The Gardens of Evenswald

Idea · Sep 13, 2020

~The Nothwing Chase: Preparations~

The day finally arrived for the famed Nothwing chase. Merchants came from all over, and tourists even wander through the streets, killing time on the various stalls the Lord permitted to be set up near the entrance. Their attires and products are as diverse as the many places these merchants gathered here for. The ones closest to the gate, a massive large wooden door reinforced with iron beyond which were the Nothwing Chase Grounds, the merchants sold waterskins, small weapons and tools and supposed charms that might help during the chase. The ones further back sold dry crunchy snacks with spices or sugar that were hard to find in the area, set up betting booths or sold glasses with faint traces of philocerite to better watch the chase from the afar or toys based on the champions of previous competitions or other famous people from the kingdom of Howlz. Some yet advertised other, more luxurious stores for the wealthier clientele which had come to bear witness to the chase or was simply passing through and hoping to net some philocerite out of the local lord. Those stores were in reality rented houses turned temporarily into what were effectively stalls in more comfortable conditions. But of course, the opposite also existed, there were many shady deals taking place in the corners and alleyways, scammers and thieves selling loot.

Ordinarily, some would be periodically be kicked out or even arrested by the guards, but today there was more fighting as the shadier people arrived to find the spot wasn't as empty as usual. Potential clients, or victims depending on how one looked at it, were missed as hooded men bumped into each other and spent their time arguing instead of selling. Meanwhile, the density of golem-based forces among the city guards was even more prominent with the downsize of security for the event, only the roles which absolutely could not dispense talking left for any being of flesh and bone. The rest of them were running around all over the place, occasionally stopping to interrogate a wizard or other spellcasters they might come across, even ones who were evidently shams or simply looked like they could be a spellcaster. An extremely loud, thundering noise had filled the clear night yesterday, and the guards had been investigating the cause thoroughly since the early morning. It was hardly unusual for one to get out of step with the march or start yawning mid-interrogation today.

An event with indeed most unfortunate result, considering the unprecedented nature of that day's chase. There was a new rule added to the chase, the rule regarding the black runes they could find, and if they did, they would receive a large bonus of philocerite which could ultimately count philocerite they had gathered, thus increasing their reward and giving them an even better chance of winning. Many had been discussing the meaning of this, the whys and what exactly a black rune looked like... whatever the answer, however, it had attracted even larger crowds than usual, and richer ones too.

Beyond the gate, the contestants had already started to gather inside the stone walls backed by an additional wooden structure, and from which a multitude of rods stuck out. Within those walls was an initial long path of grass which gradually became a dense wood right around where the stands began to become visible over the walls. The contestants themselves were gathered a bit behind that, next to the medical tents set up still on the narrower path. Clerics, doctors, druids and the other healers gathered or hired for the occasion, all dressed in similar white robes with the Nothwing's symbol on them, were aiding alongside a few others to prepare everything in case they were needed, transporting bowls and vials around, bringing in clean clothes, and even the occasional knife. The one exception to the dress code were a pair of twins in long foreign dresses, which only my a miracle didn't trip over themselves. One hurriedly carried a substantial, perhaps even excessive, amount of things, whereas the other hesitantly and slowly threaded gradually with perhaps even just a single half-filled jar.

The amount of tents was smaller than usual this time, but then again, the same seemed to be true for the contestants, as there wasn't a single child or family in sight, not even a couple drunk on the love of a honeymoon or recent engagement. One or two always seemed to pop up. Jorgalland, the one who typically guarded the families and other participants who were less than equipped to fight, was providing aid to the healers. He was a tall man with an impressive build, some had even rumored he was part-goliath though he himself denied it. He had been lord Nothwing's bodyguard for decades, and the chase was the only occasion where he left the lord's side, or as Nothwing put it "he was lent to the people so they could safely enjoy their time in the most popular event in town". As per usual during the chase Jorgalland didn't have his usual, massive weapon, but traded it in for a simple shield and spear, plus a shortsword at the belt. He was covered up to his neck in crimson-died splint armor, though his golden hair, and always-frowning beard remained exposed for the world to see.

Next to him, there were two rather short individuals, arguing. One of them was a goblin in a ragged brown hood with a skull mounted on a staff, and a large bloated blue nose, by contrast with the rest of his sewer-green skin. This I-Raruir Am-Skullface, as he called himself, was backed by a band of other goblings who surrounded him and screeched in agreement at his every incomprehensible snark, waving their small blades and crude hammers around.

goblin_warlock_by_alexanderexorcist_d4gxz3z-fullview.jpg

Blowing smoke in their face was a gnome with seemingly glowing eyes and a top hat that practically hid his entire head. He very proudly held a pipe in hand, and patted his the armor cleverly concealed under his clothes.

Samoan Kalis was a big admirer of that kind of invention, so the water genasi couldn't help stealing a few glances on occasion, even as he put on his armor in preparation to compete with both that old gnome and his goblin rival.

These weren't by far the end of the participants of course. There was also a man covered head to toe in armor which had very clearly seen better days, a pair of rangers and a tiefling who juggled fireballs with a bratty grin. Plus, the gate wasn't yet closed for new entries.

So, the question remains...where are you? What are you doing? And who are you?

_

Some OOC Information
*Each square on the grid is aproximately 15 feet wide on each side, making this is a 165 x 255 feet map.
*Participants are gathered on I-J 15-16
*Spectators are gathered on D-k 1 or A-B 16-17 (on the stands)
*Staff workers are either on the tents on j14 through K14-15 (mostly reserved for healers), on the stands with spectators, or off-map.
*Lord Nothwing is beyond A1 after the end of the chase grounds, on an observation tower.

On each IC post, in a spoiler or other clear separator, you must include the following:
*Any action that interacts with the 5e system directly which you took during that post (or intend to).
*Current HP and remaining Hit Die
*Remaining Spell Slots
*Speed
*AC (only mandatory during combat)
*Spell Save DC (only mandatory during combat)
*Expendables you have (like potions, arrows, rations...) (Recommended but not mandatory)

Each post must also include at least 350 words, excluding during events where initiative is rolled, in which only 150 words are required. Keep in mind both of these are minimums.

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Players will not post more than thrice before all of them have had the chance to make a post, nor more than twice in a given day with the same exception. Should a player inform the group of their expected absence for a long period of time, we will move forward as an exception. When this last cases applies will be decided on a case by case basis, as well as the specifics of how. Rules on the lack of posting should be thoroughly read on the discord.

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On each of the following rolls, rather than you rolling I will roll for you and you will not be informed on the number. Either you or I can prompt this roll, within the typical restriction that I consider a roll to be called for here.
*Insight
*Perception
*Intimidation
*Persuasion
*Deception

Tags:

Spiderheart · Sep 13, 2020

Sitting at the stall closest to the participants is a tiefling of uncannily fiendish appearance, dressed differently from most of the other staffers – rather than robes, he wears a plain but well-maintained blue jerkin over a white tunic, and while Nothwing's symbol appears nowhere on his person, he does have a stylized golden lantern embroidered on the right breast of his outfit. Locals, or well-connected travelers, would recognize the symbol as Maximilius Flashright's personal seal. The tiefling's stand is distinguished from the others by a banner over it displaying a book and quill, as well as the phrase "PARTICIPANTS" for any literate competitors. At the moment, the man doesn't seem to have any takers; instead, he goes through a ledger in front of him, adding an occasional scratch or note. He's clearly not the only one who's been writing in it – several different styles of handwriting are visible.

Resilience's mind is far more active than his idle note-taking would suggest. He's never worked a table for the Chase before, but the Flashrights always come to watch, and he goes where they do. Everything about this year's rendition of it bothers him. Granted, he's already more alert than usual, given the suspicions his employer has shared with him. There's a possibility that the excess of lowlifes is merely a side effect of the lack of guards, which in turn might just be because of last night's disturbance. As for the disturbance itself, and the unusual composition of this year's group of seekers, they might just be matters of chance. But even if nothing here is proof positive of skulduggery, Resilience is not a trusting sort, and he's keeping his ears open for any information that might explain what's going on. One of the tendrils he possesses in lieu of hair absentmindedly winds itself around his left horn, and he re-checks the list of competitors for people who signed up but aren't here. It might serve him well to check in on some of them later.

The runes being sought this year are also a matter worthy of investigation, albeit possibly with a different tack. If he can get his hands on one, it's going right to his master; the artificer should be able to identify what's so valuable about the things. Resilience likes to think he's smarter than most people, but he's not a mage by any stretch of the imagination, and part of intellect is knowing your limits. Theoretically, he could just ask one of Nothwing's lackeys... but if there is something afoot, he doesn't want to draw any attention to his investigation. Not until he has more info to work with.

HP – 21/21
Hit dice – 3/3d8
3ft walking speed
AC14

No specific actions being taken, but using passive perception (14) to eavesdrop on those around him

Lucius Cypher · Sep 14, 2020

Skessa awakens somewhat later than she had wanted. She had spent quite a bit of the night running about, though she slept fairly easy due to said excitement making her a bit tired. Upon awakening the first thing she does is prepare her spells: while the Nothwing Chase will be today's main event, she wanted to make sure she was adequately prepared for anything else that might happen today. "I should obviously prepare Longstrider. "Skessa marr Largat Rendas." Skessa says to herself as she picks up her staff and takes a moment to meditate. "Do Flas Shadyr. Shorat gimb staz." She continues to mumble. Once she prepared her spells for the day, she would eat a meal from her orc trail rations. To an untrained eye, Skessa's rations just look like meager scraps of gnarled bones, stale bread, mystery meat, and an assortment of old fruits and nuts. This can work to Skessa's advantage however, as that also means that even the hungriest of thief wouldn't bother to steal Skessa's secretly filling meal. Despite lacking any meat on the bones, inside was delicious and nutritious bone marrow that Skessa had roasted over a flame after making jerky from the meat, spreading it's content on her black sesame bread. The nuts were, admittedly, pretty tough to open but nothing she couldn't fix by smashing it with her staff, and the proteins the nuts provide were as good as any meat. Finally the old fruits were actually peppers stuffed with smoked fish and diced olives, making them a spicy but filling snack disguised as a strong smelling and slightly fermented piece of mystery berry.

Not exactly the best thing to eat if Skessa planned to talk to anyone, what with the nasty halitosis this meal makes, but Skessa doesn't mind too much. She was already being judged simply for who she was, and no matter how good an impression she would try to make at best she'd just be "good for an orc", and those who would define her in such ways were not people she cares to associate with. Once she had finished a part of her rations, which would be good for the rest of the day, she put on what meager scraps of furs were left of her clothing. She used to have more but time and the elements had stripped her of most of her attire. While she does want to purchase a more conservative set of clothing, even the plainest of travel outfits costed quite a commoner's fortune. And with only a single gold to her name, Skessa needed to make the most of what she had, win some money from this chase, and maybe figure out what to do from there.

With her preparations complete Skessa heads out to the Nothwing Chase. By the time she arrives there was already a crowd waiting to start. Most of them looked like peasants: young men and women, occasionally older folks or even children. It was obvious that this event was meant to be friendly, so Skessa had no real intention to try and cause any of these people harm, as easy as it would be. But that doesn't mean she was going to go easy on them either. If she reaches any philocerite before any wizened old man or naive child could, she doesn't plan to apologize or be merciful. The fastest feet gains the prize.

Speaking of fast feet, once Skessa had signed up and was waiting with the other participants of the race, she tried to find a spot away from the other participates, ideally out of sight, and knelt onto the ground. She picked up a handful of dirt and crumpling it in her hands until there was naught but stains. After she does so she clentches her dirtied hand into a fist as it faintly glows with magic. "Largat Rendas." After she had cast the spell, Skessa could feel herself feel lighter and more fleet of foot. Hopefully this boost in speed will last her the duration of the chase, and it'll no doubt help her reach any valuable prize before anyone else does. Unless there's someone else among the competitors who was considerably faster naturally. Skessa could not be certain: she hasn't exactly seen everyone who's competing.

Not to mention the events of last night still weighed on her mind. She wished she could've done more, perhaps she should've forgone the chase to look more into it. But she shook her head at these naive thoughts. "If I had tried to go to the guards, as an outsider and an orc, even the lowliest of scum could easily redirect any blame towards me. And that's if the guards themselves don't simply assume I'm at fault by default. I need more information about what was going on anyways. Perhaps there's something or someone around here that might give me additional insight as to what happened last night." Skessa thought to herself as she began to look among the participants for anyone who she felt might be of note or concern.

Health: 34/34
Hit Dice: 1d12, 2d8
Spell and Slots:

1st Level (2/3) - Hunter's Mark (1/day), Absorb Elements, Create/Destroy Water, Detect Magic, Entangle, Longstrider, Goodberry, Speak with Animal

2nd Level (0/0) - Locate Object (1/day)

40 ft Movement

Skessa uses her action to cast Longstrider and increase her base movement speed by +10 ft (30 to 40). She then walks around for a bit among the other participants, passively looking for anyone who might seem suspicious or oddly familiar.

Vanira · Sep 14, 2020

Everyone appeared to be excited for the event at hand. Giselle was as well, but that excitement had been corrupted with anxiety and fears of not getting any money. Oh man, she really needed it. That was why she was here, participating in the event instead of being staff. While she would have had no problem getting in a staff position and making a small sum of money, Giselle needed more than they offered.

With tired eyes, the woman fiddled with three small packs. A bandage with a gooey herbal mixture meant to keep the fabric on the stick. With another piece of thin fabric, she covered the goo until it was time for the bandage to be applied to the skin. Over time, the goo would dry out but that would only be if Giselle left it alone for days on end without replacing, and thankfully the materials she would need can be found very easily. Placing the bandage on paper, she folded them into three separate packages. Her fingers expertly tying string around the packages to keep them together. They would fall apart easily, but she knew how to keep that from happening. Now Giselle was prepared to aid others that may get hurt, even if she was also participating and not one of the medical staff members.

While doing all of that, Giselle would observe the other participants around her had been talking for most of the time they had been gathered together. Giselle occasionally listened in to what they discussed, but her mind had been wandering elsewhere. No, no, she would tell herself. Now was not the time for her mind to linger.

Once Giselle placed the medicinal packs into their pouches, she would stand up from where she sat in the grass and dust herself off. There had certainly been a colourful variety of people. People of all backgrounds were participating, and she imagined most were from out of town such as herself. The woman knew there would be a great many participants but even she did not expect this many. She should have believed her old friend more often it would seem. Giselle would begin to walk amongst the crowd, smiling at the people she made eye contact with and giving them a warm welcome. Just because it was indeed a competition did not mean she could not make a friend or two along the way.

HP: 28
Hit Dice: 3d10
AC: 17
Speed: 30ft
Medicinal Packs Remaining: 3

Information: She is walking around and saying hello to others. A good opportunity for someone to jump in to talk if they wanted too.

glooomycinnamonroll · Sep 14, 2020

A young man shifted his weight gently from one leg to the other as he waited patiently for the chase to begin. From above, from the further end of the stand, he still could see most of the green grass and the thicket, the tents and the participants, though a few taller spectators’ heads blocked the view even from his fragile but lanky figure. His arms were crossed before his chest, as this gesture calmed him even though the whole situation felt odd to the young half-elf. Ysarir had not seen such a crowd in more than ten years, maybe never in his life. He had thought he had met a wide variety of people before but now he had to realise his experiences were nothing compared to this cacophony of different languages and this myriad of colourful individuals.
The young man still wasn’t entirely sure why he was there. After the long travel it seemed like a good idea to take a break and look around town, and shortly after that decision was born, he found himself strolling between numerous merchants all trying to sell something related to something called the Nothwing Chase. Thought he did not buy anything – other than doubting the importance of figurines and lucky charms he found everything horribly expensive – his curiosity was awakened, and he determined to learn more about what makes all those people on the streets buzz with excitement.
And there he was, standing behind a cluster of people, a spectator of an event Ysarir was not sure he cared about. I am not supposed to waste time here, he thought. As much as he felt like this criticism was righteous, he was clueless of how he could get any closer to his goals. He had no maps at hand and even if he had, he could not be sure the person he was looking for still lived in the same place. Not even speaking of the possible dangers on the journey. He sighed. Maybe he was not that eager to achieve that goal, after all. Or rather, he was afraid of what would happen if he did.
Those thoughts were inconvenient enough for him to – instead of focusing on them any longer – turn towards the first movement he noticed from the corner of his eye. On the field the participants were gathered, a figure of greenish skin was moved further from the others, wielding a staff in her hand. Nearby, a banner was blown in the wind, the single common word telling everyone about the purpose of the stand it was hanged above shifting, making it harder to decipher.
He looked down at the large amount of people willing to compete against the others and he found himself wondering if there were always this many individuals involved. He remembered hearing something about black runes being involved as he was walking down the streets before. Maybe that explains the large numbers of participants. Ysarir glanced down at the space beyond and hence he found that he still had plenty of time to spend, tried to recall anything about these so-called black runes.

Current HP: 21
Hit Die remaining: 3d8
Speed: 50 ft
AC: 16

While waiting, Ysarir would try to recall any information he may know about black runes.

pbtenchi · Sep 14, 2020

Aurelius Asterio
'Aurelius' as he was currently going by wouldn’t normally do his work in this sort of area. He disliked the golem guards. You couldn’t trick them, and you certainly couldn’t reason with them. The whole thing sounded pretty unethical to him, not that he was really one to talk. Yes, he wouldn’t normally work here, but this was a special occasion. He wasn’t just tricking commoners for quick and easy pocket money. No. This would be one of the big ones. One of the jobs that someday he knew historians documenting his legacy would write about with glee.

He was sure to wear his best leathers. It didn't matter that these were currently his only leathers, they still looked damn good on him. He looked over his reflection once more to make sure there was nothing he missed. Nope, he looked dashing as always, and with his disguise kit, he was sure even his own father wouldn’t recognise him. He didn’t look anything like a common word spinner; with his fancy clothing and the fake signet ring he had custom commissioned he looked like a mysterious foreign noble. He liked looking mysterious; it invited people to come to their own conclusions about him, and he knew there was no lie he could tell someone more convincing than the lies they tell themselves.

He had been planning this one for a while now. He would win the competition in style, get into the good graces of Lord Nothwinger and then… then his options were limitless. He could hear the stories they would tell about it now. He left to make for the starting line.

As he stood at the starting line, he couldn’t help but smile with anticipation. Although he didn’t consider himself much of an athlete, years of living on his feet had ensured he was more than confident enough to outrun any common peasant. He surveyed the audience, giving a charming wink whenever his eyes made contact. The only thing that could possibly ruin his mood was that annoying voice. But what would they say anyway, “Be a better person”? He wasn’t doing anything wrong… yet.

Actions: Disguise Kit
Health: 16/16
Hit Dice: 2d8+1d10
Ac: 14
Speed: 30ft Movement
Expendables: 20 Arrows, 2 Oil flasks, 5 rations, 1 set of Ball Bearings

Felix · Sep 15, 2020

The field was dark, only lit by the moonlight reflecting on metal and a low hanging mist. Some broken poles and flags were sprouting from the ground. The metal lay in heaps, combined with some fleshy hands and a black liquid that even seemed to have a crimson sheen in the moonlight. She was wading through the remnants of the battlefield, descending on it. Beaks gnawing at flesh and bone where they could find it. A large raven set atop one of the piles, inhaled, and let out a wail.

It was not the wail of a crow, but of a baby. Ladybird opened her eyes, which were puffy from the bad night rest. She laid still, recollecting her thoughts and reminding herself of where she was. Around her more sounds were erupting. More crying children, footsteps running through the house, giggling and crying out. There was never an uneventful morning in Nana's foster home. A bell was rung, but it was not like anyone could still be asleep with the noise. It was a good thing Ladybird was more of a morning person, but even with that she never felt truly rested in the morning, especially this morning. She put on some simple clothes and her black cloak, hiding the chain mail she wore underneath. It was very uncomfortable, but she heard it was necessary, so she endured.

"Morning Lady." Nana said as she entered the kitchen, a gentle smile on her face. Around her children were eating, running out, asking where there shoes were. "Jonathan! Don't you leave without finishing your plate! Sam, stop pulling your sisters hair." She held up a pair of shoes to Kate, who muttered a small thank you. Ladybird did not know how she did it. Nana was the eye in the storm, barking orders, but also paying attention to the care for every child in the orphanage. And all of that without losing her poise. "Ladybird, I hate to ask since this is a big day for you, but Ryan is not eating his food again, can you feed him?" Ladybird nodded. "Thanks, you're an angel."

Ladybird sat down with the toddler, giving him spoon by spoon. Whenever she thought Nana was not looking she used her powers to flavor the bland oatmeal. Around her most of the children were leaving, going to play or to several small jobs for all the folks visiting the tournament. They were all gone as she fed the last spoon. Nana said down next to her with a tired sigh.

"Thank you dear. I can take it from here"

"Oh no, I love to help, if you want me to stay ..."

"Don't be stupid, I know how important today is for you. You have been nervous ever since you heard about it."

Ladybird was a little flushed, bringing some color in her otherwise extremely pale face. She truly was a bit anxious. She did not know why the event was that important to her, but she knew it was. Maybe it was some relation to her past. Even though she was nervous about it, she had to explore it further.

"Talking of which, you should hurry before the subscriptions close. I made you lunch." She pointed towards a small bundle on the counter.

Where did she have time to make that?! She got red again. "That's so thoughtful of you. Thank you!" She grabbed it and made her way towards the door.

"Good luck! The children and I will be rooting for you!"

Ladybird made her way toward the arena. Sometime she did not know what to do with all Nana's kindness. She was grateful that the woman had been willing to take her in when she arrived with almost nothing a year ago. She had been helping out wherever she could, trying to repay the warmth, but Nana kept giving more.

Lost in thought she had already reached the arena. She saw the medics getting ready and was tempted to join them instead, but she had a purpose. She walked up to a table that read 'participants' and tried to get the attention of the disinterested man sitting behind it.

"Uhm, excuse me. Can I still subscribe for the game?"

Spiderheart

Prestidigitation to flavor the food. Donning the armor.

25/25 hp (1/1 d8 and 2/2 d6 hitdice left)
AC 16
30 ft walking speed

4/4 1st-level spells 2/2 2nd-level spells
Spell save DC 15

consumables: 1 flask of holy water, 13 torches, 20 bolts, 10 rations of food

Spiderheart · Sep 16, 2020

"Yes, admissions are still open." Resilience looks up from the ledger and blinks owlishly. Oh, this is an interesting one. He's seen her around town, but she hasn't been here that long... long enough that she's not part of this new crowd, though. A free agent, for the time being. "Name, please."

"It's Ladybird." A pseudonym, or just an unusual name? Or perhaps an adopted form of address, like his own. Either way, not on the list yet. "Ladybird..." A flash of his pen, and now she is. "Alright, Ladybird, are you participating with a team or on your own? And can you read and write?"

She clearly had not expected this. "I-I guess I'm on my own, unless there are teams that still have spots open. I can read, but writing is still difficult to me." He nods in acknowledgement. Not an uncommon state of affairs; reading was more relevant to the working-class life, and even most merchants didn't need to be able to write anything beyond arithmetic and possibly receipts.

"Well, I'll put you down as a solo competitor." He shuffles the papers in front of him and adds a few more notes. "And I can help you fill out your forms, if that would be easier for you." Internally, the gears are turning. His position gives him a bird's-eye view of the proceedings, but where skulduggery takes place, an eye on the ground may be necessary. This Ladybird is an unexpected variable, by all parties; she just needs to be directed wisely. And her uncertainty and confusion mean even a light touch should be enough to hold her. And a bird, even a ladybird, in the hand...

The woman's voice interrupts his scheming."That would be very helpful, thank you. What kind of information do you need?" He may only have this conversation to establish a tie. Fortunately, his position behind a desk gives him a sort of authority – and the credibility that comes with it.

"Just some details in case of emergencies, and to help you stay safe. First of all, while His Lordship takes every reasonable precaution to protect participants, more distant areas of the Chase may contain dangerous beasts – and furthermore, more serious... rough-housing between competitors. Would you describe yourself as martially capable?" The words he uses are not random. They, like all acts of speech, have connotations – in this case, of paternal concern and boundary-setting. If she responds positively, he'll have his first hook in; if not, he'll still be in a place to back out. "Additionally, in the event that you overextend yourself or get lost, is there any reason you couldn't be located or contacted by divination magic? It's unlikely if you know your limits, of course, but better safe than sorry." Another bit of subtext, setting himself up as the voice of discretion and security. It's an easy opening pitch; people like knowing that there's someone in charge, and that said someone is reasonable.

"I can protect and heal myself just fine, but I hope I won't have to." A quick note, both internal and external. Spellcaster; not a wizard, probably not pact-bound."I'm not sure about my limits to be honest and I have no idea if I could be found by divination. It has not really come up until now." She shuffled her feet uncomfortably. Disquiet at her lack of self-knowledge, or nerves in the face of authority? In either case, a position of vulnerability.

"I see. Thank you." He strikes at the weakness he sees with one of the deadliest weapons he can muster – generosity. Thank you." He pulls out a map of the area and outlines a few regions before handing it to Ladybird. "It isn't mandatory, but I strongly advise you avoid these places; they're common places for people to get lost. In addition, I wouldn't go further than here –" he draws another line circling the current location – "if you're not sure about your stamina. Pace yourself, and keep track of landmarks." It's a trivial gift; a standard handout in years with a less rugged mix of Chasers. But right now, it's a gift from someone in a position of power – a loyalty play. Not outright, but it will influence where she goes if she has concerns, or needs help. "The only other thing I need you to do is confirm that you understand the rules." He offers up another piece of paper with all the rules of the competition written on it and a plethora of signatures at the bottom, including a few X-marks. "Sign at the bottom once you finish, please."

Ladybird jots down her name like a chicken scratch, the lines are scraggy and the R is definitely mirrored. "There you go. What should I do now?" Resilience takes the list back and examines it again, considering how to proceed. Alright, he's established a soft hold on her. Now how to use her? Well, if you want someone alert, sow paranoia. "All you have to do is join your fellow competitors and wait for the chase to start. Maybe make a new friend or two; just because you're not on a team doesn't mean you can't benefit from teamwork. Above all, have fun. And..." he trails off, then shakes his head. "Never mind. Just enjoy yourself."

"Okay, thank you! Good luck!" Good luck? Really? "With ehm ... work and stuff." And then she goes to leave. Really? A geriatric donkey could have picked up on the fact that he was suggesting something hidden there. Is she dense, or merely distracted? Well, fine. A more aggressive play carries more risk, but also demonstrates initiative and leadership.

"Wait." He waits until the woman is almost out of reach of his speaking voice. He's risking his concealment to secure a potential pawn, but the gambit seems efficient; he's never not a subject of suspicion, and a set of eyes on the ground could make all the difference to his investigation. "I'm probably just paranoid – too much time, not enough stimulation – but something seems off about this year's Chase. If you see anything that seems out of place, I would appreciate you passing it along to me. Ask for Resilience," he adds by way of introduction. "And be on your guard."

Ladybird shivered uncontrollably. "Sure, I'll stay vigilant and find you after." Maybe this strangeness was exactly what pulled her into this. If her body language is anything to go by, Resilience has the young woman hook, line, and sinker. He gives her a nod of affirmation and lets her go on her way before glancing over to the other staff, ensuring no one was listening in.

HP – 21/21
Hit dice – 3/3d8
30ft walking speed
AC14

Idea · Sep 17, 2020

~The Nothwing Chase: Rules~

The stands followed all the way around the walls in which the Nothwing Chase Grounds were enclosed. Simple long boards of wood, each somewhat more elevated than the one in front of them, and using places where the walls turned as the separators between the stands. The floor itself was a mixture of another layer of wood on top, which covered most of the base which was made from pebbles from the river encrusted on a harder glueing material.

"Enjoying the view, I hope?" a man with blond hair on the darker side commented towards Ysarir. That combed hair and well-trimmed beard, not to mention a certain barely noticeable yet soft scent clearly denoted he was, if nothing else, somewhat well-off, certainly moreso than his plain folded vest of cotton and leather would suggest at first glance. He pressed a hand on the rail, holding his weight as he leaned in a tad. He glanced over at the chase grounds, raising a pair of metallic small orbs with colored glass circles at the front and end of each, both orbs being connected by a rod and held by a stick. The hand he held the stick with was no less bizarre, indeed something metallic between a glove and a gauntlet but seeming more solid than chainmail. Lines ran across it in an indiscernible pattern with a glow that faded faintly in and out. Then, after a moment of bobbing his head from side to side, the man grinned, folded that small contraption he was holding and turned to Ysarir with a smile.

"I do hope I am not coming off as too rude, I certainly appreciate the company. I do not know everyone in Riverstick, but if I had to throw in a guess I would say you are not from around town, are you sir? So indeed, I believe you might make a most excellent conversation partner. However, I believe you may have taken a mistaken seat? I believe where you were sitting in the space me and my family happened to reserve. I do not particularly mind, but I think my wife would, just between you and me, loose her marbles a bit to have a perfect stranger so close to our daughter during a turbulent event like this one." The man winked at Ysarir. "Perhaps there might be some manner of appropriate compensation I could provide to make such matters go more "smoothly". You know, without much of a "fuss"."

<Urghhhhhh.... my head... did you really have to come here? I feel... kind of sick.> Aurelios heard in his head. <I really don't like this, can we not just get out of here? Please? I...>

The voice was unable to finish, as a horn blew in the distance. The sound wasn't as deep as a typical war horn, since this one was more designed for announcements during major events. A bright blue pattern suddenly scripted itself on the ground not too far in front of the gathering group of competitors, while the entrance gates to the chase were closed. A flash of bright blue light suddenly burst out from the patterns, and when it disappeared, a blue-skinned four-armed man with a gilded staff and many golden ornaments was in front of them. His eyes were a pale light blue with no iris, and his physique was visibly worn down with age.

"Most of you already know me, yet for those who don't, I shall introduce myself, as word of mouth is sorely lacking in rather relevant departments. I am grand master Hallard, and hail from the magnificent city of Haruim. Was lord Nothwinger not one of the few individuals in my good graces, I might even suggest the competent among you all move there." He smiled and chuckled, but the smile quickly dropped as he failed to get a similar response. He cleared his throat, which did little to help his rough, sore-sounding voice. "I see my humor is unwelcome among these parts, very well, I shall move straight "to business" as one would say. As you may have guessed, the chase this year will be unlike that of other years. The philocerite the scouts discovered was particularly dense this year, which is really only the tip of the iceberg, as we also found the subject of today's main prize, but I shall address that in a moment. The rules will be somewhat different this year. We begin with the typical rules which stay."

He threaded a little outside the space where the magic pattern had appeared earlier, and began walking side to side in front of the participants.

"Rule one! Contestants are not permitted to do any harm they cannot reverse by the end of the race. And just to clarify it for the scoundrels among you, this means you WILL have to have reversed it before either you or the victim has left the premises. Rule two, within the bounds of the first rule, you are allowed to attack, cast magic upon, and generally do as you wish to others, as long as they aren't presently caring for or are small children, for the purpose of disrupting their collecting of philocerite. Any form of stealing philocerite, including by force or coercion, is forbidden however. You can prevent others from getting to the cluster in the first place, but once they've gathered it it is theirs. Rule three! Any harmful, disruptive or otherwise negative effect which extends intentionally or otherwise outside the chase grounds will be treated as an attack on lord Nothwinger himself. Rule four! Any attempt to take anything with you that wasn't officially awarded to you or that you didn't come in with, from the premises, as well as any attempts to in any way withhold philocerite or the black runes from lord Nothwinger or myself will be considered a dire criminal offense. The rules regarding young children, families and others of the like, are changed this year. Because of the particularly important and competitive nature of the chase this year, families are only permitted to search within the immediately visible borders of the treeline, where the medical staff can still see you. A small, separate event will be held exclusively for the families and others within the civilian group post the main chase."

Hallard stopped after that, and retuned to his original position. He raised a hand.

"Silence! Silence. Questions are not in the schedule yet. First, I am sure you are all wondering what these 'black runes' are. Albeit they are something of a secret, I have judged it imperative that you are all informed at least of their outward appearance. I have brought a sample for you to observe, at a reasonable distance of course. It wouldn't be the first time there are thieves hidden amongst the contestants."

Hallard gestured at someone, and a boy in the staff attire approached holding something large enough to have to carry with both arms wrapped in a thick white cloth. Once in front of Hallard, he was instructed to stand on Hallard's side, facing the crowd, and then to unravel the contents of the cloth. The boy did as he was told, and even raised the black rune for the contesters to see: It looked like a large piece of charcoal shaped something like a shard from a broken vase. It was hard to tell from too far away, but inside were some patterns lightly carved on the surface on a semi-cylindrical shape.

"I am presently studying these black runes back in Haruim. Myself and my assistants believe we are in the brink of uncovering, if our theories are correct, a safe and sustainable method of producing artifial philocerite. I shall explain again for the slower amongst you: I am talking about cheap philocerite on demand at any time. Of course, there are no others with access to our research, nor with the expertise to reproduce it or further it. Even so, imagine it: all the philocerite you could need, at the price of bread crumbs! I hope you all consider that well in your enthusiasm for today's chase. Your contributions today could be key to achieving a greater future for the Howlz Kingdom, no, for the entire continent!"

He closed his eyes, breathed in, and gestured at the boy who hurriedly wrapped the black rune back up and rushed back out of the premises to put away the rune in a safe spot. After he left, Hallard cleared his throat again, and gazed at the seekers.

"Alright then, we shall now have a brief time for questions. Raise your hands and I will call you out. Anyone speaks out of turn and I will personally kick them out of this contest, understood?"

.............................................

After all the questions were done, Hallard nodded to himself.

"Very well then. I wish you all the best of luck."

With those words, Hallard tapped the ground twice, and the pattern from which he appeared emerged on the ground again. Hallard's body shone with that same bright blue light from before, and then vanished, whereas a flash of light appeared next to the lord, and Hallard from it. The sound of the horn once again reverberated through the Nothwing Chase Grounds, and Hallard raised his staff. The rods on the walls began to radiate a certain magical energy, and an enormous dome-shaped white net surrounded the entirety of the premises. Lord Nothwinger himself stood up, and Hallard and pick up a magical trinket to amplify his voice.

"This year's chase begins NOW!"

_

Some OOC Information

glooomycinnamonroll please roll a plain intelligence check.

Felix

pbtenchi

Vanira

Lucius Cypher all of you, please roll initiative. Also, on each round you will roll an investigation check to find philocerite (assuming you are at all trying to), starting with a DC of 8 and increasing the DC by 2 each round. Also, if you or your characters have any questions, please add them in your post, and in the next of mine I will add Hallard's replies.

Tags:

Sambews · Sep 17, 2020

Anastacia awoke to sun in her eyes.
"Gahh, Gavilar, why are the curtains drawn back?" she grumbled, arising.
"Don't worry, Young Lady, the glass is opaque right now," an elderly voice replied. "Nobody can see inside."
Right. She had to stay hidden. That hadn't even crossed her mind, which showed how early it was. Anastacia changed out of her robes, and into her common clothes. Simple leather, they had only cost her 5sp, a pittance. She quickly gobbled down the meal that had been left for her, and went to leave the carriage she had awoken in.
"I'm going to go watch the Chase, I'll be with Lily and Minx!" she said over her shoulder to the driver. She did not, in fact, go meet up with Lily and Minx.

The sun implied it was 9:00, though she wouldn't have known it. Anastacia's first destination was the nearest outhouse. On her way there, she kept her face down, and upon exiting, she was a completely different person. Where before her eyes had been sullen and grey, they were now alert and blue. Where her hair had been unkempt and black, it was now straight and blond. She was now a few inches taller, and had a smaller nose, and wider lips. She had also changed into the staff robes. It wasn't a perfect illusion, the top of her head she had added was incorporeal, but it would do. After creating a disguise, Anastacia's next location was a tent marked with an image of waves, with a table upon which various containers of water lay. She smiled with familiarity to the staff members sitting behind the table, and grabbed a few flasks. She then made her way to several other tents, including a few of the many first aid stations, and near one of them she found one of those weird twins, which was risky, the sign up tent(?) where an odd Tiefling resided, and then lastly over to that weird group of small folk. She handed a flask of water to that Vedalken, and smiled. "I like your name."

Now, it sounds like her actions have been rather concise thus far, but there was actually quite a bit of lounging in between each stop. So much so that by the time she had finished delivering water to people, the Chase had actually started. She hurried over to those weird twins, and dropped her illusions. "Where have you two been?" she demanded. "Come on, I want to go watch."

She proceeded to the stands Where didn't really matter, but she tried to pick an obsolete, uncrowded corner. With her illusion down, some people would identify her, but she'd like to keep that to a minimum. Having settled down in a location, she summoned Ashe, as a ritual, of course. Ashe was her raven familiar, and while it was technically sexless, she referred to it as a 'him.' Ashe let her survey the chase from a better perspective. As long as he was within 100 feet of her, she could experience the world through his senses, and give him command telepathically. It wasn't perfect, since the range was quite limited, but it was much, much better than just watching from the stands.
"Shake me if I get harassed by anybody," she says to Minx, and then dives down into the forest as Ashe.

"I should probably go hang out with the staff, or even go down there," Anastacia thought to herself. "I can't really interact with anything from here, and there's something going on with those black runes that I need to investigate. I'll have to leave later on. Infinite philocerite, huh? Betterment for the entire continent. What would a simple stone have to do with artificially reproducing magical rock? And he said this would be the key to bettering the entire continent. Not likely. What'll happen is the Howlz kingdom will take over the entire continent. Huh, maybe that's what he meant? I wonder what the economical implications of cheap philocerite are?" Ashe flew down among the trees. Currently, she was trying to keep tabs on most people. Specifically Samoan, because his name rocked, but she was keeping an eye on everybody. Maybe she could... well, there wasn't really a way to end that sentence. She didn't have much of a plan, aside from spectate the most interesting person she found. And boy were there some interesting people.

HP: 17/17
Spells cast: Disguise self [1]
1rst level slots: 3/4
Prepared Spells: Disguise Self, Grease, Detect Thoughts, Blindness/Deafness

Lucius Cypher · Sep 17, 2020

Looking around the crowds of people gathering didn't really yield much for Skessa to see, though with more people filling the audience stands she assumed that the chase would start soon. She checked her supplies again and made sure to make some space in her back to carry any philocerite she finds. She assumes that philocerite is found in small chunks, so it'll be on the onus of the participants to find a way to secure them and bring them to the proctors or whatever. Or at least that's what Skessa assumed. Now that she thought of it, if they find a particularly large cluster of philocerite , just how was a single person expected to bring it back or claim it? Even with multiple people, surely they don't expect them to haul up an entire vein themselves. It's not like they were allowed to participate with horses and wagons to carry off the ore.

Skessa's questions would soon be anwsered, or at least a chance to be anwsered, by the strange blue man who appeared. Hallard was a name that Skessa was vaguely familiar with; she believes she has read something about him in one of her father's academic books. Though nothing about his name made her think he was this... Strange creature. Still Skessa tried not to act too shocked and listened to him ramble and speak of the rules. She glanced around the others, looking for groups that did not contain children. No doubt there were some rough necks among the competitors that she'll have to worry about. She was still looking for those thugs who might've already infiltrated and made alterations to this place. But what interested Skessa more was the Black Runes. Cheap philocerite was akin to changing lead into gold, and making it far easier to access and manufacture could really boost the standard of living for many people. Wands fueled by philocerite that can preform cantrips such as Prestidigitation without limitation: a family would never need to use their clean water for washing or cleaning ever again. Tools that could mold earth with far more efficiency than many men with shovels could, or even arming a common guard with a wand that can shoot fire regardless of their own magical expertise. Indeed, cheap philocerite would be both a boon and bane for those who want magic at an affordable cost, and those who sit comfortably at the top precisely because of how rare magic is among the common folk.

Still while it tickled her academic curiosity Skessa was more focused about winning this chase, and to that end when it was time to ask questions she was among one of the first to step forward and raise her hand. When she was selected Skessa would ask her questions. "My first question how exactly are participants expected to claim any philocerite? Are we to simply dig them from the ground, stuff them into our backpacks, and carry them for the duration of the chase? My second question, should we find a Black Rune what is the incentive to collect them? Would we receive a greater reward finding Black Runes over philocerite? Related to the second question, is that truly what a Black Rune looks like? Is it something we'll simply find laying on the ground or will it be more random? And finally, aside from other contestants, are there any dangers in this area we should be worried about?"

Once Skessa's questions were answered, she readied herself at the starting line. She would keep her staff on hand in case she needs it, but kept her shield strapped to her backpack. She also precast Shillelagh in the event she needed it soon; one minute wasn't long in the grand scheme of things but it was long if violence were to occur shortly after she leaves. It pays to be prepared after all.

Health: 34/34
Hit Dice: 1d12, 2d8
Spell and Slots:
1st Level (2/3) - Hunter's Mark (1/day), Absorb Elements, Create/Destroy Water, Detect Magic, Entangle, Longstrider, Goodberry, Speak with Animal
2nd Level (0/0) - Locate Object (1/day)
40 ft Movement

Skessa asks her questions and waits for the Chase to begin. Before it does she uses her BA to casts Shillelagh on her staff. She'll then ready her action to dash into the forest and begin looking for philocerite and black runes.

Idea · Sep 17, 2020

~The Nothwing Chase: Start~

Hallard observed those who stepped forward with their hands raised with a nod. Though his smile seemed approving, his clutching of his staff denoted perhaps he felt other things. He raised one of his hands and pointed at a certain tall green woman.

"The orc over there. Do ask your question."

Hallard chuckled a bit upon hearing them.

"Ah, I see, you must be new to the Nothwing Chase. I do believe the reward for collecting the black runes was explained, however? Well, nomatter, I shall explain both. The philocerite clusters appear all over, you simply have to collect them where you find them. Some you'll just pluck from the ground like a plant, others might be buried within rocks and others yet will be entirely loose. It is a common material, but one who exact locations can be hard to pin down. As for the black runes, each black rune retrieved is counted as a massive amount of philocerite in your favor, regarding the final count. The more black runes you give, the more chances you have of winning the prize money you have. Which is not to mention the additional reward, you may even be given some philocerite to take home if you are among the top three contestants this year." Hallard nodded. "Now, please use your head a bit miss. I naturally want you to retrieve as many of these black runes as you can. What reason would I have to show you something which would bring confusion as to their appearance? No need to answer that, it was rethorical. I believe you have better things to think about than retorting when you're mistaken. As for where you'll find them, I do not know. Nor does anyone. One of the reasons why this Nothwing Chase is hosted is because you adventurers, travellers, inventors, and any others who'd come and search, your fresh and unique perspective might uncover hidden locations our methodical eyes might miss. That is your importance, your contribution. Now, as for your final question, no there are no other dangers to be aware about, with the exception of tripping somewhere I suppose."

Once more Hallard laughed to himself, but got no other reaction than a couple of nervous chuckles for his trouble.

......................
The very moment the lord declared that the race had started, one individual stepped forward and began dashing with all their might towards the woods, the old goblin kicking dirt and leaves and grass behind them as they dashed. Even as they ran in that wobbly fashion in which goblins do, I-Raruir Am-Skullface raised his staff and shook it at the air, two shadows slithering down the sockets of the skull at the tip, then around his body until they reached his legs, and they seemed to wrap around them like tentacles which faded into the air as though simply losing all color.

A growl followed this, from the man in the ragged armor. One could still hear him spitting out the dirt that has gotten inside his makeshift metal suit, and he soon switched to drawing out a short rusted sword with which he chased after the goblin, waving the blade.

Not very far from him, the group of goblins that had up until a moment ago surrounding Raruir, most of them naked above the waist and carrying tiny simplistic weapons, stopped arguing and hitting each other. A variety of screeches and waving arms ensued, and in their hurry to follow after that man who was chasing Raruir, they ended up clashing and stumbling onto one another, while the more sensible among them aided the rest in getting up, not that it prevented them from stumbling on themselves one or two more times before they finally made it to the woods.

Then there was that tiefling who had been juggling tiny fireballs until the announcement came and he dismissed them. He crouched down and touched his bare feet with the tips of his fingers. Immediately red and orange, almost molten-looking scars began to emerge, and his feet began to seem swollen. He grinned, and ran forward in the same direction the others had taken, pressing their feet against the grass, which appeared charred for a moment as the tiefling lept several feet into the air, way above the trees, and landed right amidst the woods.

_

Some OOC Information
Initiative Order:
I-Raruir Am-Skullface (21) (NPC)
Zarig (21) (NPC)
Raruir's Followers (19) (NPCs)
Est (15) (NPC)
Skessa (12)
Giselle (12)
Aurelios (10)
Corkbeard (10) (NPC)
Ladybird (8)
Ranger Duo (7) (NPCs)
Samoan (4) (NPC)

Rules clarification: For the sake of simplicity, there will be no diagonal map movement. This means that if your character is moving to a diagonally adjacent square, this takes the same movement as moving first to the side and then up or down (or vice versa). Also reminder that each square has 15 foot sides on the map.

I-Raruir Am-Skullface moved from I-15 to F-15
Zarig moving from J-15 to F-15
Rarui's followers doing the same as Raruir
Est from j-15 to E-15

Tags:

Spiderheart · Sep 17, 2020

From the moment Hallard arrives, Resilience goes from "on guard" to "hackles raised." This new arrival is not only unbearably smug and clearly neck-deep in whatever is going on, he's also lying – by omission, if nothing else. If these black runes were known to have such potential and Hallard's intentions were as pure as he claimed, why the secrecy? It would be smarter to bring every competent artificer in on it, given their stake in a cheaper supply – and even if the blue man was arrogant enough to assume they couldn't help with research, they could certainly have provided funding. And Haruim might be invested in events like the Chase, but for someone carrying the title of "grand master" to open the events here seems... excessive. Hallard's arrogance may have been what dragged him into the spotlight, but he was presumably in town anyway to observe the event – these runes, it seems, are no mere commodity. Something is being left unsaid here.

For the time being, though, all that Resilience can do is watch and wait. The underdressed orc's questions strike him as a bit ill-considered, but appropriately suspicious, and the derision Hallard shows means that she may be looking to undermine him in the future. That was... Skessa, if his memory serves. Another potential asset, but not to be acquired until later. Her curiosity about the runes is understandable; "rune" means that it's writing, and that means it's artificial. Add the broken-pottery appearance of the items, and it seems this Chase is more archaeology than geology. Artificial shards to make artificial philocerite... there isn't nearly enough to work with here, but it sounds like Hallard might be trying to crib some long-dead artisan's notes.

Part of him wants to go report in immediately – this is a lot of information, and Maximilius would likely have valuable insight – but abandoning his post here would both raise suspicion and reduce the chances of him hearing anything interesting. Instead, he stands up and wanders over towards the other staffers, paperwork tucked under his arm. "And they're off," he observes in the general direction of Jorgalland and the medics. "Do you mind if I finish my paperwork in the tent? It gets awfully hot out there." People often clam up around him, but if he tried just eavesdropping, he'd almost certainly be noticed – there's a whole crowd, after all. Better to let his presence be obvious, but give the impression that he's too preoccupied to actually listen.

HP – 21/21
Hit dice – 3/3d8
30ft walking speed
AC14

Attempting to eavesdrop; if rolling is necessary, presumably Stealth and/or Perception

glooomycinnamonroll · Sep 18, 2020

His mind was skimming through memories of books, tales and encounters rapidly, and after a bit of diving deep into his thoughts, Ysarir found the answer to his question. A flash of something between bewilderment and fascination crossed his conscience, reflecting only in a slight shift of expression on his face, a little raise of the eyebrows and distraction in his gaze.
The young man did not have the opportunity, however, to contemplate for too long, for an individual of rather charismatic appearance addressed him with a short yet unexpected question. Ysarir was surprised: though he had barely spent time with people recently, he noticed that staying silent and crossing his arms usually made others ignore him and leave him alone. His thoughts were tumbling through his mind, looking for a response, until he finally managed to mumble: “I have nothing better to do, sir.”
It was a lie but it came surprisingly easily. He wasn’t certain, however, if the other noticed.
The man stepped to the edge of the stands, using an interesting, portable device to observe the Chase Grounds. Ysarir seized the opportunity to look at the stranger, his gaze settling for a moment on the unfamiliar material that either encased or consisted the man’s hand and that was covered with an intricate, faintly glowing patterns. He wondered what exactly is its use, but was not willing to ask.
While doing so, his forefinger unconsciously traced the outlines of a leaf on his arm, and the gesture only came to a stop when the artificer continued. This time, Ysarir was not caught off guard and reacted somewhat quicker – though this did not imply any more confidence than before.
“I did not mean to bother.” he said quietly, even before he could consider the option that he was not mistaken. As soon as the words were pronounced, the young man started to make out the meaning behind the artificer’s sentences, but even so, he decided to do as asked. The other man seemed confident and surely had more influence than a newcomer would, he might even had been of noble origin and they were not the kind of people to offend. Therefore, Ysarir was not ready to argue and intended to end the conversation as soon and as smoothly as possible. “There is surely somewhere else I can settle.” Another lie, glancing around, the stands appeared to be packed with spectators. But this wasn’t all. The stranger offered him compensation for his cooperation and Ysarir felt like he was about to get involved in something he had not aimed to. If someone was willing to offer money for a stranger to keep a certain distance, it was likely not about an overly sensitive wife, rather something of great importance and secrecy to the initiator of the conversation. However, this did not make him any more alert or anxious. Secrets were not bound to be destructive and trust didn’t seem to cost him anything.
He did not mean to accept any money. But he was a merchant’s son and it came to him as naturally as walking down a street. “I appreciate your generosity, sir.” As soon as he said it, he wanted to back off, finding it wrong for some reason, but for a few long moments he was speechless, awkwardly trying to find the right words, or rather: any words. “But… but this was just a small favour. It is not… I mean I cannot accept. It’s unnecessary.”
And he set off towards a less dense area of the stands. He was still confused and wondering if he should have dug deeper into what the other was doing, yet somehow still trusted everything was going to turn out just fine even without him meddling in someone else’s affairs.
As he looked for a quieter spot, he noticed heard voices from the ground below and realised that he is about to miss out on the beginning of the Chase. As he slipped beside other spectators, he listened to the dry voice list the rules, and answer questions, and finally, he heard the unmistakable sound of the horn and the announcement of Lord Nothwing. The part about the new material was the one that captured his attention the most, though. Though he was generally ready to believe things that were told, he started to question the straightforwardness of the figure who spoke about the black runes with such secrecy. And Ysarir’s prior knowledge did not support the mage’s claims other than proving the importance of the substance in question.
Moving through the crowd, he finally spotted an area with a smaller group of people. Maybe not as calm as he was used to, but given the circumstances, it would do just fine. Getting closer, Ysarir realised he approached three women: a pair of twins and a third individual of black hair and a distracted look on her face.
“May I sit somewhere around here?” he asked, without choosing who exactly he was addressing, leaving it to the three to decide who is willing to answer.

Interactions:

Sambews

Current HP: 21
Hit Die remaining: 3d8
Speed: 50 ft
AC: 16

Lucius Cypher · Sep 18, 2020

And so the chase begins. Skessa had a simple tactic starting out: Don't follow the others. She didn't need to know them very well to know that too many people in one location was just going to cause more trouble than it's worth. A secondary tactic was to stay out of the visible tree-line. That's where most of the families will be playing at, and Skessa still had to make sure her fallback plan of finding a job in town would work if she doesn't win any prize money. So getting into conflicts with the locals was not something she intends to deal with. With many of the contestants going north Skessa choose to burst towards the west. Moving with fleeter feet than the typical person, Skessa was able to cover a lot of ground and got right into the thick forest. She was moving fast and swiftly, but as she was she noticed something. To the normal eye it would've been easy to miss due to the shadows of the forest disguising it, but she recognized it's general shape thanks to Hallard's little example: it was a black rune. Skessa didn't waste any time verifying it as she picked it up as she continued forward, stuffing it into her bag and moving deeper within the forest. "Stay moving and keep your eyes peeled. You found one rune but that doesn't mean there isn't more, or someone with swift hands who might try and steal it from you."

Skessa mentally debated taking on a beast shape, but abstained from it. This little competition surely wouldn't warrant the use of her Wild Shapes, and she already used a spell for the speed boost. She wasn't about to blow other resources so early but perhaps once she fills her bag with more runes and philocerite she'll take on a beast shape and meld her possessions into her body, just for safe keeping. After all no one can steal from her bag if it's melded into her body. Once she went as far as she could with her dash Skessa took a knee to catch her breath, look around, and make sure no one was following her. She can find philocerite and black runes easy enough in peace, but if she was being stalked by an opportunistic chaser, she'd need to lose them or stop them before they get in her way.

Health: 34/34
Hit Dice: 1d12, 2d8
Spell and Slots:
1st Level (2/3) - Hunter's Mark (1/day), Absorb Elements, Create/Destroy Water, Detect Magic, Entangle, Longstrider, Goodberry, Speak with Animal
2nd Level (0/0) - Locate Object (1/day)
40 ft Movement

Skessa moves and then dashes (80 ft) from J15 to J9 (Just barely entering the square). She finds and picks up a Black Rune with her Nat 20 Investigation Check. Ends her movement just keeping an eye on her surroundings for anyone following her.

Idea · Sep 20, 2020

~The Nothwing Chase: First Black Runes~

Skessa, as you rush past the treeline, expertly using the roots and fauna to keep up momentum, your eyes trained by many difficult hunts spot a small lifeless patch, as though the grass simply refused refused to grow in that one spot, and even the roots of trees and all manner of bugs seemed to simply go around it. Right at the center, sticking out from the ground is a barely perceivable small black tip like blurred obsidian. As you cautiously begin to approach it, you manage to notice that the shard appears to wiggle slightly with every step you take towards it, and there is a skin-deep hole right next to it, in your direction. Even if barely at all, you realize, the shard moved away from you. It reminds you of a certain lizard from your homeland, thus, using an old trick from there, you set up an ambush, digging a small hole nearby, just close enough to get your arms through, then you go around the shard and leap towards it, making it escape towards the hole you dug, conveniently placed just close enough that you could reach it with your arms in time, although this once was a particularly difficult strain: The very moment you approached it, the black tip disappeared into the ground and it dug through it until it reached the hole, then it tried running back as your hands approached the hole in question, thus trapping it. Even as you hold it, the thing continues to shake and appears to be far heavier than the size would suggest, but after a few moments the weight seems to all but disappear, and the black rune is now as dead as any common rock. In the hole where the black rune was though, there seems to be a whole host of gathered small fragments of philocerite.

Now with more time to look at it, the black rune is indeed like the one Hallard showed you before: Similar to a piece from a broken vase and black like charcoal, with some large patterns carved on it. As you move around the rune, you notice a slight and barely noticeable pull when it gets closer to where the chase ground's walls are.

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Giselle meanwhile opts for taking a different direction from everyone else, going straight toward the middle path. As she runs, however, she notices something unusual among the treelines, as one of the trees had a strange shade early in the treeline. If that particular small tree didn't have such important medicinal use (although for very niche diseases), she might never have noticed how dark and bloated the tree seemed, albeit both just faintly. It was a gamble to be sure, but if she was right...

_

Some OOC Information
Initiative Order:
I-Raruir Am-Skullface (21) (NPC)
Zarig (21) (NPC)
Raruir's Followers (19) (NPCs)
Est (15) (NPC)
Skessa (12)
Giselle (12) <-----
Aurelios (10)
Corkbeard (10) (NPC)
Ladybird (8)
Ranger Duo (7) (NPCs)
Samoan (4) (NPC)

(Character temporarily taken over as an NPC to advance things)
HP: 28
Hit Dice: 3d10
AC: 17
Speed: 30ft
Medicinal Packs Remaining: 3

Giselle Bonaire Moves from J15 to H13 with dash action
Investigates and finds a black rune.

Tags:

pbtenchi · Sep 20, 2020

Aurelius Asterio
<Urghhhhhh.... my head... did you really have to come here? I feel... kind of sick.> Aurelius heard in his head. <I really don't like this, can we not just get out of here? Please? I...>
That was... Unusual. His mental roommate didn't normally plead with him. He didn't like it. He disliked it even more than he normally disliked having to share a headspace. For a moment or two he contemplated asking what was wrong or at least reminding them that it was HIS head, but quickly realised it wouldn’t do him any good to start having a conversation with himself in the middle of the crowd during the opening speech.
What was there to dislike about Riverstick anyway? He had to say it was one of the... 'nicest' little sections of the world he had stopped in during his travels. A homely place. Well, whatever. He wasn't planning on staying in Riverstick too long anyway. He personally preferred more... bustling places, with plenty of rich fools ripe for the picking. Much more preferable to quiet, peaceful, boring countryside towns.
He was deep in inner monologue barely paying attention to Hallard's speech, with only the smallest chunks of information passing through. "I am grand master Hallard, and hail from the magnificent city of Haruim. ”
Yes, he preferred places like Haruim. Haruim sounded good. He decided to go there next, get some good city air back in his lungs and hard cobbles back beneath his feet. He’d waste his winnings quickly and quietly then blend in and lay low for a while whilst he mapped out his next potential targets.

"This year's chase begins NOW!"

“BLOOD OF THE GODS!” he cursed loudly realising he’d stopped paying attention and lost his chance to bag himself a head start. He quickly attempted to correct his mistake by dashing, desperate not to let his late start leave him in the dust. Of course, as he ran, he made sure to keep an eye out for anywhere a secret philocerite deposit could be hiding. As he ran his foot caught in an unseen ditch, tripping him face-first into the wet grass. However, as he got up bitterly, he saw a faint twinkling underneath a tree root and bagged himself some philocerite fragments with a grin.

Actions: Initiative, dash from I15 to I11 investigate for philocerite
Health: 16/16
Hit Dice: 2d8+1d10
Ac: 14
Speed: 30ft Movement
Expendables: 20 Arrows, 2 Oil flasks, 5 rations, 1 set of Ball Bearings

Idea · Sep 20, 2020

~The Nothwing Chase: Corkbeard's turn~

The old gnome shook his head and patiently tapped his smoke pipe, puffing out a small green cloud before casually strolling to the back, a little further back. He looked around, tilting his body a little sideways on occasion, before pointing his pipe at Ladybird.

"You there seem like a good place to start. You're close enough to the rest." And having spoken those words, the gnome's eyes eyes seemed to glow for a second as he muttered something under his breath. Smoke from his pipe seemed to stop floating into the air and instead seeped into the ground, which began to shake violently in a small area. As it shook, the everyone of the other remaining participants who had yet to depart fell to the ground, albeit the grass really cushioned their fall. "In some ways that went better, others it went worse than expected. Well, not all in life are victories I suppose."

And with those words, the gold gnome started heading towards the forest himself.

_

Some OOC Information
Initiative Order:
I-Raruir Am-Skullface (21) (NPC)
Zarig (21) (NPC)
Raruir's Followers (19) (NPCs)
Est (15) (NPC)
Skessa (12)
Giselle (12)
Aurelios (10)
Corkbeard (10) (NPC) <-----
Ladybird (8)
Ranger Duo (7) (NPCs)
Samoan (4) (NPC)

Corkbeard cast Earth tremor. Ladybird, one of the rangers and Samoan all took 1 point of damage and were knocked prone.

Corkbeard moved from I 15 to just barely into I 13

Tags:

Idea · Sep 26, 2020

~The Nothwing Chase: Continuation~

"Is that the case?" There was little other response the man could give. He raised an eyebrow. It was, rather evident that Ysarir was nervous, though what could be said that would quell his nerves was not so straightforward. He closed his eyes and gave him a warm smile as he turned to the chase grounds. "I can tell you are a kind man. If you ever change your mind, feel free to swing by my mansion. My secretary will probably keep you waiting, so I'll instruct him to come warn me if you pass by, asap. If you need directions to get there, just ask for 'Maximilius Flashright'."

He chuckled a bit on the part about his secretary, but other than that it was a serene offer. By the time he opened his eyes again and glanced to his side, however, Ysarir was no longer by his side and had instead taken off somewhere.

It was a strange notion, what could be hidden here in the chase? Yet perhaps the tiefling's words resonated better than anticipated with Ladybird. How much of the sudden headache she had as the boy brought that black rune, was just her nerves or her imagination going wild? She felt drawn to the chase grounds in front of her, but at the same time, there was a sense of dread.

Her piling thoughts were probably the reason why she was such a late start, or why the gnome suddenly approached her in specific. She watched him, unsure on whether to ignore him or whether to do something about him, and she could only regret doing neither when the smoke reached down into the ground and shook it like someone trying to flip a table that's loosely nailed to the ground. She didn't even put up a fight, the moment she tried moving one feet got caught up in the other, and she slammed facefirst into the ground. Fortunately for her, the grass was thick enough that it wasn't much of a worry, other than the setback of getting up and leave with even more of a delay. Not to mention the whole hitting her head deal didn't help the headache either.

There was no time to waste now. She wouldn't chase after the gnome directly, so after she managed to pull herself to her feet, she first moved to a position where their paths wouldn't necessarily cross, and then charged ahead.

Meanwhile, others were also caught up in the gnome's little trick. Of the two tall, slender elves with beautiful faces, one was now planted on the ground covered in bits of dirt, grass and leaves. Perhaps this was funny, perhaps this was fitting for elves, or perhaps this was an insult. They certainly seemed to think the latter, as one helped the other up and they both glared at the gnome. They brutishly unshouldered their bows (after a couple of frustrated attempts) and chased after the gnome. The one furthest ahead (who had not fallen) whispered something in elvish and his bow seemed to glow with a faint green light while tiny leaves sprouted from it. Something similar happened to the arrow rapidly thrusted by the string. Before the arrow had even had a chance to hit the gnome with such force that the arrow's tip piercing right over his lower abdomen and peaked out from the other side, the other elf was already readying his own shot with fingers far too eager to press the trigger. The green light dissipated from the first arrow around the same time that a second wheezed through the air. Massive thorned vines sprouted from the ground, distracting the gnome such that the second arrow was flung into their chest. The little guy gasped for air, no longer able to resist as the plants brought him to the ground.

It took a few moments until the two rangers stopped, seeing the red painted over the tips of their spell's thorns, and they dismissed it. The gnome was lying there, their body barely nudging as it struggled against the very clear sight of its final moments. The two rangers stopped moving and simply stared, occasionally stealing glances at one another as the medics and healers ran right past them, and the horrified realization of what they just did hit them: They might have just killed someone.

At first, as he lost his balance, Samoan could only grin. He thought he would have time to ready his tools a little more, but it seemed as though this day wouldn't be so generous after all.

One of the rangers next to him began assisting the other into getting in position. He wouldn't allow himself to get behind either, and with a push-up he got back on his feet. He hopped in place a couple of times just to get his 'groove' back and decided to sprint in the direction Corkbeard was heading. As he ran, he did notice the two rangers preparing their bows, but he didn't make much of it until the arrows flew right past him and his eyes widened as the little gnome's gut grew a new piercing, and then yet another was stuck in him, not to mention all these plants and ...

"OLD MAN!" Screamed Samoan. He ran as fast as he could and dropped on his knees arms flailing about in a panic. He was swarmed by the healers before even getting to do anything to help.

It did not take long in his search before I-Raruir began throwing around rocks at trees and other rocks. Maybe it wasn't the smartest thing, one might say, but one would also be surprised just how many things are actually hidden under rocks. In one of the previous yeas, this strategy had actually won Raruir the race- not only was it surprisingly good for finding philocerite, it was also a great blunt weapon to "accidentally" throw around.

Raruir did manage to find those tiny little fragments, like a crusting of diamonds inside the tree bark and the rocks. This was nothing like a regular-sized chunks, a pile of these fragments wasn't worth nearly as much. But between himself and those who would follow him and work under him, they could certainly collect enough to win, or at very least to seriously compete.

"Hey big-nose!" The knight in makeshift armor cried out, stomping his way through the woods with a rusted blade in hand. "You better get your *ss right here and now and apologize for the dirt you threw at me, or I'm going to beat you senseless, you hear me! I'm sure that'll prove quite "reversible" by the end with a bit of cold water. Hah! Well, that's if you little things don't run away scared from THIS too."

The goblin looked up for a moment, and snorted. The makeshift knight took another stomp forward.

"Huh?! What's with that attitude, you little-"

Suddenly, he heard a screen from behind. A weapon hit him on the helmet and went "tink" as it simply bounced off. Shoddy weapons against shoddy equipment, it was really just a matter of chance who would succeed or fail now. Another set of three goblins attacked the knight, two of which pathetically missed him, while the last was expertedly blocked with his shield.

Meanwhile, not far from there, a tiefling minding his own business and setting fire to random things finds a rather unusual type of charcoal. They start to attempt to burn it, but what surrounds it seems to melt or burn, while whatever the charcoal is remained unnafected. Zest decided to investigate.

_

Some OOC Information
Initiative Order:
I-Raruir Am-Skullface (21) (NPC)
Zarig (21) (NPC)
Raruir's Followers (19) (NPCs)
Est (15) (NPC)
Skessa (12)
Giselle (12)
Aurelios (10)
Corkbeard (10) (NPC) (out)
Ladybird (8)
Ranger Duo (7) (NPCs) (out)
Samoan (4) (NPC)

Ranger 1 gets up
Ranger 1 and 2 move from I16 to I15
Ranger 2 casts ensnaring strike and makes an attack with their bow- hit with critical damage, 20 piercing damage
Corkbeard fails saving throw against ensnaring vines
Ranger 1 Attacks as well, succeeds, 10 piercing damage
Corkbeard is dying (below 0 hit points)

Samoan gets up
Samoan takes dash action, goes from I16 to I13

Raruir just investigates and finds some crystals.

Zarig tries to use intimidation, rolls a 1.

Each of Raruir's followers attack Zarig and all miss.

Est finds a black rune.

Stands Up From Being Prone
Dash Action
Moves From I15 to J14

Tags:

Lucius Cypher · Sep 27, 2020

So far it doesn't seem like anyone had followed her. Either she was alone or whoever was following her was stealthy. Skessa couldn't worry about that now though and focused on the task at hand. Looking around she grasped a small forked twig and spoke a few incantations in orcish. "Gimb Zigur." She whispered, and suddenly she could feel a force pushing her southward. It wasn't very far; just a short walk away. But when she walked over she didn't spot anything, but felt she was very close. "Tch. Underground." Skessa knelt onto the ground and took a moment to think. She was certain that she was right on top of a Black Rune, but she had no idea how deep it was. If it was only one foot deep she could dig it out with her hands, but if it was deeper? She'd need a proper shovel for that, or a spell that could move the dirt, neither which she had. However... She could transform into a giant badger. They were excellent diggers and could easily dig into the ground and grab the rune stone. However Skessa still wasn't certain if she should waste such powers on this mere game.

However Skessa would also not hesitate. Despite her initial thoughts if she intends to win she'll need to use everything in her power to do so. And so Skessa laid low onto the ground, one hand touching the dirt while the other held her staff as she snarled with a beastly noise, and quickly her body shifted and changed into that of a giant badger, one as large as the orcish woman herself. Her staff, clothing, and other items were absorbed into her body except for her bag containing the black runes. She'd need to hold onto it if she wanted to actually keep anything she finds, though she made sure the backpack was still secured on her body. In her size it was instead on her belly, allowing her to still put items in and out of it despite her bestial shape. Once transformed Skessa dug into the ground, feeling the Black Rune get closer and closer. And soon enough she felt wiggling against her claw trying to escape just like the first Black Rune. This time however Skessa was privy to the strange nature of the rune stone and grasped it firmly in her maw, gripping it tightly until it was still. Once it stopped moving she quickly put it into her back with the other Black Rune and crawled out from her hole, moving west to get some distance from the other contestants.

As Skessa was moving around she also found a rather pitiful amount of philocerite. It was only thanks to being slow low to the ground thanks to her badger form that she even spotted it, as it was hidden under a fall log. Even when she scooped it up it was more dirt and pebbles than Philocerite but it was better than nothing. She tossed what little she found into her bag and would continue onward. "These Black Runes feel like they're trying to escape this area. Perhaps there are more runes around the edges of the area." Skessa pressed the runes in her bag as she walked a bit further, trying to make sure they weren't going to try and break out any time soon. "I have to be careful and not lose these. Who knows what might happen if I gather more. Perhaps I ought to focus on gathering philocerite for now."

Health: 34/34 (13/13)
Hit Dice: 1d12, 2d8
Spell and Slots:
1st Level (2/3) - Hunter's Mark (1/day), Absorb Elements, Create/Destroy Water, Detect Magic, Entangle, Longstrider, Goodberry, Speak with Animal
2nd Level (0/0) - ~~Locate Object~~ (1/day)
40 ft Movement, 20 ft Burrow

Skessa castes Locate Object to look for Black Runes. She moves south 20ft from J9 to K9 and uses her Bonus Action to Wild Shape into a Giant Badger. She digs up a Black Rune and continues to move westward towards K8, finding a small amount of Philocerite.

Sambews · Sep 29, 2020

Ashe, Anastacia's raven familiar, soared through the air, observing the chase. It was a lot more... violent than she thought it would be. Obviously, there was that incident with the Elves and Dwarf, but also that knight that got attacked by goblins, or that Tiefling burning things. It was certainly not a game for the lighthearted. Anastacia did her best to keep notes on everybody, so she could know what was going on in the future. That Vedalken hadn't revealed anything yet, but those elves could do weird things with vines and arrows, and that orc could turn turn into other animals. And that dwarf could-

Anastacia's thoughts were interrupted by pressure on her shoulder. It was a bit disorienting, having your vision and hearing separated from your body, but she had gotten used to it by now. She had Ashe return to where she and her retainers sat, now accompanied by a new arrival. Anastacia felt Ashe land on her shoulder, and turned her head to face this newcomer. He was tall and lanky, and appeared a little young and naive. Had it not been for the tattoos, she would have clumped him with the rest of the average civilians in this town. As the man sat down, Lily, one of the twins, whispered in Ashe's ear.
"This guy asked if he could sit next to us. I was going to ask you if that was fine, but Minx... well..."
"I understand, it's fine," Anastacia said. Now, if you want something really disorienting, try listening to your voice in third person.
"I'm blind, and also deaf," Anastacia said, somewhat believably*. "If you want to talk to me, please don't. If you really want to talk to me, talk to my retainers, and they'll alert me."

With that, Ashe took off, back to spectating. Anastacia wasn't sure why she had told that lie, or if that kid had believed her. Maybe it's because she thought it was funny. Maybe it was because she thought knowledge was power, and concealing knowledge is concealing power. That train of thought had got a little too philosophical for her, so she turned her focus back to the chase. Maybe she could spot a philrock or one of those black runes, and bestow it on somebody**. That would be funny...

HP: 17/17
Spells cast: Disguise self [1]
1rst level slots: 3/4
Prepared Spells: Disguise Self, Grease, Detect Thoughts, Blindness/Deafness

Rolls:
* Deception check to convince Ysarir that she's both blind and deaf, 16+0 for a 16.
** Investigation check, she's searching the forest floor from just below the canopy with Ashe. 16+1 for a 17.

Idea · Sep 30, 2020

~The Nothwing Chase: Continuation II~

Skessa, when you place the black rune together with the other inside your bag, you can feel it starting to move again. This time it seems to have a less clearly motion, it just wobbles in place, back and forth. The other black rune already in your bag also begins acting up this way, wobbling back and forth but never really the place it is at, as though they are both being repelled away from each other and drawn together at the same time. Although you manage to bag the both of them, the mild shaking of your bag doesn't stop from there on out.

As you approach the border of the chase grounds, the spectator seats you barely visible past the less dense part of the treetop become increasingly hidden by the wall built around the grounds, which is to not even mention the white net of magical energy which completely surrounds the chase grounds in a dome. Despite being seemingly made from light its easy on the eyes, not nearly as bright as one might think it would be.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If her hunch was right, within that tree was hidden one of those things Hallard had shown earlier, a black rune. Now the question was how to extract it. Gizelle look a little around the tree, and bent down in front of it. There was no sign of any opening, and no place with seams or any other form of artificially closing a whole. Strange though it sounded, somehow the black rune had simply grown inside the tree, or the tree had grown with the black rune inside it. She couldn't help but to be curious about how exactly that happened, but for now what that meant was that there was no way to remove it other than cutting into the trees. With her pinky finger she carefully poked the blackened bump on the tree. Dust fell from it. That texture, it felt like she was poking a pile of ashes. She could probably dig it out with her bare hands if she had to. Gazelle looked over her shoulder, at the confusion back there, spotting a gnome getting shot, and the arrowhead popping out from their belly.

She shot up, about to rush to him when she saw all the healers rushing to his aid. Should she go? It would definitely hamper her chances in the chase, but how could she simply let him there to die? However, the gnome was already surrounded by healers, perhaps ones much better than her even. She knew she still didn't hold a candle to her father. She would only get in the way if she went. There was no merit to her going.

However, what she just witnessed proved something else: The competition was far more fierce than the rules made it sound. Even with the rules, there was no telling how far the other contestants might actually go in their pursuit of victory. She had to hurry and assert an advantage, which meant she had no time to be meticulously examining the tree, or worrying about what might happen if she stroke the wrong thing. She had to get out that black rune, and she had to do it now.

She drew her sword and began cutting into the tree. Partially ashen or not, the tree was still a tree, it's not something one could cut like slicing bread, even if she was only trying to carve out some of the trunk. She would make some cuts around where the needed, then stab the sword into them and pull it by the handle, until little by little she managed to tear out what she wanted and expose the black rune, which she took with her before she ran in deeper into the chase grounds. She did not, however, find any philocerite or more black runes yet.

_

Some OOC Information
Initiative Order:
I-Raruir Am-Skullface (21) (NPC)
Zarig (21) (NPC)
Raruir's Followers (19) (NPCs)
Est (15) (NPC)
Skessa (12)
Giselle (12) <-----------------
Aurelios (10)
Corkbeard (10) (NPC) (out)
Ladybird (8)
Ranger Duo (7) (NPCs) (out)
Samoan (4) (NPC)

(Character temporarily taken over as an NPC to advance things)
HP: 28
Hit Dice: 3d10
AC: 17
Speed: 30ft
Medicinal Packs Remaining: 3

Gizelle carves out the black rune with an athletics check.
moves from H13 to G12
Gizelle searches for more philocerite or black runes and finds none.

Tags:

pbtenchi · Oct 3, 2020

Aurelius Asterio
Aurelius, seeing no one around decided to broach his unwanted guest on what they'd meant earlier about not liking the place. He'd tried to ignore it, but it was ominous and was bothering him more than he would have liked to admit. "psst... PSSST. What was that about not liking this place?" He stage-whispered as he walked through the brush.

"I dunno, I just, it makes really light-headed... heavy-headed? It's definitely more of a "heavy" sort of feeling." She nudged side to side.

"Just a heavy feeling? What does that even mean? And what are you doing? That feels weird."

"I dunno. I haven't felt anything like this in forever. I can't even remember what happened the last time... I just want out of here. Please?"

"You don't pay rent, so you don't get to vote where I go or what I do. Now if you excuse me I have a competition to try and win."

"Don't blame ME if I puke!"

"HOW CAN YOU PUKE! YOU'RE IN MY HEAD!" he shouted, blowing away all pretence of being quiet.

"Have you no tact, asking that of a lady?" Despite not being visible, you could be pretty sure she was pouting and turning her back on you.

"Gnr!" he grunted, making it clear he was done talking.

"Hmph!" Same for her.

He was so absorbed into the arguing, that he didn't manage to find and more philocerite. But, he did find something; Ladybird.

"Greetings!" He shouted towards the woman who looked lost in his eyes, loudly announcing his presence and smiling to show he had no ill-intentions. This was smile number 38. He'd first seen it on a hunter, running into his friends for the first time in months after a long expedition. After first seeing it he had spent hours practising it in front of his reflection, and he was confident its friendliness was next to none.

"You look like your having some difficulty. Want to cooperate? The rules state you can't steal, but they don't say you can't give. We pool our philocerite and split the prize evenly. What do you say?" He was sincere about his intentions. He cared more about winning than the prize.

Actions: investigate for philocerite, dash from I11 to J14, interact with Ladybird

Felix
Health: 16/16
Hit Dice: 2d8+1d10
Ac: 14
Speed: 30ft Movement
Expendables: 20 Arrows, 2 Oil flasks, 5 rations, 1 set of Ball Bearings

glooomycinnamonroll · Oct 4, 2020

Not too long after he asked his question, he received an answer from one of the twins. That was perfectly sufficient in his eyes, so he sat down, and regarded the case as a closed event of the past. Little did he know the disturbance his appearance managed to cause, before a raven landed on the shoulder of the distracted woman, and with that, he felt her gaze settle on him for a little. After a short discourse between the others, the one with the raven spoke a few words to him.

“Of course” he mumbled. Ysarir would have found this unbelievable if the woman didn’t speak with such convincing clarity. Blind and deaf, he thought. The pieces slowly came together, making obvious that the lady was a wizard, interacting with the world through their familiar. Now, he was sure he was somehow rude, though could not determine what mistake did he make exactly. Though he felt miserable, there was nothing left to do.

Even if there was, the shouting of a man grabbed his attention – as it probably did to everyone else. With that, he turned towards the chase grounds again. Now, the events were much different from the calm, uneventful beginnings – and much different from the rules and promises of the organisers. A small figure was laying on the ground, surrounded by a number of healers, while most of the others disappeared in the woods. He was sure there were other fights going on as well, since this incident proved just well enough how much people were willing to do to win. An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach, as he turned his gaze from the arrows sticking out of the tiny man.

He was suddenly somewhat grateful for not joining the group of participants below. Though he was thought martial arts and could probably run as quick as any of the ones below, he had never been in a real fight before, and he did not look forward for this to change.

Ysarir had a passing thought of going down there and seeing if he can help, since he was somewhat familiar with healing, but decided he would probably do more harm than he could aid. Everyone there was probably a professional, and he wasn’t even sure if they would let a stranger in there.

As he sat there and the tension somewhat faded away, realizing there was not much to see from the trees, the young man started to focus on his immediate surroundings. He tried to seem as uninteresting as possible while listening to the people around him, trying to catch anything about Maximilius Flashright, Hallard, or about the participants of the chase.

Current HP: 21
Hit Die remaining: 3d8
Speed: 50 ft
AC: 16

Ysarir tries to "overhear" any conversations or rumors regarding Maximilius, Hallard, or one of the partcipants of the chase (especially Samoan, Skessa or Aurelius).

Felix · Oct 4, 2020

Ladybird was not feeling well. First the headaches, then being knocked of her feet before seeing how the one who did that was immediately shot down. There was so much fierce violence that should have put her off, though strangely didn't. Maybe it had something to do with the prickling sensation of needles in her mind. She had wanted to rush in and help the man, but before she could shrug of the surprise he was already in good care. Why did she have to sign up as a participant?! She was regretting her decisions and wandered around a little aimlessly.

"You can do it big Sis!" Someone shouted from the stands. Other shouts of encouragement accompanied it. She looked over and saw Danny and some of the other kids waving at her. She did her best to produce a smile. Even if nothing came of it, she had to set a good example of not giving up.

With slightly more dedication she edged closer to the tree line, turning over rocks and scanning the ground. She felt a bit on edge, ready for the next attack or more pain in her head.

"Greetings!" She jumped in the air, all hairs on her neck standing up. Her arm extended and with a flash a light came into existence. The cold white light reflected of a mans smile. The expression did seem a little forced, but she could do with a more friendly face at this moment. He even asked her to team up. She desperately needed someone to help her ease a little so she could continue the search with eyes unclouded. Whether this man was forthright ... remained to be seen. For now she would give him the benefit of the doubt. She lowered her hand and extinguished the light.

"Pardon me, you startled me." She said in a slightly frail voice, trying to regain her composure. "I could really use the help, both in searching as well as someone to have my back. Did you see they shot that smoke guy right out of the gate?!" Right, composure, she straightened her back. "I am not sure if you really want to team up with me though, so far I have not been able to find a single splinter of philocrite. I can guard and aid you quite well though. Did you have any luck?"

pbtenchi

Light cantrip, move to K12 but won't find anything and interact with Aurelius.

24/25 hp (1/1 d8 and 2/2 d6 hitdice left)
AC 16
30 ft walking speed

4/4 1st-level spells 2/2 2nd-level spells
Spell save DC 15

consumables: 1 flask of holy water, 13 torches, 20 bolts, 10 rations of food

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