the subsequent Ashtown Concordance occurred centuries ago as of the time of canon; if he returns as a human each time, that is roughly an absolute minimum of one life per century passed, provided he never died of anything but old age. During any given one of those lives, he could have fallen in love and had at least one child, who could have then gone on to have their own children, thus leading to Diath having descendants, thus, Dareth.

But why even consider this possibility, instead of just accepting the far more possible likelihood that Chris meant to call her one of Diath’s ancestors?

I’ve got a few things fuelling my suspicions.

Firstly, Shemeshka states to Diath that Gutter was forged as a gift for Dareth. Given what we know of Shemeshka, for her to simply freely give something – let alone freely create something specifically to give it freely – is very out of character. If she does something, there’s something that she can get out of it. So there must have been something that she wanted, which she stood a good chance of getting through giving Gutter to Dareth. It’s not difficult to guess what – Gutter was designed to use Diath’s keys, after all. It was likely created for the express purpose of obtaining those keys.

But why give it to Dareth? And why make Gutter with the desire to be with the Woodrows? What exactly makes the Woodrows special? Diath is our only metric for the Woodrow bloodline and anything which may be unique about it but all of the things thus far revealed to be ‘‘special’’ about him can ultimately be traced back to the Lorcatha – the only one that can’t for certain be is his ring of keys, but the presence of the aasimar in Sigil heavily implies that they are in some way linked to the Lorcatha. Even Shemeshka’s interest in him links back to them, with her role as an arbiter of the Ashtown Concordance and the fact that she currently owns part of his soul.

So, what if what was special about the Woodrows was Diath?

Again working on the basis of the Last Lorcatha reincarnating, what if Diath had reincarnated into the Woodrow family before? Or had displayed a pattern, when reincarnating, of recurring in families where he had been before?

If this were the case, as someone who had been present since the signing of the Ashtown Concordance and someone who has apparent reasons to keep an eye on him, Shemeshka would have noticed. We’ve seen in canon that she has no problem playing the long game when it comes to whatever she wants from Diath - such as saying “Well, I suppose I won’t lose anything in the long run,” in Episode 80, shortly before sending Diath back to face the Halruuan force bomb, with the very real possibility that this would result in his death - and so, the possibility of making a sword for a member of a family that she knows he’ll crop up in sooner or later with the intent that it would eventually fall into his hands seems like a plan she would potentially come up with.

Secondly, Shemeshka has, in the past, referenced things about Diath that he himself does not know - such as in Episode 61, where she said “So bright, that light in you Lorcatha,” - and seems to be amused when he does not recall or outright rejects these things. Thus, obliquely referring to Dareth as one of his descendants when he has no context to make that sentence make sense would fall perfectly in character.

This is my evidence as stands for this possibility.

However, I would be a poor theorist if I did not acknowledge the existence of counter-evidence for my theory. In Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, the flavour text for Diath’s “Gutter” item reads “A magical short sword forged for one of my ancestors”. This could stand as evidence that Dareth is, indeed, canonically one of Diath’s ancestors.

However, arguing in favour of this theory, the Diath content in Idle Champions was created with Jared’s input and there is the possibility that he made the same assumption that the fandom has made about Chris having misspoke when calling Dareth “one of [Diath’s] descendants”. This is just speculation, though, and it is also possible that Jared has, in private, asked Chris about said statement and received actual clarification.

The latter of these two situations would disprove this theory, as that would stand as canonical confirmation that Chris did intend to say ancestor, but as stands with the information that we have, we do not know, and this theory is still viable.

[readbythestarlight]

c2e64

Oh dear god

@heavensarcher I’m so sorry for Sam’s absolutely slaughtering of Australian

He can’t even stop laughing long enough to read it xD

Oh boy here we go

Time to face the music of their fuckups

WHISPERS

Aw Nott honey no one is mad at you! It’s fine!

(Sam has been feeling bad about this too)

Moro is real done with the M9 xD

Hnnnn fuck has he been watching them? That’s not good

Guys leave poor Moro alone don’t be rude

I’m glad they’re going after the guy

Not that I think it’ll be safe for them but for the sake of the story

5 days yikes

Oh boy time to travel to ground zero of the Calamity

If they go there it’s gonna be bad for Fjord I feel it

Deep River Mine

For the love of god

Don’t behead the corpses

Desecrating the dead is not a great thing to do guys

Like I know Caduceus has a unique thing with death but come on these weren’t demons they were people

You know all they had to do to get into the room and spy was threaten Moro with their knowledge of the drugs she’s selling

But noooooo

Now we’re murdering people and cutting off heads and riding out into the Barbed Fields like idiots

I love them but I wish they’d think about their actions more often

Just gonna feed the bodies to the Mooreboudners now huh

Sometimes I feel like their morality flip flops on any given day

Also y’all gonna tell Yeza you’ll be gone for a minimum of a week or

Caleb pretending he needs to rest so Beau can heal up because she doesn’t want to hold the group up what a sweet bro

B: "You made vulnerability look so easy."

C: "It is."

She’s right tho y’all don’t want clerics wasting their spells in the morning

Poor Matt seems a bit out of it tonight poor thing! Maybe they need to take a week off again soon...

Mmm... don’t like...

On the one hand it could be dying, on the other it could be playing possum

Creepy bald dessert monster noPE

Wait is this THE sword? Or one they got off like the hobgoblin?

Travis is so offended by the existence of this monster

Matt: "While it’s holding you, you feel it’s wail shaking your soul."

Travis: yeah yep it sure do

Oh yikes attacking it makes it worse

Travis is just hating every minute of this

Yeaaaaaah Jester savin’ Fjord

Fjord giving Jester a little kiss on the cheek IM DYING THATS SO CUTE

I don’t even really ship them I just love them being cute and close

The dice love Beau again!

Caleb, unconscious, the monster trying to stuff him into its body -

Travis: ITS TRYING TO DO WHAT

Travis is gonna have nightmares tonight

Also somebody get my dumbass mage some kind of magic armor this is ridiculous

"Ahhhh, noo sir!"

Marisha: "can I punch bats?"

Matt: YEAH YOU CAN PUNCH BATS!

Yay they all survived!

Okay now we’re gonna try to talk to the heads

Holy shit I can’t believe they got so much!!

The Angel of Irons oh boy

Wait

AS IN THE GUY REAPONSIBLE GOT CHAINING YASHA MAYBE

HMMMMMMM

HMMMMMMMMMMMM

Or... as in Yasha herself?? She’s an angel Aasimar) IN irons

I’m thinking it’s the guy who chained her tho

Like if he’s some sort of demon/fallen "angel"?

Poor Yeza

I can’t decide if Caleb is being paranoid or smart

Ruby of the Sea has agoraphobia canon confirmed

On the one hand I feel their "one more hour!!" but on the other a) Matt seemed tired and b) I have class tomorrow and I’ve already stayed up too late so thank you Matt

[zichiandhisnonsense]

I really don’t know what to title this.

So last Sunday. Shit hit the fan in our d&d game, not the one I was running, the one I was playing in (another player and I alternate between games). So...

So  here’s the party:

Terin Stormforge, the Dwarf Wizard and un/official leader of the party.

Jago, the human monk and the lancer to Terin’s leader.

Goh’Bi Orgoho, a half orc paladin of bahamut who wants to convert as many people as she can to her god.

Keian Azora, the Aasimar Sorcerer and Goh’Bi’s travelling companion

Ignatia, a Fire Genasi pugilist and former bandit

And... Nephlia, the elven cleric whose elven sub-type I still can’t figure out.

So as a quick side-note, the only two characters who have survived/remained through the entire campaign are Terin and Jago, everyone else either lost characters or got bored and swapped out. Goh’Bi heard that there was suspicious activity in the West (our main quest-line involved fighting cultist forces) and offered her sword in service to defeating them, and Keian was Goh’Bi’s travelling companion and basically went “sure, why not”. Ignatia and Nephlia though, kinda just tagged themselves on with little explanationin-character. Out-of-character, Ignatia’s player explained that a) she hated her bandit companions but b) she’s in debt to a mob boss and needs strong allies to help defend herself. After the party wrecked the bandits, Ignatia defected to our side -and accidentally to our cause-. Nephlia’s player never really gave a reason, but Terin and Jago agreed to let it happen, because we were in dire need of a healer.

So, as part of the story-line, the party is travelling to a gnomish city called Niblvifs, because the cult we are fighting and a demonic creature that is powered by a cult artefact is also last seen heading in that direction. These gnomes however are infamous for their bureaucratic processes, you need to fill in the paperwork to enter the city, to go to certain places, speak to certain people, etc. I always imagine the permit number 8-38 scene from “Asterix and the 12 tasks”. But regardless, law and order is a big thing here.

So the inn is staying at a tavern called “the spare drink”. Now, this inn has a challenge -there is a giant tankard 4-ft high and filled with what is generously described as “grog”. If someone managed to drink the entire thing in one sitting, there’s a 600 gold prize. The night prior -when we first entered the town- Ignatia and Nephlia immediately gun for the prize money. Ignatia was ballsy enough to try it herself -a challenge which needed her to pass six constitution saving throws of increasing difficulty in a row. She failed after the first one. Nephlia decided -rather than do it herself with her meagre con- she would trick the paladin into trying it, while also secretly buffing Go’Bi with all kinds of saving-throw-boosting spells. Goh’Bi also failed on the third row, but didn’t fail as bad as Ignatia so Goh’Bi actually woke up in the morning. When the rest of the party decided to go to sleep, Keian -being a somewhat kind person- looked over to see who looked depressed at the bar and gave them a smile and a wink. This confused the woman and when she went to the party for clarification about what that was about... Nephlia was convinced Keian was trying to whore himself out, and so she would be Keian’s pimp. Even worse, she planned to whore Keian our at a copper per person. 

Nephlia does not trust Keian at all, because Keian is on a pretty precarious position in the party. Long story short, Keian’s attempts at destroying an important artefact used by the cult backfired horribly in a way that no one could predict, creating the demonic monster I mentioned earlier, despite that fact that this was something Keian could not predict at all.

For the whole of the next day, Terin was pre-occupied with various chores, from informing the town guard “hey, there are cultists heading your way” to visiting the forges. Terin is a clan crafter, and basically fell in love with the firearms the gnomes of Niblvifs use. However, to purchase guns, one needs -in this bureaucratic nightmare of a city- a license to own and purchase guns. To get that license, Terin had to take a crash-course on gun maintenance and gun safety. He was out of commission until evening.

Meanwhile, back at the inn, Goh’Bi decided to spend the day nursing her hangover, while Ignatia left to go look after her pet elephant (an elephant costs 200 gold in d&d 5e. And tbf, if the elephant gets proper combat training it could be a surprisingly powerful member of the party). Jago meanwhile is an social recluse -having spent his entire childhood alone in an abandoned monastery-, so he remained in his room and worked on his woodcarving. This left Keian, Goh’Bi and Nephlia.

Keian began to notice that a lot of women were eyeing him up, ranging from gnomes (which he had zero interest) to a 7 foot tall goliath (which his squishy sorcerer ass feared for his life). Eventually, he lead the trace to Nephlia, who had begun spreading the word that Keian was her man-whore who she’d lend out for a copper a go. Keian absolutely flipped his lid and told Nephlia -in no uncertain terms- no, no, no, no, don’t even try.

To this adamant refusal, Nephlia decided to use her thaumaturgy spell to expand her voice, declaring to the whole bar of her special offer with Keian. And with a natural-20 persuasion check too. A mortified Keian fled to his room, locked the door and ignored everyone who tried to enter.

Goh’Bi -although still hungover- proceeded to stand up for Keian, saying what Nephlia was doing was not on at all. Nephlia proceeded to use her thaumaturgy to scream in the hungover orc’s ear, which made Goh’Bi lose her patience. In the proceeding mess, Goh’Bi kept trying to grab Nephlia (no weapons drawn or fist thrown) while Nephlia continued tormenting and smacking Goh’Bi with her shield.

Eventually the guards came and tried to arrest the both of them. Nephlia decided to try and get Keian arrested too, saying that there was a guy upstairs too involved in the brawl. Fortunately, Goh’Bi’s persuasion of “he’s not involved in this, leave him alone” beat Nephlia’s deception and the two of them were arrested. Goh’Bi’s first reaction was “this is bullshit” but eventually decided it would be easier to accompany them.

So Goh’Bi and Nephlia were escorted to jail and eventually, Jago and Keian would leave their rooms and learn of the two being arrested. The two immediately went “Terin will flip out if he learns of this”. Keian stayed behind on the off-chance that Terin returned, while Jago went to the jails to try and solve this mess and probably pay bail.

However. Nephlia wasn’t done causing trouble. She was put in a jail cell with her weapons, shield and her mask (she hides her identity for some reason) removed from her and her struggles failing against the swarm of gnome guards holding her in place. She and Goh’Bi were told to wait until the guards got statements and confirmation about what happened. Nephlia told the guards that wasn’t necessary, she knew the captain of the guard, let her talk to him and she’ll get this all sorted. The guards refused, saying they would do this by the books.

(And for reference, Nephlia did meet the captain. She was there when Terin went to talk to the captain about cult activity having an interest in the city. Not the best connection, honestly.)

So with the guards going to gather information and Jago on his way to pay bail, all Nephlia has to do is sit still and wait and it’ll all be solved, right?

No.

Nephlia becomes determined to speak with the captain, and so she uses a racial ability she has to teleport 30ft out of the window and into the street. She -having been marked as a difficult criminal for resisting and refusing to co-operate-, teleports in bright daylight, in front of the jail, onto the busiest street of the city, where town guards will be watching. And so she runs, not out of town, but further into town, towards the town hall, where there will be more guards in order to speak with the captain.

I muted myself at this point to scream.

Jago -being a monk- eventually came across the scene of Nephlia running from the guards. She seemed to expect Jago to help her escape. Jago -being a lawful man, smart enough to know Nephlia is performing a jailbreak- aids the town guard, telling Nephlia to give up and maybe the situation can be salvaged.

Nephlia does not give up and keeps running. Eventually, she causes such a ruckus that Terin sees the situation -the street that the confrontation in on cuts straight through the centre of the city, and the forge district and the tavern we’re staying at are on separate sides. Due to Terin’s lower perception, he just sees Jago and the guards trying to subdue a cloaked figure, so he aides the guards and Jago.

Nephlia is knocked unconscious in the end -her player was in the habit of only ever preparing lethal or healing spells, no utility at all- and ended up dragged back to the jail. Terin screamed internally so loud, that it was heard externally. Nephlia was now upgraded to first class prisoner: she had everything taken from her, holy symbol, armour, everything but her clothes -which were thoroughly searched- and she was thrown into basically solitary confinement. Terin learned of what had happened and what was going on and aged 13 years, before coming to the decision of waiting until the investigation had concluded and either picking up Goh’Bi once proven innocent, or paying her bail if needed.

“What about Nephlia?” Jago asks. To which Terin replies “Fuck her, she’s fired.”

So, yeah. We’ve had one character death, two characters leave, one character become and NPC and now we have one character fired. To their credit, Nephlia’s player was fine with this, “I played her as she would act” and basically started working on his new character.

So yeah, that’s how the party’s main and backup healer ended up arrested and the main healer kicked out.

Jesus.

[bookwormguri]

Escape the Brothel- Recap 2

aka Fuck me in my stupid face. I can’t write short recaps to save my fucking life because EVERYTHING IS IMPORTANT.

I’ve imagined myself writing this or continuing to write this so often that sometimes I forgot I haven’t written down a single sentence in months. It’s easy to imagine I’m in an empty room with only four people, speaking into the microphone about a story that did happen, and some that didn’t. I did some long posts about the Background and First Session of my DnD game’s first arc, but here I am, over a year later trying to catch up. My memories are a little fuzzy because this happened OVER A YEAR AGO, but I’m sure my Players will correct me if I get anything wrong.

God save me.

Warnings: Violence, PvP, attempted rape, mentions of child abuse, prostitution, poor grammar.

The Players:

Terrance “Fitz” Fitzgeralt-Half-elf Barbarian tiny gay @fitzgeralt @yarking

Vekti White-Bear- Half-orc Sorcerer happy gay @autumninthenorth

Aritian- Aasimar Bard ??? gay @nyako-chan

Arc 1: Escape the Brothel

In my last recap, I left it off with the group’s first day of work finishing up. Now we are on to day two and beyond. Nyako was not there this time, thus the lack of a pretty Bard.

The first arc took place in the Deep Fantasia, located in the walled city Derwezeam. It’s the foremost brothel for those who want something specific or expensive or both. Working there is akin to slavery. Only the guards are allowed to leave the large, manor-like brothel and only at certain times. All workers are branded with a rune that will cast the Disintegrate spell if the person carrying it leaves the brothel and stays out of it for longer than 30 seconds. It first activates by becoming unusually warm when someone leaves it’s allowed range. One can buy their freedom, but it is difficult. However, some prefer their gilded cage to the uncertainty that permeates Derwezeam, a violent, corrupt and insatiable city to its core. My players are not such people. They are determined to escape and bring as many people as they can with them.

Locations: [Link].

First Floor- Includes the main floor, the kitchen, a meeting room in back, the vapors room and the dinning hall.

Servant’s Quarters- Nothing of particular interest here unless you go searching each person’s personal belongings. It isn’t until MUCH later the group discovers a Cloak of Protection as a hidden gem.

Second Floor- This is where (most) of the fucking happens, but also the guard barracks. They never get much sleep.

Third Floor- The whore’s rooms.

Fourth Floor- The Madame, Quofire (Head of the Servants) and Belward’s (Head Guard) chambers + other

Roof- A pretty, pretty garden

Krisatra and Vekti

Krisatra was the cranky, old den monther of the servants, but held only slightly more love for the servants than she did the guards or whores. She had a secret love for flowers that the players did not discover. She essentially unloaded her duties onto Vekti to set up the meeting room for some Very Important Visitors. Vekti was so sweet and obedient. Krisatra didn’t deserve her. This wasn’t in my original plans. I wanted to give my Players carte blanc to do and do whatever they wished in order to escape the brothel. I was terrified of railroading them. I still am to an extent, but I think this was my first lesson in that this group of Players was one that thrived with more direction, not less. Thus, I gave Vekti the instructions to be in a place where Plot was happening. That’s more fun for everyone, right?

Fitz pls Part 2 (w/ Hiraeth)

Vekti went to speak privately in the vapors room with Arara about the meeting. If I hadn’t rolled such poor stealth they would have never heard the disjointed clunk step clunk step clunk that was Hiraeth, the newest whore. She was acquired from the Rangers of Derwezeam after she suffered an accident that left her with only one leg. She had a metal leg as a placeholder (this leg is still with us in the current game, over a year later. How strange to think about).

After overhearing that a meeting would be taking place (aka those in power would be distracted), Hiraeth decided right then it was time to escape (I had originally planned for this to be several days later, but I decided to push it up so Plot could continue). To make sure Vekti and co didn’t realize she was eavesdropping she quickly hid under a table in the dining hall… where Fitz was.

Fitz said something akin to, “Well if you’re down there, you might as well give a blowjob.” Fitz, you sounded kinda rape-y. (EDIT: Trust me, knowing Fitz’ personality, it was not intended in that way, but that was how Hiraeth interpreted it. Fitz tried his best to do the right thing, but he had a Charisma of 9, so.....) Also questioning her about why she was hiding. Hiraeth wasn’t allowed to let anyone stop her from escaping so she knew if she had to snap this guy’s dick off with her teeth to not say anything, she absolutely would. This led to a wrestling match where Fitz ended up grappling her to the floor, much to Hiraeth’s displeasure. Cue Vekti popping in, seeing this, and breaking it up immediately via lifting Fitz up (it’s extra impressive when you remember Vekti is the squishy Sorcerer and Fitz is the stronk Barbarian).

Fitz and Vekti have ‘fun’ (note: backstabbing = fun)

Hiraeth runs without so much as a ‘thank you.’ She has things to plan thank you VERY MUCH. Vekti makes her displeasure about the situation known and eventually puts Fitz down.

Now, for context, Fitz’ past is… traumatic to say the least. It includes a lot of creative and terrible abuses towards him as a child, when he was unable to fight back. It was completely understandable to me as the DM knowing all his secrets why he would react poorly to being restrained against his will and carried around.

Vekti, poor dear, was none-the-wiser. She had just seen a grumpy half-elf that hasn’t been the nicest to her, pinning a girl down who obviously did not want to be pinned down. If it were me, can’t say I would have done any differently. If it were me, and Fitz decided to be stubborn about it, I 100% would have kicked him in the nose. Sorry Yark.

This friction led to delicious and amazing character conflict. I was floored by the roleplay of these two. But it led to Fitz snapping and attempting to backstab Vekti (with a fucking Greatsword mind you) when she went to walk away in a huff. Notice this, Fitz is not good at first, and often second, impressions. It’s a theme.

The Madame~

Since this time, my players have theorized I brought The Madame in at this time specifically to break the PvP fight up. I can confirm this as 100% true. I was legit terrified that this PvP would end with one character dead, especially at such low levels. I didn’t want the Players to feel like they had to fear for their character’s lives (yet), so I put a stop to that.

The Madame is the Deep Fantasia’s owner and the Big Bad for the first arc. Their character design is still one of my favorites; a white painted face, gold lips, lace as a half-face mask, a wide-brimmed hat, covered neck to feet in black, including gloves. I really wanted to emulate that this character WAS NOT to be trifled with, like they were something beyond the brothel and tiny scope of the Material Plane. Considering how terrified my Player were of them, I think I nailed it.

Long story short, The Madame broke up the fight by casting Blindness on both Vekti and Fitz. They had to be led back to their quarters and wait for it to wear off. Now that I have had time to truly develop The Madame’s character, motivations and goals I feel if we didn’t that scene again it would have gone much differently. Fitz would have for sure lost at least one finger or the use of his limbs for the week. That could have been fun. Would have gotten across the message “PvP is not allowed” too imo. We ended the session there, with Vekti and Fitz both blind and vulnerable. 

[gwimulchorom]

Dust | 尘埃

The shrine of Parnast was one of the last few things that still stood in the town after the onslaught of metahumans. One of the only people that stayed due to their injuries was a smaller than average Kenku who took shelter in the temple over the inn, nursing a badly broken arm that appeared to have been shattered by crossbow bolts in two different places along with a rather large bite on her shoulder. For some reason, she seemed to be waiting for something or someone, and the older Elf Cleric who took care of the temple came to her. 

“Is something bothering you?” the other Cleric asked her fellow, and the bird turned slowly to her before beginning to sign in Common, an unusual occurrence for a creature cursed to be unable to speak independently- it seemed that the priests at the synagogue in Phlan had figured out a way for her to speak without using speech. Noticing the other’s lack of recognition of her signing, the Kenku sighed softly (in a voice that seemed extremely deep and masculine) before beginning to actually speak: a voice of a young human girl that seemed unlikely coming from a scruffy, large birdlike creature. 

I miss dad. she stated quietly, seeming stringing together words spoken by different people with her alternating voice, I hope he’s doing alright. The temple was always difficult to maintain with the orphanage. I also worry for Mathilda. She’s been gone a while. As the Kenku finished, fidgeting with the strange ring on her finger, the other wagered an ask- “Is Mathilda your friend?”, which the bird only answered with nodding. Sitting in the shade, the Kenku continued to wait, and she was soon left alone with her thoughts as she watched the rebuilding efforts occur in the background, leaning against the tree quietly. 

“You did well at training today, my children,” the High Elf rabbi informed the small line of armoured teenaged metahumans- a lightly-armoured Tabaxi that stood proudly with shield in hand, a heavily armoured Dragonborn, a pair of smartly dressed Tieflings in armour, an Aasimar with a warhammer in hand and a dangerous glint in their eye and the lone Kenku that wobbled in armor that was obviously too large for her. As the others dispersed, the Kenku dropped the heavy armor she had been trying to hold up with a clatter before easily climbing out of them, striding over to the rabbi for a hug. 

The rabbi accepted this, before releasing her and looking concerned. “I noticed you were enamoured with the readings for the Tempest domain,” he asked cautiously, though his smile did not wane, “Is this your path? A Cleric serving under that?” The Kenku looked up at the man she regarded as her parent and nodded vigorously, confirming this and allowing herself to be led away as the High Elf brought her to the yard, watching the others training as Paladins or Clerics hard at work reading and practising their spells and weapons before gesturing over to the far end of the area. 

“Practise over there with those in training for the Arcana domain,” he suggested in a friendly tone at the pair of Dragonborns duelling each other with flashy but ineffectual spells, “It’ll help you.” The Kenku nodded once more, releasing the other’s hand with much reluctance to follow the clashing metallic Dragonborns that were simply throwing Sacred Flames at each other than actually making effort to wound the other. 

She waved to them as she walked between them brazenly, narrowly taking a spell to the foot as she darted away acrobatically while trying to focus on the texts she had easily committed to memory- a loud popping noise emanated from her as she raised both hands in a ‘stop’ motion, before sparks danced across her arms to push the others away. There was a booming sound as they both got pushed back by the force, only protected by their timely usage of their shields to block the brunt of the electrical damage. 

“Not bad, birdbrain,” joked the Copper Dragonborn on her right as he put his shield down, “You learn fast. Wish we had your aptitude with our spells.” The Kenku chuckled at the praise, a high-pitched tinkle that seemed to mirror the sound of those hanging around the temple, and as the Dragonborns dusted themselves off, they lightly punched her on the shoulder before taking a rest. She could feel the beginnings of a rainstorm coming, and she embraced this, watching the clouds illuminate with the beginnings of thunder and lightning. 

As the lightning struck down upon her, she waved her arms in a specific motion, muttering words she had remembered seeing from the texts she so religiously copied- and the lightning was redirected, blasting a crater through the ground with a powerful shattering noise a distance away from her. The drenched bird reoriented herself, taking a deep breath for a few moments as though the rain would allow her to soak in whatever else she needed to learn, before she ran back into the quarters, leaving a trail of muddy footprints everywhere to get herself washed up. 

There was a moment of silence as she opened her eyes again, just in time to see her friend’s unconscious frame being transported to the almost-ruined Inn. With a grunt, she got up, and began walking, humming a tune all too familiar to her- one of the songs sang to her by one of the female bards that passed by the village, her voice thrilling in the usual bustle of the town as she sang about her personification of loneliness and her praises of the lone High Elf priest that devoted his life to fighting the Cult of the Dragon and rescuing orphans. 

“星星一直都在  这一片云海 等着太阳 疲倦 之后离开 我也一直待在 这个模糊地帶 等着你疲倦了回来...

我的爱像尘埃 散落在边疆地帶 不再对谁期待 难道是一种自由自在 而承诺 像尘埃  不断被时间掩埋 谁还记得大雨之中的告白” 

*The stars are always present  In this cloudy sky  Waiting for the sun to grow tired and leave  And here I am, waiting in this blurred terrain  Waiting for you to grow tired and return to me 

My love is like dust, scattered across the border I no longer hold expectations, is that a sense of freedom I now have? And promises, they are like dust Buried by the sands of time Who ever remembered the declaration made in the heavy rains? 

x 

[alizrak]

Rise of the Runelords - Burnt Offerings, Chapter 1 chronicle [SPOILERS]

I don't have to warn you, there are spoiler for Rise of the Runelords ahead. This is the very first time I ever ran anything official from Pathfinder so I'm really excited for how things turn out for my players.

The current party consist on the following.

Yulious and Yvan - (Sorcerer Celestial Bloodline and Ranger "Switch hitter") Aasimar twin brothers that lived in the outskirts of Magnimar. Orphaned just as they entered their "teens", they had to fend for themselves and refused to be taken in by others. After going through the loss of their parent they each became followers of Gozreh and Nethys, reflecting on their roles in life as Ranger and Sorcerer. They were asked to bring statues of their respective deities to be added to the Cathedral. To avoid unwanted attention, both brothers wear cloaks to conceal their "silver blonde totally aasimar" hair.

Aisha - Double Cursed Oracle Undine (Neried) - Born on Katapesh, was captured by Gnoll slavers and rescued by Andoran operatives trying to disrupt slave trade. She was offered the chance to get into a ship to any point she wanted, and said "As far away from here as possible". She ends up in Maginmar and assists the Swallowtail Festival with interest on the mutli-religious Catedral in Sandpoint. She passes as a human.

Valora - Elf "My mom said I have a condition" (Drow) Cavalier Order of the Dragon - For reasons we will not expand in this campaign, Valora has been raised by Hannah and kept under the watchful eye of Shalelu since before Sandpoint's foundation. Valora has been raised to believe she is an elf with a rare birth defect that makes her sensitive to light. While they never directly interacted with each other, Valora grew to know Naulia as a foil to herself. She craves to find real friends, specially those that last... as most humans in Sandpoint seem to quickly outgrow her and change.

Gunther - Gnome Gunslinger - A mischievous gnome from Whistledown that has come to Sandpoint to bring tons of fireworks for the Swallowtail Festival. He is terrified of the Bleaching and has worked with explosives for quite a while now. He's not a pyromaniac, though. He simply loves to find new uses of the black powder that makes pretty colors.

Jhony (Couldn't make it to the first session) - Half-Orc Rogue - Johny would have loved to be a pirate and have a life of adventure and treasure in Riddleport... sadly, the harsh conditions at sea are not his cup of tea. He's a larger than life Half-orc that doesn't consider himself one. After a horribly bet gone wrong, Johny was forced to flee the city and lay low for a while... he decided to go a nice little town not too far away from Magnimar to try his luck and enjoy the famed local cuisine.

So it begins...

Yulious, Yvan, Gunther and Aisha arrive to Sandpoint first thing in the morning through the Tanner's bridge. Valora sometimes helps as a bouncer at the Pixie's Kitten (they are her neighbors after all) specially now that the town has attracted a lot of tourists there ought to be some troublemakers and she wants to make sure the girls are safe. Yvan and Yulious debate if they should visit the brothel (do they have enough money?) but then remember that maybe, just maybe, it would be best to deliver the sacred statues of their gods to the Cathedral first. Gunther is directed to leave his cart of fireworks at the southern side of the plaza in front of the Cathedral. Aisha is wandering through the streets, turning heads... with a Charisma of 18, she's as useless as she is beautiful. VERY. She's the walking definition of a damsel in distress.

Yulious and Yvan meet Father Zantus to deliver their statues and he was relieved they managed to make it in time. Valora ends her shift and goes to hear the opening speeches with the others. Using the prep sheets from Trik motivates the characters to try and try and try again to win some of the prizes... at the end it nets them one cloak of resistance for Gunther and Yvan, as well as a bunch of Masterwork Arrows. During these contests... Yvan and Yulious notice Valora and Aisha standing by, watching as the others take their turn at the contests, and Yvan rashly approaches to ask their names.

"Hey strange girls, what are your names?"

"Strange!? What's that supposed to mean?" Valora gets triggered. Tells him it's none of his business and finds it incredibly creepy a hooded unknown guy randomly asking for their names.

Yulious apologizes for his brother's lack of tact and presents themselves. Valora gives her name but then grabs Aisha by the arm and says they have to go. Valora leaves and brings Aisha along to find Sherif Hemlock to tell him there are a couple of suspicious hooded fellows that she feels are trouble. Hemlock promises to keep an eye on the guys. Aisha and Valora present each other and decide to stick along... Valora is worried Aisha looks extremely feeble and innocent to she will try to keep her out of trouble with all the people around.

Even though Yulious broke his nose during one of the races, the rest of the Festival goes on smoothly. The party converges again during lunch, attracted by Ameiko's Salmon Curry. Valora saves Hannah a bowl and Hannah realizes Yulious broken nose. Valora reluctantly allows her mom to fix his nose... Hannah notices both of them are Aasimar. She is a little surprised at first as for this campaign, she was one of the midwifes attending Nualia when she miscarried. It's been 5 years since she saw any other divine blooded people. The brothers thank her for the help. Yulious wants to check for maps of the region as he's interested on what kind of treasure or hidden secrets can the Hinterlands offer to his brother and him... Sadly, the Way North is closed for the festivities.

They move to the consecration of the Cathedral. They wait for Father Zantus to start their speech- and hell breaks loose.

They don't even wait for me to call for perception rolls, they are rolling away trying to see what killed the dog. You don't kill a doggie in this table and live to tell the tale. They spot the goblins easily. The encounter takes a while... as most of them are rolling low. Yulious casts magic missile and Aisha uses Inflict Light Wounds... the goblin withers away because she's upset he killed the puppy. Everyone stares at her.

They finally end up dispatching the first 3 goblins, and Valora wants to go for her mount (a Cave Salamander... yeah) that is at The Gobling Squashed stables and to check on her mom. At that point, Gunther's fireworks explode and they are forced to deal with the Goblin Warchanter's group. Yvan and Valora roll natural twenties + confirmations like there is no tomorrow... and the goblins lay dead in a single round. I allow Valora to run to get her mount and check on her mom on the way back while the others are healing and try unsuccesfully to help the slashed doggie. Valora gets to see Daviren having a field day killing goblins. Aisha cries over the dog's body and Gunther swears he will make sure they regret this. As soon as she gets back, they hear Die, Dog! DIE!

Valora, Aisha and Gunther get on the mount, while Yvan and Yulious rush to the gate. There is another dog hurt? With a surprise round, Gunther crits the Goblin commando with max damage x4. The Goblin's head explodes before he even heard them coming. Valora charges with her reach weapon, crits, and makes a goblin kebab. Aisha drops herself from the mount over the dying dog and heals him. Yvan takes his greatsword and crit charges too. In the blink of an eye, everything is done. Aldern immediately praises Aisha as his and his dog saviour.

The rest of the goblins rush to flee and the party wants to give chase. Hemlock arrives and tells them to make sure the streets are safe instead, they are still trying to figure out exactly what happened. That door shouldn't be open.

Valora - "Wait, where are the guards of this door?"

Me - "...mmh?"

Aisha - "surely, there were guards here... right? Even closed, it wouldn't be left unguarded. ((OOC: Other wise it would be quite stupid on their part))"

Me - "... I guess?"

Yvan - "...Soooo?"

Me - "Some of the guards left their post to check on the festival?"

Yulious - "They must be hold accountable for their incompetence!"

The party was still a little unconvinced. They keep wanting to go out to follow the Goblins. They have a Ranger and also Valora's Cave Salamander has scent, after all. Hemlock tells them is going to be night soon... but they don't care because most of them have lowlight vision or darkvision. Hemlock insists there are more dangerous things out there when darkness falls and Valora remembers the tales of the Sandpoint Devil that her "Aunt Shalelu" tells her to keep her from wandering too far away from the town. She ends up disuading the others. Ameiko arrives to inquire with Hemlock what the hell was all that, and offers the others free lodging. They gladly accept and Yvan even tries to flirt with her... horribly. Valora glares at him and motions an "I'm watching you" warning sign. Aldern gifts the dog to Aisha and promises to repay everyone for saving his life after things calm down.

Take away:

I underestimated my group's will to follow through total goblin genocide because the goblins killed a dog. Even if they were somewhat wounded they where completely on board of tracking the goblins back to their lair and reenact John Wick. This is a very proactive group... They are used to follow through any leads right away... so I'm sure they will try to track them back in the morning but I'll have them find a straggler group of Goblins instead... and after the crypt scene I'll make it rain. I fear that if they start asking around (specially when Shalelu explains the tribes), they will push forward to Nettlewood or Mosswood for guerrilla tactics against them.

I'll have Daviren offering the party the bounty on Goblins ears the very next morning.

Other than that, the session extended way longer than I had anticipated because of all the roleplay they did during the festival contests. I was taken by surprise when they asked me who was guarding the north gate and I didn't remember anything related to that particular plot point other that Lonjiku left it open (which they obviously don't know yet). Any ideas I can use?

Submitted March 27, 2017 at 03:46PM via reddit http://ift.tt/2nFPzoI