((Don't forget the get a shit ton of new abilities that can replace normal attacks. flying kick lets them move in the middle of a full attack(and i believe does double damage or something) and elbow smash hits twice(one of the hits being non-lethal). They also get a better version of still mind that makes the lower will save less of an issue from the sounds of it.
As for summoner, it needed the nerf, and honestly the changes actually sound cooler then the normal one.))
<Look at my post at the bottom of the last page. I didn't realize the whole scope of the changes since I don't actually have PF Unchained to look at, but the new abilities sound like they make up for the Will Save change.
As for Summoner, I've never seen one in action, but considering how I houserule nerfed Druid minions to tone down the action economy I would probably be okay with the changes.>
<Look at my post at the bottom of the last page. I didn't realize the whole scope of the changes since I don't actually have PF Unchained to look at, but the new abilities sound like they make up for the Will Save change.
As for Summoner, I've never seen one in action, but considering how I houserule nerfed Druid minions to tone down the action economy I would probably be okay with the changes.>
((I gmed a game with a summoner(well the summoner was only there for the last 1/3rd of the game as it was that player's third character) and it was ridiculous. the eidilon's damage output was up there with the cavalier and the battle cleric, while the summoner itself was able to cast spells at the same time(from its fucked up spell list). i don't have a problem with pet classes at all, but if you make the eidilon into a damage focused beast it can get way out of hand. that said, if you don't try to do that, its actually just fine(i played in a game with a summoner(first time i saw one in play) who actually knew when too much was too much and scaled back their edilons power).))
((Awesome stuff above, you guys. Thanks for keeping things interesting))
(Still in the Resurrection Chamber)
The Raven Queen addresses Viss sympathetically. "I'll send special instructions to Bungo immediately. Don't worry - he may put on a care-free exterior, but that halfling is one of the best and most dependable mortals I know. He will see to it that she is well cared for all the way up to her reunion with you."
------------------+
(After the ship has returned to HQ and all the scenes in above posts have played out)
A summons from the Raven Queen orders the seven members of SAED to the central debriefing room of the facility.
There is tension as the members filter into the room. The balor had demanded the need to set aside differences and work together, but now that there is no longer a larger threat to deal with....
When every member of the team is properly situated around the table, the Raven Queen appears at the head of the table. She is standing tall and her face is solemn.
"I've brought you all here to make you aware that actions have consequences," she says bluntly. "Most of you performed your duties as requested. Some of you performed them admirably. One of you callously ignored the directives of the Accord and could have seriously jeopardized the integrity of the entire organization."
She looks directly at the ninja with piercing eyes. "Ciel of the Nine Hells," she announces, "You are hereby banished from this Observatory. Effective immediately, you will vacate---"
"Now, now," a new voice interrupts her from across the table, "Let's not be hasty, my dear. I don't think you want to do that."
Standing on the opposite side of the table from the Raven Queen is an anthropomorphic goat, wearing an expensive business suit. It stands eight feet tall; two slender, pointy horns extend from the top of its head.
"How DARE you," the Raven Queen seethes through clenched teeth. "You of all people should know that the Accord forbids..."
"Pursuant to Section 158, Subsection 3, Paragraph 10, Subparagraph 7 of the Charter of Operations for the Soul Allocation Enforcement Department, hereafter known as 'The Accord,' when an active member of SAED is accused of violating his or her duties, he or she is allowed representation of his or her choosing. Because my client's soul is currently contractually bound to forever act in accordance with my wishes, I choose to exercise my rights and select the client's representative for him. The chosen representative shall be me.
"Therefore, in accordance with Section 158, Subsection 3, Paragraph 10, Subparagraph 9, my right to be here to represent my client overrides the stipulation of Section 74. which would normally forbid my presence here."
The Raven Queen is either unable or unwilling to regain her composure, and can only throw figurative daggers from her eyes.
Asmodeus continues. "I'll take your silence as a lack of objection. Now, you claim that my client 'ignored the directives of the accord', and 'jeopardized the integrity of the entire organization.'" He mimics her voice perfectly as he quotes her. "I take serious issue with your characterization of events. The Accord states - and let me know if you'd like a specific citation - that members of SAED may not interfere in the affairs of jurisdictions outside of their own.
"I contend that The Abyss has no jurisdictions - that there are no real affairs in which to interfere. If anything, it can be said that to best fit in while visiting The Abyss, one would be required to contribute to its inherently chaotic atmosphere. And what better way to sow chaos than to assassinate the ruler of one of the more influential layers of the Abyss? If anything, I would sooner scrutinize the members of SAED who actively defended Baphomet from my client's attacks - though none of you have to worry; I won't be pressing charges."
Asmodeus pauses for a few seconds to make eye contact with each of Menek, Mako and Ozzan'gac, sending an insincere and menacing grin their way.
He then turns back to the Raven Queen. "And furthermore, you claim that my client jeopardized the integrity of the organization. I find that a hard pill to swallow; if you'll recall, my client struck the finishing blows on both Caizel AND on the abomination that she unleashed. He singlehandedly strengthened and legitimized SAED, while indirectly protecting his fellow teammates from harm. I submit that my client be given accolades and a promotion, and that this talk of banishment be laid to rest permanently."
The Raven Queen stands in silence, breathing heavily, her gaze meeting that of the King of Devils
((This is anyone's chance to pipe in to the conversation. You don't have to, but I wanted to give the opportunity just in case))
Ozzang'ac chimes in, "If I may say... we were barely able to fulfill our duties by defeating Balor. Ciel fought admirably, but only after we were able to convince him to fight with us. Had we been forced to fight both Baphomet and Balor, we may not have been able to succeed."
He doesn't expect his words to be convincing, but rather something the rest of the party can leverage.
<I really need to rank up Diplomacy eventually, but I had to focus on a bunch of other stuff.>
Ciel is prepared to make some brazen arguments to the Raven Queen when Asmodeus shows up and dismantles her charges in moments. He did a far better job than Ciel could have hoped to. Thinking back to the limited efforts to learn the technicalities of the Nine Hells, he vaguely recalls that a client should leave all the talking to their representative. For the time being, he opts to sit back and let Asmodeus handle this, not chiming in unless the others make feeble objections.
When Ozzang'ac speaks, Ciel decides it is ok to chime up. "As you may be aware, there are options besides barreling into fights without rest. There would be no reason to fight Baphomet and the Balor back to back, nor would there be reason to believe we would be instantaneously attacked by him following Baphomet's defeat. If you want to play what ifs, consider this: had we killed Baphomet, Malkaneth would have likely died in the battle as well. For two different reasons, Caizel would have lost her reason to act, and the diverting would have ended without us having to fight the balor in the first place."
"Instead of hypotheticals, let's look at what we knew at the time we faced Baphomet. He was the most likely candidate, and capable of lying. Even if he was not lying, as the ruler of the Ivory Labyrinth, his death would have forced the hand of the culprit, either impeding their ability to siphon souls or putting them in a position to where they would need to come out. At no point did targeting Baphomet threaten the operation any more than any other tactical decision, such as what spell to cast in the heat of battle. Should you consider my actions after that questionable, consider that each of us are here to serve our patron's interests while performing the duties of SAED. Going to Caizel was a way to champion my patron while arranging for an end to the soul siphoning, which, if I recall, is why we were there. At no point during any of our time there did I sabotage the mission, and as I also recall, we were given discretion on how to act within the field, so long as the mission was done. And in regards to convincing me, I recall making that decision of my own free will once Caizel appeared with a balor and expressed her intent to remove the forces of SAED from the Astral Plane. Not only did I do what was required as an agent of SAED when that time came, in your own words, I did so quite admirably. With that in mind, I fail to see how I was a threat to the mission."
Ciel focuses his words towards Ozzang'ac and the other party members ready to object, leaving the Raven Queen to his patron.
"Sorry, Ozzang'ac, and to a lesser extent, Ciel and Asmodeus, but nothing about Ciel's action were remotely admirable. His every action served only to further his and Asmodeus's own goals, balently lying to the rest of us on two separate occasions while also trying to goad bahpomet into attacking... us, risking not only our selves, but the entire mission as well. The only reason he likely even helped us at all was because he was out of options, and the one thing he cares about is his own pitiful life and I get the feeling balors are not know for being very merciful. The fact is, we didn't succeed on this mission because of Ciel, we succeeded despite his attempts to ruin it. Honestly, I could care less if Ciel were to spend all his time lying to me, I'm use to dealing with spoiled children, but trying to hurt our team and our goals is absolutely unacceptable, if we want this group to continue we either need him gone or he needs to change his tune."
After listening to Ciel's long winded explanation and justifications, Ozzang'ac is not convinced nor impressed, "You have a habit of coming up with an elaborate plan long after you've attempted it."
"An impassioned statement Mako, and one I don't doubt you sincerely believe. However, it addresses next to none of what I said. And if we're about to pretend that we know each other's mental states, then you and the others backed Baphomet solely to spite my patron and I, unconcerned with the risks such a move would present to the mission. I am just as capable of unprovable, unfalsifiable speculation as you are. I would rather we avoid such a useless detour, but if that's where you want to take this then so be it."
Turning to Ozzang'ac, he remarks "I assume your failure to elaborate indicates an inability to do so. If you think I'm wrong, don't half-ass your rebuttal."
"An impassioned statement Mako, and one I don't doubt you sincerely believe. However, it addresses next to none of what I said. And if we're about to pretend that we know each other's mental states, then you and the others backed Baphomet solely to spite my patron and I, unconcerned with the risks such a move would present to the mission. I am just as capable of unprovable, unfalsifiable speculation as you are. I would rather we avoid such a useless detour, but if that's where you want to take this then so be it."
Turning to Ozzang'ac, he remarks "I assume your failure to elaborate indicates an inability to do so. If you think I'm wrong, don't half-ass your rebuttal."
"I don't give a damn about what you said, I'm am speaking of the actual events that we all witnessed. You called me a traitor sent to defend baphomet to not only pit the rest of the team against me, but to force him to attack us and start the fight, AFTER we had discovered baphomet was not the target. Then, after I saved you from living the rest of your after life as a worm, which is honestly too good for you, claimed you had struck a deal with the succubus, including a fake contract and according to Fleshbane, even gave the one person who knows how to fly that machine... something. I can only assume some kind of poison. We can not trust a single thing you say, and while that kind of action may fly in Hell, it makes for a terrible alliance here."
"I don't give a damn about what you said, I'm am speaking of the actual events that we all witnessed. You called me a traitor sent to defend baphomet to not only pit the rest of the team against me, but to force him to attack us and start the fight, AFTER we had discovered baphomet was not the target. Then, after I saved you from living the rest of your after life as a worm, which is honestly too good for you, claimed you had struck a deal with the succubus, including a fake contract and according to Fleshbane, even gave the one person who knows how to fly that machine... something. I can only assume some kind of poison. We can not trust a single thing you say, and while that kind of action may fly in Hell, it makes for a terrible alliance here."
"Again, demon lords are not known for their honesty. At the time, the only evidence you had that Baphomet was not the culprit was his own word. To suggest you knew for a fact he was not the target is naive at best and disingenuous at worst. Had we killed him and discovered he was indeed not the culprit, which he just happened to not be, it would have forced the actual culprit's hand. And I would remind you that I only said that after you and the others commenced the idiocy of casting supporting magic on a fucking demon lord without knowing whether or not he was about to attack you. You want to talk in what-ifs and threatening the mission? Suppose that he attacked independent of my words, had you considered that when you rushed in? Your actions jeopardized things just as much, if not more, than mine. At least we would have triumphed had we presented a united front, and acted when I served him to you all on a silver platter. And what you refer to as trying to turn the team against each other occurred after that very thing happened, and not by my hand, mind you. That betrayal is the reason I was turned into a worm in the first place, so you'll have to excuse me for not weeping in gratitude to you just because you undid the fruit of your decision."
"For someone who's attacking my honesty, you're stretching the truth pretty hard. Everyone witnessed the events aboard the ship? You received a witness account from Fleshbane, don't pretend like you and the others were there; you're a bigger hypocrite than I thought. And the 'poison?' It removed his memories of a horrific event, and had absolutely no effect on his capacity to fly the plane. Your suggesting as such proves how little you actually know about the 'events that we all witnessed.' That was the kindest thing I've done in a long, long time, and it's thanks to that action that he's not a quivering mass of traumatic stress or suffering residual effects from Caizel's charm over him."
"I do agree on one thing you said, though. This is a shaky alliance. Your inability to consider any perspective or method of attack but your own has made cohesion an impossibility. I suggest next time, you put aside the angry grandma routine and consider the potential of a plan besides your own to complete the mission."
"Again, demon lords are not known for their honesty. At the time, the only evidence you had that Baphomet was not the culprit was his own word. To suggest you knew for a fact he was not the target is naive at best and disingenuous at worst. Had we killed him and discovered he was indeed not the culprit, which he just happened to not be, it would have forced the actual culprit's hand. And I would remind you that I only said that after you and the others commenced the idiocy of casting supporting magic on a fucking demon lord without knowing whether or not he was about to attack you. You want to talk in what-ifs and threatening the mission? Suppose that he attacked independent of my words, had you considered that when you rushed in? Your actions jeopardized things just as much, if not more, than mine. At least we would have triumphed had we presented a united front, and acted when I served him to you all on a silver platter. And what you refer to as trying to turn the team against each other occurred after that very thing happened, and not by my hand, mind you. That betrayal is the reason I was turned into a worm in the first place, so you'll have to excuse me for not weeping in gratitude to you just because you undid the fruit of your decision."
"For someone who's attacking my honesty, you're stretching the truth pretty hard. Everyone witnessed the events aboard the ship? You received a witness account from Fleshbane, don't pretend like you and the others were there; you're a bigger hypocrite than I thought. And the 'poison?' It removed his memories of a horrific event, and had absolutely no effect on his capacity to fly the plane. Your suggesting as such proves how little you actually know about the 'events that we all witnessed.' That was the kindest thing I've done in a long, long time, and it's thanks to that action that he's not a quivering mass of traumatic stress or suffering residual effects from Caizel's charm over him."
"I do agree on one thing you said, though. This is a shaky alliance. Your inability to consider any perspective or method of attack but your own has made cohesion an impossibility. I suggest next time, you put aside the angry grandma routine and consider the potential of a plan besides your own to complete the mission."
Mako stands up and responds quite angrily "You impudent child! There is a difference between being open to ideas and letting you get whatever you want. Do you think I can't tell when some one, even a monster is lying to me? What kind of fool do you take me for? I have no doubt baphomet would put even you to you shame in his ability to spout constant bullshit and get any fool to fall for it, but it had been my job for for over 50 years to see through such lies. I've forgotten more about it then you will ever know. And lets not forget, Menek is quite possibly even better at it then I and he also saw fit to talk with Baphomet. You keep speaking of people using hypothetical, but you are the one claiming that our actions, which history as proven to have been the correct course to finding the soul, might not have worked, while your own plans had you succeeded, would have left us with no leads or dead for no reason. You keep trying to bend words around to make you sound sensible, but the more you speak the more it must becoming clear that you actions only served yourself and to hinder our investigation." She then turns to the Raven Queen "You've seen what this worm is capable of and how far he will go to try and cover his tracks, to the point of even creating a revisionist history to paint him in a better light. If some foolish section of these Accords will actually stop you from removing this pain from our sides, at least please find a way to keep him in line."
Mako stands up and responds quite angrily "You impudent child! There is a difference between being open to ideas and letting you get whatever you want. Do you think I can't tell when some one, even a monster is lying to me? What kind of fool do you take me for? I have no doubt baphomet would put even you to you shame in his ability to spout constant bullshit and get any fool to fall for it, but it had been my job for for over 50 years to see through such lies. I've forgotten more about it then you will ever know. And lets not forget, Menek is quite possibly even better at it then I and he also saw fit to talk with Baphomet. You keep speaking of people using hypothetical, but you are the one claiming that our actions, which history as proven to have been the correct course to finding the soul, might not have worked, while your own plans had you succeeded, would have left us with no leads or dead for no reason. You keep trying to bend words around to make you sound sensible, but the more you speak the more it must becoming clear that you actions only served yourself and to hinder our investigation." She then turns to the Raven Queen "You've seen what this worm is capable of and how far he will go to try and cover his tracks, to the point of even creating a revisionist history to paint him in a better light. If some foolish section of these Accords will actually stop you from removing this pain from our sides, at least please find a way to keep him in line."
Ciel smirks, finally having gotten a rise out of Mako. He's making no friends here and is the least sympathetic defendant ever, but in terms of the accord's language, this side squabble shouldn't effect the outcome produced by Asmodeus.
"So your key stance is based on one part arrogant pride in your abilities over a period of time that amounts to a blink with the creatures we're dealing with, and another on saying your course was right and mine wrong because things played out along your course? My, you really thought that one through, didn't you?"
Ciel does not speak to the Raven Queen even after Mako makes what he feels to be a fruitless, indignant plea. Taunting his fellow SAED members is one thing, but the Raven Queen is a force that should be left to Lord Asmodeus.
((Gonna start with the events that happened before the current meeting.))
After the Raven Queen has assured her that Tessa will be cared for Viss lies back onto her cushion, closes her eyes.
Later when she is back at her domain she ignores the inquiries of Shirox, Pillari and Oldoraphon and retreats directly to her tree house, closing the curtain behind her
--------------
Pillari is sitting on a branch when the watery creature enters her Mistress's domain. Excited she flutters down to great the guest.
"Hello, welcome to the domain of Vissaria, daughter of Curai!" she chirps, obviously glad to finally getting the chance to do this.
"My name is Pillari and I will guide you to my Mistress immediately." Pillari starts flying from branch to branch indicating a path almost hidden by the undergrowth.
"You are one of the Mistress's partners, right? I'm so glad that you have come. Maybe you can help her. We, and by we I mean Shirox, Oldoraphon and myself have tried everything, but to no avail. She doesn't talk to us at all. She just lies in her house and stares at the ceiling. We can barely get her to eat, even though Shirox has spent days researching the tastiest kind of fish and have the archon's prepare it.
"Every night I sing to her and tell her stories, but she does not react at all."
Pillari stops on a branch, letting her wings drop. "We just don't now what happened. Mistress has always been a little gloomy sometimes. But still, she would listen to my songs with a smile on her lips, even if there was sadness hiding behind it. But now, ever since she has gotten back, there isn't even a sad smile left on her face. We just don't now what to do." Pillari looks at the water creature intently. "Maybe you can help her." There is a plea in the little canary's eyes, she clearly has reached the end of her wisdom.
It appears that they have also reached the end of their journey because Ozz now stands infront of a large tree with a house on it.
((I'm gonna stop here in case Ozz wants to interact with Pillari. If he does not he can go up into the tree house and start interacting with Viss, who is really depressed. Time to do your username justice
Now let's jump ahead a bit to the meeting.))
Viss listens to the back and forth of Ciel and Mako with growing impatience. Finally she can take it no longer.
"Can you two please stop! This is going nowhere." She suddenly bursts out. When everyone looks at her she seems to shrink in her seat and continues with a smaller voice. "Look, I wasn't there for most of the Baphomet debacle so I'm not gonna comment on this since I simply don't know what happened. Same goes for whatever happened on the ship in our absence.
"But I want to point out that if someone is to blame for putting the mission at risk it is him." With that she stands up and points her finger at Asmodeus.
"He is the one that intruded our group with a request that had nothing to do with our mission, trying to use our power for his own means. By doing so he knowingly put Ciel in the moral conflict which eventually led to the events that have been discussed to death already. I think that he is the one really to blame on this whole affair."
Menek was tired. Bungo’s nonchalance and assurance that the fallen members of the team were just fine and had re-appeared in the Observatory had satisfied the investigator/witch but hadn’t convinced Ozzang’ac or Tessa. The reward for actually surviving the battle seemed to be an emotionally draining and ardous week long trip back surrounded by a depressed Mystran water elemental convinced he had failed his mission, an even more distraught dinosaur mourning the death of her closest friend, and a deadly assassin who seemed to have tipped right off the edge he seemed to be always balanced on right into depths of insanity.
With Bungo being a bit overwhelmed by the twin tasks of caring for Tessa (Menek helped as much as he could with that but he was not good with handling animals) while also piloting the ship and staying out of the way of Thanatos, Ratbreath was, suprisingly, the only being that Menek actually got a chance to unwind with.
Surviving a Balor and actually taking it down? Gotta say that’s a feat the bird had commented as it cleaned itself in their cabin when Menek had first got in there.
I am surprised you were not rooting for my death Menek snapped feeling sore despite the healing magics that he had used to recover.
Ratbreath gave him a look Menek had started to find familiar I don’t want you destroyed moron. If Arozora had wanted that then it would have happened long ago. This is penance, genius, and being thrown against a BALOR, hah ,that’s a start. And in any case, the destruction of a parolee is unpleasant for the familiar.
By convention I understand familars refer to their witches and wizards as Master…
Yeah that’s not going to happen
Still Tessa’s constant sorrowful howls and periodic bursts of insane laughter from Ciel had meant that Menek had gotten no sleep and certainly no rest. As soon as they landed he shook Bungo’s hand in thanks, stumbled off back to his tiny planespace, and, without a word to anybody else in there, collapsed for a few fitful hours of sleep before being summoned back to the meeting. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to contact Arozora and barely had time to make himself look presentable before he got to the meeting room.
Which explains why, with something of a pounding headache, he hadn’t jumped into the conversation yet.
He stands up and clears his throat.
There are a few things here. First Lord Asmodeus with all due respect your point of jurisdiction does not apply. Certainly in the First Layer of the Abyss you would be correct that Ciel’s actions would have gone unnoticed but we were not on the First. We were on the Thirteenth and by all precedents the mores, regulations, and traditions of each layer of the Abyss are their own. Ciel’s actions in the Ivory Citadel most definitely did NOT go unnoticed; indeed I would be incredibly surprised if Baphomet does not make his very justifiable concerns known to the Raven Queen. We went there as diplomats and emissaries were granted guest right, protection, and cooperation by Baphoment and in return Ciel attempted to assassinate him. Indeed the news of SAED agents attempting to assassinate the de facto lord of a realm must have spread by now to all the high levels of the Astral Sea and, purely due to Ciel’s actions, we will now be viewed with suspicion on every other mission that we are sent. This is a diplomatic disaster.
Secondly, the fact that Ciel considered Baphomet the most likely culprit when he turned out to be innocent, and then advocated for Caziel, who turned out to be the actual criminal, speaks to his deficiency in the arena of diplomacy and investigation. We all have our roles and by not trusting and coordinating with the members of the team trained in detecting falsehood and ferreting out trails he perpetrated a grave diplomatic incident and made us far less prepared to take on the true enemy when it arrived.
Thirdly as alluded. We are meant to act as a team and it is obvious Ciel did not. This must change one way or the other.
Fourthly, I agree with Viss, Lord Asmodeus you did, through possessing Thanatos at great risk to yourself in the Abyss, offer material gain to all of us in return for the assassination of Baphoment. I would argue that this put Ciel in an untenable position of trying to serve two masters at once. I do not know what is expected of a patron diety, but surely this is not it.
Back in more relaxing, less stressful times, Ozzang'ac would have found himself greeted by a tiny bird. The elemental is taken by sheer surprise, but the small jolt subsides quickly as he has more than once encountered seagulls capable of speaking already.
While pushing himself through the brush, leaving plants and soil wet in his path, he calls to the bird, "I am called Ozzang'ac. I have come to give an apology to your master, as I feel responsible for much that had happened."
Arriving at the tree, Ozzang'ac slowly approaches before stopping to be within hearing distance. He'll speak, "Is it alright to visit?" If allowed, he will begin, "I want to say that it is a great relief to see you and the others alive once more. I had thought I lost my peers for good once again.. I also wish to say that I don't take for granted that this gives me a chance to apologize. I let you and everyone down for being unable to protect everyone from Balor."
---
"I agree with much Menek has to say. Asmodeus had attempted to use us, and we as a team decided to refuse. If I recall we were able to find valuable information without putting ourselves in danger prior to our encounter with Caizel and her demon, we certainly should have been able to determine if Baphomet was the culprit or innocent without senseless hostilities."
"Also, Ciel mentions rest, but I don't think we would have been able to defeat Baphomet even on his own with such powerful magic, much less the lack of rest we would have received when we were ambushed by Caizel.. in fact, we still do not know how she knew what we were doing or how she knew to be on that ship."
For days Viss has been just lying in her hut, ignoring the attention of her servants. When she suddenly hears the voice of Ozz she is taken by utter surprise. That someone from the rest of her group would want to speak to her...
Despite herself she gets up from her resting place and walks to the entrance, inviting the water elemental inside. Slightly unsure what comfort could offer him.
Before she is even able to say so much as a gretting Ozz starts apologizing. Viss wants to interfere but the water elemental just keeps going. When be finally stops Viss can only manage to stare at him in utter disbelief for a few moments.
"What... Why...How can you be apologizing after all that you have done?" She shakes her head. "You fought so admirably. And I? ... I couldn't do anything." Overcome by another wave of regret and self consciousness Viss turns away from Ozz. "I have no place in this group. If anything I drag the rest of you down..."
"Balor was far too strong in comparison to us, especially when you consider what he did to Fleshbane. Even I felt I stood little chance but you helped me stay strong with your healing. I only wish that I was able to return the favor."
He suggests, "Even before that you were able to help pacify Ciel and convince him to fight alongside us once more. You also did exceptional sneaking into Baphomet's quarters and helping to discover our true objective. Without that we would not have had a clear direction as we do now."
Viss opens her mouth in profount protest, then closes it again.
"You give me more credit than I deserve." She sinks back on one of the cushions covering the floor of the tree house, sighing deeply. "I just... I guess I had hoped to fare better at my second chance. Instead I feel like I just repeated the same mistakes all over again." She will tell Ozz everything that had led to her death now. ((Meaning he now officially knows everything from her back story post))
"Why not put pretensions aside and simply kill one another?" Fleshbane asks. "It would be far more entertaining and worthwhile than this useless prattling. Ciel is a demonstrable liar, account for this fact in your interactions with him and move on. None of us hold standing in these proceedings, so silence your flapping flesh orifices and allow his fate to be decided.
"Unless of course you think you are truly capable of arguing over the contents of a document you have not read against one of it's authors who also happens to be something of a deity of contractual loopholes?"
Asmodeus seems to revel in the arguments being thrown about, a smug grin decorating his face. He beams with pride when Fleshbane speaks up. The Raven Queen, in contrast, is only growing more tense.
Finally she slams her hand on the table. "Enough," she says. "Asmodeus, we'll continue this conversation in private. The rest of you are dismissed. Ciel... is still on board, until further notice."
"A wise decision," says Asmodeus. The two gods vanish from the briefing room, leaving everyone to their own devices.
((We're entering a long period of in-game downtime, where the main plot will be inactive. This will extend at least through the weekend in real time, and could go on much longer, depending on what people get up to.
Feel free to dream up projects and side quests. You are not limited to the Observatory. The Astral Sea is your playground if you want it to be, at least until the Raven Queen calls you back))
Your god. Menek says shortly to Ciel Is an ass. Now I'm going to go catch up on my sleep Menek stands up and stomps off. Talking back to the Lord of Hell had *not* been on his to do list for the day and he's feeling incredibly irritated.
Ciel is revelling in the argument against most of the team. 5 against 2 is no simple prospect, but the opportunity to watch them rage in protest as they slowly realize he's not going anywhere is too appealing to him.
Before he can address the next round of claims, the Raven Queen dismisses them. He strolls out of the room, pleased at their anger and pleased that Fleshbane is acting on the alliance. This has confirmed two things for him. One, a god must die, and he's more willing than ever to work with Fleshbane now. Two, while Lord Asmodeus probably has something rough in store for Ciel down the road, for now he is still protecting him. The actions aiding Fleshbane will have to exclude the killing of any gods who are noted allies of Asmodeus.
He looks smugly at the tired Menek and says "Your disrespect is surprising. Especially for someone who kowtowed to demon lords to the extent you did."
In higher spirits, he returns to his quarters. There is much to do.
((We're entering a long period of in-game downtime, where the main plot will be inactive. This will extend at least through the weekend in real time, and could go on much longer, depending on what people get up to.
Feel free to dream up projects and side quests. You are not limited to the Observatory. The Astral Sea is your playground if you want it to be, at least until the Raven Queen calls you back))
Ozzang'ac notes conviction in Viss' words. With understanding, he responds "I never would have realized on my own that you had lost everything dear to you before facing a bitter end.." Ozzang'ac doesn't dare to venture saying it, but he somehow must be fortunate that he didn't have to watch his people suffer; everyone died together in a frame of seconds.
He notes when hearing her story, "People like Hartur and Curai.. I don't believe I've ever shared a closeness to anyone as you have did in your life. I am not even sure I am capable of true friendship." He starts to wonder if Mystra had created him this way now, as a reflection of her aloof self, "My duties were everything to me, and my servitude was to the kingdom. To be unable to fulfill my obligations to keep others alive as a Royal Guard brings me great pain."
He will then explain the circumstances of his, and the rest of his kingdom's death, and how he was lost in the astral sea for an unknown amount of time. <Viss will know Ozzang'ac's backstory as well.>
---
Ozzang'ac remains quiet for the remainder of the meeting. He starts to question whether trying to argue away a party member is just; it is possible that Ciel will only be encouraged to work against the others after this incident.
Maybe they are ignoring the root of the issue. As Menek gets up, Ozzang'ac asks the Investigator, "When you are feeling rested, may I visit your chambers to discuss matters of importance?"
<I'll probably start RPing going to Menek's area once I wake up later tonight.
Also, I want to go ahead and convert Ozzang'ac to Unchained Monk but I don't actually have the written material for it. It also occurred to me that I might lose a bunch of Qinggong Monk stuff so I don't know how I'll deal with that.>
((Would it be possible to retcon and say Sybil was not at the meeting? She would have informed the Raven Queen of this but perhaps not had time to let the party members know.))
Sybil's position at the table remains absent for the duration of the heated council discussion. However, behind her chair stands a tan, skinny youth, bare chested but for a worn looking leather mantle adorned with feathers across his shoulders. He drapes himself lazily over the ornate chair several times during the meeting and swivels it around to look about the room. Whenever his wandering gaze meets that of another member of the council, his pale eyes will stare fixedly upon them until the other breaks eye contact.
As the Raven Queen and Asmodeus take their leave, the youth returns to an upright posture. Stifling a yawn he brushes dust off the worn looking leather pants he wears, appearing uncomfortable with the way they are attached to his body. Giving up on tugging the rope belt that holds them to his waist, the youth runs a hand through his long unkempt brown hair, fingers scratching an itch on his scalp between streaks of hair shocked with white.
Once satisfied if not addressed he leaves slowly, with an awkward stooping shuffle back to Sybil's domain.
((I'm packing several different activities for Ciel into one post, so wall-o-text incoming))
Ciel returns to his quarters, head held high at the way things had turned out. He expected a shitshow following his personal failings in securing Baphomet's death, and while the party's squabbling at the kid's table while the grownups spoke could be considered as such, the outcome seems fine for him.
He moves to his velvet-carpeted throne room, and has Brick fetch him a bottle of wine. "Your wine, Ciel," the large man says, barely hiding his contempt. Ciel notices a tiny hole poked into the cork as it is removed and wine is poured into the glass. "You've done your services well, Brick. Pour a glass for yourself as well, I insist." Brick hesitates, and in an attempt to deflect says "Erm, that's ok, I don't want to waste your wine." "There's no need to be that way, if you don't wish to have an entire glass, I'll share this with you." As Brick continues to falter and look for an out, Ciel smiles at him. "If you're going to try and poison a poisoner, don't be so obvious about it. Now, what brought on this little episode?"
Brick goes from flustered to furious in an instant. "What brought this on? WHAT BROUGHT THIS ON?! What you did to me and my village brought this on! Surely you recognize me by now? You've had months to recall the atrocity you committed."
Ciel furrows his brow for a moment, and then shrugs. "Sorry, but I don't believe we've met prior to your entering my service here. If I did indeed kill you in life, it wasn't memorable."
This only serves to further agitate the large man. "Not memorable? What kind of sociopathic demon are you? Do you have no memory of all the people you've slaughtered, many for no real reason?"
Ciel looks at him with boredom, losing interest in the conversation. He's been lectured by haughty types enough for the day, and is not particularly thrilled about going through another ten minutes of that in his own quarters. He casually remarks back "Do you remember how many pieces of bread you've eaten?"
That does it. Brick comes rushing at Ciel, ready to strangle him. Despite a significant advantage in size and brute strength, he is not that versed in combat. Ciel almost lazily kicks out one of his knees mid-lunge and catches him, twisting an arm behind his back and keeping him on the ground.
"You know what? Now that you mention it, I do think I recall you. Selmark, if I'm not mistaken? That was a fun one, the screams of your womenfolk as they were hacked apart made quite the riveting melody. My only regret is that time pressure prevented me from torturing them to death one at a time, while you and the other able-bodied villagers were held down and watched. No matter, I see you were lazy in training. How does the flow of time differ in the Astral Plane relative to the Material again? I don't know the exact transfer rate, but I'm sure you had at least 90 years to prepare, and this is the best you can do? So disappointing."
"You ingrate!" Brick roars. "You can't hold me here forever, when I overpower you I'll-" Ciel laughs and strokes Brick's face. A shudder goes down Brick's spine, uncertain of what fate awaits him for his folly. "You foolish man. Accept that you've lost this round. You have time to plan out another attack, but first you must answer for your actions. I trust you know what comes next?"
Possibilities race through Brick's mind. If not killed outright or forced to fight in Ciel's makeshift coliseum, he will be taken to the dungeon and tortured to death, possibly through multiple revival cycles. Wait, he thinks. This could work perfectly. He is aware of what happened to Dyliah, and if Ciel does that to a second servant, he may lose his archon privileges, or better yet, be kicked out of the observatory all together. Yes, he may get his revenge after all. He prepares to be a martyr when Ciel declares his judgment.
"Archons, create a cell in one of the less horrific parts of my abode and place Brick in it for 24 hours. See to it that it has reasonable commodities so he does not want for food or hygiene." Brick does a double take at what he just heard. Someone as cruel and merciless as Ciel is giving him a slap on the wrist? "Though you have attempted to murder me not once but twice, you are still a servant of the Raven Queen and must be treated with care. As such, you will receive a punishment far, far lighter than what you would for trying that with anyone else, anywhere else." With a parting smirk, he says "I eagerly await your next attempt."
-------------------------------------------------
When adequate time for the meeting to have long concluded has passed, Ciel makes his way to the room where he can contact Asmodeus, and reaches out to his patron. ThLunarian:
My lord, I first wish to apologize for my inability to kill Baphomet independent of the others' aid. It is something I hope to rectify in my free time when I am of sufficient power to do so; ten years is a decent amount of time for getting stronger. I also wish to thank you for your timely intervention at the meeting. The main reason I called you, however, was to inquire into retribution against the piles of sentient slime that are my associates. I wish to intrude into their quarters to find information on them that could give me advantage over them. However, I wished to check with you first to see if there is anything in the accords that would forbid that, as I do not wish to take action that would see me expelled from the observatory.
-------------------------------------------------
In lieu of Fleshbane's positive words at the meeting, Ciel decides to be proactive in honoring their alliance. He makes his way to the library for a day of research, not phased by having to do it himself given Dyliah's dismissal. In fact, he considers himself more qualified than the elf wretch to do it, if no where near Menek's level on such matters. Setting a day aside, he sifts through religious and planar texts, attempting to determine the least powerful god in the Astral Plane.
((Going ahead and throwing some rolls in. I'm not sure if there are bonuses that come with using a well-stocked library, so if there are, this roll is without them))
He jots down whatever of use he finds, if anything, to discuss with Fleshbane later.
-------------------------------------------------
An alliance with Fleshbane certainly makes the prospects for the next mission brighter than the previous one. While he doesn't think he can truely win over any of the others, he does feel there is some work he can do to at least bridge a little bit of the gap if not actually win people over. Worst case scenario, nothing comes of this and he resumes his day.
Standing outside Viss's chamber, he knocks on the door.
<I'll probably start RPing going to Menek's area once I wake up later tonight.
Also, I want to go ahead and convert Ozzang'ac to Unchained Monk but I don't actually have the written material for it. It also occurred to me that I might lose a bunch of Qinggong Monk stuff so I don't know how I'll deal with that.>
((Jackben, that's fine, though I hope somebody addresses Sybil's placeholder, so we can figure out what's going on there ))
Ciel's outreach to Asmodeus is met with the Lord of the Devils himself appearing in his room.
"Your timing is fortuitous," he says. "I've just resolved the situation with The Raven Queen, and am allowed to be here to report the results to you as your legal counsel. The short of it is that you're still on the team. She hemmed and hawed about a "probation period," but that's irrelevant because she's nearly always monitoring your activities anyway."
He steps uncomfortably close to the ninja and lightly brushes his face with one humanoid hand. "I may have saved you from expulsion," he says, "But do not mistake my actions for approval. You failed me miserably. Your tactics were rudimentary and haphazard. Baphomet still lives, and worse, he is now expecting further attempts on his life, which will make them all the more difficult. The only reason I have chosen to keep you here is that you are, at least, demonstrating your loyalty to my interests."
He licks his finger and impresses it upon Ciel's forehead. It burns uncomfortably for five seconds before he pulls it away; a very tiny pentagram is permanently seared upon his flesh. "Despite your failures, I have decided to reward your loyalty. That brand will find you several advantages the next time you find yourself face to face with one of those dreadful Abyssal creatures."
Asmodeus folds his hands behind his back and strolls leisurely about, taking in the decorations that Ciel has seen fit to plaster about the place. "As to your inquiry. There would be no violation of the Accord per se, but if you follow that course of action, I strongly recommend you to not get caught. You've already seen that your 'allies' are more than capable of creating any number of complications. I suggest you stop underestimating them."
He faces Ciel once more. "And I believe my business here is concluded. I'll not be allowed back here in person unless the Raven Queen brings about more accusations, but I will be in touch, should the need arise. Oh - and this nonsense with killing a god? Tread carefully. I hope you can see that this 'alliance' you have with that thing is tenuous at best. It cares nothing for living creatures, and will throw you to the wolves the moment it has an opportunity to do so."
((Ciel, you can add Demon to your list of Favored Enemies. Also, poisons administered by you will affect demons even if they are normally immune to poison.
Oh yeah, and can you send me a link to your character sheet? Yours is the only one I don't have, I think.))
Menek wanted to go back and collapse back into the sleep that he had been roused from but found himself too jittery from the events of the meeting to do so. He kneels in front of the writing desk in his room and reaches out.
Fe treads slowly and carefully through the corridors of the Observatory, always mindful of the bulk and irregular shape of his body sculpted of iron ore. He is aware that here in the Raven Queens domain he can do no permanent damage to anything without her willing it, but his measured motions are born of hundreds of years of experience in realms where the laws of cause and effect are not so carefully curated as they are in this place. He is not a graceful being, but without a reason to be hurried, he can afford to take things as slowly as he needs to.
Mounting the stairs to the central library, he plods along, the dutiful archon constructs going about their assigned tasks parting around him as though he were a rock in a stream. He is moderately surprised at having been summoned directly to the library by his assigned charge at allFleshbane has thus far only left his quarters when summoned directly by the Raven Queen and apparently to make a social call to one of his fellow team members. The murderous construct was undeniably the same being Fe had familiarized himself with before, but ever since his reconstruction, he has been notably more subdued in his seemingly boundless fury and spite.
Well, relatively speaking.
The doors part before Fe of their own accord, and the lumbering embodiment of iron enters the central tower. Fleshbane stands on a dias at the center, his hand on an unfamiliar podium that Fe has never before witnessed. Around the constructs head flit glowing star charts, images, and reams of text at speeds far too great for the ancient elemental to follow or process.
Fe, Fleshbane acknowledges without turning to face his subordinate.
This is a new addition, Fe observes as he moves to stand behind Fleshbane, attempting to derive some meaning from the data streaming past him at light speed.
I required a more efficient means by which to access the knowledgebase that has been made available to us than words scribbled on volumes of paper, Fleshbane explains. The library Accommodated me. I mean no offense in undermining your position as my assigned scholar.
None taken, Fe rumbled. Might I be so bold as to inquire what is so pressing that it requires such rapidity?
The restraints that Zerome has imposed upon me hinder my ability to perform my designated function, says Fleshbane. My ability to decrypt and override his commands is only a matter of time. However, by my calculations the length of time it would take me to circumvent them under my own power far exceeds the time horizon that I estimate that Zeromes use for me will be at an end. He intends to absorb me into his collective consciousness and subsume my individuality. I intend to outsource a solution to my problem and prevent that from occurring.
The torrent of images and star charts cease, a single entry on a distant and unremarkable plane of existence magnified in the air before Fe and Fleshbane. This one, Fleshbane asks. You will deliver my request to the master of this place.
Fe scratched his rust-speckled chin, a small shower of sparks as his metal grinds against itself. Are you quite certain? he asks. I do not mean to offend, but he does not seem the sort to help the likes of anyone but himself.
He will help, Fleshbane says, because we will present him with a challenge he cannot resist.
#
Fe finds himself standing in hallway so long that it exceeds the vanishing point on the horizon, the walls of carved stone and marble extending upward to end in an ornate vaulted ceiling high above. Alcoves are spaced at regular intervals, each containing a work of art of one medium or another. Here a statue. There a painting. Another featuring a particularly ornate sword. As Fe lumbers forward, a wrapped package in hand, he thinks he can identify some of these items as extraordinarily good counterfeits of relics belonging to other gods of the Astral Sea, relics that are absolutely unassociated with the patron deity of this realm. They are so close as to be indistinguishable from the genuine article, in Fes estimation. The possibility that they may actually be the genuine article rolls across Fes mind, but he immediately dismisses that. The master of this realm is not well loved by most who hold sway in the Astral Sea, but surely he would not be so daring as to
There is a gasp and the clatter of something being dropped on the tiled floor. Slowly, deliberate, Fe turns toward the source of the sound and finds an aged man staring at the elemental with his mouth agape. On the floor at his feet is a clipboard and charcoal, the pages appearing to be some sort of inventory or tally. A guest! the bespectacled man finally manages, stooping over to pick up his fallen clipboard and writing implement. Oh my, we havent had a caller since Well, I dont believe that weve ever had a caller. Thats the problem with gods, theyre just so long-lived that they never stop holding a grudge.
Fe extends the parcel in his hand before him. A gift for your master if he will grant me an audience, he says.
The old man beams, a broad smile on his face. How terribly lovely! he exclaims. Theres no one who doesnt love a gift, I always say! Im sure his lordship will be tickled pink to receive a guest, especially one as Interesting-looking as yourself. Right this way, now, right this way.
The man takes a hard right-angle turn from the path of the corridor. Fe follows to find that instead of an alcovean alcove that he is relatively sure existed there a moment before handthere is another hallway extending on for a seeming eternity. You have the presence of the Raven Queen about you, the old man chats amicably as he leads Fe down the hall. Are you here on her behalf? With a gift, no less? The masters been something on the outs with her since before he even ascended. Seems that he came through the Astral Sea at some point and ruffled quite a few tail feathers, and I dont think he believes that shes ever quite forgiven him his trespasses.
I am not here as her representative, Fe corrects as they take another turn down another hallwayone that should have bisected the hallway in which he first found himself, but of which there is no sign. I come at the behest of one over whom she holds command.
Ah, I think Ive heard of that lot, the man said, abruptly turning heel and walking past Fe the way they came. Fe turns around to find that the hallway he had just come down has been replaced by a wall with a single door. Fumbling about through a ring of keys tied about his belt, the man continues, I think there was some sort of ruckus in the Abyss recently?
Fe follows the man through the door, ducking and turning sideways to fit his sizeable bulk through the doorway not sized for him. Inside is a what appears to be a well-appointed office; perfectly suited for a person of wealth and class in the material plane, but oddly humble for a god. The man moves around the other side of the desk against the far wall and seats himself behind it. And here I thought you were acting as the Raven Queens emissary to apologize to me for giving me such a hard time skipping through the realms when shes apparently found it to be an excellent idea to form a whole squadron to do the same thing.
Fe nods in understanding. You are the master of this house.
I am, the man replies, his eyes bright and alert.
I am surprised to find your realm so devoid of followers. I knew that you were only a relatively minor god, but still I expected
Ive plenty of followers, the man interrupts. More worshippers than you can shake a stick at. I just have uses for them elsewhere.
Stealing from other gods, you mean?
The mans smile broadens into a grin. I wont tell if you wont tell, he says. Now what was this about you having brought me a gift?
Fe lumbers forward and placed the wrapped package on the mans oaken desk. With great care, he unwraps it, revealing a small metal box. A ticking sound emanates from somewhere within, and the toothed wheels of gears and cogs penetrate its surface through slots designed to allow their freedom of movement. The man appraises it with a lifted eyebrow. What is it? he asks.
A puzzle, Fe explains. Or rather a copy of one. A puzzle created by a god that could only hope to be solved by another god. This is the form it takes in your sphere of influence.
The man lifts it shakes it next to his ear. And whats in it for me if I solve this puzzle? he asks.
You are a god of mischief. Solve it, and there will be much mischief indeed.
Well, thats not really a fair characterization, the man protests. I like to think of myself more as a god in the business of liberating secrets, though I will admit sometimes I chose to keep them to myself. Have you ever met Vecna? He wasnt terribly fond of me to begin with, I think he downright detests me now. We have history, he and I.
Fe reaches out to claim the box. If you have no interest, I will take my leave and inform my
Now, now, now, I didnt say I wouldnt do it, the man interrupts, snatching the box back from the iron elementals outstretched hand. He holds it before him, deep in thought. Its going to take me a little while to open, though, he says.
Fe gives a lugubrious shrug. Take all the time that you require.
Hearing Ozz's story, Viss is moved deeply. "You have lost much in your former life but from your story I think that your loss wasn't due to you failing your people." She takes a deep breath. "Sometimes things happen that are out of our power and struggling to control them will only lead to more chaos." She pauses for a moment before she turns her face to Ozz in full and smiles warmly.
"As for your regret about never knowing companionship... I think you'll find that this is already in the process of changing." Her smile becomes a wide grin, showing her chipped canine. "Be warned though there is a downside to everything. Let me tell about that one time Hastur..."
Before Viss can start the story however she is interrupted by Tessa, breaking through the undergrowth noisily. The dinosaur throws Viss from her feet in a clumsy attempt of affectioned nozzeling. Laughing Viss tries to find her off. "See what I mean..."
It is than that they are summond by the Raven Queen.
-----------
When the Raven Queen and Asmodeus depart Viss returns to her domain. She wonders if her service to Melora will one day put her in a similar position as the one Ciel has found himself in.
----------
Pillari is at the stream taking her daily bath so it is Shirox that comes to answer the door when Ciel knocks. The lemur looks the assassin up and down blatantly. "From what my Mistress has told me I guess that you must be Ciel. My name is Shirox and I bit you welcome in this domain. I was told to bring every guest that isn't the metal being to my Mistress, so if you'd please follow me."
Shirox starts down the same path Pillari has led Ozz, hopping on its hind legs. They soon reach the clearing where Viss is leisurely sitting at a fire, her back to a tree, chewing on a stick of liquorice root. When she spots Ciel she looks up at him openly surprised.
"Now what would you want here." She says, not unfriendly but profoundly confused.
<That's good. Qinggong has water themed ki attacks so it would be unflavorful to lose those even if I may never actually use them due to it being such an insanely high level campaign.
@ThLunarian: Will I be allowed to have Ozzang'ac visit Menek after he talks with Arozora, or will you draw the line after we do our own personal things and continue on with the game afterward?>
((KM - you can do your visit after Menek's scene if you'd like. I'm purposely making this whole thing very free-form.
Azih - gonna retcon your post very slightly; there is a predesignated 'console' from which you can communicate directly with your god. This is true for each member of the party))
Menek kneels before an impossibly large tome - a tome as tall and as wide as he is, with a depth that could be thousands of pages. The tome rests upon a tilted pedestal. With some effort, he pushes the thing open, to a blank page in the middle, and makes his plea. As he speaks, his words are automatically transcribed on its pages, the font very straight and angular.
It is not long at all before words which are not his own appear upon the page, in a much more curvy and italicized font. As he gazes at them, the dual voices of Arozora speak them directly into his mind.
"Speak, and be heard," the voice says, not disagreeably.
Ciel approaches Viss, looking what passes as friendly for him. "I am merely here for an extension of good will. It would be a stretch to say we're friends, and I didn't appreciate the way you spoke of my Patron at the meeting, but you have made efforts to be more out reaching than the others, and I should acknowledge that."
"I couldn't help but notice that you seemed down following our first fight, and a bit down at the meeting as well. I may be off the mark, but guess is that was related to how the fights played out?I have come to offer to teach you some of what I know on combat, if you are so inclined. I can't help at all with nature magic, you are far stronger and more intimately bonded with it than I. However, I do believe there are tricks with archery I can aid you with, especially with taking enemies by surprise. If that offer doesn't interest you, I will take my leave, and we need not speak of the matter further."
Ciel finds far more information on lesser gods than he was expecting to find. There are many of them throughout the Astral Sea.
By their nature as lesser gods, they don't have their own domains; rather, they reside in the domains of the Greater Gods, with varying degrees of allegiance.
There are literally dozens of them to choose from, and it would be easy to choose one from any alignment paradigm.
He even recognizes one of the names: Freya, of Asgard. Ciel recalls that Sybil has mentioned her fealty to Freya on more than one occasion. She has a seat at the council of Odin, a lawful good god who fancies himself the 'king' of the gods within his own domain.
Not knowing that Menek is absent and visiting with his deity, Ozzang'ac moves to visit his home, and just as with Viss will await the presence of servants before continuing.
((Menek did say he would like to sleep for a day before meeting Ozzang'ac. The deity conversation is happening before that. If Ozzang'ac comes by the next day both RPs can happen without conflict))
Her first impulse is to throw a snarky remark at Ciel and tell him to mind his own business but half way through opening her mouth she closes it again. "I guess I didn't exactly hide my frustrations all that well, eh?" She eyes Ciel intentenly for a few seconds, considering his offer.
"You have to apologize that it a little hard to believe that you would offer your help so freely, just because you feel I treated you less shitty than the others have." She sighs. "However I do have to admit that you have shown exceptional skill with the bow and I am not so arrogant as to think that I couldn't learn a thing or two from you. So I guess I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and gratefully accept your offer." She shakes her head as if she can't quite believe her own words. "And I'm sick of people arguing all the time to be honest." She gets up and pats some dirt out of her fur. "Do you have a place in mind where we can practice? I've rather not have you use the creatures of this place for target practicing."
"But of course, I was half expecting you to decline. What, you mean the animals are off limits?" Ciel says jokingly. Should she not laugh at the joke, he'll state it was one.
"Naturally. There are quarters in my area for archery. If you would rather set up a space here, that is fine by me. You are no novice, so we can skip several months of bow fundamentals. The focus will be two-fold: building the finger memory to fire more arrows at once accurately, and building the mental resolve to not hesitate in going for the kill and better pinpointing vitals. I will let you choose which field we begin with."
Ciel chuckles at the mention of arguing. "Yes, it does get old doesn't it? I can't speak for everyone, but I see no end to it between Mako and I. We are simultaneously similar and opposites. Neither of us can admit wrongdoing, and both of us have to always have the last word. Were either of us to pull a full 180 on morals and worldview, we'd probably turn into the other. Not a combination that cuts down on arguments without intervention. I wouldn't tell her I said that, though."
((Turns out I forgot that crafting time is base on the full price of the item and not that cost of crafting so that means with me taking an extra +5 to double my crafting speed, it'll take me 15 days(I should have taken the valet familiar archtype...) to finish my headband, so i'm going to do the only sensible thing i can think of... add another stat to my headband increasing the time by another 3 days. Which I will be doing first. After those first three days though, I'm gonna wanna talk to Menek... but I'll save that till after he is done with Ozzan'ac. Also quick question for TL, can i spend time researching stuff while also spending that day crafting?))
((I guess Fleshbane can get the unholy vorpal stuff. Would Mako's Craft Wondrous Item feat go toward enhancing weapons, provided she could and would upgrade unholy gear?))
((I guess Fleshbane can get the unholy vorpal stuff. Would Mako's Craft Wondrous Item feat go toward enhancing weapons, provided she could and would upgrade unholy gear?))
((She wouldn't do that, for a number of reasons, but its a moot point because she can't enchant magic weapons. http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items
this should give you a good idea of what she can actually do. And just because it easy to miss, I can NOT do rings. That is its own crafting feat.))
