As the party enters the room, they see a tidy, comfortable living space. Several bookshelves line the walls, with books neatly placed beside each other. A small, rectangular table sits in the center of the room, surrounded by enough chairs to seat the party. Emeril motions to them and closes the door as the last person goes inside, and the door vanishes. She walks over to the table and sits down. After a while, she says “It takes a great deal of courage, or foolishness, to chase the old wanderer into his fog. A word of advice: if he wishes to deal with you, he will find you himself. When he decides to walk away, do yourself a favor and let him. Not many can survive his domain. In fact, only a select few are allowed to enter it at all.”
Vaga sits down on one of the chairs, the one where he can still have his eyes towards the door. Or at least where the door was before it vanished. He remains silent, observing and watching. His task in all of this is to remain vigil, guard the group and help Guston towards whatever is in store for him. He doesn't know why really, but he is starting to feel more and more that his main purpose is to be there for Guston, that their joint venture is really his journey. This fits perfectly into the square, boxed-in mind of Vaga and he finds great comfort into having a defined role to play.
While thinking all of this, Vaga peers around the room trying to understand where they actually are. Everything happened so quickly for Vaga, from waking up from deep meditation into suddenly being in some kind of other plane or domain where things are being created from thin air and doors and rooms are being conjured up and disappearing. He contemplates on this while sitting silently, looking and listening to Emeril and the others.
Sorry... I don’t mean to hog the spotlight. I just really like role playing. I really get into it at the tabletop, too. Perhaps I’m letting my excitement get the better of me? Certainly don’t want to detract from @Nimran ‘s story or any of the other characters background or story. Personally, I adore Vaga’s character!
Emeril shakes her head. “No,” she says. “You were not allowed. That’s why you were attacked.” She looks at each of you, and adds “You’re lucky I was there. That place would have killed you.”
Sorry... I don’t mean to hog the spotlight. I just really like role playing. I really get into it at the tabletop, too. Perhaps I’m letting my excitement get the better of me? Certainly don’t want to detract from @Nimran ‘s story or any of the other characters background or story. Personally, I adore Vaga’s character!
Hey mate, I love Guston, his backstory and how you portrait him throughout your posts and both me and "Vaga" WANT to be his NPC. Go all in mate! IMHO, this story is yours and Nimran's together, the rest of us are the spice that adds flavour but it's you guys who are the main dish, and I think that's great. Please, do not feel like you are hogging spot light, I'm freely taking a step to the side and I am enjoying the ride.
Vaga bows his head slightly to Fiona. "Thank you, Fiona. The touch of your hands is truly a miraculous feeling, but surely this aiding spell would have been better kept for someone else later. This old body was far from broken and had yet geist in it."
Even though Vaga believed in what he said, he would never have wanted a healing spell to be cast on him if there could be any better use of it (and with better he means used on someone else), he have to admit he feels a bit better after the lay on hands. Some of the ache and pain was reduced, but he isn't sure the source of it was really removed.. he can still feel weakened and would probably need a practiced cleric to restore him to his former glory.
I'm pretty sure, albeit I am not good at 3E, lay on hands don't cure Decease. Cause I guess that is what I got right, Decease? That's why I RP as if the spell didn't cure me. As said above, a restoration (minor) is needed.
I'm pretty sure, albeit I am not good at 3E, lay on hands don't cure Decease. Cause I guess that is what I got right, Decease? That's why I RP as if the spell didn't cure me. As said above, a restoration (minor) is needed.
If I remember correctly, Fiora also has got Cure Disease as a Paladin level 3 innate ability, though I don't know if it would work here, or if Restoration is the only choice.
"In this world, many things happen, some of which aren't matters of men, And though aware of the hazards, still we seek what brings us woe! A lot of facts are hidden still, shrouded in a mysterious veil, And 'tis not wise to lightly deal, with powers we hardly know--- Powers hidden in the darkness about which we hardly know--- Till then 'tis best to stay low."
"Thanks for your intervention. We are in your debt. But we would like to know more about this wanderer too. Why they appeared in the inn? There was another too, some ghost girl, if i'm not mistaken."
“I don’t know why he appeared in Callus,” Emeril says. “I can only guess that he was drawn here by something. He doesn’t usually meddle in the affairs of others. As for the ‘ghost girl’, she is nothing more than a memory. She was a child that he had lost a long time ago. That child is... she’s beyond saving. Only her memory remains to torment him.” She looks to Fiora, and says “I have some connection to that place as well, yes. I mainly use it as a means to continue honing my skills, though this time certain people had disturbed the guardians of that place when they entered unbidden. It isn’t usually so dangerous, just a vast, empty space where I can train in peace. It helps calm my nerves a bit before a big mission.” She sighs again. “Not much chance of that happening now, though,” she says.
“He must have come to us for some reason...” says Guston. “He said how he was haunted by his past and his failures. I got the impression that the little girl was somehow connected to it.
“I didn’t know who or what he was. He just seemed like someone who needed help. He offered me some clarity of my own... and then I let him walk out without even asking his name.
“That’s when I decided to leave the inn and try to catch him as he was walking down the street. And somehow, we’re here. It doesn’t seem like just a coincidence that we ended up here.”
“And what do you mean, not much chance of that happening now?”
Ignatius hovers in the air, sitting with his legs cross-folded, and listens to the discussion. He is getting impatient because they are not striving towards any definite goal, but rather wandering about aimlessly, without any concrete ideas of what exactly is to be done to prevent the great evil from rising. So he says:
"To know the present, know the past, For some things do forever last. Though drowned in the currents of time, Still they affect us in the prime.
What we saw was not natural, And what happened was quite dismal, Still, 'tis our duty to explore These events most strange, and know more.
And now if all the talk is o'er, We should not waste one more hour. Tell us what is to be done now, And we'll see what to do and how."
Emeril leads the party out of her home, where there is no fog, and gives them directions to go to the inn. Afterwards, the night is uneventful, and morning eventually comes.
Note to self and others; always go for the sidequests, ie let Guston run into whatever he finds all the time, haha!
O_o sidequest
Yeah, as @nimran said above, the whole spider-attack-white-fog-thing only happened because we left the inn. I therefore assume it was a sort of sidequest. I guess the mainquest is the attack on the village which feels as if it's looming before us. I might be wrong of course.
Vaga’s mind returns back into his body. After yesterday’s many adventures, he took a very deep dive into his subconscious. One part of him always want to stay there, on the inside, but he so far he has managed to persuade himself to ascend back from the depths.
He stands up from where he sat, on his knees on the floor. He rarely sleeps in beds. His knees ache badly and he embrace the pain. Acknowledge it. Feels it. Puts it aside.
He walks down to the common room and waits for the others to wake up and join him. He has dresses in his normal grey clothing and tucks away of the served breakfast in his hidden pockets of his tunic. He drinks a few sips of water and relishes in the marvelous feeling of an empty stomach and the glorious pain it brings. He still suffers from the attack yesterday and he feels weakened. He should visit Erica and ask for a restoration, he thinks to himself.
“Vaga, I’m glad to see you’re up,” says Guston as he pops a few boils coming down the stairs.
“I just wanted to apologize for what happened to you last night. I realize it was my fault. I shouldn’t have just run off into the night... of course, I suppose I couldn’t have predicted being teleported to another plane of existence... but, still, there are bandits in the streets at night, and I’m no fighter. I shouldn’t have been so impulsive. I put everyone in danger,” he says, turning to the rest of the group, “and I apologize to everyone, especially to you, Vaga, for you coming to harm.
“None of you owe me anything, and yet you have all showed me loyalty. I hope one day I will be able to earn that loyalty. Last night, I realize I’ve been focusing so much on making myself look good again that I haven’t looked to my good friends, here, around me.
“Chauntea granted me a way to help restore you body from the poisonous venom you suffered. I prayed to her last night after we returned. Here, let me cure your of your affliction.”
"I have to thank you Guston, and for Fiora for our little adventure laat night. We all learned something from that... I just regret that i did not have time to get some poison from those giant spiders."
We can use this bit of downtime to have a bit of party member interaction, if you want, or you can do anything before the next quest starts. Just let me know when you’re ready.
Guston looks at Kaled, his eyes bulging and boils popping in disbelief. He can’t quite fathom anyone appreciating their little excursion into spider hell last night. Such is beyond him. Guston adventures out of necessity, because he was cast into the life from his comfortable, pampered lifestyle as head-priest. He is terrified into paralysis every time he meets something that wants to murder him.
He gives Kaled and any others who seem to have enjoyed the escapade an incredulous, patronizing smile, the kind of smile you give the neighbor’s kid when he’s covered in manure and are just glad you’re not the one who has to clean the little urchin.
Vaga gives Guston a slow nod after being restored. "Thank you." he says simply. Vaga feels there's still something not quite right inside, but don't say anything to Guston or the group about it. He hides the feeling, which isn't very hard considering he has had a lot of practice hiding pain for many years now.
"Kaled, perhaps you can extract some poison from me, I think I have a gallon or two of it inside me burning large holes in my insides and melting my intestines." Vaga's attempt at being funny is stale and awkward and the line is delivered in a dry and very un-funny voice. When he realizes this he creates a grim visage; his idea of smiling. The smile quickly dies out though and he returns back to his normal stoic and neutral expression.
Comments
While thinking all of this, Vaga peers around the room trying to understand where they actually are. Everything happened so quickly for Vaga, from waking up from deep meditation into suddenly being in some kind of other plane or domain where things are being created from thin air and doors and rooms are being conjured up and disappearing. He contemplates on this while sitting silently, looking and listening to Emeril and the others.
Perhaps I’m letting my excitement get the better of me? Certainly don’t want to detract from @Nimran ‘s story or any of the other characters background or story.
Personally, I adore Vaga’s character!
Emeril shakes her head. “No,” she says. “You were not allowed. That’s why you were attacked.” She looks at each of you, and adds “You’re lucky I was there. That place would have killed you.”
"Hold still"
*Fiora uses Lay on Hands*
*After she is done, she turns to Emeril*
"Thanks for your help. How did you know we needed it?"
Even though Vaga believed in what he said, he would never have wanted a healing spell to be cast on him if there could be any better use of it (and with better he means used on someone else), he have to admit he feels a bit better after the lay on hands. Some of the ache and pain was reduced, but he isn't sure the source of it was really removed.. he can still feel weakened and would probably need a practiced cleric to restore him to his former glory.
“I didn’t,” Emeril answers Fiora. “I just happened to stumble upon you as I was training.”
"In this world, many things happen, some of which aren't matters of men,
And though aware of the hazards, still we seek what brings us woe!
A lot of facts are hidden still, shrouded in a mysterious veil,
And 'tis not wise to lightly deal, with powers we hardly know---
Powers hidden in the darkness about which we hardly know---
Till then 'tis best to stay low."
“I didn’t know who or what he was. He just seemed like someone who needed help. He offered me some clarity of my own... and then I let him walk out without even asking his name.
“That’s when I decided to leave the inn and try to catch him as he was walking down the street. And somehow, we’re here. It doesn’t seem like just a coincidence that we ended up here.”
“And what do you mean, not much chance of that happening now?”
A boil pops, but he does nothing to wipe it away.
"To know the present, know the past,
For some things do forever last.
Though drowned in the currents of time,
Still they affect us in the prime.
What we saw was not natural,
And what happened was quite dismal,
Still, 'tis our duty to explore
These events most strange, and know more.
And now if all the talk is o'er,
We should not waste one more hour.
Tell us what is to be done now,
And we'll see what to do and how."
He stands up from where he sat, on his knees on the floor. He rarely sleeps in beds. His knees ache badly and he embrace the pain. Acknowledge it. Feels it. Puts it aside.
He walks down to the common room and waits for the others to wake up and join him. He has dresses in his normal grey clothing and tucks away of the served breakfast in his hidden pockets of his tunic. He drinks a few sips of water and relishes in the marvelous feeling of an empty stomach and the glorious pain it brings. He still suffers from the attack yesterday and he feels weakened. He should visit Erica and ask for a restoration, he thinks to himself.
“I just wanted to apologize for what happened to you last night. I realize it was my fault. I shouldn’t have just run off into the night... of course, I suppose I couldn’t have predicted being teleported to another plane of existence... but, still, there are bandits in the streets at night, and I’m no fighter. I shouldn’t have been so impulsive. I put everyone in danger,” he says, turning to the rest of the group, “and I apologize to everyone, especially to you, Vaga, for you coming to harm.
“None of you owe me anything, and yet you have all showed me loyalty. I hope one day I will be able to earn that loyalty. Last night, I realize I’ve been focusing so much on making myself look good again that I haven’t looked to my good friends, here, around me.
“Chauntea granted me a way to help restore you body from the poisonous venom you suffered. I prayed to her last night after we returned. Here, let me cure your of your affliction.”
Guston casts Lesser Restoration on Vaga.
"*Yaaaawn* Morning everyone. I had had the WEIRDEST dream last night. I'm gonna need TWO butterscotch ginger ales to wake up today."
He gives Kaled and any others who seem to have enjoyed the escapade an incredulous, patronizing smile, the kind of smile you give the neighbor’s kid when he’s covered in manure and are just glad you’re not the one who has to clean the little urchin.
"Kaled, perhaps you can extract some poison from me, I think I have a gallon or two of it inside me burning large holes in my insides and melting my intestines." Vaga's attempt at being funny is stale and awkward and the line is delivered in a dry and very un-funny voice. When he realizes this he creates a grim visage; his idea of smiling. The smile quickly dies out though and he returns back to his normal stoic and neutral expression.