Nerd Pride Radio

[Tahlvin or someone suggested we have this and I agree... everyone please feel free to use this RP thread if you want to... I'm planning on posting player-centered questions over there and character actions before next week's game over here.]

After dispatching the ogre miners, Dwyn followed her friends further into the caverns until they came upon three horrible hags. One of them with a greenish aspect was murmuring a spell as they entered, and suddenly Dwyn felt a surge of energy propelling her forward to strike.

Evil spellcasters like Nualia, Xanesha, and her sister had always confused Dwyn a little. She remembered bitterly how difficult it was to distinguish the first snake lady from her mirrored images, and how quickly her sister snake had managed to cast a spell to stop Dwyn from landing a death blow. She had been praying over it as they marched through the swampy forest and over the mountains, and today Erastil had granted an answer. She suddenly knew in her bones exactly how to stop this hag from casting her wicked spell, and so Lucille unceremoniously ended her.

Buoyed by her new insight and success, she helped her friends put a stop to whatever unnatural horror had befallen Lamatar, and then rushed toward the Stone Giant's throne hoping to find the lamia. Even with Dothan speeding things up, her charge down the hall felt like an eternity of slow motion. She landed a few hammer blows as Lucrecia foolishly decided to assume her true form, slithering away from the nauseating cloud that had engulfed her. Or maybe the snake remembered how close Dwyn had come to killing her the last time. Either way, she didn't stand a chance: as the rest of the Troubleshooters peppered the lamia and giant with arrows and blows, Dwyn flipped Lucille to to her piercing side and chopped viciously into the snake's arm, followed by the death knell of the hammer. Closure at last, thanks to Erastil!

After that everything was a blur - the Troubleshooters surrounded and quickly subdued the giant. Dwyn finally realized that the traitorous Kavan was lying unconscious at Dothan's feet. As the others found and read the note - from someone named "Barl", or no, addressed to "Barl"? - Dwyn felt the pit of her stomach drop out and her face flush hot. A dragon? In Sandpoint? She was ready to march all day and all night. The wagon and horses would help - they could take turns to speed things up. Or could a message be sent? Could either of their new friends do a Sending? Dwyn paced the floor, unable even to pay attention as the others carefully searched for valuables and clues.

Kay can tell that Dwyn is extremely upset by the letter.

And why wouldn't she be? Her family lives in Sandpoint, not to mention friends like Nellah and others that she has known for years. Oshar's there too, so Dothan will probably be worried sick as well...

Kay casts detect magic as a matter of reflex and points out a few items to Eldthor to have him bring them over to the pile of things to identify. Meanwhile she walks over and puts her hand on Dwyn's shoulder.

"Calm down, my friend."

Dwyn takes a deep breath. "I know, Kay, we have to think this through. I'm just..." How to explain the pounding in her ears she feels every time she thinks about Alma and the girls, innocently going about their day with no idea of the dangers that might arrive at any moment? Would Ven still be around, learning to wield the scythe she left him? Would he try to do something heroic and stupid and get himself killed? Would these unknown invaders make their path to Sandpoint through the countryside? Could the rest of her family be in danger too?

"Okay, okay. The book says, the noble-minded are calm and steady. So let's think," she mutters, as much to herself as to Kay or anyone else. "I'm thinking of a whole mess of dragons burning up the town, but that's not what the note says, right? It says "several of the people." I thought maybe those were ogres, but later it talks about "ogre slaves", so the "people" must be something else. If they were lamias or giants, wouldn't the note have just said that? So what could these "people" be?"

"And who is Teraktinus? And M? Haven't we heard of someone named M before? I just can't remember. Someone, maybe the snakelady, said something about an M. But I thought she was the servant of Karzoug like her sister, what with all the greedy souls they wanted to collect. So who's M now? And how long has Barl had this note?"

Dwyn stops pacing and starts looking around at the bodies, helping clear away gear the Troubleshooters are taking back. "What if M comes back here, or one of M's messengers? Could we set this place up to look like we weren't here, like they were fighting each other? We could make it look like the Lamia and hags and Kavan were plotting together, maybe even with Lamatar. I'm not sure how to do that - maybe you and Dothan would know? Can we fake a note from one of them or something?"

Then she finds Annamanue and Samadriel. "Wow, you two are amazing with spells! I know you might not feel the way I do about Sandpoint, since my cousins are there and I lived there too for a while, but it sure would help if we had that kind of magic to fight off a dragon! I don't suppose you would consider making the trip back with us? We stopped for a wedding, and to help Riddywhipple, and - oh, Dothan can tell you more about him later - so it took a while to get here. It might take only a week or so to travel back, and we could get you horses. I know you were supposed to be finding out about the rain or whatever - we could come back here with you to help with that, if you come with us to Sandpoint now. What do you think?"