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Originally Posted by RumRunner151
"I decided that the best thing for everyone involved was for me to leave quickly, and allow Mean Green some more time in contemplative retreat above the ground."
Awesome.



Lae'zel just needs some meditation time to chill out. It's for her own good.

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I have no indecipherabilities in finding myself enjoying Corvella's adventures. I knew that hill clamboring goblin was going to cause her troubles!

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The Improbable Adventures of Corvella Greyrose: Day Six


(continued from part five, upthread!)




DAY SIX:

When I laid down to try to sleep last evening, I expected to toss and turn feverishly all night long, to get very little actual rest, and to wake up in a great deal of pain. To my surprise, that's not what happened. I'm not sure what is going on with me, but I slept quite deeply, and though I felt like I'd had significant dreams, I could not remember any of them. This morning found me feeling quite refreshed, and to my amazement, the arrow wound in my chest was miraculously healed! Pressing on the area revealed a slight soreness, and the skin there was a bit red, but there was no longer a puncture at all. The interminable headache that has been plaguing me was muted as well, though not entirely gone.

I believe that this power that I'm connected with now, whatever it may be, is affecting my body in strange ways. I can't help but notice that I'm quite a bit stronger than my scattered half-memories tell me I ought to be. Certainly more so, significantly more so, than my slight build and lack of muscle tone would suggest. And then there is the matter of my incredibly accelerated healing. I have a deep, underlying sense of myself as being of mixed human and green elven blood, I can remember knowing that much at least. Is it possible that I am wrong, and I am instead a member of some other exotic species? Or did whatever happened to me aboard that terrible nautiloid change my physical structure somehow? I don't have the answers, but I intend to find out.

Oh, I didn't write anything yet about the two artifact necklaces I've acquired. But I've Identified them both. The skull-shaped one that I found in the ruined crypt is called The Amulet of Lost Voices, a holy relic dedicated to some ancient death god. It will allow me to speak with the traces of spirit lingering in the dead bodies of intelligent beings, asking them a few questions. Could be useful! The rusty one with the Harper symbology has no special name, but allows me to call upon the Guidance of the divine to advise me in how to best accomplish something. And I can use it as often as I like! This is an incredible find, and should make my entire journey easier.

I was resolved to continue heading west, following the barely-understood urgings of my earlier dreams. As I made my way along the trail, I found both a backpack and a pouch abandoned beside the path, each with a few useful bits in them. I don't know whose things these were, originally, but it is clear that they no longer wished to possess them. I was merely de-cluttering the wilderness. Unfortunately, as I walked, the brief partial reprieve I'd had upon waking from the ever-present headache came to an end, as the pounding in my skull seemed to grow with every step.

Once again, I heard voices from up ahead. Stalking closer, I saw two nervous-looking humans in commoner's attire standing over the supine form of what looked like a dwarf. At first I thought the latter was dead, but as I looked closer, I could see him moving slightly. Listening in to the man and woman's conversation, it soon became obvious that they were worried about the dwarf on the ground, and not up to any brigandry. I found myself curious once again. After performing a quick Friends cantrip, I stood and approached.

The man was trying to talk to the dwarf, calling him "Ed", while the woman looked alarmed at my presence and warned me to come no closer. It was then that I saw that both humans were marked by a mysterious symbol, both of which began suddenly to glow brightly. My headache spiked in intensity in response to this glow, and I pressed fingertips to forehead in an attempt to calm the throbbing veins just under my skin. An idea blossomed in my mind in that moment, a sense of power, of AUTHORITY. I could command these weak-minded peasants. I could make them bow, just as in my dream...



[Linked Image]

(From whence do these powers of the mind come?)



My voice unnaturally deepened by whatever power I was channeling, I spoke a few simple words, but with all the air of a queen making a pronouncement. "I WILL GO WHERE I WISH." Immediately they adopted a submissive demeanor, the woman apologizing to me and mentioning that the dwarf on his back was called "True Soul Edowin", and that he was injured. As the humans abased themselves before me, this Edowin stared at me intensely, and I heard his voice in my head telling me to protect these two recruits. Aloud, with his last breath, he told the two humans to obey me, calling ME a "True Soul", and then he unceremoniously expired. The humans were speaking, but I didn't catch what they said at first because I was busy noticing something unexpected: my headache, every trace of it, had instantly vanished.

The subsequent conversation with the two subservient humans felt strange, as though I was once again in a dream. They told me odd things, and all of it was tinged with this constant sense of surreality. They spoke of some goddess, the Absolute, who is going to tear down the world order and grant power to her followers. The True Souls, as they claimed, are the chosen ones of this Absolute, and apparently speak with her voice. And they believed ME to be one of these chosen, these speakers for their goddess. I played along, squeezing what information I could out of them. Then they said that True Soul Edowin had been mortally injured by a creature called an owlbear (I wondered: is it an owl the size of a bear, or a bear the size of an owl?) in a nearby cave, and for no reason that I can comprehend, I just . . . ordered them to go back into that cave and face the monster. I knew it would be their deaths, but I said it anyway. As they ran off to heed my command, I was left wondering why I'd done that, and what was happening to me.



[Linked Image]

(Eyeing those dodgy cultists sternly, not taking any nonsense now.)



As I began mechanically checking the dead dwarf for valuables, a hideous sight shocked me into jumping back and falling right on my behind. I quickly returned to my feet, watching the corpse's face warily. A disgusting little worm-horror literally crawled out of his eye socket and slithered across his face. I'd seen one of these before. On the mind flayer ship. Where I'd imagined them putting one of these into MY eye. All this time, I'd been telling myself that was just a delusion or hallucination of some kind, that surely there was NOT, actually, a grotesque brain-slug living inside my real physical head. But watching that thing undulate along, right here in front of me in broad daylight, I began to wonder. And to fear. Prayers to half a dozen divinities tumbled out of my lips, begging whatever deity would listen to please, please not let there be one of those nightmares burrowed into my skull.

I picked it up, wanting to crush it into slimy goo. I needed to see it die. But then, all of the sudden, a foreign feeling arose within me, the alien belief that this abomination was beautiful and pure, and that I couldn't let myself harm it. I fought as hard as I could, angrily willing my hand to close and reduce the tadpole (isn't that what Gale had called them?) to filthy paste. But I could not. I tried my best to make myself do it, but I simply couldn't. I dropped the creature into the grass and watched it crawl away. A massive shiver passed through my body, and I felt sick to my stomach. I wasn't having fun on this adventure any more. I wanted to wake up from all of it, and find myself at home somewhere safe, in Baldur's Gate. For a time, I sat there in stunned silence on the side of the trail, not sure what to do.



[Linked Image]

(To crush, or not to crush, that is the question.)



Finally, as I stared at the deceased form of the True Soul, I remembered my artifact, the Amulet of Lost Voices. Not having any better ideas, I fished it out of the Haversack, put it on, and called upon its power. Speaking with the dead was chilling and uncomfortable, but I felt so numbed by the preceding events that it hardly affected me. Edowin's spirit mostly just repeated the things that the two humans had, except for the addition that there was some "weapon" belonging to the Absolute that they were looking for. A weapon that had crashed from the sky, and which was carried off by "infidels". I doubted that more than one thing had fallen from the firmament lately, which meant that the Absolute's weapon must have been on the betentacled vessel that had conveyed me to these lands. I'll admit feeling quite curious about that, some divine relic sought by a goddess? Maybe I'd stumble across this powerful item myself...

Taken by a morbid curiosity, I decided to follow those two witless humans and find out what befell them. I also wanted to catch a glimpse of this "owlbear" thing. From a safe distance, of course. Finding the cave was simple, and as I drew close to the entrance I saw the man and woman hesitantly venturing within. I trailed them, silently crouching in the shadows. They approached the largest cavern, and I did see within an absolutely massive creature. Much larger than any bear I'd ever heard of, and with a beak that looked like it could snap me in two with little effort. I had seen enough. Quickly I went back the way I'd come from, and noticed another cave off to the side, lit by a bright beam of sunlight from outside.

The smaller cavern held what seemed to be an old shrine. I gathered that it was dedicated to the goddess Selune, with a striking statue of her watching over this sacred place. With what I'd like to think is proper reverence and respect, I began to loot the cave. There were some magical potions, some expensive-looking incense, and a few religious tomes, which I skimmed. Long story short, Shar and Selune don't like each other. There was also an odd prayer sheet of some kind, which felt important to me, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it. And finally, there was the gilded chest. It looked VERY promising. I couldn't locate any traps on or around it, but I could feel some kind of enchantment about it. My archaeologist's danger sense was tingling.

Before attempting to open the beautiful, ornate box, I took some time to study my spellbook and then bolster my flesh with a False Life spell. So girded, I carefully began to lift the lid. I don't know if it came from the coffer itself, or directly from the heavens, hurled by the hand of the Moonmaiden, but a blinding flash of searing light enveloped me in an instant. My face and hands were severely scorched by the pure, white heat of the divine punishment, as pain erupted across my skin. I shrieked altogether too loudly, flailing about as I fell into the nearby pool that partially filled the cavern. I was in such agony that I forgot to hold my breath, and damn near drowned in four feet of water, coughing and choking as I dragged myself back onto solid rock. For a long time, I just laid there, wracked by my burned flesh, crying and shivering and apologizing over and over to Selune, as though that would save me from this torment.



[Linked Image]

(Again.)



Everything had been going so well, and now, twice in as many days, I had come alarmingly close to dying from nearly-lethal injuries. I regretted deeply, in that moment, having locked away ALL of the healing potions I'd found so far in the magic chest back at my main camp. I am loathe to expend ANY enchanted items of a consumable nature, so I'd stashed all of the potions so that I "wouldn't be tempted to waste one". What a foolish thing to do! Now I was burned most of the way to death, mostly blind, and shaking uncontrollably from merciless pain. I realized that if I hadn't prepared myself with that little spell of necromancy before hand, I would now be a charred corpse forever standing testament to the fearsome power of the goddess whose statue loomed majestically above.

It took me two hours, two agonizing hours, to shamble back to the nearest rune circle, every moment of it a trial of endurance and raw will to live. If not for this strange power inhabiting my body, I know that I would have succumbed to my wounds and died. But eventually I did make it back, and was profoundly relieved when I saw the familiar camp again, and found it still unoccupied. Once back in the comforting safety of the closest thing I currently have to a "home", I felt better. I'm resisting the strong desire to gulp down one of those healing potions, for now.

"I will heal overnight, just like before," I told myself. Then I gingerly laid down on my bedroll and weakly cast a simple Mage Hand cantrip, using the floating, disembodied hand to write all of this in my journal. I'm so glad I don't have a mirror, as I don't think I could handle seeing how ruined my face is right now. Not a chance I'm taking inventory tonight. I just need to sleep. I'll be better in the morning . . . I hope.





OOC Part:

DEATH COUNT: 2

Another close call! I knew that chest was gonna wallop Corvella, but I had to try to open it for the sake of RP. And once again, it was just ONE hit point away from being a death.

The only reason she lived is because, after speaking with the two initiates, I leveled up. Got 3 more hit points, and picked up False Life and Longstrider spells. One more level and I can get the much coveted Invisibility.

It's been tough not save scumming any rolls. Failing the Religion check needed to figure out how to safely get that chest open was painful. Really should have used my new Guidance amulet before reading the prayer sheet. Ah well.

Got a bit distracted this session. Next time I'm really gonna try to get into that goblin camp and see about a merchant!




Stay tuned for the next part, coming further down the thread soon!

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Originally Posted by Verte
Soft and vicious at same time, Corvella, I see what you did to poor naked Green one. Well, maybe she shouldn't yell at you.

Nice writing skills, wonder how far it takes without fighting. Remember SH will try to have fun with you and her dagger at some point.



Um. She will? That sounds ominous.

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"apologizing over and over to Selune" Or cursing her for leaving such an irresistible curiosity for you to find.

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Still loving this.

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Originally Posted by Firesnakearies

Um. She will? That sounds ominous.


I'm curious if it will still work that way if you avoided her cutscene triggers by skipping grove.

It is definitely an owl the size of a bear. #team_owl
So many opportunities dangers at the goblin camp, I will keep my fingers crossed for archeologist Corvella.

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Originally Posted by Sozz
Going solo means there's no one to judge you for selling out to a helpful cambion. Just a thought



That's true! Infernal bargains, here we go.

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Quote
I gathered that it was dedicated to the goddess Selune, with a striking statue of her watching over this sacred place. With what I'd like to think is proper reverence and respect, I began to loot the cave.


Love this.

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Not sure how I've managed to miss this thread until now, but this is brilliant!


"I will heal overnight, just like before," - reminded me of discovering how rest until healed worked in BG1. Go to sleep, wake up a week later.

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Originally Posted by Topper
Yup, liking this. Perfect for lunch breaks.



I, too, eat lunch.

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The Improbable Adventures of Corvella Greyrose: Day Seven


(continued from part six, upthread!)




DAY SEVEN:

My sleep was fairly troubled last night, but I only remember one brief bit of dream. I saw myself sleeping on the ground, and an indistinct figure loomed above me. A female voice asked, "Where are you?" It feels very vivid in my memory, but I don't know what it may signify. Thank Corellon, my terrible burns from yesterday were almost completely healed this morning. The skin of my face and hands was still red, a bit tender, and quite warm to the touch. It felt like I had a very strange sunburn, but no more, and I was incredibly relieved and grateful. The headache had also not returned, so I said my thanks to the divines for that as well.

Telling myself I would be more careful today, and already imagining how nice it would be to return to camp this evening WITHOUT grievous bodily injury, I set out again toward the west. Taking a different branch of the path than I did yesterday, I came in short order to a large, impressive stone bridge. It seemed old but in good condition, certainly looked safe enough to cross. From the bridge, I could see down to the narrow tributary river that I'd waded across yesterday, and the mouth of the owlbear's cave on the other side of it. Ahead, on the other side of the bridge, I saw what appeared to be a walled village. Hoping to find merchants and helpful information within, I crossed the bridge and began to approach the settlement.

Along the bridge itself, I found a crashed and ruined wagon, with a bunch of abandoned crates and barrels around it. I picked up a few mundane valuables and even some food which still seemed good. At the other end of the bridge, however, was a grisly scene of slaughter. Lying among numerous pools of partially-congealed blood were the corpses of three humans and two goblins, all of whom looked to have died by brutal violence fairly recently. I faintly detected an unpleasant stench about the scene, but I realized something as I stood there among the bodies. My sense of smell is almost entirely gone. Looking back, I think it's been gone for days, and I just never really noticed. My vision and hearing, however, are quite keen, likely moreso than they ever were in my previous life. More effects of this strange power working within me?

I tried using the Amulet of Lost Voices to speak with the spirits of these dead people, but none of them responded to the call. I considered that to be rather rude, so had no compunctions about helping myself to their meager belongings. Not much of value, except for a healing scroll on the one woman among them. Guess she really should have used that when she had the chance, eh? (That is exactly what someone's going to be saying when they find my rotting corpse one of these days, along with magical scrolls and potions galore that I was too parsimonious to use.) One of the goblins also had a crude drawing on his person, which showed three crowned figures: a bulky goblinoid, an obviously magic-wielding goblinoid, and what I believed to be a dark elf.

A bit further on, closer to the walls of the village, there was one more dead body. One of those horned devil-looking people like the others I'd met before. Not one of the SPECIFIC ones I'd met, though. His spirit wouldn't talk to me, either, but I accepted his apology in the form of a few coins and a remarkably well-preserved loaf of bread. As I looked through the wide-open gates of the settlement, I could see right away that something was wrong here. There were no people ANYWHERE, not even any sounds that people would make, and the buildings looked to be in severe disrepair. At first glance, the place appeared to be abandoned.

But then my sensitive ears caught a metallic scraping on one of the roofs near the wall, and the unmistakable sound of a bowstring being plucked. Hiding on my side of the wall, I carefully peeked around, and was just barely able to pick out the forms of a few small humanoids obviously lurking on the rooftops flanking the path into the village. More goblins, I suspected, and waiting in ambush. For me. How inexcusably inhospitable.

Well, I had NO intention of being shot with another goblin arrow, nor sliced by one of their jagged, rusty blades. At first I considered merely trying to sneak past them, or around the settlement entirely. But as I scouted the immediate area, it began to look like a difficult task. Some hard climbing would get me past the walls, but I saw even more goblins milling about further into the town. Plus, I'd have to sneak around every time I had to come through here, which might be often, for all I knew. Dangerous. What I really wanted was to befriend these murderous little scamps, so that I could trade with them and have free passage through the village. But that seemed quite risky as well.

As I looked through my spellbook for ideas, I stopped short on the Disguise Self incantation. I didn't have the ability to make myself look like a goblin, unfortunately, but I DID have the formulae needed to appear as a drow! I recalled the drawing I'd found on one of the dead goblins, showing a drow in a crown. Perhaps they were allied with some dark elves, or even serving them, I thought. A plan began to form in my mind...



[Linked Image]

(Drow: even when you're above them, you're beneath them.)



A few minutes later, a haughty drow woman strode into the town like she owned the place, sneering disdainfully at all that she beheld. She called out in a voice dripping with annoyance, "I know you're there. Show yourselves." The goblins appeared, and one of them, a female wearing a ridiculous raiment (probably some kind of shaman) did the talking. The goblin noticed right away the intruder's dark elven heritage, and as predicted, ordered the others to stand down, apologizing profusely for any possible offense. The imperious drow threatened to pluck out the goblin's eyes, and it couldn't bow and scrape quickly enough. Just like that, this proud, confident dark elven woman had her run of the village with no trouble. And, journal, that drow was me! It was a fine performance, and my illusionary magic was quite finely woven, I must say.

I asked the goblin about trade, and she told me that I needed to head onward to the old temple ruins to the west, where they had their main camp. So now I had a solid destination. I was sorely tempted to take some time to explore the demolished settlement (and collect some goods, no doubt), but I wanted to get to that temple. I felt like it was where my dreams had been calling me. Besides, if I reached the goblins' headquarters, I could hopefully sell some of the loot stuffing my Handy Haversack full. I decided that I'd come back to this town later to see what it had to offer. For now, my path was clear.

As I made my way through the devastated village, I was delighted to find another one of those mysterious rune circles. Now I could get back here quickly, or from here back to my hidden camp! How useful! I was being very responsible, not turning aside to look within the buildings to my left or right. But then I heard a ruckus up a hill, to the side of the main path. I knew it would be prudent to keep walking, to leave the settlement behind for now, but curiosity got the better of me (again, don't judge me journal) and I had to see what was going on.

I found a large windmill, and arrayed around its base a significant group of goblins and their odd but terrifying wolf-beasts. They were laughing and carrying on as they pitched rocks at the target of their amusement: a small, grey-skinned gnome-like creature who was TIED to one of the blades of the windmill, being spun around over and over as it turned. The obvious leader of this particular pack was a heavily-armored male, who seemed unsure as to whether he should challenge me (still a drow) or submit to me. I demanded an explanation of what transpired here, false dominance empowering my voice. He asked me if I was a True Soul, and I was very glad in that moment that I knew what that meant from my encounter yesterday. It was then that I saw a symbol branded into his flesh, and as it had before, it began to glow. I knew what to do.



[Linked Image]

(Getting rather comfortable with all this madness, isn't she?)



I opened myself to the power inside me, to the connection I had (apparently?) to this so-called Absolute. I felt my mind expand to subsume that of the pathetic goblin, and as I had yesterday, I spoke with utter authority. He bent to my will easily, and I took command of the scene. I told the goblins to leave, that I would be taking this prisoner myself. They complied hastily, and soon I was alone in front of the windmill. I felt a disquieting sensation in my head, almost like something was moving around in there, and a wave of nausea rolled over me. As I suppressed the urge to vomit, I couldn't help but wonder, worriedly, exactly what it was that I was becoming. The thought has continued to trouble me.

The unusual-looking gnome-like fellow was calling for help, begging me to set him free from his present precarious predicament. After crushing minds with my mysterious and disconcerting psychic powers over the last couple of days, I really wanted to do something nice. Maybe balance the scales, or something? So I went inside the windmill to look for a way to turn it off. I found a pair of levers, each labeled, and correctly deduced that the one called "brake lever" was what I needed. No machine is too complicated for Corvella the Skin-Dancer! It was easy enough to bring the blades to a stop, and then untie the little man.

I was expecting some profuse thank-yous, but there were none forthcoming. Instead, seeing my illusionary disguise and believing me to be a dark elf, the rescued victim seemed certain that I was going to enslave or torture him. He called himself a "deep gnome" (that would explain the color) and said that he came from the Underdark, where his people apparently do not get invited over for tea by the drow. (Did we really need another kind of gnome? Regular ones are bad enough. Don't look at me that way, journal, I'm JUST SAYING.) I assured him that I wasn't going to harm him in any way, which he found hard to believe but eventually accepted. He said something about looking for a missing friend or whatever (I wasn't paying that much attention, I'll be honest) and then trundled off. ZERO thanks given. Gnomes, am I right?



[Linked Image]

(Already so goddamn sick of this gnome, and they just met.)



I felt like I had earned a reward for all my hard work. (The lever was kinda stuck, I had to REALLY yank on that thing.) So I decided to search and loot JUST this windmill, and not the rest of the town. I found a few little things, but nothing worth writing home about. Nothing, that is, except for this strange pouch full of a gritty black powder. I didn't know what it was, but I immediately got the sense that it was dangerous. Its smell, as much as I could discern it, reminded me of fire. Possibly something useful, or valuable. I wasn't sure, but I definitely took it.

From the top of the little plateau upon which the windmill perched, I could see a long way into the distance. The massive ruins of what had to have once been a very impressive temple were plain to see, just across a deep river chasm. I saw the crude wooden bridge that led from the village to another fortified goblin checkpoint. That was the path that I'd been told to take, and I had little doubt that I could talk my way past more goblins with the help of this drowish aspect. But I saw another means of accessing the camp that looked more intriguing. A narrow, natural stone bridge also spanned the gap, further north. This entrance to the camp looked to be entirely unguarded, as they obviously didn't expect anyone to come from this way. The slender arch of stone didn't seem to connect to any paths or trails on this side of the ravine, but there was a small strip of flat ground adjacent to it along the cliffside. It was a long drop down the rocks from where I stood, not something I could realistically climb down, nor a jump that I could survive.

But I am Corvella the Air-Treader, ACTUAL WIZARD! And guess who has the incredible foresight to have the Feather Fall enchantment in her spellbook? I mean, you don't actually have to guess. It should be obvious, right? It's me. I'm the one with Feather Fall. (Does that GALE guy know Feather Fall? I'm going to appease myself by declaring, without evidence, that he does NOT. Better not take a tumble, Gale!) After taking a few moments to engrave the arcane sigils of the spell into my mind, I cast my Feather Fall and then leapt into the yawning void with nary a care in the world. I soared through the sky like an angel, grinning with jubilation. It felt amazing, and I landed soft as a cat. And then I was on the outskirt of the ruins, easy as that. My path inside was simple and clear.

I did notice a treasure chest sitting on a little ledge down below the rock bridge I'd just crossed, so I climbed down there to investigate. I think there was some kind of trap guarding it, I didn't see it but I had an official Archaeologist's Feeling, so I just jumped past the area and nothing bad happened. The chest itself was locked tight, but I defeated the mechanism with no great difficulty. Sadly, this massive chest was nearly empty, containing only a handful of gold coins. I'd been hoping for another artifact, as unlikely as that would have been in this location. Still, money is money, so not a waste of time.

So, from where I was, there was an obvious path along the walls, and down a sketchy-looking ladder, to the paved stone floor of the temple exterior itself. Many goblins could be seen, and they were celebrating raucously, beating drums and shouting their cute little gibberish. I could have just taken the clear route down to the camp proper, but I didn't think that would be very impressive to the onlooking goblins. What would they think of some new drow "True Soul" just gingerly climbing down a filthy ladder? I decided to make an entrance!

Once again, I whispered the words of the Feather Fall incantation, and then took another mighty leap from the top of the cliffs around the camp. For the second time in one day, I felt truly free and unencumbered as I floated on the wind like a gliding bird. I landed in the center of a courtyard with a flourish, then glared around me at the surrounding goblins as though daring any of them to so much as speak to me. They looked suitably impressed! I cracked open a nearby random crate and pulled some sausages out of it, taking them brazenly just to show everyone how little I cared about their opinions. No one challenged my right to be there. I was officially IN.

There was a lot going on in that goblin camp, journal. A lot. Many interesting conversations being had, goblins drinking and cooking up some questionable-looking meat, and a decidedly foppish human man standing up on some kind of makeshift platform, spouting utterly ATROCIOUS poetry (or casting some sinister curse on everyone present, which actually seems more likely given how bad it was) at the top of his lungs. He had an absurd moustache, an absurd hat, and an absurd everything else. I was curious, but didn't want to get pulled into anything just yet. I was looking for a trader amongst the chaos of the goblin horde, and I found one.

Apparently his name was Grat, and I'll give him one thing, he was certainly respectful. Apparently it's very good to be a dark elf amongst these particular goblins! He kept calling me "your greatness", and it felt nice to finally be recognized for my many accomplishments. (Most of which I can't remember, but I'm sure they were extra great.) He mostly had junk to sell, but I was surprised to see that he carried a not insignificant number of magical artifacts as well. Nothing I wanted personally, but some valuable items nonetheless. He also had plenty of coin to spend, and wanted to buy anything and everything I pulled out of the old Haversack. Finally, I had a chance to offload some of this stuff I've been carting around, and it felt great when he poured all of that gold into my hands.

I sold him a great many weapons and armor, some jewelry, and various and sundry knick-knacks. I had even more to sell, including that shockingly exquisite ruby I'd found, but I held some things back. I could see him running out of gold quickly. When I was done with him, he only had six coins left to his name! I, however, walked away with a VERY fat purse, indeed. Good thing none of these goblins would dare to consider robbing a dark elven "True Soul" like myself. In addition to this glorious round of commerce, I also found ANOTHER mystic rune circle in the ruins. Which means that now I can come back and forth from my camp to the goblin base instantaneously, whenever I want. As long as the gobbos stay friendly, this will be tremendously helpful!

Even though it was, all told, an easy day today, and I wasn't very tired at all, I decided to use the new rune to head back to "home" and pack it in early. I wanted to get the bulk of this gold hidden away before something happened. And finally take proper inventory again! I did it, I had a day without suffering horrific wounds of any kind. And the headache still hasn't returned. I think that using the strange power of authority on those branded individuals is keeping the pain at bay. I wonder if there will be a downside to all of this, and whether or not it will be too late if I find out that there is. But I'll try not to worry about it too much. Corvella the Goblin-Tamer has adventures and artifacts ahead!

Here's what I have now, after selling a bunch of useless things:

- 1 threadbare robe with a few unfortunate holes in it, 1 suit of fancy armor (I'll probably also sell this soon), 1 pair of boots.
- 6 Archaeologist's Lock Toolkits and 4 Archaeologist's Trap Toolkits.
- 1 dagger (still need to cut things once in awhile), 1 shortbow (or shoot things, maybe?), and 1 half of a broken spear that has the air of a historical relic so I don't want to throw it away.
- 5 backpacks (a lady gotta have her bags), 2 pouches, and 3 collapsible-yet-sturdy crates.
- 11 gross nautiloid bulbs: 3 "Caustic", 5 "Void", and 3 "Spiked".
- 22 Potions of Healing (okay, I PROBABLY should have just drank one last night), 3 Potions of Speed, 1 Potion of Poison Resistance, 1 Potion of Psychic Resistance, 1 Potion of Animal Speaking, and 2 Potions of Fire Resistance.
- 3 bottles of water, 4 apples, 1 loaf of sourdough bread, 1 wheel of cheese, 1 zucchini (these vegetables stay remarkably crisp inside my Haversack), 1 clove of garlic (safe from vampires now!), 4 carrots, 4 potatoes, 1 rack of grilled pork ribs (I can barely smell them, but I think they smell mouth-watering), 3 dried pork sausages, 2 spicy pork sausages, and 1 leg of mutton.
- 2 Scrolls of Revivify, 1 Scroll of False Life, 1 Scroll of Inflict Wounds, 3 Scrolls of Mage Armor, 2 Scrolls of Fire Bolt, 2 Scrolls of Protection From Evil and Good, 1 Scroll of Guiding Bolt, 1 Scroll of Ray of Enfeeblement, 3 Scrolls of Silence, 1 Scroll of Burning Hands, 1 Scroll of Resistance, 1 Scroll of Color Spray, 1 Scroll of Healing Word, 2 Scrolls of Grease (could have some fun with these), 1 Scroll of Detect Thoughts (ooh, the possibilities), and 1 Scroll of Bless.
- 1 onyx ring, 2 malachite gems, 1 onyx gem, 1 Ruby of POWER (the power to make me rich), 2 polished agate stones.
- 3 Alchemist's Fires (I might cause some havoc with these one day), 5 Grease Bottles, and 1 Vial of Poison.
- 1 pouch of weird black powder.
- 1 Soul Coin.
- 1 epic journal.
- 4 quills, 1 ink pot, 3 candles, and 3 torches.
- 1 profoundly helpful spellbook.
- 1 Artifact: The Watcher's Guide.
- 1 Artifact: The Amulet of Lost Voices.
- 1 Artifact: Harpers' Necklace.
- 1,254 gold coins!!!

Wow, I've really come a long way in just a few days. I feel like I'm getting my feet under me now. Everything's gonna work out fine!

Probably.






OOC Part:

DEATH COUNT: 2

It's very satisfying having all these utility spells as a Wizard, and being able to use them all to further my playstyle. Starting to build up a bit of money now, and I've finally got a waypoint next to a merchant, so I won't have to just carry a bunch of junk around. This is fun!

I did want to fling the gnome ("The levers looked EXACTLY THE SAME, okay? Oops."), but I figured I'd get some XP for saving him, and XP is in short supply when you don't fight anything. I did get that big chunk of 90 XP for coming into the goblin camp from the direction I did, so that's nice.

Due to the way that I've been doing this, I find it a very immersive way to enjoy the game. Because I'm not just experiencing the gameplay as a detached player, I have to constantly imagine how every little thing looks and feels from Corvella's perspective, so that I can write about it. It's been pretty rewarding so far.





Stay tuned for the next part, coming further down the thread soon!

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*applauds* Very nice.

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Originally Posted by Verte
Verte approves

The little theft Tomb Raider sparked an increase in sympathy for Corvella. Now I'm thirsty for more. devil



We Demand More Sexy Improbable Adventures?

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Originally Posted by Firesnakearies
We Demand More Sexy Improbable Adventures?

Definitely !

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Originally Posted by Firesnakearies

We Demand More Sexy Improbable Adventures?


Only if it doesn't involve Minthara. However she may have some valuables in her pockets, hmmm.


Deep gnomo did not learn how to fly, not very kind of ACTUAL WIZARD. She became a businessman, I wonder what she will invest in. ;>

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"ZERO thanks given. Gnomes, am I right?"
LoL

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Nicely done. Stop the gnome hate!

(actually I used to be anti gnome -- too cyberpunk for the setting -- but Jan changed my mind)

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Okay this is so much fun. XD

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Originally Posted by RumRunner151
I had said in a previous post that I should just let you talk for me since you are so much better at it. These expositions confirm my impression. Literally can't wait for Day3!!!



That's not true. I don't even know what a dangling participle is. Seriously, what is it?


Day Eight coming up soon!


Here's a bonus picture that I didn't use on Day Six, it's when she was looking down at the tadpole:


[Linked Image]






Last edited by Firesnakearies; 22/11/20 08:39 AM.
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