So I found (thanks to Helseth) the quote that I'd vaguely remembered and wanted to head the last chapter with (hence my ending up on V. Secret Diaries):
The mighiest man may be slain by one arrow.
-Pippin
40. Sins of the Flesh
The sour expression upon the divine features of the sirine was odd. Onyx was overcome with pity for the pure creature, surely whatever wrong had displeased her must be righted.
“This is not your place!” she wailed through the rain. “This is the home of Sil’s tribe. Dirty land folk, you shall suffer for your trespass.”
The party was already moving. For Onyx, this meant turning around, and slugging Khalid with a dull echo of metal against jawbone. They had been too tightly packed for battle, the half-elven warrior had been delayed drawing his weapon or raising his shield, and now he was sent right back into the third row of the party. Imoen was almost bowled over but hopped out of the way, her eyes staring with anguish at her friend’s betrayal. Garrick beside her instead pushed forward, propping Khalid up with his momentum. The charmed paladin lunged now out at Viconia, who had been quick to move away at Safana’s warning and begin a spell, but the paladin followed and shoved her with all his weight, and she fell back on the sand.
Dynaheir was also starting a spell, but then the bodyguard who had moved in front of her turned around and shoved her and she fell too. “Minsc will help the poor little sirine just like our dryad friend! Injustice must be righted! RAAARRGH!” He spun around again, frothing, and grabbed Imoen and Garrick by the hair as they trained shortbow and crossbow on the sirines ahead. They shrieked helplessly as he clunked their skulls together, and then let them drop and lunged forward at Khalid, who was using his shield to fend off Onyx’s continued unarmed attacks. He grabbed the half-elf by the shoulders and slung him to the ground.
Only Jaheira and Safana had been spared this madness, having rushed forward past to combat the sirines, stopping the charms at the source. The sea fey were retreating, up the bank, and grabbing for shortbows and small quivers there. Safana gained upon and drove her bowie knives into the breasts of one, twisting and pushing in between ribs, then dragging the serrated blades out and kicking off the butchered water nymph. Jaheira had half-crushed the skull of a second with her quarterstaff, but Sil and the last then loosed arrows. One grazed along Jaheira’s neck, the other stuck shallowly in Safana’s stomach. The women charged, heedless of the minor wounds, but Safana balked with the first sting of some poison. The sirines retreated further up the bank and wove spells. Jaheira and Safana recognized the pull of the charm magics upon their wills, and battle-cried away to Silvanus or Sharess. They reached their targets, and Safana fell upon a sirine with a flamboyant flash of bowie knives, knocking the bow from the sirine’s hands and then making two shallow slashes across the flawless skin. The sirine couldn’t back up faster than Safana could stride in, and the disarming knife raced for and into her stomach, up the hilt, then twisted, and Safana yanked it up, spilling out intestine.
Sil gracefully wove under and around the first few long swings of the quarterstaff, firing an arrow that didn’t pierce her attacker’s splintmail. Jaheira moved from a same-ended grip to a first-and-third quarters, and jabbed with both ends. She knocked Sil’s left hand and crunched it, disarming her, then brought the other end of her staff forward, but Sil ducked it and darted behind the druid, only to find herself face-to-face with Safana, who slashed open her throat with a snarl, and gutted her.
“Stay away from my charge,” Jaheira nodded begrudgingly to the knife-wielding pirate, “And I just might tolerate you for a while more.”
Safana, heaving from exertion and the toxin, had no riposte other than a universal hand gesture, then she knelt and vomited, onto Sil in repayment for her.
“Ohh…how sensual,” Jaheira mock-moaned, then her eyes flicked back down the beach.
Minsc stood wrapped in vines up to his waist, howling, swinging the half-ogre’s greatsword around in every direction, limited to a circle that was quite devoid of his companions, who had made themselves rather scarce.
Imoen, though, was playing keep-away, a horrified look upon her face, in outright tears, Onyx was chasing her and making merciless swings with Varscona, and she would dart around a tree or bush each time, crying, “Stop, Onyx! It’s me! It’s Imoen! Stop you idiot stop…”
Minsc’s entangler, Viconia, was hiding at some distance, and weaving a spell. She completed it with a clap and a shout, and the paladin froze midswing, leaving Imoen’s neck between a treetrunk and the blade. The girl panted, slumped down, and scurried off, body convulsing. She crawled under the thicket where Viconia hid, clutched the drow, who actually held her back, stroking her dark hair and whispering foreign but soothing words.
“Sweet Silvanus,” Jaheira gasped, visibly weak, and not from any poison.
“Charming magic,” Safana said neutrally, wiping off and slipping her bowie knives onto her hips. “It is often anything but.”
Jaheira spotted Garrick and Khalid peeping around trees, both shivering in fright. They looked about for Dynaheir, and heard her behind themselves, and turned to see the witch striding, and flaking shrub-leaves from her dress.
“You’re hurt,” she announced, looking to Safana.
“I’ll be-“ the woman insisted before retching again. The witch put her dark hands on the woman’s shoulders, and then reached into her robs, and produced and almost force-fed her a fragrant dried herb.
“Thank you…” Safana gasped, feeling her blood cleanse over the next moments.
Jaheira, in turn, healed the back of Dynaheir’s head, bleeding from its impact with the rocks. They retreated and crouched behind brush, hoping the charms would end their time before Viconia’s magical restraints.
Minsc calmed down after a few minutes, blinked, and looked about. “What! What…what have we done, Boo?” the ranger let his great sword fall to the pebbles, and put his hands over his face, sobbing like a small boy. “Woe are we. Minsc has attacked his very own witch, whom he was sworn to protect and is a very good friend besides. It is not a happy day…what, Boo? Ahhh....you are right as always, my faithful companion from space. Heroes must not sulk, but steel their minds against the magics of naughty sylvan creatures henceforth.”
Viconia was leading Imoen out from under the brush; Onyx’s charm had surely ended to. The paladin’s sword fell into the grass, and he stared at his own hands, and then sank to his knees, pale and aghast. “By all that’s…no…” he took off his helm, slumped forward, forehead against the treetrunk, and wept, until he felt a light hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Safana. He tried to blink away evidence of his tears, and rose.
“You were Charmed,” she explained, orienting her own breath away from him to hide evidence of her embarrassment. She looked at him and added, “It happens,” more playfully.
“I could have killed her,” he winced, “She’s…she’s my closest friend, since…since we were kids.”
“Oh?”
“Yes…and I…am” he closed his eyes, and exhaled with great relief. Lathander hadn’t deserted him.
“Strong,” Safana smiled. “Your will shall strengthen.”
Onyx hesitated. “Thank you…I hope so.”
“No...” she winked, “…you know so. That’s why I call it will.”
A loud cough interrupted them, and then spun to face Jaheira. She raised a hand to forestall her charge’s gushing apology. Safana rolled her eyes, and moved off to loot the sirines.
Viconia had coaxed Imoen from their hiding place, Khalid and Garrick had crept from theirs. Dynaheir consoled her bodyguard, patting his bulging arm and whispering maternally in their native tongue. Onyx mumbled an uneasy apology to the group while Jaheira tended to her husband, and his first act with his un-busted lips was to kiss her.
When Safana returned to join them, and Viconia healed her of her arrow wound, the party now all turned up the beach, and found the cave.
“X marks the spot,” Safana grinned.
Jaheira looked cross. “If you didn’t know about the sirines, what else don’t you know?”
“Oh please,” Safana sneered, “You might as well blame me for us happening upon any band of kobolds on this peninsula.”
“Flesh golems, you said?” Dynaheir spoke up matter-of-factly. “Poison is effective, they are creatures of flesh and blood and nothing but.”
“Why…” Safana slung the gathered quiver of sirines’ arrows from her shoulder, “…how convenient. Perhaps ‘Sil’ was worth our while after all.” She held the quiver out to the warriors. “Come and get it, boys.”
Onyx, Minsc, and Khalid looked at one other, shrugged, and each took six arrows.
“Can we outrun them?” Onyx asked Dynaheir.
“You could, yes,” the witch nodded.
“We’ll run in,“ he nodded left and right to ranger and Harper, “Play hit and, well, run.”
Safana cocked her head at him, and grinned broadly. “Daring and brilliant.”
Viconia snickered. “Flattering and vacuous.”
Safana clamped her mouth shut, and scolded herself.
“A fine plan,” Jaheira nodded, and looked at her husband. “That’s hit and run, dear.”
Viconia snickered again. “It’s unnecessary to tell Khalid that. If I know this, surely you should by now.”
Jaheira ignored the drow, as hugged her smiling husband. “B-b-back in a bit,” he grined, pecked her on the cheek.
He, his charge, and their new friend from the east marched through the mouth of the cave, bows drawn with these new arrows, and soon moved to single file. Soon the passage split. Onyx gestured left for himself, right for the other two, thinking Minsc could shoot right over Khalid’s head. They moved apart.
Neira’s helm illuminated the passage with his own bodyheat, and Onyx stared carefully into the dark, moving forward, into a larger chamber. Then he heard the footsteps, and felt them. He recognized one of Thalantyr’s sentries at once, lumbering along as if on patrol. Then its ‘head’ craned his way, and it gave a formless roar, and made for him, raising the arms that were nothing but muscle. Lots of muscle.
Onyx loosed an arrow into its chest, then drew and shot another, then backtracked a few steps and shot a third, then a fourth. They embedded around its expansive chest, the meat growing green in outward expanding circles. Onyx ran back further; now able to hear the others clambering back down the passage, and stopped to fire his last two arrows. Then, he fully turned and ran, meeting Minsc and Khalid right at the juncture, and able to hear another set of heavy footsteps up their passageway. Together they bolted back to the cave entrance. But then one set of footsteps ended with a single, heavy crash, followed soon by another.
“Minsc’s witch is very smart!”
“There m-might be m-m-m-m-more.”
Minsc and Khalid had each spent three arrows felling their construct, they each gave one to Onyx. They made their way up the cavern again, but right at the juncture a third golem was moving over the bodies of its fellows, moving for the warriors for a mindless vengeance. One wave of three arrows landed its chest, then it moved an arm across its body, taking two of the next follow, the third landing in its shapeless crotch. The three turned and bolted until they stood in daylight. Khalid nodded when he made out the victorious crash.
The warriors looked at each others’ empty quivers, hoping that was the last. They ran back in, and all took the left branch this time. The cave circled into a second large chamber, with a pool and a small ‘island’ that held a great, piraty-looking chest, and then they took a distinctively manmade bridge over a chasm, and found themselves curving around and in a large chamber Khalid and Minsc had found, which connected right back to the original juncture.
“Three, and no more,” Onyx announced to the rest once they returned to daylight. Safana smiled specifically at him, but spared any flattery in sultry tones. The rest murmured approval, and the paladin and ranger took some comfort, warmed by having protected their companions in this battle, after their horrid acts in the last.
The nine moved within the cave, to the chamber with the chest.
Safana studied it for a moment. “I don’t think it’s trapped.
Imoen’s eyes widened. “Ooh! Cool, I was wonderin that too.. How’d ya know?”
“I, eh…just don’t see anything that looks like a trap.”
“But, um, what looks like a trap?”
“Mmm...” she smiled in thought, and passed glances around the party, “It’s a long and complex list, and the tide is rising. Perhaps when we have time…tonight around the campfire.”
“Yay!!”
Jaheira glared at Safana, then looked accusingly at her husband and charge when they voiced nor projected no objection. Viconia and Dynaheir didn’t look happy, but neither said anything. While Safana stepped over the water onto the small island, Jaheira opened her mouth.
“I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps, I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps,” Imoen sang, and danced circles around Garrick.
Jaheira sighed, and closed her mouth. Safana appraised the mildewy, waterlogged chest, which bore a grinning pirate skull on the rusted lock. Safana merely busted it apart with the hilt of a bowie knife, and then threw back the lid.
There wasn’t quite the flash of shining gold from within, but the pirate-lady set to work digging, murmuring unhappily. Onyx stepped across the island, and looked over her shoulder. Dynaheir stepped up, looked in too, and cast a divination cantrip, and pointed out the magical items to Safana. She slung off her rucksack, and took a wand, a cloak, a tome, a sleeve of darts, and a pouch of potions.
Safana swore, and sighed. “We’re not exactly retiring.” She slammed the lid with a sigh, then glanced over to grin at Onyx. “I suppose we’ll just have to keep working, and we have worked well together, wouldn’t you agree?” Her hip nudged his. “Perhaps we could continue this working relationship beyond just one treasure hunt, that is, if you’ll have me. If you haven’t guessed yet, my skills are of a thieving nature.”
“Perhaps,” Dynaheir cut in from over her shoulder, “That is what might worry us.” She stared pointedly over the thief’s head at Onyx. “Paladins are not known for keeping such company lightly, and neither are Wychalarn.”
Onyx looked appraisingly at Safana, and not in the way she might have preferred. “We have our standards,” he offered.
Safana curtsied. “My my, such noble company. A girl can only be honored. Don’t you worry, I’m nobility myself.”
“We’re more about the ‘deed’ kind, here,” Onyx stated neutrally, “Birth, not so much.”
She looked back at the paladin, and winked. “I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise.”
“That’s good to hear.”
She raised her eyebrows, looking somewhat indignantly at the harsh faces of the paladin and the witch. She turned around, and leaned back against the chest, facing the group across the underground stream. “We’ll have to get back into town to divvy and appraise our findings. Shall we be off, then?”
Jaheira frowned. The lady had a convenient, but good point. “The sooner the better.”
Once outside, they appraised the modest treasure.. The cloak had.the odd power of being able to turn its wearer into a wolf. After magically identifying it, Garrick tossed it over Imoen’s shoulders to shield her from the continuing rain if nothing else, and they were on their way, winding north along the coast.
Imoen huddled closer under the cloak as Candlekeep came into view.
Gate/Off - 40 - Sins of the Flesh
Started by
Guest_Oryx_*
, Nov 01 2003 03:54 PM
16 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_bobby23_*
Guest_bobby23_*
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- Guests
Posted 01 November 2003 - 06:22 PM
[quote]The sour expression upon the divine features of the sirine was odd. Onyx was overcome with pity for the pure creature, surely whatever wrong had displeased her must be righted.
“This is not your place!” she wailed through the rain. “This is the home of Sil’s tribe. Dirty land folk, you shall suffer for your trespass.”
The party was already moving. For Onyx, this meant turning around, and slugging Khalid with a dull echo of metal against jawbone. They had been too tightly packed for battle, the half-elven warrior had been delayed drawing his weapon or raising his shield, and now he was sent right back into the third row of the party. Imoen was almost bowled over but hopped out of the way, her eyes staring with anguish at her friend’s betrayal. Garrick beside her instead pushed forward, propping Khalid up with his momentum. The charmed paladin lunged now out at Viconia, who had been quick to move away at Safana’s warning and begin a spell, but the paladin followed and shoved her with all his weight, and she fell back on the sand.
Dynaheir was also starting a spell, but then the bodyguard who had moved in front of her turned around and shoved her and she fell too. “Minsc will help the poor little sirine just like our dryad friend! Injustice must be righted! RAAARRGH!” He spun around again, frothing, and grabbed Imoen and Garrick by the hair as they trained shortbow and crossbow on the sirines ahead. They shrieked helplessly as he clunked their skulls together, and then let them drop and lunged forward at Khalid, who was using his shield to fend off Onyx’s continued unarmed attacks. He grabbed the half-elf by the shoulders and slung him to the ground.
Only Jaheira and Safana had been spared this madness, having rushed forward past to combat the sirines, stopping the charms at the source. The sea fey were retreating, up the bank, and grabbing for shortbows and small quivers there. Safana gained upon and drove her bowie knives into the breasts of one, twisting and pushing in between ribs, then dragging the serrated blades out and kicking off the butchered water nymph. Jaheira had half-crushed the skull of a second with her quarterstaff, but Sil and the last then loosed arrows. One grazed along Jaheira’s neck, the other stuck shallowly in Safana’s stomach. The women charged, heedless of the minor wounds, but Safana balked with the first sting of some poison. The sirines retreated further up the bank and wove spells. Jaheira and Safana recognized the pull of the charm magics upon their wills, and battle-cried away to Silvanus or Umberlee. They reached their targets, and Safana fell upon a sirine with a flamboyant flash of bowie knives, knocking the bow from the sirine’s hands and then making two shallow slashes across the flawless skin. The sirine couldn’t back up faster than Safana could stride in, and the disarming knife raced for and into her stomach, up the hilt, then twisted, and Safana yanked it up, spilling out intestine.
Sil gracefully wove under and around the first few long swings of the quarterstaff, firing an arrow that didn’t pierce her attacker’s splintmail. Jaheira moved from a same-ended grip to a first-and-third quarters, and jabbed with both ends. She knocked Sil’s left hand and crunched it, disarming her, then brought the other end of her staff forward, but Sil ducked it and darted behind the druid, only to find herself face-to-face with Safana, who slashed open her throat with a snarl, and gutted her.
“Stay away from my charge,” Jaheira nodded begrudgingly to the knife-wielding pirate, “And I just might tolerate you for a while more.”
Safana, heaving from exertion and the toxin, had no riposte other than a universal hand gesture, then she knelt and vomited, onto Sil in repayment for her.
“Ohh…how sensual,” Jaheira mock-moaned, then her eyes flicked back down the beach.
Minsc stood wrapped in vines up to his waist, howling, swinging the half-ogre’s greatsword around in every direction, limited to a circle that was quite devoid of his companions, who had made themselves rather scarce.
Imoen, though, was playing keep-away, a horrified look upon her face, in outright tears, Onyx was chasing her and making merciless swings with Varscona, and she would dart around a tree or bush each time, crying, “Stop, Onyx! It’s me! It’s Imoen! Stop you idiot stop…”
Minsc’s entangler, Viconia, was hiding at some distance, and weaving a spell. She completed it with a clap and a shout, and the paladin froze midswing, leaving Imoen’s neck between a treetrunk and the blade. The girl panted, slumped down, and scurried off, body convulsing. She crawled under the thicket where Viconia hid, clutched the drow, who actually held her back, stroking her dark hair and whispering foreign but soothing words.
“Sweet Silvanus,” Jaheira gasped, visibly weak, and not from any poison.
“Charming magic,” Safana said neutrally, wiping off and slipping her bowie knives onto her hips. “It is often anything but.” [/quote]
how true that is
[quote]“Flesh golems, you said?” Dynaheir spoke up matter-of-factly. “Poison is effective, they are creatures of flesh and blood and nothing but.”
“Why…” Safana slung the gathered quiver of sirines’ arrows from her shoulder, “…how convenient. Perhaps ‘Sil’ was worth our while after all.” She held the quiver out to the warriors. “Come and get it, boys.”
Onyx, Minsc, and Khalid looked at one other, shrugged, and each took six arrows.
“Can we outrun them?” Onyx asked Dynaheir.
“You could, yes,” the witch nodded.
“We’ll run in,“ he nodded left and right to ranger and Harper, “Play hit and, well, run.”
Safana cocked her head at him, and grinned broadly. “Daring and brilliant.”
Viconia snickered. “Flattering and vacuous.”
Safana clamped her mouth shut, and scolded herself. [/quote]
oh be nice safana you cant realy blame them for not trusting you??
[quote]“A fine plan,” Jaheira nodded, and looked at her husband. “That’s hit and run, dear.”
Viconia snickered again. “It’s unnecessary to tell Khalid that. If I know this, surely you should by now.”
Jaheira ignored the drow, as hugged her smiling husband. “B-b-back in a bit,” he grined, pecked her on the cheek.[/quote]
nothing new in that tactic for kalied
He, his charge, and their new friend from the east marched through the mouth of the cave, bows drawn with these new arrows, and soon moved to single file. Soon the passage split. Onyx gestured left for himself, right for the other two, thinking Minsc could shoot right over Khalid’s head. They moved apart.
Neira’s helm illuminated the passage with his own bodyheat, and Onyx stared carefully into the dark, moving forward, into a larger chamber. Then he heard the footsteps, and felt them. He recognized one of Thalantyr’s sentries at once, lumbering along as if on patrol. Then its ‘head’ craned his way, and it gave a formless roar, and made for him, raising the arms that were nothing but muscle. Lots of muscle.
Onyx loosed an arrow into its chest, then drew and shot another, then backtracked a few steps and shot a third, then a fourth. They embedded around its expansive chest, the meat growing green in outward expanding circles. Onyx ran back further; now able to hear the others clambering back down the passage, and stopped to fire his last two arrows. Then, he fully turned and ran, meeting Minsc and Khalid right at the juncture, and able to hear another set of heavy footsteps up their passageway. Together they bolted back to the cave entrance. But then one set of footsteps ended with a single, heavy crash, followed soon by another.
“Minsc’s witch is very smart!”
“There m-might be m-m-m-m-more.”[/quote]
ofcourse theres not safana never lies woud see
[quote]“I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps, I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps,” Imoen sang, and danced circles around Garrick.[/quote]
she is going too love that isn`t see
[quote]Safana appraised the mildewy, waterlogged chest, which bore a grinning pirate skull on the rusted lock. Safana merely busted it apart with the hilt of a bowie knife, and then threw back the lid.
There wasn’t quite the flash of shining gold from within, but the pirate-lady set to work digging, murmuring unhappily. Onyx stepped across the island, and looked over her shoulder. Dynaheir stepped up, looked in too, and cast a divination cantrip, and pointed out the magical items to Safana. She slung off her rucksack, and took a wand, a cloak, a tome, a sleeve of darts, and a pouch of potions.
Safana swore, and sighed. “We’re not exactly retiring.” She slammed the lid with a sigh, then glanced over to grin at Onyx. “I suppose we’ll just have to keep working, and we have worked well together, wouldn’t you agree?” Her hip nudged his. “Perhaps we could continue this working relationship beyond just one treasure hunt, that is, if you’ll have me. If you haven’t guessed yet, my skills are of a thieving nature.”
“Perhaps,” Dynaheir cut in from over her shoulder, “That is what might worry us.” She stared pointedly over the thief’s head at Onyx. “Paladins are not known for keeping such company lightly, and neither are Wychalarn.”
Onyx looked appraisingly at Safana, and not in the way she might have preferred. “We have our standards,” he offered.
Safana curtsied. “My my, such noble company. A girl can only be honored. Don’t you worry, I’m nobility myself.”
“We’re more about the ‘deed’ kind, here,” Onyx stated neutrally, “Birth, not so much.”
She looked back at the paladin, and winked. “I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise.”[/quote]
thief are never trusted! why is that??
[quote]Imoen huddled closer under the cloak as Candlekeep came into view.[/quote]
wolf in sheep clothing
“This is not your place!” she wailed through the rain. “This is the home of Sil’s tribe. Dirty land folk, you shall suffer for your trespass.”
The party was already moving. For Onyx, this meant turning around, and slugging Khalid with a dull echo of metal against jawbone. They had been too tightly packed for battle, the half-elven warrior had been delayed drawing his weapon or raising his shield, and now he was sent right back into the third row of the party. Imoen was almost bowled over but hopped out of the way, her eyes staring with anguish at her friend’s betrayal. Garrick beside her instead pushed forward, propping Khalid up with his momentum. The charmed paladin lunged now out at Viconia, who had been quick to move away at Safana’s warning and begin a spell, but the paladin followed and shoved her with all his weight, and she fell back on the sand.
Dynaheir was also starting a spell, but then the bodyguard who had moved in front of her turned around and shoved her and she fell too. “Minsc will help the poor little sirine just like our dryad friend! Injustice must be righted! RAAARRGH!” He spun around again, frothing, and grabbed Imoen and Garrick by the hair as they trained shortbow and crossbow on the sirines ahead. They shrieked helplessly as he clunked their skulls together, and then let them drop and lunged forward at Khalid, who was using his shield to fend off Onyx’s continued unarmed attacks. He grabbed the half-elf by the shoulders and slung him to the ground.
Only Jaheira and Safana had been spared this madness, having rushed forward past to combat the sirines, stopping the charms at the source. The sea fey were retreating, up the bank, and grabbing for shortbows and small quivers there. Safana gained upon and drove her bowie knives into the breasts of one, twisting and pushing in between ribs, then dragging the serrated blades out and kicking off the butchered water nymph. Jaheira had half-crushed the skull of a second with her quarterstaff, but Sil and the last then loosed arrows. One grazed along Jaheira’s neck, the other stuck shallowly in Safana’s stomach. The women charged, heedless of the minor wounds, but Safana balked with the first sting of some poison. The sirines retreated further up the bank and wove spells. Jaheira and Safana recognized the pull of the charm magics upon their wills, and battle-cried away to Silvanus or Umberlee. They reached their targets, and Safana fell upon a sirine with a flamboyant flash of bowie knives, knocking the bow from the sirine’s hands and then making two shallow slashes across the flawless skin. The sirine couldn’t back up faster than Safana could stride in, and the disarming knife raced for and into her stomach, up the hilt, then twisted, and Safana yanked it up, spilling out intestine.
Sil gracefully wove under and around the first few long swings of the quarterstaff, firing an arrow that didn’t pierce her attacker’s splintmail. Jaheira moved from a same-ended grip to a first-and-third quarters, and jabbed with both ends. She knocked Sil’s left hand and crunched it, disarming her, then brought the other end of her staff forward, but Sil ducked it and darted behind the druid, only to find herself face-to-face with Safana, who slashed open her throat with a snarl, and gutted her.
“Stay away from my charge,” Jaheira nodded begrudgingly to the knife-wielding pirate, “And I just might tolerate you for a while more.”
Safana, heaving from exertion and the toxin, had no riposte other than a universal hand gesture, then she knelt and vomited, onto Sil in repayment for her.
“Ohh…how sensual,” Jaheira mock-moaned, then her eyes flicked back down the beach.
Minsc stood wrapped in vines up to his waist, howling, swinging the half-ogre’s greatsword around in every direction, limited to a circle that was quite devoid of his companions, who had made themselves rather scarce.
Imoen, though, was playing keep-away, a horrified look upon her face, in outright tears, Onyx was chasing her and making merciless swings with Varscona, and she would dart around a tree or bush each time, crying, “Stop, Onyx! It’s me! It’s Imoen! Stop you idiot stop…”
Minsc’s entangler, Viconia, was hiding at some distance, and weaving a spell. She completed it with a clap and a shout, and the paladin froze midswing, leaving Imoen’s neck between a treetrunk and the blade. The girl panted, slumped down, and scurried off, body convulsing. She crawled under the thicket where Viconia hid, clutched the drow, who actually held her back, stroking her dark hair and whispering foreign but soothing words.
“Sweet Silvanus,” Jaheira gasped, visibly weak, and not from any poison.
“Charming magic,” Safana said neutrally, wiping off and slipping her bowie knives onto her hips. “It is often anything but.” [/quote]
how true that is
[quote]“Flesh golems, you said?” Dynaheir spoke up matter-of-factly. “Poison is effective, they are creatures of flesh and blood and nothing but.”
“Why…” Safana slung the gathered quiver of sirines’ arrows from her shoulder, “…how convenient. Perhaps ‘Sil’ was worth our while after all.” She held the quiver out to the warriors. “Come and get it, boys.”
Onyx, Minsc, and Khalid looked at one other, shrugged, and each took six arrows.
“Can we outrun them?” Onyx asked Dynaheir.
“You could, yes,” the witch nodded.
“We’ll run in,“ he nodded left and right to ranger and Harper, “Play hit and, well, run.”
Safana cocked her head at him, and grinned broadly. “Daring and brilliant.”
Viconia snickered. “Flattering and vacuous.”
Safana clamped her mouth shut, and scolded herself. [/quote]
oh be nice safana you cant realy blame them for not trusting you??
[quote]“A fine plan,” Jaheira nodded, and looked at her husband. “That’s hit and run, dear.”
Viconia snickered again. “It’s unnecessary to tell Khalid that. If I know this, surely you should by now.”
Jaheira ignored the drow, as hugged her smiling husband. “B-b-back in a bit,” he grined, pecked her on the cheek.[/quote]
nothing new in that tactic for kalied
He, his charge, and their new friend from the east marched through the mouth of the cave, bows drawn with these new arrows, and soon moved to single file. Soon the passage split. Onyx gestured left for himself, right for the other two, thinking Minsc could shoot right over Khalid’s head. They moved apart.
Neira’s helm illuminated the passage with his own bodyheat, and Onyx stared carefully into the dark, moving forward, into a larger chamber. Then he heard the footsteps, and felt them. He recognized one of Thalantyr’s sentries at once, lumbering along as if on patrol. Then its ‘head’ craned his way, and it gave a formless roar, and made for him, raising the arms that were nothing but muscle. Lots of muscle.
Onyx loosed an arrow into its chest, then drew and shot another, then backtracked a few steps and shot a third, then a fourth. They embedded around its expansive chest, the meat growing green in outward expanding circles. Onyx ran back further; now able to hear the others clambering back down the passage, and stopped to fire his last two arrows. Then, he fully turned and ran, meeting Minsc and Khalid right at the juncture, and able to hear another set of heavy footsteps up their passageway. Together they bolted back to the cave entrance. But then one set of footsteps ended with a single, heavy crash, followed soon by another.
“Minsc’s witch is very smart!”
“There m-might be m-m-m-m-more.”[/quote]
ofcourse theres not safana never lies woud see
[quote]“I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps, I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps,” Imoen sang, and danced circles around Garrick.[/quote]
she is going too love that isn`t see
[quote]Safana appraised the mildewy, waterlogged chest, which bore a grinning pirate skull on the rusted lock. Safana merely busted it apart with the hilt of a bowie knife, and then threw back the lid.
There wasn’t quite the flash of shining gold from within, but the pirate-lady set to work digging, murmuring unhappily. Onyx stepped across the island, and looked over her shoulder. Dynaheir stepped up, looked in too, and cast a divination cantrip, and pointed out the magical items to Safana. She slung off her rucksack, and took a wand, a cloak, a tome, a sleeve of darts, and a pouch of potions.
Safana swore, and sighed. “We’re not exactly retiring.” She slammed the lid with a sigh, then glanced over to grin at Onyx. “I suppose we’ll just have to keep working, and we have worked well together, wouldn’t you agree?” Her hip nudged his. “Perhaps we could continue this working relationship beyond just one treasure hunt, that is, if you’ll have me. If you haven’t guessed yet, my skills are of a thieving nature.”
“Perhaps,” Dynaheir cut in from over her shoulder, “That is what might worry us.” She stared pointedly over the thief’s head at Onyx. “Paladins are not known for keeping such company lightly, and neither are Wychalarn.”
Onyx looked appraisingly at Safana, and not in the way she might have preferred. “We have our standards,” he offered.
Safana curtsied. “My my, such noble company. A girl can only be honored. Don’t you worry, I’m nobility myself.”
“We’re more about the ‘deed’ kind, here,” Onyx stated neutrally, “Birth, not so much.”
She looked back at the paladin, and winked. “I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise.”[/quote]
thief are never trusted! why is that??
[quote]Imoen huddled closer under the cloak as Candlekeep came into view.[/quote]
wolf in sheep clothing
#3
Laufey
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Posted 01 November 2003 - 09:17 PM
Dynaheir was also starting a spell, but then the bodyguard who had moved in front of her turned around and shoved her and she fell too. “Minsc will help the poor little sirine just like our dryad friend! Injustice must be righted! RAAARRGH!” He spun around again, frothing, and grabbed Imoen and Garrick by the hair as they trained shortbow and crossbow on the sirines ahead. They shrieked helplessly as he clunked their skulls together, and then let them drop and lunged forward at Khalid, who was using his shield to fend off Onyx’s continued unarmed attacks. He grabbed the half-elf by the shoulders and slung him to the ground.
This battle is a really dangerous one - I find that bows and arrows work best, along with some magic missiles to break their charm spells.
Only Jaheira and Safana had been spared this madness, having rushed forward past to combat the sirines, stopping the charms at the source. The sea fey were retreating, up the bank, and grabbing for shortbows and small quivers there. Safana gained upon and drove her bowie knives into the breasts of one, twisting and pushing in between ribs, then dragging the serrated blades out and kicking off the butchered water nymph. Jaheira had half-crushed the skull of a second with her quarterstaff, but Sil and the last then loosed arrows. One grazed along Jaheira’s neck, the other stuck shallowly in Safana’s stomach. The women charged, heedless of the minor wounds, but Safana balked with the first sting of some poison. The sirines retreated further up the bank and wove spells. Jaheira and Safana recognized the pull of the charm magics upon their wills, and battle-cried away to Silvanus or Umberlee. They reached their targets, and Safana fell upon a sirine with a flamboyant flash of bowie knives, knocking the bow from the sirine’s hands and then making two shallow slashes across the flawless skin. The sirine couldn’t back up faster than Safana could stride in, and the disarming knife raced for and into her stomach, up the hilt, then twisted, and Safana yanked it up, spilling out intestine.
Nice battle scene! Safana sure seems more effective here than I found her in the game.
“Stay away from my charge,” Jaheira nodded begrudgingly to the knife-wielding pirate, “And I just might tolerate you for a while more.”
Safana, heaving from exertion and the toxin, had no riposte other than a universal hand gesture, then she knelt and vomited, onto Sil in repayment for her.
“Ohh…how sensual,” Jaheira mock-moaned, then her eyes flicked back down the beach.
LOL!
Minsc’s entangler, Viconia, was hiding at some distance, and weaving a spell. She completed it with a clap and a shout, and the paladin froze midswing, leaving Imoen’s neck between a treetrunk and the blade. The girl panted, slumped down, and scurried off, body convulsing. She crawled under the thicket where Viconia hid, clutched the drow, who actually held her back, stroking her dark hair and whispering foreign but soothing words.
Aw, poor Imoen.
Safana cocked her head at him, and grinned broadly. “Daring and brilliant.”
Viconia snickered. “Flattering and vacuous.”
Jaheira glared at Safana, then looked accusingly at her husband and charge when they voiced nor projected no objection. Viconia and Dynaheir didn’t look happy, but neither said anything. While Safana stepped over the water onto the small island, Jaheira opened her mouth.
Why object? While they might not like Imoen doing breaking and entering, surely it's a good thing that she knows how to disarm traps?
Once outside, they appraised the modest treasure.. The cloak had.the odd power of being able to turn its wearer into a wolf. After magically identifying it, Garrick tossed it over Imoen’s shoulders to shield her from the continuing rain if nothing else, and they were on their way, winding north along the coast.
Imoen huddled closer under the cloak as Candlekeep came into view.
I like that cloak...it doesn't have much practical use in the game, but it's a neat item.
Rogues do it from behind.
#4
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Posted 01 November 2003 - 09:45 PM
Dynaheir was also starting a spell, but then the bodyguard who had moved in front of her turned around and shoved her and she fell too. “Minsc will help the poor little sirine just like our dryad friend! Injustice must be righted! RAAARRGH!” He spun around again, frothing, and grabbed Imoen and Garrick by the hair as they trained shortbow and crossbow on the sirines ahead. They shrieked helplessly as he clunked their skulls together, and then let them drop and lunged forward at Khalid, who was using his shield to fend off Onyx’s continued unarmed attacks. He grabbed the half-elf by the shoulders and slung him to the ground.
Yikes! Two main heavy hitters charmed! I hate it then it happens
It's a blessing they fight unarmed...
Jaheira and Safana recognized the pull of the charm magics upon their wills, and battle-cried away to Silvanus or Umberlee.
Safana's patron is the Bitch Queen? Heh...
They reached their targets, and Safana fell upon a sirine with a flamboyant flash of bowie knives, knocking the bow from the sirine’s hands and then making two shallow slashes across the flawless skin. The sirine couldn’t back up faster than Safana could stride in, and the disarming knife raced for and into her stomach, up the hilt, then twisted, and Safana yanked it up, spilling out intestine.
Sil gracefully wove under and around the first few long swings of the quarterstaff, firing an arrow that didn’t pierce her attacker’s splintmail. Jaheira moved from a same-ended grip to a first-and-third quarters, and jabbed with both ends. She knocked Sil’s left hand and crunched it, disarming her, then brought the other end of her staff forward, but Sil ducked it and darted behind the druid, only to find herself face-to-face with Safana, who slashed open her throat with a snarl, and gutted her.
Mmm... I like Safana's style. All business, nothing fancy.“Stay away from my charge,” Jaheira nodded begrudgingly to the knife-wielding pirate, “And I just might tolerate you for a while more.”
Wow! Very high praise for Jaheira!
Safana, heaving from exertion and the toxin, had no riposte other than a universal hand gesture, then she knelt and vomited, onto Sil in repayment for her.
“Ohh…how sensual,” Jaheira mock-moaned, then her eyes flicked back down the beach.
*worried* Slow Poison first, quips later...
“I’ll be-“ the woman insisted before retching again. The witch put her dark hands on the woman’s shoulders, closed her eyes for a second.
“Thank you…” Safana gasped, feeling her blood cleansed.
Just like that? For some reason I thought she would be using some herbish props...
Viconia was leading Imoen out from under the brush; Onyx’s charm had surely ended to.
Maybe just "ended", without "to"?
The paladin’s sword fell into the grass, and he stared at his own hands, and then sank to his knees, pale and aghast. “By all that’s…no…” he took off his helm, slumped forward, forehead against the treetrunk, and wept, until he felt a light hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Safana. He tried to blink away evidence of his tears, and rose.
Oh, another immunity coming! Onyx sure gets them in a hard way...
“Strong,” Safana smiled. “Your will shall strengthen.”
Onyx hesitated. “Thank you…I hope so.”
“No...” she winked, “…you know so. That’s why I call it will.”
Double-entendre alert! (Of course, with Safana, like with Nanny Ogg, they probably are single-entendres and proud of it )“Can we outrun them?” Onyx asked Dynaheir.
“You could, yes,” the witch nodded.
Probably Onyx beat Khalid with that question...
“A fine plan,” Jaheira nodded, and looked at her husband. “That’s hit and run, dear.”
"Better part of valor!"He recognized one of Thalantyr’s sentries at once, lumbering along as if on patrol.
Is this phrase right? It seems like Onyx recognized exactly the same golem, not just the creature of the same type.They embedded around its expansive chest, the meat growing green in outward expanding circles.
Good image!“Mmm...” she smiled in thought, and passed glances around the party, “It’s a long and complex list, and the tide is rising. Perhaps when we have time…tonight around the campfire.”
“Yay!!”
Wow! I didn't even catch the implication at first... She really is good at manipulation.She slung off her rucksack, and took a wand, a cloak, a tome, a sleeve of darts, and a pouch of potions.
Maybe it would be better to replace "she" with a name? Where're two women in previous sentence...
Once outside, they appraised the modest treasure.. The cloak had.the odd power of being able to turn its wearer into a wolf. After magically identifying it, Garrick tossed it over Imoen’s shoulders to shield her from the continuing rain if nothing else, and they were on their way, winding north along the coast.
I thought she'll polymorph right there just for the fun of it... Then again, a wolf shape at night probably has some perks too... Nice chapter. I especially liked the two skirmishes: Safana/sirine and Onyx/flesh golem. (Now that I wrote it, it looks... y'know... ah, what the heck, it's a Safana chapter
)
#5
Weyoun
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Posted 02 November 2003 - 11:49 PM
The aftermath of being charmed must suck, I quite agree.
And Safana will fit right in this lot of crazies! Great stuff,
---Weyoun
And Safana will fit right in this lot of crazies!
Great stuff,---Weyoun
TnT Enhanced Edition: http://www.fanfictio...rds-and-Tempers
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Sith Warrior - Master, I can sense your anger.
Darth Baras - A blind, comotose lobotomy-patient could sense my anger!
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"The New Age? It's just the old age stuck in a microwave oven for fifteen seconds" - James Randi
---
Sith Warrior - Master, I can sense your anger.
Darth Baras - A blind, comotose lobotomy-patient could sense my anger!
---
"The New Age? It's just the old age stuck in a microwave oven for fifteen seconds" - James Randi
#6
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Posted 03 November 2003 - 03:40 AM
[quote]
“Charming magic,” Safana said neutrally, wiping off and slipping her bowie knives onto her hips. “It is often anything but.” [/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
how true that is
[/quote]
I know....I HATE that battle!!! Seems like they know to go for the good warriors first. It's always PC, Minsc, Shar-Teel....Or maybe they just have worse enchantment-spell saves.
[quote]
[quote]
Safana clamped her mouth shut, and scolded herself. [/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
oh be nice safana you cant realy blame them for not trusting you??
[/quote]
It's not about trust, it's about being called on the obvious sultry-flattery.
[quote]
Jaheira ignored the drow, as hugged her smiling husband. “B-b-back in a bit,” he grined, pecked her on the cheek.[/quote]
nothing new in that tactic for kalied
[/quote]
yep!
[quote]
“There m-might be m-m-m-m-more.”[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
ofcourse theres not safana never lies woud see
[/quote]
It's not about dishonesty; Safana just didn't know how many Flesh Golems there were. Could have been more than 3.
[quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
[quote]“I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps, I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps,” Imoen sang, and danced circles around Garrick.[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
she is going too love that isn`t see
[/quote]
oh yeah!
[quote]
She looked back at the paladin, and winked. “I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise.”[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
thief are never trusted! why is that??
[/quote]
because they're thieves
[quote]
[quote]Imoen huddled closer under the cloak as Candlekeep came into view.[/quote]
wolf in sheep clothing[/quote]
ROFL!!! I'll have to use that at some point.
“Charming magic,” Safana said neutrally, wiping off and slipping her bowie knives onto her hips. “It is often anything but.” [/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
how true that is
[/quote]
I know....I HATE that battle!!! Seems like they know to go for the good warriors first. It's always PC, Minsc, Shar-Teel....Or maybe they just have worse enchantment-spell saves.
[quote]
[quote]
Safana clamped her mouth shut, and scolded herself. [/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
oh be nice safana you cant realy blame them for not trusting you??
[/quote]
It's not about trust, it's about being called on the obvious sultry-flattery.
[quote]
Jaheira ignored the drow, as hugged her smiling husband. “B-b-back in a bit,” he grined, pecked her on the cheek.[/quote]
nothing new in that tactic for kalied
[/quote]
yep!
[quote]
“There m-might be m-m-m-m-more.”[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
ofcourse theres not safana never lies woud see
[/quote]
It's not about dishonesty; Safana just didn't know how many Flesh Golems there were. Could have been more than 3.
[quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
[quote]“I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps, I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps,” Imoen sang, and danced circles around Garrick.[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
she is going too love that isn`t see
[/quote]
oh yeah!
[quote]
She looked back at the paladin, and winked. “I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise.”[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
thief are never trusted! why is that??
[/quote]
because they're thieves
[quote]
[quote]Imoen huddled closer under the cloak as Candlekeep came into view.[/quote]
wolf in sheep clothing[/quote]
ROFL!!! I'll have to use that at some point.
#7
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Posted 03 November 2003 - 04:14 AM
Dynaheir was also starting a spell, but then the bodyguard who had moved in front of her turned around and shoved her and she fell too. “Minsc will help the poor little sirine just like our dryad friend! Injustice must be righted! RAAARRGH!” He spun around again, frothing, and grabbed Imoen and Garrick by the hair as they trained shortbow and crossbow on the sirines ahead. They shrieked helplessly as he clunked their skulls together, and then let them drop and lunged forward at Khalid, who was using his shield to fend off Onyx’s continued unarmed attacks. He grabbed the half-elf by the shoulders and slung him to the ground.
This battle is a really dangerous one - I find that bows and arrows work best, along with some magic missiles to break their charm spells.
Oh, I know. I agree about the tactics. Jade's party has Edwin and he did nicely with his 11 Magic Missile slots (amulet + Ring-o-Wiz = full page of L1 spells!)
Only Jaheira and Safana had been spared this madness, having rushed forward past to combat the sirines, stopping the charms at the source. The sea fey were retreating, up the bank, and grabbing for shortbows and small quivers there. Safana gained upon and drove her bowie knives into the breasts of one, twisting and pushing in between ribs, then dragging the serrated blades out and kicking off the butchered water nymph. Jaheira had half-crushed the skull of a second with her quarterstaff, but Sil and the last then loosed arrows. One grazed along Jaheira’s neck, the other stuck shallowly in Safana’s stomach. The women charged, heedless of the minor wounds, but Safana balked with the first sting of some poison. The sirines retreated further up the bank and wove spells. Jaheira and Safana recognized the pull of the charm magics upon their wills, and battle-cried away to Silvanus or Umberlee. They reached their targets, and Safana fell upon a sirine with a flamboyant flash of bowie knives, knocking the bow from the sirine’s hands and then making two shallow slashes across the flawless skin. The sirine couldn’t back up faster than Safana could stride in, and the disarming knife raced for and into her stomach, up the hilt, then twisted, and Safana yanked it up, spilling out intestine.
Nice battle scene! Safana sure seems more effective here than I found her in the game.
Thanks. Good observation, this was deliberate (never used her, but I can see she'd be offensively equal to Immy in melee, and with worse AC and HP.). Consider her a Swashbuckler here. I'm not harping on the game rules, but in this case the kit captures my freeform conceptualization of her pretty darn well. The pirate theme, fighting skill and with 2 blades, and more showy than stealthy - though I'd hardly put the metaphorical backstab past her. (I don't remember whether her initial skills put much in Hide in Shadows, but in any case I doubt she'll do much of it here.)
Also, Garrck is a Jester as we've seen, and I think Kivan with be an Archer, and Faldorn an Avenger (Is she in SoA?) Again, not sticking to the game mechanics too much (Viccy has been using stealth and daggers) but I couldn't resist the explanation/use for Garrick's bad singing, Kivan just screams the kit, and Faldorn.....aw heck, maybe she'll be less boring. Oh wait, a kit didn't do that for Cernd.
Minsc’s entangler, Viconia, was hiding at some distance, and weaving a spell. She completed it with a clap and a shout, and the paladin froze midswing, leaving Imoen’s neck between a treetrunk and the blade. The girl panted, slumped down, and scurried off, body convulsing. She crawled under the thicket where Viconia hid, clutched the drow, who actually held her back, stroking her dark hair and whispering foreign but soothing words.
Aw, poor Imoen.
Oooh, I know....I cringed writing this.
Jaheira glared at Safana, then looked accusingly at her husband and charge when they voiced nor projected no objection. Viconia and Dynaheir didn’t look happy, but neither said anything. While Safana stepped over the water onto the small island, Jaheira opened her mouth.
Why object? While they might not like Imoen doing breaking and entering, surely it's a good thing that she knows how to disarm traps?
Their objections are to Safana's sly implication that she'll still be among them by 'tonight, around the campfire.'
And it is sly, and she has a point. Immy has yet to use a single thieving skill in this fic, and though she has 'practiced' on the box under Onyx's bed (finding and circulating cheesy sonnets) and elsewhere for lockpicking; trap disarming wouldn't have been an issue in C-Keep (I hope...Ulraunt's private stashes, maybe?), and you can't learn about that by slaying kobolds. And you don't want to learn the hard way. Ouch! Though with her intelligence, I'd buy her just pulling off some spotting and disarming without any real 'experience'. Noticing stuff, and intuiting out how to deal with it.
Reminds me, I liked the bits in Cards about Dek teaching her; it addressed the same issue.
Once outside, they appraised the modest treasure.. The cloak had.the odd power of being able to turn its wearer into a wolf. After magically identifying it, Garrick tossed it over Imoen’s shoulders to shield her from the continuing rain if nothing else, and they were on their way, winding north along the coast.
Imoen huddled closer under the cloak as Candlekeep came into view.
I like that cloak...it doesn't have much practical use in the game, but it's a neat item.
Yep.
Actually I just noted it gave STR 18 and DEX 17 (or was it reverse?)....I forget the Thac0 and AC but it might turn a mage into a better physical warrior once they run out of spells. I tried giving it to Eddie in the game while writing this, and I found he couldn't change back! IT was still in the Special tab but didn't change him back. It wore off when I rested though. Poor Ed. So many transformations I subject him too.
Boy, I wonder what'll happen if he comes across those 4 Red Wizards in the woods while Edwina.
#8
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Posted 03 November 2003 - 04:28 AM
Dynaheir was also starting a spell, but then the bodyguard who had moved in front of her turned around and shoved her and she fell too. “Minsc will help the poor little sirine just like our dryad friend! Injustice must be righted! RAAARRGH!” He spun around again, frothing, and grabbed Imoen and Garrick by the hair as they trained shortbow and crossbow on the sirines ahead. They shrieked helplessly as he clunked their skulls together, and then let them drop and lunged forward at Khalid, who was using his shield to fend off Onyx’s continued unarmed attacks. He grabbed the half-elf by the shoulders and slung him to the ground.
Yikes! Two main heavy hitters charmed! I hate it then it happens
It's a blessing they fight unarmed...
I swear they go for the warriors first.
I know the unarmed seems 'convenient', but I tried to explain it as the speed (initiative) and close quarters. (Sorta like back in Friendly Arm Insanity, when Onyx punched Tarnesh simply because it was so much quicker than drawing his sword.) Minsc shoves/grabs because the people are right there, Onyx pulls the Khalid punch in no time and then shoving Viccy is the fastest way to disrupt her.
Jaheira and Safana recognized the pull of the charm magics upon their wills, and battle-cried away to Silvanus or Umberlee.
Safana's patron is the Bitch Queen? Heh...
I was torn betwen her and Sharess. I'm not inclined to think Safana worships beauty and hedonism (in my conceptualization, it's not a big deal for her, she's just learned the 'wiles' mannerisms), but Sharess also has Trickery, which of course makes sense. Umberlee is from the pirate theme. But yeah, I love the implication you note.
They reached their targets, and Safana fell upon a sirine with a flamboyant flash of bowie knives, knocking the bow from the sirine’s hands and then making two shallow slashes across the flawless skin. The sirine couldn’t back up faster than Safana could stride in, and the disarming knife raced for and into her stomach, up the hilt, then twisted, and Safana yanked it up, spilling out intestine.
Sil gracefully wove under and around the first few long swings of the quarterstaff, firing an arrow that didn’t pierce her attacker’s splintmail. Jaheira moved from a same-ended grip to a first-and-third quarters, and jabbed with both ends. She knocked Sil’s left hand and crunched it, disarming her, then brought the other end of her staff forward, but Sil ducked it and darted behind the druid, only to find herself face-to-face with Safana, who slashed open her throat with a snarl, and gutted her.
“Stay away from my charge,” Jaheira nodded begrudgingly to the knife-wielding pirate, “And I just might tolerate you for a while more.”
Wow! Very high praise for Jaheira!
LOL
Safana, heaving from exertion and the toxin, had no riposte other than a universal hand gesture, then she knelt and vomited, onto Sil in repayment for her.
“Ohh…how sensual,” Jaheira mock-moaned, then her eyes flicked back down the beach.
*worried* Slow Poison first, quips later...
mm, yeah
“I’ll be-“ the woman insisted before retching again. The witch put her dark hands on the woman’s shoulders, closed her eyes for a second.
“Thank you…” Safana gasped, feeling her blood cleansed.
Just like that? For some reason I thought she would be using some herbish props...
Oh, hey, that's a good point. I should have done it that way.
Viconia was leading Imoen out from under the brush; Onyx’s charm had surely ended to.
Maybe just "ended", without "to"?
'too'....thanks
The paladin’s sword fell into the grass, and he stared at his own hands, and then sank to his knees, pale and aghast. “By all that’s…no…” he took off his helm, slumped forward, forehead against the treetrunk, and wept, until he felt a light hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Safana. He tried to blink away evidence of his tears, and rose.
Oh, another immunity coming! Onyx sure gets them in a hard way...
LOL yep. "Thanks Lathander, but getting it YESTERDAY woulda been nice!"
“Strong,” Safana smiled. “Your will shall strengthen.”
Onyx hesitated. “Thank you…I hope so.”
“No...” she winked, “…you know so. That’s why I call it will.”
You know what's funny? I didn't even intend it, or notice it 'til just now. Maybe I really am getting immersed in her character!
“Can we outrun them?” Onyx asked Dynaheir.
“You could, yes,” the witch nodded.
Probably Onyx beat Khalid with that question...
LOL! Onyx at least wants the 'hit' part of hit-and-run.
“A fine plan,” Jaheira nodded, and looked at her husband. “That’s hit and run, dear.”
lol yup
He recognized one of Thalantyr’s sentries at once, lumbering along as if on patrol.
They embedded around its expansive chest, the meat growing green in outward expanding circles.
thanks
“Mmm...” she smiled in thought, and passed glances around the party, “It’s a long and complex list, and the tide is rising. Perhaps when we have time…tonight around the campfire.”
“Yay!!”
Yeah, she is, isn't she? She's upgrading her game's 1-D 'Blatant Sultry-Wiles Nympho' schtick. She slung off her rucksack, and took a wand, a cloak, a tome, a sleeve of darts, and a pouch of potions.
Maybe it would be better to replace "she" with a name? Where're two women in previous sentence...
thanks
Once outside, they appraised the modest treasure.. The cloak had.the odd power of being able to turn its wearer into a wolf. After magically identifying it, Garrick tossed it over Imoen’s shoulders to shield her from the continuing rain if nothing else, and they were on their way, winding north along the coast.
LOL! Hooowwwwwllll
Nice chapter. I especially liked the two skirmishes: Safana/sirine and Onyx/flesh golem. (Now that I wrote it, it looks... y'know... ah, what the heck, it's a Safana chapter
LOL. Yes, and it's all deliberate too. I'm not even sure how many ways I can interpret the chapter title
#11
Guest_The Blue Sorceress_*
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Posted 03 November 2003 - 09:06 PM
The sour expression upon the divine features of the sirine was odd. Onyx was overcome with pity for the pure creature, surely whatever wrong had displeased her must be righted.
Uh-oh, charmed paladin alert!
Jaheira and Safana recognized the pull of the charm magics upon their wills, and battle-cried away to Silvanus or Umberlee.
Safana is an Umberlant? Is that a thing you chose or is that something from the game?
“Stay away from my charge,” Jaheira nodded begrudgingly to the knife-wielding pirate, “And I just might tolerate you for a while more.”
pirates! Arrr!
Safana, heaving from exertion and the toxin, had no riposte other than a universal hand gesture, then she knelt and vomited, onto Sil in repayment for her.
Excellent! The universal hand gesture
“Flesh golems, you said?” Dynaheir spoke up matter-of-factly. “Poison is effective, they are creatures of flesh and blood and nothing but.”
Actually, I believe Flesh golems, and any other sort of contruct are supposed to be immune to things like poisons, but I don't think the game paid any attention to that. Ah well, it's convinient.
“I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps, I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps,” Imoen sang, and danced circles around Garrick.
So utterly Imoen. You capture her well.
Once outside, they appraised the modest treasure. The cloak had the odd power of being able to turn its wearer into a wolf. After magically identifying it, Garrick tossed it over Imoen’s shoulders to shield her from the continuing rain if nothing else, and they were on their way, winding north along the coast.
Yeah, some of the magic stuff in the game doesn't do much good, but hey, it's pretty, and that counts too, right?
Imoen huddled closer under the cloak as Candlekeep came into view.
I would too!
Great chapter,
-Blue
#13
Guest_Oryx_*
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Posted 03 November 2003 - 11:12 PM
Blueeee....we missed yooooouuuuu...
*cue screechy Pyscho music*
That's me. I'm thinking I should have gone with Sharess - I was hesitant to pick her or Sune for the obvious reasons, but Sharess has Trickery too, which makes her natch for any wiles-y thief lady
*emulates cock-eyed Captain Jack hand gestures*
Definently carries from Common to Drow to Draconic, etc....the middle finger/claw/tentacle/eyestalk.....
In the game, they rack up mondo damage from Darts of Wounding....I *think* these arrows of biting do the trick too. But I'd be little surprised if you were right, seems like constructs are immune to about everything
Ah, thanks! *bow*
I'm glad to hear that because there's not much early-BG1 portayal around here, and I feel that she, like Onyx and Jade, would have changed from 1 to 2 more than most. She's based in a part on a very close childhood friend (to whom her Amalthea unicorn friend in the dream was a nod, as I think I might have mentioned at the time), basically this girl on a sugar-buzz would be Immy.
Despite game balance low-level chars, which I'm not breaking in any explicit way like more spells for the spellchuckers, etc, most of the NPCs simply must have had more years and more little-e experience. Trying to portray OnyImmyJade as newbies in both personality and ability (Onyx and Jade's swordwork has been kinda basic, I think, and Immy has yet to use a single thief skill) has been...fun.
Pretty shinies!!
Sufficiently atmospheric (ooh, a pun....kinda...)...
thanks!
question for ya, Blue: do you have a 3e kensai template? (or any PnP kensai template at all?) I recall you mentioned such a thing w/ respet to Brynn.
The sour expression upon the divine features of the sirine was odd. Onyx was overcome with pity for the pure creature, surely whatever wrong had displeased her must be righted.
Uh-oh, charmed paladin alert!
*cue screechy Pyscho music*
Jaheira and Safana recognized the pull of the charm magics upon their wills, and battle-cried away to Silvanus or Umberlee.
Safana is an Umberlant? Is that a thing you chose or is that something from the game?
That's me. I'm thinking I should have gone with Sharess - I was hesitant to pick her or Sune for the obvious reasons, but Sharess has Trickery too, which makes her natch for any wiles-y thief lady
“Stay away from my charge,” Jaheira nodded begrudgingly to the knife-wielding pirate, “And I just might tolerate you for a while more.”
pirates! Arrr!
*emulates cock-eyed Captain Jack hand gestures*
Safana, heaving from exertion and the toxin, had no riposte other than a universal hand gesture, then she knelt and vomited, onto Sil in repayment for her.
Excellent! The universal hand gesture
Definently carries from Common to Drow to Draconic, etc....the middle finger/claw/tentacle/eyestalk.....
“Flesh golems, you said?” Dynaheir spoke up matter-of-factly. “Poison is effective, they are creatures of flesh and blood and nothing but.”
Actually, I believe Flesh golems, and any other sort of contruct are supposed to be immune to things like poisons, but I don't think the game paid any attention to that. Ah well, it's convinient.
In the game, they rack up mondo damage from Darts of Wounding....I *think* these arrows of biting do the trick too. But I'd be little surprised if you were right, seems like constructs are immune to about everything
“I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps, I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps,” Imoen sang, and danced circles around Garrick.
So utterly Imoen. You capture her well.
Ah, thanks! *bow*
I'm glad to hear that because there's not much early-BG1 portayal around here, and I feel that she, like Onyx and Jade, would have changed from 1 to 2 more than most. She's based in a part on a very close childhood friend (to whom her Amalthea unicorn friend in the dream was a nod, as I think I might have mentioned at the time), basically this girl on a sugar-buzz would be Immy.
Despite game balance low-level chars, which I'm not breaking in any explicit way like more spells for the spellchuckers, etc, most of the NPCs simply must have had more years and more little-e experience. Trying to portray OnyImmyJade as newbies in both personality and ability (Onyx and Jade's swordwork has been kinda basic, I think, and Immy has yet to use a single thief skill) has been...fun.
Once outside, they appraised the modest treasure. The cloak had the odd power of being able to turn its wearer into a wolf. After magically identifying it, Garrick tossed it over Imoen’s shoulders to shield her from the continuing rain if nothing else, and they were on their way, winding north along the coast.
Yeah, some of the magic stuff in the game doesn't do much good, but hey, it's pretty, and that counts too, right?
Pretty shinies!!
Imoen huddled closer under the cloak as Candlekeep came into view.
I would too!
Sufficiently atmospheric (ooh, a pun....kinda...)...
Great chapter,
-Blue
thanks!
question for ya, Blue: do you have a 3e kensai template? (or any PnP kensai template at all?) I recall you mentioned such a thing w/ respet to Brynn.
#14
Guest_Silrana_*
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Posted 04 November 2003 - 12:17 AM
Safana, heaving from exertion and the toxin, had no riposte other than a universal hand gesture, then she knelt and vomited, onto Sil in repayment for her.
“Ohh…how sensual,” Jaheira mock-moaned, then her eyes flicked back down the beach.
*snicker* I've been enjoying how the female party members have been showing Safana that she isn't fooling anyone.
“Charming magic,” Safana said neutrally, wiping off and slipping her bowie knives onto her hips. “It is often anything but.”
If you don't mind one little nitpic - calling her knives bowie knives creates a sort of 'clunk' in my head, since first off, Jim Bowie didn't live in FR, and secondly, they are a fairly modern invention, being only about a century and a half old. I know that is kind of picky, but it just doesn't ring true, at least to me. It is like saying that a character was born by Caesarian section. No Caesar in the Realms.
Viconia was leading Imoen out from under the brush; Onyx’s charm had surely ended to. The paladin’s sword fell into the grass, and he stared at his own hands, and then sank to his knees, pale and aghast. “By all that’s…no…” he took off his helm, slumped forward, forehead against the treetrunk, and wept, until he felt a light hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Safana. He tried to blink away evidence of his tears, and rose.
Poor guy.
Once outside, they appraised the modest treasure.. The cloak had.the odd power of being able to turn its wearer into a wolf. After magically identifying it, Garrick tossed it over Imoen’s shoulders to shield her from the continuing rain if nothing else, and they were on their way, winding north along the coast.
Imoen huddled closer under the cloak as Candlekeep came into view.
Very creepy. I understand Imoen's reaction, it would be painful to be reminded of Gorion and everything else.
Great chapter!
#15
Guest_The Blue Sorceress_*
Guest_The Blue Sorceress_*
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Posted 04 November 2003 - 12:56 AM
Blueeee....we missed yooooouuuuu...
Waaaahhh! I had a major attack of Real Life (just when I thought that was clearing up too!)
Uh-oh, charmed paladin alert!
*cue screechy Pyscho music*
I was thinking the Jaws theme
Safana is an Umberlant? Is that a thing you chose or is that something from the game?
That's me. I'm thinking I should have gone with Sharess - I was hesitant to pick her or Sune for the obvious reasons, but Sharess has Trickery too, which makes her natch for any wiles-y thief lady
Sharess is PERFECT for Safana. Sune is more romantic love, but Sharess' shctick is pleasure and hedonism.
pirates! Arrr!
*emulates cock-eyed Captain Jack hand gestures*
*glomps Captain Jack look alike*
Safana, heaving from exertion and the toxin, had no riposte other than a universal hand gesture, then she knelt and vomited, onto Sil in repayment for her.
Excellent! The universal hand gesture
I'd love to see a Beholder giving someone The 'Eyestalk'
“Flesh golems, you said?” Dynaheir spoke up matter-of-factly. “Poison is effective, they are creatures of flesh and blood and nothing but.”
Actually, I believe Flesh golems, and any other sort of contruct are supposed to be immune to things like poisons, but I don't think the game paid any attention to that. Ah well, it's convinient.
In the game, they rack up mondo damage from Darts of Wounding....I *think* these arrows of biting do the trick too. But I'd be little surprised if you were right, seems like constructs are immune to about everything
Golems are immune to, and I quote: mind-influencing effects (they're mindless) poison disease and similar effects. They are not subject to critical hits (no critical systems) subdual damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage. What a list!
“I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps, I’m-gonna-learn-bout-booby-traps,” Imoen sang, and danced circles around Garrick.
So utterly Imoen. You capture her well.
Ah, thanks! *bow*
I'm glad to hear that because there's not much early-BG1 portayal around here, and I feel that she, like Onyx and Jade, would have changed from 1 to 2 more than most. She's based in a part on a very close childhood friend (to whom her Amalthea unicorn friend in the dream was a nod, as I think I might have mentioned at the time), basically this girl on a sugar-buzz would be Immy.
Yup, you mentioned her.
Despite game balance low-level chars, which I'm not breaking in any explicit way like more spells for the spellchuckers, etc, most of the NPCs simply must have had more years and more little-e experience. Trying to portray OnyImmyJade as newbies in both personality and ability (Onyx and Jade's swordwork has been kinda basic, I think, and Immy has yet to use a single thief skill) has been...fun.
Yeah, I agree that they wouldn't be quite so used to the 'real world.' I really got to write to some BG1 stuff with Brynn. It was like she was walking around on a completely different plane for a while there.
question for ya, Blue: do you have a 3e kensai template? (or any PnP kensai template at all?) I recall you mentioned such a thing w/ respet to Brynn.
Well, the offical 3E version of the kensai is the Weapon Master, which you can find in your friendly neighborhood copy of Oriental Adventures or the local Sword anf Fist. I'm not completely fond of that though, since I think it takes a lot of the flavor out of the kensai, so I primarily model Brynn's abilities off of those of the 2nd ed kensai, which can be found in the 2e Oriental Adventures book. I do take a few liberties of my own, for example her not using an other weapons than the ones she started with. I unfortunately no longer have a copy of the 2e OA, otherwise I'd give you more details.
#16
Guest_Oryx_*
Guest_Oryx_*
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Posted 04 November 2003 - 06:45 AM
[quote]
“Ohh…how sensual,” Jaheira mock-moaned, then her eyes flicked back down the beach.
[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
*snicker* I've been enjoying how the female party members have been showing Safana that she isn't fooling anyone.
[/quote]
Heehee. Yes, her in-game schtick is too remedial; she is adapting/upgrading a bit though.
The males aren't exactly enthralled, but they're not really calling her out on it. Whereas I believe you're right, every female - Jaheira, Viconia, Dynaheir, Imoen - has taken licks against her. Heh.
[quote]
[quote]
“Charming magic,” Safana said neutrally, wiping off and slipping her bowie knives onto her hips. “It is often anything but.”
[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
If you don't mind one little nitpic - calling her knives bowie knives creates a sort of 'clunk' in my head, since first off, Jim Bowie didn't live in FR, and secondly, they are a fairly modern invention, being only about a century and a half old. I know that is kind of picky, but it just doesn't ring true, at least to me. It is like saying that a character was born by Caesarian section. No Caesar in the Realms.
[/quote]
Oh, thank you very much actually; that's an excellent point. Hmmm...serrated knife? Serrated blade? Saw-edged knife?
[quote]
[quote]
Viconia was leading Imoen out from under the brush; Onyx’s charm had surely ended to. The paladin’s sword fell into the grass, and he stared at his own hands, and then sank to his knees, pale and aghast. “By all that’s…no…” he took off his helm, slumped forward, forehead against the treetrunk, and wept, until he felt a light hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Safana. He tried to blink away evidence of his tears, and rose.
[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
Poor guy.
[/quote]
Yeah, first time with anything like this...it's not even clear he knows what happened. If I know the spell's mechanics right, failing spellcraft you'd literally just think you changed your own preferences for awhile. 'What was I thinking!?'
Not like it never happens in RL
[quote]
[quote]
Once outside, they appraised the modest treasure.. The cloak had.the odd power of being able to turn its wearer into a wolf. After magically identifying it, Garrick tossed it over Imoen’s shoulders to shield her from the continuing rain if nothing else, and they were on their way, winding north along the coast.
[/quote]
[quote]
Imoen huddled closer under the cloak as Candlekeep came into view.[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
Very creepy. I understand Imoen's reaction, it would be painful to be reminded of Gorion and everything else.
[/quote]
Mmhmm, exactly. As one of them will say, though they're closer to home than they've been in a tenday, they feel further than ever.
[quote]
Great chapter![/quote]
Thank you! And thanks for your insights!
“Ohh…how sensual,” Jaheira mock-moaned, then her eyes flicked back down the beach.
[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
*snicker* I've been enjoying how the female party members have been showing Safana that she isn't fooling anyone.
[/quote]
Heehee. Yes, her in-game schtick is too remedial; she is adapting/upgrading a bit though.
The males aren't exactly enthralled, but they're not really calling her out on it. Whereas I believe you're right, every female - Jaheira, Viconia, Dynaheir, Imoen - has taken licks against her. Heh.
[quote]
[quote]
“Charming magic,” Safana said neutrally, wiping off and slipping her bowie knives onto her hips. “It is often anything but.”
[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
If you don't mind one little nitpic - calling her knives bowie knives creates a sort of 'clunk' in my head, since first off, Jim Bowie didn't live in FR, and secondly, they are a fairly modern invention, being only about a century and a half old. I know that is kind of picky, but it just doesn't ring true, at least to me. It is like saying that a character was born by Caesarian section. No Caesar in the Realms.
[/quote]
Oh, thank you very much actually; that's an excellent point. Hmmm...serrated knife? Serrated blade? Saw-edged knife?
[quote]
[quote]
Viconia was leading Imoen out from under the brush; Onyx’s charm had surely ended to. The paladin’s sword fell into the grass, and he stared at his own hands, and then sank to his knees, pale and aghast. “By all that’s…no…” he took off his helm, slumped forward, forehead against the treetrunk, and wept, until he felt a light hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Safana. He tried to blink away evidence of his tears, and rose.
[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
Poor guy.
[/quote]
Yeah, first time with anything like this...it's not even clear he knows what happened. If I know the spell's mechanics right, failing spellcraft you'd literally just think you changed your own preferences for awhile. 'What was I thinking!?'
Not like it never happens in RL
[quote]
[quote]
Once outside, they appraised the modest treasure.. The cloak had.the odd power of being able to turn its wearer into a wolf. After magically identifying it, Garrick tossed it over Imoen’s shoulders to shield her from the continuing rain if nothing else, and they were on their way, winding north along the coast.
[/quote]
[quote]
Imoen huddled closer under the cloak as Candlekeep came into view.[/quote]
[/quote]
[quote]
Very creepy. I understand Imoen's reaction, it would be painful to be reminded of Gorion and everything else.
[/quote]
Mmhmm, exactly. As one of them will say, though they're closer to home than they've been in a tenday, they feel further than ever.
[quote]
Great chapter![/quote]
Thank you! And thanks for your insights!
#17
Guest_Oryx_*
Guest_Oryx_*
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- Guests
Posted 04 November 2003 - 06:48 AM
Blueeee....we missed yooooouuuuu...
Waaaahhh! I had a major attack of Real Life (just when I thought that was clearing up too!)
Better than Real Death
Uh-oh, charmed paladin alert!
*cue screechy Pyscho music*
I was thinking the Jaws theme
Mmm, good call. Psycho for when one of the small-blades characters gets charmed.
Safana is an Umberlant? Is that a thing you chose or is that something from the game?
That's me. I'm thinking I should have gone with Sharess - I was hesitant to pick her or Sune for the obvious reasons, but Sharess has Trickery too, which makes her natch for any wiles-y thief lady
Sharess is PERFECT for Safana. Sune is more romantic love, but Sharess' shctick is pleasure and hedonism.
Thanks. Will switch. And cue readers to swap in-prose or out at next relevant opportunity.
Excellent! The universal hand gesture
I'd love to see a Beholder giving someone The 'Eyestalk'
Behold THIS!
Golems are immune to, and I quote: mind-influencing effects (they're mindless) poison disease and similar effects. They are not subject to critical hits (no critical systems) subdual damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage. What a list!
Yeah...I guess undead get about that too.
Despite game balance low-level chars, which I'm not breaking in any explicit way like more spells for the spellchuckers, etc, most of the NPCs simply must have had more years and more little-e experience. Trying to portray OnyImmyJade as newbies in both personality and ability (Onyx and Jade's swordwork has been kinda basic, I think, and Immy has yet to use a single thief skill) has been...fun.
Yeah, I agree that they wouldn't be quite so used to the 'real world.' I really got to write to some BG1 stuff with Brynn. It was like she was walking around on a completely different plane for a while there.
Yes, you should :mgreen: I enjoyed the, uh, Naked Adventures.
Hey! Don't you even think it!
Well, the offical 3E version of the kensai is the Weapon Master, which you can find in your friendly neighborhood copy of Oriental Adventures or the local Sword anf Fist. I'm not completely fond of that though, since I think it takes a lot of the flavor out of the kensai, so I primarily model Brynn's abilities off of those of the 2nd ed kensai, which can be found in the 2e Oriental Adventures book. I do take a few liberties of my own, for example her not using an other weapons than the ones she started with. I unfortunately no longer have a copy of the 2e OA, otherwise I'd give you more details.
thanks
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