Pyros Litehand (Nocturno) - Private Thread

[Nocturno]

"I am originally from a Tree village quite a few leagues from here." he says with little interest.

"I was at a lake about a days walk from here. There was an entire encampment, quite a few good fellows. They took me in fed me dinner,, and we had a spirited game of dicing. I got the goblin for a steel piece!" This subject brings a huge grin to his face, and he looks quite excited.

If he has any chicken left he will start to munch on it while he continues to talk. He will then realize he did not offer any to his new friend and will offer her a share.

[TristenC]

Wait, you were dicing with a goblin? That’s weird, all the gobbos I know would rather kill you than look at you… much less throw dice… What do you mean a steel-piece? Is that like a chunk of scale mail armor or something? What an odd thing to gamble for. She takes a second look at his visual aids. Well… maybe not for some, I guess…

The Kender, ever the considerate one, begins to dig around for some grub to feed his face. Unfortunately his fare from the night before was all consumed today during lunch and he is left with trail rations. He fishes one out of his pack and is about to eat when the ‘Halfling’ stops him.

If you’re hungry, you might as well have some of my food, I always make way too much... Her smile is enchanting and a spark of joy enters her limpid eyes when she mentions cooking. If you want to bring those sticks you gathered, they’ll be of use… And close the door please. There is a beam to the side. With that she turns back into the room she came from. Pyros sees that there is indeed a sturdy oaken beam propped by the doorframe, and squared-off metal hooks on the wall and door for it to rest in.

[Nocturno]

Pyros will close and bar the door.

He will bring the sticks with him. When he gets near to Elsa again he will produce a steel piece.

"What do you mean a piece of armour! Cold hard steel, the life blood of all Krynn! he will look at Elsa with disbelief.

"In my experiences Goblins get a bad rap, if you get to know them they are much like everyone else. They just are a bit dirtier, and a little more rough and tumble. Znot seemed very different, he actually took losing that roll quite well.

Pyros will pat his belly and look expectantly. Waiting for Elsa to offer the food. He will make himself comfortable near the fire.

[TristenC]

Pyros sets the bar in place and carries the wood in after his ‘host’. The room turns out to be a small kitchen/mess hall. It is only about 5’ wide to the west, but curves on the North and south sides and must run the entire width of the tower forming up that third of the base. A small fire crackles in a hearth and there is already a small cauldron of stew going with a long-handled ladle hanging on a hook nearby. It smells deliciously of rabbits, roots and spices. A tea kettle hangs from a smaller bar nearby, swung away from the flames. Stacks of plates, bowls, cups and tableware are piled on a counter near the hearth, giving the room the look of an organized cafeteria for the tower; which, come to think of it, it probably was.

Dropping his small bundle of wood on a huge store of kindling and small logs, he proffers a steel piece to Elsa who examines it closely, though not taking it. Oh… it really is money… weird… How much is that even worth? She digs in her own pouch and pulls out a gold piece. This is what we use back home. It’s worth about ten silver. She pauses. That’s about a pair of good boots… or a pound of apples in the city… they always jack up the price. The last was said with mild frustration.

The Kender settles by the fire staring at the food hungrily as he goes on about goblins. Elsa lends him only half an ear as she grabs a bowl and begins to serve herself. Well, I don’t know anything about that. The ones in this tower, however, had been raiding livestock from my village for a long time. They even killed some shepherds and a couple of our folk who were traveling to the elven city nearby. She shook her head sadly, the compassion for those harmed plain on her face. Her expression quickly firmed. They won’t be killing any more of us though… or anyone else for that matter.

Turning back she sees Pyros leering at the pot hungrily. Help yourself, there’s plenty. Some tea in that kettle too. And I’ll get some bread. Elsa turns a plate from the stack face up and rummages around in her pack propped up by the shelf, producing a good hunk of rye. Tearing a generous portion off, she puts some on the plate and a chunk in the edge of her bowl where it will soak up the juices of the stew. Finally she turns up two cups and pours herself some tea, then drags a stool over to sit at the counter near the fire. She seems to be waiting for him to get his food ready before eating.

[Nocturno]

Pyros will grab what to him looks like a generous helping.

"So it appears we are victims of the same kind of cruel trick. You said you were a cleric, do you practice in the name of a certain god?"

He will sit down and make himself comfortable while talking.

[TristenC]

Pyros loads up on grub and takes a seat while asking about Elsa’s patron diety.

Her expression goes blank and she looks at him with dead, serious eyes. Why, the goddess of death of course. She says flatly. About a second later she bursts into laughter and giggles. Wiping a tear from her eye she says, Gotcha! I’m just kidding! Her fetching smile and happy demeanor return. I don’t guess I follow just one diety, though Yondalla the Provider is the one I feel the closest connection to. She is the protector and provider of our people. I uphold all the Halfling gods, though they have different names outside of my village. As for the others… She thinks for a moment before continuing, Here, I’ll show you! she finishes happily.

She folds her hands and lowers her head, and in a calm, respectful voice she prays. Sheela Peryoryl, goddess of the harvest, nature and weather; thank you for this bountiful meal and easing our travels today by letting the sun play and the forest be gentle. And thank you for helping my new friend make his way safely through the woods. Arvoree, defender of the little folk; thank you for protecting me from the bandits in this tower as I tried to protect my village by dispersing them. She opens her eyes and turns back to him. See? There are others too, like the goddess of the home and the god of adventure. She smiles again, it seems an almost permanent fixture on her.

Now tell me about you. What are things like where you come from? And what exactly is a Kender? And the adventurer thing, what exactly do you do? I mean, how do you make your living? Is it like you take on quests to rid the land of monsters and stuff or what? she begins eating, watching Pyros for his replies.

[Nocturno]

When Elsa mentions the Goddess of death in such a deadpan tone, Pyros nearly falls off his seat. He is very grateful when she goes on to explain the her real worship practices.

"The village I come from is much like any other village, houses that suit the family, fun swinging bridges between the homes, jumping from tree to tree, hiding in the branches to scare Mother!"

He will look delighted to be talking about his home village.

"We Kender then get an urge, an undeniable urge to wander, I have heard it called Wanderlust. We go about from town to town, looking for adventure, or just our next meal. I have been able to earn many a meal with my expertise at getting into things, boxes, chests, secret rooms, other people into trouble, myself into trouble. Most of the time I seem to walk up to someone and they never notice I am there. Then they usually start yelling at me and chasing me exclaiming thief thief! When all I was doing was counting their coins for them so they knew how many they had, or seeing if they had anything fun to play a game with."

"Are familiar with the lake I was at last night? It was a great place when I was with the group, but now it seems to be a wild place with no sign of Man or beast"

Pyros will look for his dice, and when he finds them sigh, and think of the fun time he had with Znot. "Are you interested in a game for fun?" He will show Elsa the dice. "These seem to be lucky."

[TristenC]

Elsa listens to his description of home with genuine interest. Wow. It almost sounds like an elven village! I’ve always loved to visit the elves, they were pretty good trade partners with us for as far back as my village has been there. She looks at him with mock skepticism, You sure you’re not an elf-kid? Or a half-elf kid? she teases.

Wanderlust, huh. She says, bemused. That’s pretty much the opposite of my people. Halflings are notorious homebodies… though some of them get the itch to travel about your age… but not many really. Wait, so you take other people’s stuff without them knowing but you aren’t a thief because you’re only ‘borrowing’ it? She asks, somewhat confused. Sounds like you might not run into so much trouble if you kept your hands in your own pockets… Elsa mumbled.

At his mention of the lake, she only shakes her head. I don’t recognize anything around here… except this tower, anyway. I got up early and spent all day marching along the river to the West, and didn’t come across a single thing that looked familiar. There wasn’t even any towns or farms or anything… All I learned was that the river keeps snaking west, and that it splits north about a half-day’s walk from here. I just barely got back before you showed up. She looks him over a little bit. I got attacked by a couple of wolves along the way, but I dealt with them. Did you have any trouble in the woods? I would think it’d be worse there.

When Pyros produces the dice and asks his questions, she shakes her head again. I never really liked games like that. I love games you play on a cloth or board, though! she perks up. Stones, checkers, Chess, that kind of stuff… and card games that take some thinking like rummy and spades and stuff.

[Nocturno]

"I understand Elven, but I am no elf, some say when the grey gem's energy touched the Elves Kender were made. But the any elf I spoke to would disagree vehemently." Pyros will smirk.

"Not so much borrow but make sure that they know what they have, and let them know it is safe, but I am never able to get to that part!" he will look disgruntled with that.

"Lady's choice. If we do not have the pieces I am sure we can make them!" He will offer a flourish of his hand around the room.

"I was not attacked in anyway, but once the birds started to call again, I happened to notice that they were quiet for some time."

"Shall we try again tomorrow to locate some civilization?" he will ask hopefully.


[OoC: Poor Pyros loves comfort but the large folk civilizations dislikes him!]

[TristenC]

Elsa listens intently at his stories about the grey gem and his travels this morning while finishing her dinner; only adding Cool! I speak elven too! After he is done, she pulls a rolled up square cloth from her pack and lays it out on the floor by the hearth. She sits gracefully in a cross-legged position on one side of it, and Pyros can see that it has an array of black and squares dyed into it, with bare cloth patches between making a grid. He has seen boards made in the same way for Khas and other games. I was planning on looking East tomorrow, since you came from the south and the cliffs are kind of blocking the north I guess that’s the best option for now…

The Halfling opens a small cloth sack and pulls out a couple of handfuls of berries. She places blackberries on the first three rows of black squares on the opposite side, and does the same with blueberries on her side. It seems very similar to the setup to a game Pyros was familiar with, though it was called something else back home. It was basically a simple strategy game, but often a good time-killer. Taking a plate down, she piles some more berries on it and places it to the side of the board, reserving a couple of blackberries and popping them into her mouth. We probably have time for a couple of games, but I want to get an early start tomorrow too.

[OOC: The game depends on how you want to do it. For boardgames a character is familiar with I usually just do opposed Wis or Int checks, with a gaming proficiency giving you a +2 to your check. If you just want to play for fun, we can just make one un-modified check every few rounds for a whole game.]

[Nocturno]

[Ooc: Let's skip over this one. So once I get to real combat, instead of this friendly combat of games , how do you work the rolling there?]


"Let's play one round and see how it goes. I would also love to get an early start, I am starting to miss the feeling of a soft warm bed!"

1d20 → [4] = (4)

[TristenC]

[Ooc: hehe, don't want to waste your good rolls on a game of checkers, eh? Combat rolls are pretty easy. Just state your intentions and use invisible castle to link the rolls the same you do for skill checks.

Typically I put a description in the character name like "dm roll for orc attk/dmg vs pyros" then i put init, attk and dmg in the die roll box. I usually just do bare rolls, then list the modifiers in the post, stating the needed number for success.

Once I get all the char/monster rolls for the round in I resolve them in a post. You can look at the Mira Rhelawren or Yasir Amin private threads for some examples.]

Elsa starts the game off and it turns out it was the game Pyros suspected. Pieces move only diagonally and you 'jump' an opponent's until there are none left. The halfling makes the first jump, and pops the former game-piece in her mouth, munching on it happily. The Kender then jumps two of hers in a row. They go back and forth for a while, and it turns out that she is a thoughtful and formidable opponent. In the end, Pyros' well-trained gaming abilities eke him out with only three of his own pieces left when he removes her final blueberry from the board.

Elsa stares as the last piece is taken away. Wow. You're really good at this game. I'll have to try harder! I'll get you next time I bet. she says enthusiastically. Stiffling a yawn she begins to clear away the plates, stacking them to one side of the table.

I guess I walked a lot farther than I thought today, I'm kind of beat. Spreading some blankets and stuff out on a bench against the wall, she douses the lights except one glass-shielded lamp and the fire, which burns low now. I'm going to bed. If you're staying up, try not to make much noise please. With that, she curls up on the bench under the blankets; using her pack for a pillow.

[Elsa checkers game. Wis 16. 1d20=6. Score 10
Pyros gaming check (15)+2. 1d20 → [4] = (4). Score 13. Pyros wins!]

[Nocturno]

Pyros will also head to bed. He will make a bed of his blankets and cloak.

"Good night, we should play again tomorrow night, it is a good way to relax" Pyros will help clean up, and then make his bed and lay down.

He will fidget around a bit, this may or may not keep Elsa awake.


[OoC: At least she is not a frost mage! Frozen was on TV last night and the kids "HAD" to watch it...


Also, is it ok to read those threads? I can keep information from my character separate from what I know pretty well... lots of practice because my one friend played a neutral evil theif for a long time, and we always could over hear the GM telling him things.

We typically use a d6 for group initiative. Looks like we will be using individual rolls on a d10? Not that it really matters as the speed factor of weapons really plays the deciding role in turn order]

[TristenC]

After helping with the dishes, Pyros makes himself as comfortable as possible on the bench. He finds it difficult to get into a good position and fidgets around a little. Slowly sleep comes for him, but eventually he drifts off.

His dreams are a mixture of sounds and poorly defined shapes. Splashes of red and white and black burst through, and a howling wind begins to rise. He stands in an endless bank of fog, cold air swirling it around him. The mist rises far above his head, but there is a clear path to the sky just above him. A high, stringy black cloud only partially obscures the full, yellow moon. The haunting howl of some great beast rolls over him from somewhere in the gloom. He turns and scans the area, but the moisture inhibits his vision. A shape moves! Fast and dark in the mist, as if circling him. Another! Similar to the first rushes back the other way. A third and fourth add their passages, keeping just out of sight. Another howl, much closer than before shakes him from behind.

Abruptly he awakens, chest heaving with labored breath. Pyros casts his gaze rapidly about, but he is back in the tower where he went to bed. The fire is little more than low embers now. Turning to Elsa, he sees that she is gone, her blanket and pack lying where they were before. A dim light flickers through the now-open doorway to the hall. Another howl, perhaps loud enough not to be outside, issues from the other room…


[ooc: Hahahaa. No frost mages, though we do have a fire elementalist once he starts posting… It should be ok to read through the threads a little. Most of the stuff there won’t be relevant to your character up to this point. Once the party gets together, if the group splits up then you should try to avoid it just to make it easier. They aren’t locked though, so I can’t really stop anyone from checking them out if they want. As long as everyone keeps their pc knowledge separate from player knowledge it won’t be a problem.

Yes, we use a d10 for individual initiative, and it is rolled each round so even if you went first last round you might go last this round. I feel it conveys the mayhem of melee more accurately. As you said, you add things like weapon speed or cast time to the roll. If there are other modifiers (like wading through water, being on higher ground, slowed, etc) I’ll add them after the roll is made.]

[Nocturno]

Pyros will grab his dagger and move slowly and quietly to the hallway.

[OoC: MS HS and DN rolls in this order. Hope this makes sense. First d100 plus d10 and so on.
Nevermind, the d100 doesnt need the d10 here like a real die.]

3d100; 3d10 → [44,79,36] = (159)
3d100; 3d10 → [10,6,6] = (22)