NeoSeraphi solo game

[Eonas]

Aspen (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=846357)

The past few months at Hadran have been as peaceful as ever, everybody going about their lives as if nothing would ever happen.

Then, one warm summer's evening, as he's eating in his house with his parents, Aspen suddenly hears the sound of a villager running towards the town hall and crying "Orcs! Orcs!" Looking outside, you see a long line of torches and fire, less than a mile away and coming towards the village at an alarming speed. Already, villagers are beginning to leave their homes wielding bows and pitchforks and daggers, disorganized and obviously terrified but resolute.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen jumps to his feet. "We're leaving. Move," he orders his family, rushing to his closet and packing as much stuff as he can fit into one bag. He quickly urges his father and mother out of the house, and when they ask where they're supposed to go, he quickly replies, "We'll head north, towards the country. We've got family out there, yeah? We can stay with them a few days until all of this blows over, and then come back and see if the damage is too bad to repair."

Aspen sneaks his parents out of the house, but as he leads them from building to building, he spots the orcs killing other people and grits his teeth in anger and fear. Not the time, he tells himself. Grieve later, run now. Aspen manages to lead his parents out of the city and looks back behind him. Something inside of him snaps.

"Come on. We're going to Lux," he informs his parents.

"Lux? But why would we go there? You just said we can stay with your aunt until this all blows over..."

"Lia," his father interrupts sternly, "let's go with the boy. He's old enough now to make some decisions, and I trust his instincts as much as he does."

"Thanks Dad," Aspen replies, shaking his head. "I need to stay close to the city to make sure any refugees have cheap supplies available to them after the orcs clear out. Plus, if we get to Lux, I may find out more about why the orcs attacked in the first place. Come on, let's go."

He starts to follow the main road with his family in tow.

[Eonas]

Aspen and his parents walk all night on the main road towards Lux. There are others on the road, as well: the butcher and his son, burly humans with naught but some food and two cleavers; an aged gnome who hobbles along with the agility of a tortoise; the two orphaned twin sisters, 38-year old elvish scoundrels whose belongings amount to a wicked-looking collection of knives and a few copper pieces; and a full family of human peasants, father, mother, and three children. When the group looks back occasionally, they see the village burning behind them. Yet nothing abnormal occurs during the journey - no wolf attacks, no run-ups with other people, not even any signs of pursuit from orcs.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen quickly surveys the group moving at the same pace as him. After a time, he stops walking and clears his throat. "Excuse me, everyone? Could you all gather together for a moment please? I know everyone's eager to get somewhere to sleep for the night, but if we just keep walking with no plan we'll never get anywhere. Now then."

"For those of you who don't know me, I am Aspen Shadowstep. I used to work as a negotiator for the farmers in Hadran. Now, I'm a refugee. Same as all of you. However, what I have that you don't is..." he ignites his hand with electricity for emphasis, "Magic. It's my intention to get everyone in this group to Lux safely. If I'm going to do that, I need to know exactly who I can rely on and who I need to protect. So, if any one of you is able and willing to fight for your life, step up now and introduce yourself."

[Eonas]

The peasant father immediately answers the question. He seems like he is desperately trying to be a good 'father figure' and keep a brave face through his fear. His family, however, makes no effort to conceal their fear: the children huddle around their mother, who whispers vaguely comforting things to them with a pale face.
"My name is Sigvaldi, this is my wife, Gwenevere, and my three children, Yevgenii, Sigrid, and Stein. I can fight if necessary, but I have no weapons and no training."
Next, the butcher's son speaks up. He and his father exhibit less fear than pure shock - especially his father, whose face is obviously swollen with tears.
"I can fight." the young butcher says, tersely.
There's a long pause. The gnome seems to be using it to catch his breath, while the two sisters gaze mutely at the other villagers through their hair. Finally, one answers "We'll fight.", and the other flashes a brief smile.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen shakes his head. "No. If you have no skill with a weapon, you'll be more a hindrance than a help. Put your strength to use elsewhere, such as by acting as a blocker for anyone who tries to touch your family or mine. I can guarantee you, you won't have to hold them longer than a moment."

Aspen sizes up the son for a moment, then nods. "Alright. I can see your determination. Just remember, if we meet any orcs or bandits on the road, they will likely go if we give them enough trouble. But if you wound a man without killing him, it could turn a simple robbery into a lifelong desire for revenge."

The woman's voice surprises him. "You two want to help? Well...I did say I needed to know who I can rely on. Very well. What are your names?"

[Eonas]

The father replies calmly, though it's obvious that he's relieved: "I will protect them with my life." Stein, his youngest son (aged about 4), leaves his mother to hug Sigvaldi's leg.

As Aspen speaks of wounding without killing, an odd expression appears on the older butcher's face - a sort of cross between cynicism and malice. The expression isn't lost on Gwenevere, who watches the butcher narrowly. The butcher's son, however, nods to Aspen to indicate he understands.

Both girls peer at Aspen for another moment through their hair, glance at each other, and then the one who already spoke says "Illivien and Blade." The other does nothing but stare stolidly at Aspen.

How about you roleplay for your parents, since you've already started doing that? Would that work for you?

[NeoSeraphi]

That's fine with me. Didn't mean to step on your toes any. Sorry


"Dear..." Lia says, looking at Aspen with worry.

Arthur nods and steps up. "I can't help fight, I'm afraid, but I will put my skills to use in other ways. If anything is damaged, any equipment or shelter, I'll repair it as fast as I can."

Aspen smiles. "Thanks Dad. Now then. Illivien, was it? Are you and your sister armed, or do you need us to procure you some weapons? Also, you both can march next to me at the front of the pack, while this young man can stand guard at the rear." He nods to the butcher's son.

[Eonas]

The butcher nods, while llivien smiles at Aspen, and without removing her gaze from the halfling, points a bony index finger at her sister. The latter gives another odd smile and silently opens her cloak. Its insides are lined with knives of various sizes and makes - at least 5 or 6, all looking remarkably sharp and in very good condition.

There's something in the two elven girls' attitudes that seems to unnerve the rest of the villagers, especially the old gnome. He hacks loudly and says "We'd better git movin' 'fore the wolves git us."

[NeoSeraphi]

Appraise check on the knives (12 tells me if they're mastework, 20 tells me if they're magical): [roll0]
Sense Motive on the silent girl, just to get a general hunch about her (DC 20): [roll1]


Aspen nods. "Well then, a pleasure to have you both assist me. Right. We have our marching formation, everyone get moving again. Sigvaldi, I want you to cover the butcher's son. If he's caught by surprise, try and get some space between him and his enemy long enough for him to get his bearings and fight, please. So the two of you in the back, me and the sisters up front, everyone else walks in the middle. Let's go."

Aspen will head onward to Lux, only stopping when the group needs to rest, at which point he will let everyone but Illiven go to sleep. He asks Illiven to stay up and keep watch with him, the two of them should be able to get enough "rest" to keep marching just by sitting still, though of course they don't get any spells back.

"So, I don't think I've ever seen you around the village. What did you do there?" he inquired, his tone pleasant and friendly.


Perception, both on the road and to keep watch at night: [roll2]
Diplomacy on Illiven: [roll3] (DC to change from friendly to helpful is 0+her Charisma modifier, or if she's just indifferent at this point then changing her to friendly is 10+her Charisma modifier)

[Eonas]

Thanks for outlining the DCs. I constantly get them wrong, haha.

And let me know when you're finished roleplaying with the various villagers.

The knives seem to be well-made, and their owner seems to be very proud of them - perhaps even holding feelings of affection for her knives.
The villagers enter Aspen's marching order without a grumble, and restart their march towards Lux. Illivien looks at Aspen with some slight surprise when he speaks to her. After a pause, she answers with a frank expression "We sneaked." If the halfling looks confused or asks for clarifications, she adds "We hung around and stole." Indeed, as she says this, both Sigvaldi and the gnome pass a 'yes, I know all about your shenanigans, you dirty rotten creature' look at her.

[NeoSeraphi]

"You sneaked, huh? I see. Well," he gives a pointed look to the rest of the group, "Whatever you did before has nothing to do with where we are now. You are both my allies and I welcome your assistance gratefully. A pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Blade," he adds, smiling warmly at Illiven's sister.


Is "affection for their knives" the only result of my Sense Motive check?
I'm done roleplaying now, we can move on. :smallsmile: But Aspen is going to treat Illiven and Blade very well and chat lively with Illiven on the way to Lux, keeping up his Diplomacy.

[Eonas]

Well, not necessarily. What other kind of thing did you want to know? Just what kind of girl she seems like?
Blade doesn't smile or say anything, but nods at Aspen to acknowledge his comment.

As the group travels through the night through fields and small forests, Illivien makes a minimum effort to keep up the conversation, outright ignoring any questions that get too personal. If the topic of knives is broached, Blade smiles oddly again. The atmosphere in the group during that walk is fairly somber. Sigvaldi and his wife make only a few half-hearted attempts to contribute to the conversation, but their children get progressively more friendly with Aspen (apart from Stein, who is soon too tired to walk and has to be carried sleeping by his mother), not fully understanding the impact of the events having just transpired. The butcher and his son remain entirely introspective, while the gnome walks slower and slower over time. Come dawn, he literally collapses onto a bush in the middle of an open plain and refuses to move. The two children who are still walking lie down beside him, utterly exhausted. The rest of the group stands still and looks at Aspen. "I suppose we had better let the children a chance to rest." Sigvaldi says, uncertainly.

If you wanted to find out something about the various other villagers during the walk, you can make a Diplomacy check (or two, or three, or even ten, if you want to learn lots of things) to wheedle the information from them in conversation. In some cases the check will be very easy, possibly as low as DC 0, while in others it might be a lot harder.

[NeoSeraphi]

What she's thinking. Getting a hunch for her emotions or her basic opinion of the situation.

Aspen nods with understanding to the group. "That's fine. Illiven, if you could stay up and watch with me, then that should be enough man power. The rest of you get some sleep. We leave in eight hours."

Aspen will ask Illiven what she likes to eat [roll0], and whether she wants to stay in Lux with the rest of them or head out on her own with her sister [roll1]. He does not actively engage with the rest of the group, as Blade seems uninterested and he has to keep his face forward, but he will answer anyone and keep up a smile the whole time.
Perception: [roll2]

[Eonas]

Blade seems to be taking the situation pretty calmly, actually. What she seems to be most uncomfortable about is having to be around other people.
When asked about what kind of food she likes best, Illivien seems confused, and has to think for a moment. At length, she answers "Sheep."
Aspen has to really beat around the bush to find out Illivien's plans, finally realizing that she and her sister seem to take life only a few hours at a time, crossing each bridge when they get there.

Sigvaldi smiles at 'man power', his first smile all night. He, and the rest of the group, appear immensely relieved at the break. Gwenevere immediately begins doing her best to make her children reasonably comfortable in 'bed' - an effort not strictly necessary, as they all fall to sleep within minutes. Sigvaldi and Gwenevere lie on either side of their children, and the butcher and his son also lie down back to back. Blade lies in fetal position with one hand in her coat, while Illivien stands sits immediately next to her sister.

As always Illivien is silent during most of the morning, and except for the occasional yawn, she seems to be coping quite well with her lack of sleep. As the sun has almost peaked at the top of the sky, Sigvaldi's youngest son wakes up and tells his parents he is hungry, and Blade immediately wakes up at the sound of his voice and gets to her feet, only relaxing when she realizes the source of the sound. Gwenevere rouses, slightly slower, and begins to explain to Stein that there is no food.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Enough," Aspen cuts the woman off, shaking his head. "I'll be right back, little one," he says to the boy, smiling. Glancing at Blade he says, "Keep them safe until I return. Illiven, use this time to rest your eyes a bit."

Aspen walks off the road and heads out into the plains/forest/whatever is next to the road and searches for any source of food to help the group (berries, small animals, anything they can eat).


Survival: (DC 10 to find food for one person, food for one extra person per 2 I exceed the DC by) [roll0]

[Eonas]

When Aspen returns after an hour of unsuccessful foraging, he finds everybody awake, and, in fact, sharing a meager meal consting of a single loaf of bread. The gnome is in a foul mood, but the rest of the group seems to be coping well with the circumstances: the butcher and his son are more open, if still somber, while Sigvaldi and his wife act with a new energy.

The villagers look expectantly at Aspen when he arrives, and Sigvaldi stands up. "Do you think the orcs will be following behind us?" he asks, almost immediately.

[NeoSeraphi]

"It's unlikely. Lux is a huge city with a powerful armed guard. Attacking it with such a small band would be suicide. Though, I can't claim to understand the orcs' motives for attacking our village either, so if they really are mad with bloodlust, it's possible. Honestly, I'm more worried about highwaymen or animals than orcs at this point." Aspen answers truthfully.

He waits for everyone to finish eating. "Right then, break time is over. Let's move, everyone. Illiven, Blade, with me."

Aspen takes the lead and heads down the road towards Lux again.


Perception: [roll0]

[Eonas]

Sigvaldi seems slightly reassured, if not actually convinced. The group follows Aspen's instructions immediately, however - they seem to have all taken Aspen as their leader implicitly.

After two hours of walking in through hills and plains, the group finally does come up against a small farm beside the road, complete with a small farmhouse. They don't see anyone in the fields (or hear any other human sound), however, and the door of the hut is ajar.

Make yourself two Fort checks, one at DC 12 and the other at DC 14.

2 for Illivien: [roll0]
[roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

"My, my. Now this could be a stroke of good luck. Much as I'd hate to rob a man who could be down on his luck, I'm sure he'd part with a small amount of food voluntarily if he knew our situation. Illiven?" Aspen nods towards the house. "Blade, keep a look out for any danger. Sigvaldi, if she or you spots anything, give us a shout. We'll be right back."

Aspen approaches the house and takes a peek inside the cracked open door.


Perception: [roll0]
Con Check 1: [roll1]
Con Check 2: [roll2]

[Eonas]

Illivien nods and follows Aspen - clearly, she and her sister were thinking very similar things. Blade begins to follow as well, but stops when Illivien makes a peculiar gesture at her.

When the two arrive at the hut and look through the door, they see a horrible scene: a human man and woman sprawled across the floor, hideously mangled. The man's skin is almost torn off his face, and the woman's entrails are torn out of his belly and scattered around her, limbs contorted in unnatural positions. Both are wounded in a thousand places, their flesh slashed or torn. The room bears obvious signs of a struggle, covered with coagulated blood and with the various elements of the room either destroyed or overturned. Illivien seems oddly unaffected by the scene; she enters the room, cautiously but without exhibiting any signs of revulsion or pity for the couple.

[NeoSeraphi]

What kind of gesture did Illiven make?

Aspen grits his teeth and shuts his eyes, turning away from the scene. "What the hell...what the hell happened here?"

He shakes his head and then opens his eyes again, boldly glaring at the corpses. "I wonder if this was some kind of robbery gone wrong...there's no way the orcs did this, they came from the opposite direction..."

Aspen kneels down and examines the bodies, looking for any clues or perhaps a weapon. After looking for a moment, he stands up. "No time to give them a proper burial. I'll inform the authorities when we get to Lux so that a proper investigation can be carried out. In the meantime, as disturbing as it sounds, this is very convenient for us. Dead men hold no property rights after all. Let's take a look around. Illiven, go outside and get Blade. I don't know if whatever did this is still around, but if it is I want both of you in this house and sticking together. Watch her back. I'm going to look and see if there's an attic or a basement."


Perception: [roll0]

Edit: Actually, assuming there's no danger, I'll just take 20 on my Perception, takes 20 minutes but since there's no penalty for failure, it's just me thoroughly examining the area. 27 total.

[Eonas]

Illivien spins around, steps outside, places her arms above her head in an X and, for lack of a better word, flaps them. At the signal, Blade runs toward the pair in swift, elegant strides, one hand in her coat. This done, Illivien re-enters the house, and rapidly finds a loaf of bread in a chest in the corner of the room. She eats it with the ferocity of a wolf and tosses another one to Blade when her sister comes in. If Aspen questions her or asks her to stop, the elf glances first at Aspen, then at the corpses, then resumes eating.

Aspen has little difficulty in finding a trapdoor. It's unhidden, in the center of the room, where the man's head rests.

Also, are you going to roleplay for Aspen's parents? I think we both maybe forgot about that?

[NeoSeraphi]

I am going to roleplay my parents, for as far as the road goes, after that I assume they'll be out of the game. Right now it's just Illiven and Blade though

"...Food. That's good. Alright, can the two of you take what you can find and distribute it among the rest of the travelers for me? I'm going to look under this trapdoor." Aspen says, a little disturbed at the pair, but understanding their instincts. He kneels down and lifts the trapdoor up, and after making sure there is a clear path down, he lights a candle and descends below.

[Eonas]

The sisters glance at Aspen - Illivien even hesitates, but only for a moment. Then she rejoins her sister in eating the loaves, and when those are done, they both fish out another and munch on that as well.

The trapdoor leads into a simple small cellar. As he climbs down the wooden ladder into it, he can see that it's it contains a total of about ten boxes and barrels and urns of various types and sizes. There doesn't seem to be anything else in the cellar.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen sighs. "Selective hearing. Nice. I'm a merchant, you think I'm not used to this?"

He crouches down, then shoots forward, dashing between the sisters and snatching a large portion of the contents of the chest, taking a single loaf from the pile and biting into it slowly. "The rest is yours, ladies. But you do have to share enough for the group to survive." He finishes the bread, swallowing loudly, before stepping outside and handing out the rest of the food to the group.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Lia exclaims, munching her share quickly. A loud belch follows her actions as Aspen's father mimicks her enthusiasm. Aspen narrows his eyes and turns to Sigvaldi. "No matter what happens, no one is to enter this house. Understand? Leave this to me and the girls. No matter what you hear, no matter what comes out, do NOT enter this house. I'll be back soon."

That done, Aspen resumes his original plan of entering the trapdoor.

"A bunch of containers? Someone was quite the hoarder before they died..." He looks around, drawing his dagger and hiding it under his cloak, ready to spring at any time. "Two dead humans upstairs and my only backup is a selfish bloodthirsty thief and her mute sister. Well, no one's getting the jump on me."

Aspen raises his free hand and uses a combination of the mage hand and open/close spells to remove the lids off every vase, barrel and box in the cellar, preparing himself for anyone who may jump out at him.

[Eonas]

The others grab the bread and eat it as hungrily as one might expect. Sigvaldi and Gwenevere eat last, after their children, and the old gnome has a violent hacking fit in the middle of eating a loaf of bread, but soon they have all eaten their fill.

The various containers seem to only contain grains and salted meats and other food for preserving - certainly, nothing hops out of them. In the midst of opening the last two containers, however, Aspen hears a woman's shrill screech, then Sigvaldi's reassuring voice. When he looks up, he sees the villagers at the entrance of the house, looking in at the bodies with shock. "What happened here?" asks the butcher tersely.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen narrows his eyes. "I gave you a single order, Sigvaldi. Come on, how hard was it for you to stay outside? Did you think I told you that for no reason? Look, when we entered the house, these people were already dead. It doesn't look like there's anything valuable here, so we're going to leave and get to Lux immediately. Come on Illiven. Grab your sister."

Aspen will cast detect magic and scan the house before he leaves, taking anything that has a magical aura with him. Afterwards, he gets his group out on the road and moving on.

[Eonas]

There's a laden silence for a few seconds, and suddenly Sigvaldi erupts. "Hold on, young man, who put you in charge? Two people died! This wasn't any freak accident, either. These are my children, and it's my duty to protect them."

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen's eyes narrow and he raises his hand as it sparks with lightning. "I put myself in charge, old man, and I did it because I have the power to kill anyone who doesn't listen to me. If you want me to protect you and your children you had best be sure to make yourself more useful to me in the future, or else you're just a stubborn mouth to feed."

Arthur steps forward and gently places his hand on his son's shoulder. Aspen frowns but takes a breath and lowers his hand, letting his magic dissipate.

"Right. We've got food, that's what we stopped here for. These people are dead, but there's no sign of whatever killed them. As curious as I am about the affair, we need to keep moving. Finish your meals and we'll be back on the road in fifteen minutes. Illiven, if you and your sister keep eating you won't have any left for the road." he calls over his shoulder.

[Eonas]

Sigvaldi and Gwenevere listen to Aspen's speech with obvious repugnance, and when he emphasizes 'old man' the butcher (as well as the gnome) growls. Nobody says anything, as the display of magic seems to frighten the group, but when Aspen goes to leave, not all follow. The butcher and his son stay behind to examine the corpses, and Sigvaldi stays with them, while waving his family on to follow the sorcerer.

Eventually, the three rejoin the main group and continue on in sullen fashion. It's another half-hour before the town climbs a hill and sees the village in the distance ahead. Around it, there are more farmhouses and various villagers going about their own merry ways.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Excellent. We've managed to find a settlement. And no sign of the orcs on our tail either." Aspen notes, glancing behind himself subconsciously. "Well, best to try and explain things to the mayor then."

Aspen approaches one of the townsfolk and smiles. "Hello! We're a group of refugees from the nearby town of Hadran. Our village has been destroyed, and we need shelter and food very badly. Could you please lead us to who is in charge here?"

OOC: To save time and another post:

Once Aspen is led to the leader of the town he smiles politely. "Good day to you. I am Aspen Shadowstep. My family and fellow townsfolk all hail from Hadran. Our homes and crops have been destroyed by marauding orcs, and we are in desperate need of shelter and food for the night. We promise that we will move on in the morning, as our destination is the grand city of Lux, but if you could spare anything to help us out for the evening we would greatly appreciate it."


Diplomacy check...[roll0]

[Eonas]

The farmer Aspen speaks to watches the group with a mixture of wariness and curiosity, then nods. "You'll want to see the mayor. All right then, come along."

He leads the group into the town and points at a relatively building. "The mayor's in there."

The inside of the mayor's building, Aspen finds when he arrives, is reasonably well-decorated and contains two people. One of them, a lean but muscular middle-aged man sits at a large table. Another, a decrepit old woman, sits opposite him and speaks in an animated fashion. Both look over at the group when they enter, and Sigvaldi immediately speaks up. "You have two dead bodies in a hut on an outskirt of the village. Badly mangled." The man and woman frown.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen narrows his eyes and frowns, rubbing his temples in exasperation. "Please excuse my fellow refugee here, he's very tired from all the traveling we've been doing. We've been on the road for days with no shelter. There was indeed a couple who had been mutilated by something, but I examined the house and found no trace of the killer, unfortunately."

[Eonas]

The old woman leans over and whispers something to the lean man. The latter nods and addresses the group seriously. "This is the third occurence of such a murder scene in this village. Some creature has been attacking farmsteads here over the past two weeks. Where was this hut?"

Sigvaldi immediately answers the question: "Next to the south road to Hadran, whence we came."

Again, the crone leans over, whispers something to the lean man, and upon his nod, gets up and hobbles out of the hut by a different door. The lean man changes the subject, addressing Aspen and Sigvaldi. "You said you were refugees. From what?"

During the short conversation, Aspen sees the two elvish sisters slip away from the group and skulk further into the village.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen narrows his eyes as he watches the girls slip away, but he doesn't speak up. "Since you seem intent on interrupting the meeting I requested," he says, glaring at Sigvaldi, "then I shall entrust you with the complete report of what happened. Don't lie or hide anything from the nice man now. Take care."

He glances back at the group. "Father, I-"

Arthur raises one hand and nods silently. Aspen smiles a bit, relieved. His father understands. He turns his gaze to Lia. "Mother..."

"We are in no danger here, Aspen. And even if we were, I'm sure you'd take care of it. You've grown into a brave, responsible young man."

Aspen nods firmly and walks off after Illiven and Blade. "We finally make it to a city and these two go off on their own...nothing good can come of this. Better make sure they don't cause any trouble. Illiven...you wouldn't ruin this for everyone just for a quick score would you?"

[Eonas]

This time, it is Gwenevere that answers Aspen: "This meeting concerns all of us, Aspen, and I - "

Sigvaldi cuts her off by adressing the lean man. "We were attacked, and our village burned by orcs. I saw dozens of my friends massacred before my eyes even as I and my family fled the village... it's doubtful anybody survived apart from us." Aspen hears the lean man reply in a lower tone of voice, but by that time Aspen's far enough from the hut that the man's reply is inaudible.

When Aspen overtakes the twins after about half a minute of chasing through village streets, they're skulking in a back-alley, each munching on an apple they've presumably both somehow managed to steal from a grocer's stand at the side of one of the streets. Blade watches Aspen as he nears them, but Illiven seems content to simply eat her apple.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen crosses his arms as he looks down at the two of them. "Ugh...one minute," he mutters to himself, reaching into his pocket and pulling out some copper pieces, walking over to the grocer and smiling and explaining that his elven friends could not speak Common and thus had attempted to purchase some apples without understanding how to pay. He compensates the grocer and asks for forgiveness before heading back over to the elves.

"Illiven, I understand that you and your sister need to eat but you can always ask for some help. I'm willing to foot the bill of your two...admittedly ravenous...appetites. What I'm not willing to do is have the rest of the group get in trouble because the two of you refuse to let old habits die. Even if stealing is fun for you, it's not necessary at this point, so please, just let me take care of the expenses and try to stay out of trouble?"

[Eonas]

The grocer, a gaunt young man with eyes like coals, frowns but grabs the money. "The two elves?" he asks. "Mind it don't happen again: we don't take thievery very kindly around here."

---

At 'let me take care of the expenses', the sisters almost drop their apples and stare at Aspen. "Expenses? All expenses?" Illivien throws her apple core to one side and walks towards Aspen; Blade mimicks her steps almost exactly. "I'm hungry." states Illivien simply.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Ugh...what have I gotten myself into here?" Aspen thinks to himself, shaking his head. He has to keep the two of them out of trouble, for his parents' sake.

"Not so fast, ladies. This assistance comes with a price. The two of you have to swear, absolutely, that you will not steal anything as long as I'm paying for everything. You have to swear OUT LOUD, Miss Blade," he looks at her sternly. "If you do that, then I will pay for all of your meals as long as we are together, until either my purse runs dry or I catch either of you breaking your promise."

[Eonas]

There's a pause, and then suddenly Illivien giggles. "Oh, no, Blade doesn't speak. But we promise not to steal any more." She abruptly stops giggling and stares at Aspen, but there's an openness to her - and her sister's - demeanor now that he's made his promise.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Yeah, I figured it was something like that," Aspen admitted, looking at Blade curiously. Whatever. It wasn't his business anyway. Smiling at Illiven, he nodded. "Alright then. Well, I believe it's my duty and great pleasure to treat you two lovely ladies to lunch then. What are you hungry for?"

Aspen matches their openness with his own, warm smile.

[Eonas]

The sisters stare at each other silently for a moment, then look back at Aspen. "A sheep." says Illivien.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen blinks for a split second but then nods, doing his best to not let his surprise show.


Bluff: [roll0], opposed by the girls' Sense Motive


"Alright, there's probably a farm somewhere on the outskirts of town, as long as we can find someone willing to sell sheep then it shouldn't be that big a deal. Shall we?"

Aspen walks into the street and tries to collect information about any local shepherds or farms with animals in the area.


In Pathfinder, Gather Information is a function of the Diplomacy skill (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/diplomacy).
The page says DC 10 for common knowledge, 20 for more obscure or secret information.

Diplomacy: [roll1]
Time taken to gather info: [roll2] hours

[Eonas]

Since this is a fairly small town, I'll just reduce the time required to an hour instead of three.
The girls shrug and follow Aspen throughout the town as he makes inquiries. The grocer glowers at them as they pass his stall, and once you cross the butcher's son on his way to doing... something. Eventually he learns of a household who would be willing to sell sheep. They're at the far outskirts of town (on the opposite end of it than the side Aspen and co. entered it), a well-kept little hut surrounded by sheep and cattle enclosures. A dog viciously growls at the three as they approach it, but doesn't approach them. The door of the hut creaks open, and a diminutive boy's head pops out of it. "Ma! Pa!" the boy exclaims. "Three new folk!"

A young man and woman come to the door to confront the visitors. They're both short, bony, their eyes baggy and suspicious. There's a short pause, then the woman asks "Well? Who are you lot, then?"

Aspen senses the girls tense behind him. Very gently, the knives in Blade's cloak rattle and clink against each other.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen glances back at Blade with a frown and gives a shake of his head.

"Good afternoon ma'am. A pleasant day we're having, is it not? I am Aspen Shadowstep, and these are my associates. We wish to purchase a sheep from you."


Diplomacy: [roll0]

[Eonas]

The couple stare at Aspen, apparently not endeared at all by the halfling's pleasant attitude. If it's possible, they seem even more suspicious by his apparent desire to please. "Well, it'll be fifty silver pieces for a sheep." states the woman flatly and even a little harshly. "Put them - all fifty, mind - down where you are and then step away. Don't try anything funny, either. We ain't educated, but we ain't foolish either. And we ain't afraid to use our weapons against you if necessary."

The rattling ceases, but both sisters remain tense. If Aspen glances behind him at them, he notices that they seem like taut springs ready to uncoil at a moment's notice.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen smiles politely and glares back at the two of them. "Ladies. You two insisted that this is what you wanted to eat, so don't turn your nose up at their service. These fine people have done a good job raising the sheep, they're entitled to sell it in whatever manner they like."

Turning back to the couple, he bows. "I'm afraid silver is not something I come across often in my profession, I trust that there will be no trouble if I pay you in gold instead?" He reaches into his pouch and lays five gold pieces onto the ground in front of him, stepping back slowly and raising his hands placatingly.

[Eonas]

"Oh yes, oh yes. Very fine. Thank you for the sheep." says Illivien, apparently without sarcasm but maintaining a guarded tone.
Illivien, and probably her sister, are obviously both nervous, but Aspen doesn't think it's a rationalized nervousness. More likely, they what they're feeling is instinctive, the equivalent of a prickling at the back of your neck when you're alone in the dark.
The sisters back away from the gold with Aspen and watch narrowly as the couple step forward to pick up the pieces and count them. Then, and only then, does the man seem to relax a little. The woman nods, shuts the hut's door behind her, and leads the way to the sheep enclosure - followed by the man, the now quieter dog, the sisters, and, presumably, Aspen. The couple open the gate and tie a rope around a single sheep, and lead it out of the enclosure. The man brings it over and hands the rope to Aspen. He's tense too as he approaches within touching distance, but though he never takes his eyes off the halfling, he chances a little fleeting half-smile.
Aspen smells the faintest of a rotting smell coming from the man, the sort of odor you pick up after spending a lot of time in the presence of rotting things.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen smiles and takes the sheep, glancing back at the sisters as he leads the sheep away. "Stay here," he says to Illiven. "Something's not right about that guy, I'm going to go have a look."

He tries to sneak back towards the barn and take a look inside.


Stealth: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen nods to himself as he sneaks closer to the house. "Well, time to make an entrance..." he whispers to himself, then clears his throat and screams at the top of his lungs outside the house, before casting silent image to create an image of himself, horribly murdered with blood leaking out of his neck, on the ground in front of the house. Once the two peasants come to investigate, he will attempt to sneak past them.


Stealth check: [roll0]

[Eonas]

The girls look at Aspen curiously as he executes his plan, and rapidly sneak away somewhere, sheep in hand.

Aspen hasn't even finished screaming before the couple have already begun running back outside, both brandishing long, sharp knives. Aspen finds it easy to sneak into the house. It doesn't look terribly different from the first house, in which the other couple were brutally murdered: a bed, a table, various jars and items, a chest in the corner. And what is now undeniably the stench of rottenness emanating from the bed.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen walks up to the bed and takes a deep breath, inhaling the full scent and trying to identify, and also scouring the bed both inside the sheets and under it for any sort of clue.


Perception: [roll0]

[Eonas]

The bed smells like dead, rotting flesh. Aspen finds it empty, and it is only when he looks under the bed that he sees it.

A baby, its skin grey and rotting, its blue eyes lifeless, lies on a small blanket on the floorboards. And yet it blinks, and silently extends a little decaying hand towards the halfling.'

And outside, Aspen hears the shrill scream of the man outside. "Oranna, w-why can't I feel the halfling? What's going on? Is this another of Hargantul's tricks?" he asks shakily. The woman's tone is quiet and steely and only a little frightened. "I think, Gunther, that we've indeed been tricked." There's a pause, and then Aspen hears a single pair of footsteps slowly approaching the house.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen closes his eyes and shakes his head solemnly, standing up and turning to face the door. "Oh, you've done it now," he whispers, his hand charging with magic. When the couple re-enter the house, Aspen is waiting for them and fires a color spray spell directly into their faces. Assuming both of them are knocked out, he immediately ties them both up and waits for the to return to consciousness before questioning them.

If they do not both fall unconscious, he will hit the one who avoided it with another color spray the next round.


Color spray (WillNeg DC 15) - If the target has 2 HD or fewer, they are unconscious, blinded, and stunned for [roll0] rounds, then blinded and stunned for [roll1] rounds, then stunned for 1 round.

If the target has 3-4 HD, they are blinded and stunned for [roll2] rounds, then stunned for 1 round.

If the target has 5 HD or more, they are stunned for 1 round.

[Eonas]

Aspen's colorful blast doesn't appear to affect the woman, who is at the entrance, knife in hand - except that whatever hesitancy she initially had is immediately dispelled. Before Aspen has the chance to cast another spell, she slams the door, leaving her outside and Aspen inside. He hears Oranna loudly whisper "Gunther, come now! The halfling's inside with his magic tricks!". Another pair of footsteps rapidly approaches the house: presumably, the man's.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen looks towards the door. "Magic 'tricks', are they? As you wish. I will stop attempting to 'trick' the both of you then." His aura shifts and crackles of arcane might begin to gather around his hand. When the man walks in, Aspen leaps forward and grabs him by the throat, delivering a horrifying jolt of electricity straight into the man's nervous system and then dropping him like a rock.


Casting the shocking grasp spell. The man is flat-footed and it is a touch spell, so his Armor Class is effectively 10 unless he has a deflection bonus.

Touch roll: [roll0] (Touch attacks are also treated as light weapons for the purpose of the Weapon Finesse feat)

Damage roll: [roll1]

[Eonas]

Aspen shoves the door open and before either of the couple can react, he's already delivered a powerful shock to Gunther, who falls to the ground twitching and coughing up blood. Oranna doesn't even glance at Gunther: she thrusts her knife towards the halfling and misses him by a hair's breadth.

Oranna attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

Lol, technically I guess that should have been a Sneak Attack and killed him but I think I should be able to control whether I Sneak Attack or not


Aspen narrows his eyes and draws his blade. "You will die here if you oppose me. Do you understand that? Admit defeat and you and your husband will have a chance to explain yourselves. I might not even kill you."


Intimidate to demoralize: [roll0].

DC is 10+ her HD + her Wisdom modifier. If I succeed, she's shaken for 1 round, plus 1 round for every 5 points my check exceeds the DC by.

[Eonas]

I think the use of the skill you're looking for is Influence Attitude, which makes people count as Friendly for [roll0]*10 minutes. Is that right?

The woman, wide-eyed, drops the knife. "Okay, okay! Don't kill us!"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Good. Now, tell me. Why is there a...monster...like that under your bed? What is going on at this farm?!" Aspen demands, glaring at the woman as he kicks the knife away from her feet.

[Eonas]

"He's my baby." says the woman. She suddenly sounds oddly calm and cold, though afraid - and she keeps glancing down at Gunther, who's now stopped twitching and coughing. "But he fell sick six months ago. Died in two weeks. I cried, of course. We both did, me and my husband - not Gunther, I mean my old one."

She smiles thinly and briefly. "And then Hargantul came. She knew about Ostarius' death almost as soon as he'd died - she knows everything that happens in this village. She told me she could make Ostarius live again. And she did." Again she smiles, her expression utterly devoid of humor, and points at the bed. "That's what she raised from the dead. At least he doesn't cry."

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen recoils in visual disgust. "You...you sick witch! That thing is NOT your child! It has no intellect, it is incapable of thought or understanding! It will never grow old, it will never laugh or smile or call you mother or any of the things you wished from your baby! You could always have another child, why on earth would you resort to necromancy of all things?! You know what you've done? Do you know what it is you've done here?"

Aspen grabs her by the shirt and pulls her down to look him in the eye. "The only thing that spell did was steal your baby's soul and trap it inside a corpse. Your infant is never going to experience the joys of the afterlife because you decided to be selfish and take what little energy it had to keep a shell of its body alive for your comfort! You're not a parent...you're...you're a monster!"

Letting her go, Aspen turns to the corpse. "I'm putting that child out of its misery. Try to stop me, and I'll curse you until you can't even speak your own name and hand you over to the paladins in this city. Want to know how they deal with necromancers? It's not pretty."

Aspen moves towards the bed, ready to kill the child again.


Intimidate: [roll0]

[Eonas]

The woman's expression remains mostly the same: frightened - frightened as hell, probably - but remarkably composed. She darts between Aspen and the bed, holding her arms out towards the halfling in a combination of aggression, self-defense, and pleading. "He deserved to live. And still does. You'll kill him on my dead body." she says, her sentences coming out sharp and fragmented, like shattered glass.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen hesitates, and then sighs and shakes his head. "I can see that you love this child, but necromancy is necromancy. If you really wish for your child to live, then allow me to help you with that. I'm new in town, and most of my belongings were lost in a raid, but after I have saved enough money, I will take your child to a cleric and have it raised from the dead properly, so that it may grow and live as a real child would. Until I have enough money to do so, you may keep the...abomination...but as soon as I have the funds, I'm going to have to kill it so that it can be properly resurrected. You and your husband will have to work hard to pay me back, but I shall only require half of the cost to be returned to me. The rest...is a gift. Do you understand the terms I offer you? If you reject these terms, your baby will not be the only one who heads to an early grave."

[Eonas]

I had another look at Intimidate - I don't think a Friendly character would be willing to just give up her child just like that, not without further clarification. But obviously you're free to contest that, if you like, and I'll edit this post to reflect our consensus.

The woman thinks for a long moment. "You can do that? And how much work?" Suspicion has returned into her tone, a little - although she remains too frightened to be rude or to fight.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen crosses his arms. "It's 2500 gp, for half the cost. I know that will probably take you decades to save up, but regardless, any amount of work would be worth hearing your child speak its first words, seeing it take its first steps, actually watching it grow up and live a healthy, normal lifestyle, no?"

[Eonas]

The woman bites her lip. Reluctantly, she steps aside - it's readily apparent that she knows she has no other choice but to trust the halfling, despite her obvious mistrust and loathing for him.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Good. Now, let's get your husband some medical treatment," Aspen says, walking over to the human and lifting him up. Because of his size, Aspen will need Oranna's help to carry him. If she does help him, the two of them will bring him into town and look for a church to get him some healing. After that's done, Aspen will head back to where his refugees are staying and check up on them.

[Eonas]

Oranna helps Aspen carry Gunther; his slender frame is only moderately heavy. Several villagers, the gaunt-faced butcher among them, give the three keen looks as they pass through town, but none speak. When Aspen and Oranna arrive at the village's church of Pelor - she provides directions - the clergyman there smiles kindly. He's slightly rotund, with a crooked nose and sparkling white teeth. He ushers the three inside. "How did this happen?" the clergyman asks as he closes the door. The woman watches Aspen keenly and silently, obviously waiting for him to explain.

[NeoSeraphi]

"This moron tried to charge me 50 silver for a live sheep. I talked him down to 20, and he was a poor listener," Aspen replies coldly, fully aware that these clerics can see his Evil alignment and making sure that he gives them plenty to stare at. "So I did the good citizen thing and brought him in to be taken care of. On his copper, of course. Just because I'm not a jerk doesn't make me a charity case either. Now then, if you'll excuse me,"

He leaves without another word, not really concerned if Gunther has the funds to pay for his own healing because he knows the church won't leave the man unconscious. He heads back to where the refugees are and checks on the group. He asks Sigvaldi how the meeting went and tries to spot if Illiven and Blade are around.

[Eonas]

Both Oranna and clergyman stare at Aspen as he leaves, stunned.

Aspen realizes as he starts upon his journey that he doesn't know where the refugees are currently located, but a word or two from a villager informs him that they're staying in two homes near the mayor's hut. When he arrives there, he's acknowledged by the butcher's son, who's sitting on the gound playing a simple dice game with Sigvaldi's older two children. He points at one of the huts and simply says "You're sleeping in that hut, with us." There's an ill-disguised air of melancholia about the young man, despite his attempt to seem cheery for the children: he looks fatigued, absent-minded, even sorrowful.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen smiles at the kids. "Hold on, okay guys? Sigvaldi will be right back." he grabs Sigvaldi's arm and pulls him aside.

"Alright, fess up. What happened?" he asks, crossing his arms.

[Eonas]

"What happened?" the boy repeats, confused as to the nature of the request. "We, uh, talked with the mayor, and he offered us these huts to stay in for now. And he said he'd set guards to watch for orcs. And my pa and Gwenevere went to get food."

[NeoSeraphi]

"You look distraught. Sounds like great news, and you've had a few days to get over whatever you may have lost in the town, so I doubt that's it either. So when I say 'what happened', I am referring to whatever happened to make you look like you lost your best friend. If you can't keep a brave face on for the younger kids, and the elderly as well, then I suggest you take a nap and relax until you feel better, because sitting out here looking like that is only going to make things worse."

He heads over to the huts and locates his parents. The two of them are sitting on a bed, comforting each other. Aspen knocks on the door and then leans against the door frame. "Hey mom. Look, I know this isn't much, but now that we've got a place to stay I can start working again, and I'll be able to earn enough money to get you two a real house. I've been doing a lot of thinking since we left the hamlet and I've decided that I can't stick around and be a business man my whole life. I need to see what kinds of people there are in the world outside my own. So, as soon as I have you guys set up somewhere safe, I'm going to go explore the world a little. See if I can find some answers to questions that have been bothering me."

Arthur nods. "If that's what you feel you have to do, son, then I support you. Tomorrow, you and I can go look for work together."

Aspen shakes his head. "Dad, you can't fool me. You were injured in the raid, weren't you? You need to start acting your age, you're not exactly in your prime anymore. Just leave things to me for now."

Lia touches her husband's shoulder. "Dear, I think Aspen may be right on this one."

Arthur frowns, but nods firmly. "Alright then. We'll be counting on you."

"I know. Get some rest for now." He nods to both of them, and then goes off to his hut to get some sleep.

The next day, Aspen arises from bed and heads out into town, looking for rumors and a job. He walks through the busy streets, keeping his ears peeled for the latest gossip in Lux.

[Eonas]

For a moment, the youth looks like he'll hold his peace. Then, suddenly, he snaps and calls out after Aspen's retreating figure: "I didn't lose my dearest friend, Aspen! I lost my mother to those orcs! I saw her murdered in front of me!"


The next morning, Aspen doesn't have to look far for gossip. When he opens the door of the hut (in which, incidentally, sleep his own parents, the butcher, his son, and the old gnome), he finds three men and a woman armed with sword and shield at his door. "You're under arrest for an unlawful assault upon a member of this village! Hands above your head and don't try anything tricky!" orders one of the men.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen yawns. "Geez, do you morons have any idea what time it is?" He rubs the sleep out of one of his eyes. "And what do you mean, unlawful assault of a citizen? Are you talking about that old man from yesterday? Damn, the justice system in this town really takes its sweet time huh?"

Aspen shrugs. "Whatever, just let me write a note for my folks. And if you touch me with that blade I will electrocute you." He picks up a pen and quickly scribbles "Mom - Going out to make some new friends. Love Aspen" and leaves it on the table. "Alright then...*yawn* Lead the way."

[Eonas]

The four lead Aspen to the mayor's hut. Sitting at the table inside are the mayor, the crone, Oranna, Gunther, the clergyman, and five middle-aged men and women - all, apparently, waiting for Aspen. When he enters, the mayor nods as a way of greeting, and brusquely says "Tell us again what happened at Gunther's home yesterday."

As Aspen walks the short distance to the mayor's hut, he notices two cloaked figures watching him at a distance, whose frail forms and emaciated pale faces seem very much like Illivien's and Blade's.

[NeoSeraphi]

[roll0]


Aspen shrugs. "What's there to tell? The guy tried to sell me an animal for 50 silver. I could stay at a nice in for a week on that money. 50 silver is more than that man should see in a full month, let alone from one sale. So I shocked him with my magic aftewards. I paid for the sheep, but I made him pay for overcharging me, you understand?"

[Eonas]

The crone looks at Aspen with an odd mixture of suspicion and curiosity, but the mayor only frowns. He turns towards the crone and whispers something to her; she whispers something back. The clergyman, his tone plainly displaying disdain, states "You could have not bought the sheep, or committed revenge."

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen blinks in surprise. "Wow, I don't know which statement makes me want to kill you more: the part where you imply I'm too poor to afford 50 silver, or the part where you imply I'm too weak to handle an old man! Don't let my size fool you!"

His eyes crackle angrily as he draws magic power forth, barely restraining himself from killing this jerk. Had to keep his cool.

[Eonas]

No sooner has Aspen said "Kill you more" but the four armed villagers have pressed the tips of their swords to to Halfling's neck. The mayor looks over at the five other villagers gathered at the table and asks "Guilty?" They nod unanimously.

"Lock Aspen in jail, and tell the others to keep a close eye on the village." the mayor instructs the four without even glancing at the subject of his sentence.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen rolls his eyes. "Joy. I love your court system already. Alright then, so how long is a sentence for assault? Keeping in mind that I did do my duty as a good citizen and helped him to be healed." He raises an eyebrow at the guard captain expectantly.

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[Eonas]

The mayor smiles briefly - not a pleasant smile by any means. "That depends. A month, perhaps, if you behave."

The four villagers lead Aspen off through the town towards an only moderately imposing stone hut, approximately the size of the mayors'. A guard leans on its wooden door, holding a spear in one hand and a half-eaten loaf of bread in the other.

As Aspen walks, he notices two cloaked figures watching him at a distance, whose frail forms and emaciated pale faces seem very much like Illivien's and Blade's.

If you don't decide to do anything interesting, let me know and I'll move on.

[Eonas]

The guards lead Aspen inside the hut. Its interior is, to say the least, sparsely-furnished. A large jar and three small, unmattressed wooden beds lie against the walls. A gaunt young dwarf with long, greasy blond hair sits upon one of the beds, eating something sloppily from a clay bowl. He lifts his head and smiles at Aspen - three of his front teeth are missing, but it's an oddly pleasant smile nonetheless, at once genuine-looking and devilish. The guards shove the Halfling inside, shut, then lock the door. Even before the locks click on the other side, the dwarf introduces himself. "My name's Khugrum, but just call me Khug. What's yours?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen glances out the bars, trying to see if he can still see the sisters outside the hut. "I'm Aspen. I got busted for assaulting a guy. And they charge me even though I help him to the clerics out of the goodness of my heart! What kind of messed up city is this? It's not like I finished the old guy off, or left him to die or anything. Ugh. How about you?"

[Eonas]

The sisters are there, cloaked and watching gravely him at a distance.

"This time? Well, this time I tried to set fire to the church. Would have worked, too, but father fatso woke up when he saw the roof on fire. They caught me, but not before I'd lit fatso's frock on fire as well." Khug says, chuckling at the memory. Then he sighs. "Good times. Say, I haven't seen you around here before. You one of Hargantul's?"

As Khug talks, the sisters approach the jail, masterfully concealing themselves in shadows, behind buildings, in the crowd. Finally Illivien lightly sprints to the bars and whispers "We want another sheep."

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen sighs. "You want another sheep? I just got you one. How did you eat it so quickly? It's been one day. I don't care how thin and eager you two are, you can't even skin a whole sheep in one day, let alone eat it."

[Eonas]

"We don't skin them." replies Illivien simply, still whispering. "Can you get us another sheep?"

Khug saunters over to the bars as well. "Who's this, then?" he asks.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen sighs. "I'm in jail. I could give you money for another sheep but they took all my possessions. If you can find my coinpurse in the jail house you can buy as many sheep as you can find."

Turning to the dwarf, Aspen comments, "These are my pet elves. Their favorite trick is to bleed me dry. Hopefully after a week of overeating they'll have a normal healthy appetite."

[Eonas]

Just checking: You're still saying your stuff got confiscated, right? If so, then roll Bluff.

[NeoSeraphi]

Just checking: You're still saying your stuff got confiscated, right? If so, then roll Bluff.

I assumed it was! If not then I'll hand them some money and pull out my thieves tools to open this lock.

Disable Device [roll0]

[Eonas]

No; I guess you missed my post in the OOC thread regarding it.

Illivien grabs the bag of coins and glides off without so much as a thanks, and when Aspen sets to work unlocking the front door, Khug sits beside him. "You sure you want to want to try and break out in the daytime?" he asks. "We've got hours to get to know each other."

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen thinks for a second, then puts his tools away and nods. "Fair enough. What do you do for a living, Khug?"

[Eonas]

"Anything I like." grins the dwarf. "When I'm not in here. What about you?"

When you'd like to skip ahead, let me know.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen sighs. "There was a time when I did honest work mediating deals and establishing trade routes, but that's long gone. I'm a refugee. My hamlet was destroyed by orcs."

[Eonas]

The dwarf's eyebrows raise with interest. "Oh, so you're one of those guys, eh? The guards were talking about you." He leans forward, the morning light flickering in his pale eyes. "What was it like? What were they like? Did they burn the hamlet?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen frowns and shrugs his shoulders. "I'm not sure how to respond. My family and friends were driven out of their homes. The orcs probably raped and killed at least a few people before they were even discovered. I'm not sure what happened to the hamlet, I gathered as much as I could and I ran without looking back. Now I'm here. And I'm already sitting in a cell. It's disgusting. Necromancy is the real crime here."

[Eonas]

The dwarf looks slightly disappointed; presumably, he was hoping for some grisly details. "I feel you, mate. I've been here for a week and I'm getting really bored. Starting to see things again." He twirls a lock of hair and then glances back at Aspen with some curiosity. "Necromancy? What necromancy?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Seeing things? What kind of things are you seeing?" Aspen asks, wondering if this dwarf might be possessed or perhaps have some divination effects in his pocket. "The guy I was arrested for assaulting, his kid died and he had it raised as a zombie. It was disgusting and awful. I couldn't help it...I had to beat him down and tried to put the baby's soul to rest, but in the end I gave up and allowed them to keep it."

[Eonas]

The dwarf smiles vaguely. "Oh... stuff. Cats, insects, my wife, that kind of thing. They talk to me and I talk to them. Just idle chit-chat. It gets awfully lonely here sometimes..." His eyes stray over to a corner of the jailcell and then refocus on the halfling. "But wait, when was this? You talking about Old Rupes and Oranna?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"That's right. This old man and woman have had their baby turned into a zombie. Its filth and squalor plague their home. I told her all she was doing was keeping her infant's soul from living a peaceful existence in the afterlife but she wouldn't listen to me. So I shocked her husband, almost to death."

[Eonas]

"Ha! I always knew that couple was up to..." begins the dwarf. He doesn't get a chance to finish his sentence, however, as outside there suddenly arises a loud commotion. Bells begin to clang cacophonously, and you clearly hear men and women crying variations upon "The orcs! They're coming! They'll be here in minutes!"

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen immediately leaps to his feet and starts unlocking the door.

Take 20 on Disable Device

[Eonas]

The guard leaves his post almost immediately after the news, and Aspen opens the door, two minutes later, to find the village in chaos. Villagers dart hither and thither carrying pitchforks and knives, food and babies. Khug looks like a gnome in a toystore. Grinning, waves goodbye to Aspen and heads in the general direction of the church. The orcs must be very, very close now: Aspen can hear their gutteral shouts near the edge of the village, and the screams of men in pain.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Son of a whore!" Aspen swears, rushing to the edge of town to get a better idea of what was happening. Lux is a huge city, he reasons. Surely they have a guard regiment to match.

[Eonas]

There is no guard regiment from Lux at what is now the battlezone, only about fifty villagers, fighting desperately with at least that many vicious orcs. The orc 'regiment', if it could be called that, is a hideous and heterogenous sight indeed: some are naked and painted head-to-toe with red and black paint, hefting great battleaxes and screaming; some are clad in mail and throw nets; others ride snarling wolves and shoot arrows; still others beat on tamtams and chant. Sigvaldi is there, and the butcher, and his son, the latter two fighting the orcs with almost inhuman ferocity despite the fact that the only weapon among the pair is the butcher's cleaver. The villagers seem frightened: many of their own already lie on the ground, pierced by arrows or bleeding by blade-cuts. These aren't clean deaths: Aspen hears the screams and moans of the wounded. One of the nearby villagers, right shoulder made useless by an arrow, lies on the ground crying for help. Another stumbles about the battlefield, trying to hold his intestines inside his stomach.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen nods. "Time to cut my losses and run then." He sneaks back to the place where his parents are staying and opens the door. "Mom, Dad. We're leaving. Don't ask questions, get your gear and let's get going"

Assuming his parents are still there, they'd listen and the group would head further north, away from the orcs.

[Eonas]

Aspen finds the two huts in which he was staying empty. Several half-eaten breakfasts are overturned on both huts' floors, as if everybody had suddenly made a very quick exit.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen grits his teeth. "Damnit!" He runs outside and starts looking through the city. "Mother! Father!" he calls.

[roll0]

[Eonas]

It takes Aspen a good minute to find his parents in the confusion, who are some distance away, helping the old gnome hobble out of town to escape. Orcs run into town at the same time as Aspen sees the church light on fire: one of them, a diminutive little wolf-riding orc deftly spinning a scimitar around it, seems to be heading directly for the halfling himself.

Initiative check, please!
Orc init: [roll0]
Wolf init: [roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen grits his teeth and draws a dagger, preparing to kill this orc for revenge.

[roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen darts forward and slams the orc with his electrically charged fist.

Attacking with shocking grasp. He's flat-footed, so he's denied Dex, and it's a touch attack. So his AC is 10.
[roll0] (+3 if he's wearing metal armor)
Damage: [roll1] (3d6 electricity +2d6 electricity Sneak Attack)

[Eonas]

The hit stops the orc in its tracks: it gurgles, slouches, and falls off its steed as it leaps towards Aspen, snarling. It misses his neck, however, and lands awkwardly on three feet. The gnome yells, and in a mad frenzy to escape, trips and falls. Aspen's parents immediately stop their running to come and pick him up, and during this time another orc pokes his ugly head into the street, and staring at his dead ally, notches an arrow onto his bow.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen glares. "Oh no, you don't! Gaze into the horrors of the Abyss!" He moves in front of the creature and waves one hand, flashing it with lights to daze and confuse it.

Moving in front of the orc and casting color spray. He needs to make a DC 15 Will save or take the effect based on his HD. Even if he saves, Aspen is still providing all creatures directly behind him soft cover (+4 to AC)

[NeoSeraphi]

The orc falls unconscious and Aspen draws a dagger, standing over him. "I am not a monster like you. Your death will be swift."

Coup'de'grace. Automatic hit and critical: [roll0] damage, plus [roll1] Sneak Attack. Since he's unconscious and not asleep, he won't wake up from this, so Aspen will repeat this action until the orc dies.

[Eonas]

The dagger slices through the orc's neck, and he begins bleeding profusely. As Aspen goes to strikes the orc, he hears his father's scream and a loud, sickening thud. When he turns around, he sees his mother convulsing on the ground, bleeding neck twisted hideously. The wolf is on top of Aspen's father, tearing the flesh off the aged man's face with large teeth, and the gnome is attempting to crawl away from the scene at a pitiably slow speed.

The town as a whole is is beginning to burn now, not just the church. The fight at the edge of it must be ending, as Aspen sees more orcs streaming in, slaughtering, pillaging. Another large, axe-wielding orc whose naked body is covered with cuts and blood runs toward Aspen, probably having noticed his color spray.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen looks down in horror as the wolf kills his parents while he was distracted. "Mother...father...what is going on? Why has this happened? Why....argh...NOOOOOOOOOOO!" He throws his head back and screams angrily, and a power wells up inside him. A strength untapped by his bloodline. The shadowcaster vanishes from sight just as the orc is about to cut him in two, and runs away as quickly as he can.

Using my Hero Point to cast a spell that is one level higher than I am able to cast (invisibility) Then Aspen will take off and head as far in the other direction as he can go. I think it's North? I'm going to head as far North as I can go if the orcs came from the south

[Eonas]

The town burns behind Aspen as he runs, the screams of men and women filling the air. Soon, when Aspen has distanced himself from the town by about a hundred feet, he finds his path converging with that of Illivien and Blade, bloodspattered and running from the town as well.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen dismisses his invisibility. "Illiven! Blade! You're okay!" he exclaims, smiling despite the horrible conditions. His parents might be dead now, but at least he had someone to talk to as he traveled. "I can't believe the orcs caught up with us so fast! We were only in Lux for a day! What the hell is going on here? Illiven, did you see anything?"

[Eonas]

"They're coming, too. All the way back to Lux. Everything is. Lux is dying and everything wants a bite." Illivien says, apparently not even slightly surprised to see Aspen suddenly appear. She wipes her lip and chin, smearing the wet blood there onto the back of her hand, and smiles openly at the halfling. Blade, on her part, keeps tugging at her sister's hand, urging her to continue running.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen thinks about that for a moment. "Lux is...dying?" He looks back at the city as it burns. "The cultural capital of the human world...why would the orcs want to storm it? What are they planning? I need to look into this. But first, we have to get out of here!"

He starts to run, with the two elves able to easily out match his pace if they prefer.

[Eonas]

They don't, in fact, outrun Aspen, although it's clear that Blade would like to.

The road in front of the trio winds from side to side, up and down hills for some few miles before it is finally swallowed up by a thick forest. There's a grazing horse on the edge of the forest; near it are a saddle and stirrups.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen nods and turns to the others. "Alright then, Illiven. Get your sister and get on that horse. You two need to ride ahead as fast as you can and warn the next town to ready their defenses. The orcs are not going to stop in Lux, I can feel it. We need to be ready for them. I'll catch up as soon as I can."

He sighs, rubbing his temples because he knows he's going to regret this. "As for food and lodging...you still have my coinpurse, so go ahead and use my money to keep yourselves safe and fed until I get there."

[Eonas]

The girls get on the horse awkwardly - it's clear that they don't have the foggiest idea how to ride one. Despite their best attempts, the horse appears to refuse to enter the forest: it stops, circles, or trots in any direction but into the woods.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen groans and looks to see if there is a way around the woods, or somehow to take the horse to the next town.

[Eonas]

Merry Slightly-belated Christmas! (Merry Boxing Day?)

There might be, indeed, be an easy way around the woods, but the hills, rolling and tumbling, twist and obscure your sight of the wood's outer edges until you don't know how far you'd have to go to circle round them.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Stupid animal. Alright then, we press on together on foot it seems." Aspen and the elves will rush into the forest head on.

Same to you! Hope you rolled nat 00s on your random loot chart this year!

[Eonas]

I had a wonderful Christmas, but no random loot. Not really much of a gift-giver/-receiver (just not really my thing - I have most of the stuff I need/want and the rest I can just buy), so I asked people to donate to Save a Family Plan on my behalf. How about you?

The woods aren't thick, but they're awkward to traverse due to an unusual number of thorned bushes. The elves walk through it almost carelessly: the thorns cut and scratch their skin, but they - Blade in particular - seem to notice it little.

A minute or two into them, the woods thicken. Insects skitter underfoot - swarms of them. They crawl on the trees, on the branches and thorns, even up your six legs. Then, all around you, you hear the brushes begin to crumple as if by a dozen footsteps, accompanied by the mechanical chirpings of definitively non-diminutive insects. Illivien, already visibly disgusted by the swarms, now looks outright frightened, and turns around to flee.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen grabs Illiven's arm. "Don't be an idiot. There's no where back there to run. If you waste the small head start we were given by the city, then you're already dead. Now let's keep moving."

He is not disturbed or upset by these swarms. Insects are mostly harmless. Orcs are about 1.5% harmless.

[Eonas]

Before Illivien even has the chance to turn back around, four insects enter into view through the trees. Large insects. Insects the size of dogs, red, with long antennae and bulbous black thoraxes, snapping and chittering. Illivien screams and clutches Blade's hand; the latter sister looks utterly impassive.

Roll for initiative!

[NeoSeraphi]

Initiative: [roll0]

Aspen draws his dagger and steps back. "Blade, I hope you're ready to back me up here!"

He steps forward and slices one of the insects in its abdomen, hoping to kill it in one blow.

I hope you haven't given me too much of a challenge here, seeing as there's only 2 of us and there's four of them.
Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

If Aspen wins initiative, the creature is flat-footed. It loses its Dex to AC, and I get a Sneak Attack.
[roll3] bonus damage.

[Eonas]

Aspen's dagger bounces harmlessly off the beetle's exoskeleton. It retaliates with razor-sharp mandibles, slicing Aspen's sword-arm with a snap of its mandibles.
Another insect, a little farther away, scurries until it's almost at Illivien's feet, and delivers a blast of liquid that practically melts the leaves around the sisters. Blade, by deftly leaping aside, manages to avoid the brunt of the blast, but Illivien isn't fast enough: her stomach is burned by the acid, leaving raw, exposed red flesh.

Beetle 1 attack/damage: [roll0] [roll1] So take 4 damage.
Illivien reflex: [roll2] 3 damage
Blade reflex: [roll3] 1 damage.
Breath acid damage: [roll4]
Breath rounds to recharge: [roll5]

New post incoming.

[Eonas]

The pain seems to ground Illivien, for she draws two knives from her coat and simultaneously stabs them both at the beetle at her feet. Ineffectually: again, the beetle's exoskeleton deflects the blade easily. Meanwhile, another insect creeps up behind Blade and leaps up at her. This time, the bite is very effective: it tears a large chunk out of her back... and yet Blade still seems thoroughly unperturbed.

Illivien attack/damage 1 [roll0] [roll1]
Illivien attack/damage 2 [roll2] [roll3]
Insect 3 attack/damage: [roll4] [roll5]

Yikes. A third post incoming, and then it'll be your turn again.

[Eonas]

Then, something unusual occurs to Blade. She grows to a full eight feet in stature, and at first glance seems suddenly to be naked - until Aspen realizes that her body is covered by a multitude of thin strips of flesh, dangling from her actual skin like a bizarre robe. Taking a step to her right, she draws a pair of knives and stands there, smiling. Aspen suddenly notices that she doesn't appear to have any tongue - just two long rows of pearly-white teeth and a gaping hole in between.

The final beetle rushes toward Aspen to attack him beside the other one. It practically tears right through Aspen's neck - as it is, the halfling only comes out with a semi-severe gash in his neck.
Beetle 2 attack/damage: [roll0] [roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

Know (Arcana) or Know (Local) (whichever is more appropriate) to figure out what's going on with Blade: [roll0]

Aspen moves behind the creature that Blade is attacking and flanks with her, stabbing the creature in the back.

Flanking, so +2 to hit.
[roll1]
Damage: [roll2] plus [roll3] Sneak Attack.

[Eonas]

Blade's metamorphosis is likely a shapechanging or alternate form ability of hers.

Aspen's dagger, this time, finds its way through the chinks in the beetle's exoskeleton. A foul-smelling tar-black liquid oozes from its open wound, and it staggers, making a loud hissing noise.

The giant beetle that had first attacked Aspen follows the halfling until it's a little more than five feet away. It spews a cone of acidic liquid at Aspen. He manages to dodge most of it, but a substantial quantity of the liquid still finds and burns into his skin. The beetle beside Illivien, meanwhile, snaps at Illivien's feet, but she jumps out of the pincers' way in the nick of time.

So, in case that wasn't clear, Insect 1 places itself 2 squares away from Aspen before firing.

Insect 1 Breath Weapon Damage: [roll0]
Insect 1 Breath Weapon Recharge: [roll1]
Aspen Reflex save: [roll2] (Correct me if I mess this up.) Success, so you only take 4 damage.
Insect 4 Attack/Damage: [roll3] [roll4]

[NeoSeraphi]

That's all clear, but what's he spraying Aspen with? Acid?

"Illiven! Get a grip! These things can't hurt you unless you cower in fear like that!"

On Aspen's next turn, he will return to a flanking position with Blade and stab the creature they are flanking.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] plus [roll2] Sneak Attack.

[Eonas]

Illivien shakes her head, spins around, takes a few agile steps towards Aspen, and stabs both of her daggers into the wounded insect. Only one of them finds its way into its head, and although it's a fairly glancing blow, the insect reels drunkenly, black blood now pouring from it. Illivien looks up at Aspen and briefly smiles. "I'm gripping."

Yeah, acid.

Illivien attack/damage/SA 1: [roll0] [roll1] [roll2]
Illivien attack/damage/SA 2: [roll3] [roll4] [roll5]

Post incoming.

[Eonas]

The wounded beetle doesn't seem anxious to continue fighting - it winds around the three humanoids' six legs to escape in the bushes before any of you have a chance to attack it.

Blade, with her now unnaturally long arms, knife-slashes the beetle that had attacked Illivien, spraying its blood like a little fountain of black water. Then, she bends towards it. Aspen, even from his imperfect vantage point behind her, sees her jaw unhinge entirely, opening her mouth far wider than a normal mouth should. With a feral growl, she bites into the insect, stands up, still holding it in her maw, and swallows it entirely. Aspen sees her neck, then her stomach, bloat up like a sock containing a mouse.

Insect three - that's the wounded one - Withdraws to 60' away.

Now, Blade's attack routine:
Dagger attack/damage 1 against insect 4: [roll0] [roll1]
Dagger attack/damage 2 against insect 4: [roll2] [roll3]
Bite attack/damage against insect 4: [roll4] [roll5]
Grapple on successful hit: [roll6]

[Eonas]

The other beetle that had been attacking Aspen seems to find the gigantic monstrosity that just ate its ally more of a threat. It scurries around him and bites Blade's leg - she trips and hisses at it, blood pouring profusely from her open wounds.

[Round 2]
Although Aspen's intended target is within Blade's stomach, he has little difficulty flanking the other insect. He easily slides his dagger into its carapace, but it doesn't go deep.

The other beetle takes a few steps to attack Aspen again, this time flanking him along with Aspen's target. It strikes him, deep, in the hip, and Aspen begins to feel consciousness slipping away from him.

Insect 2 Attack/damage: [roll0] [roll1]

Insect 1 Attack/damage: [roll2] [roll3] Yikes! Down to 3 HP, now?

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen growls and leaps behind a tree, giving himself plenty of room between him and the other beetle.

Withdrawing, will hide behind tree: [roll0] Stealth

[Eonas]

Illivien smiles again, steps to the side opposite Aspen, and plants her knives into the creature's abdomen again; it falls onto three feet and staggers drunkenly from side to side, dragging its head along the ground.

Illivien Attack/Damage/SA 1: [roll0] [roll1] [roll2]
Attack/Damage/SA 2: [roll3] [roll4] [roll5]

[Eonas]

Now Blade bends over and retches; bits of the beetle she ate spew from her open mouth onto the grassy floor. Then she plunges both daggers at the remaining beetle: one of them glances off its carapace and the other penetrates it. As it crumples, dead, she attempts to bite a chunk out of the last insect but fails.

Blade dagger attack/damage 1: [roll0] [roll1] (against Beetle 2)
Blade dagger attack/damage 2: [roll2] [roll3] (against Beetle 2 if it's alive, or else Beetle 1)
Blade bite attack/damage: [roll4] [roll5]
Grapple if bite hits: [roll6] Swallow whole: [roll7]

Your turn again. If you want to do something other than withdraw, you're welcome to edit that post. Otherwise, I'll continue.

[Eonas]

The insect desperately counterattacks and rips a large portion of Blade's strips of flesh off her. Blood pours from her stomach down the strips of flesh, and she crumples onto the ground with a groan.

Illivien screams and glances back at Aspen - imploringly, possibly? - and charges to meet the insect head-on. Her desperation matches the insect's, and her dagger penetrates deep into its head. It flails, but continues vigorously snapping its jaws at her.

Insect attack/damage against Blade: [roll0] [roll1]

Illivien attack/damage/SA: [roll2] [roll3] [roll4]

Blade dagger attack/damage 1: [roll5] [roll6]
Blade dagger attack/damage 2: [roll7] [roll8]
Blade bite attack/damage: [roll9] [roll10]
Grapple: [roll11]
Swallow Whole: [roll12]

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen darts out and attempts to finish off any stragglers.

[roll0]
[roll1] plus [roll2]

[Eonas]

Aspen manages to flank the final creature with Illivien - and with a long, deep cutting dagger-stroke, he practically splits its thorax in two. It collapses onto the ground with a final spasm, and out of its rear tumbles a spew of slimy, blackish viscera.

Illivien stares at the carnage, shaking like a leaf. "Blade..." she whispers.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen quickly rushes to the elf woman's side, ignoring modesty for the moment and ripping his clothing to apply bandages to her harmed areas.

Taking 20 on my Heal check for a total of 19.

[Eonas]

Blade bleeds out faster than Aspen's healing can help. Illivien kneels down beside her sister to Aspen, and in the nick of time, Blade suddenly coughs and splutters, shaking. In a few moments, she's shrunk and morphed back to her original form. Looking up at Aspen and Illivien, she smiles strangely, then stands up. Illivien squeezes her sister's hand, obviously very relieved.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen frowns and looks at Blade. "Blade, I know you don't speak, but I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know you're alright, somehow." He looks genuinely worried about her.

[Eonas]

Blade smiles down at Aspen, and Illivien nods. "Yes, she's fine." Delicately, she steps over the insect corpses, shivering and obviously now hyperaware of the insects crawling over her legs. "I think we should rest."

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen nods. "Alright. Lay down and get some sleep. I'll keep watch for now." He places his bedroll right next to Blade's, and sits in it next to her, watching the entrance to the forest, but also checking on her every few minutes.

[Eonas]

The elves lie down gratefully on the woodland floor - Illivien's fatigue seems to overcome her fear of the insects crawling over her - but they only have the chance to rest for about an hour before Aspen hears the brushes around him softly crackling. There's another sound, too: the sound of the earth rumbling, shaking below him. The disturbance wakes both girls: they abruptly sit up, hands on their knives, looking around them.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen glances around, drawing his own dagger, but waiting until he sees if there's any real danger before he starts worrying.

Perception: [roll0]

[Eonas]

Very soon, danger presents itself on two fronts: you see the large, multi-faceted eyes of gigantic insects peering at you through the trees, and you begin to feel the earth below you giving way, bending downwards into a sort of crater, as if you were sitting on a large mattress.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen growls and looks up. "Climb a tree!" he yells to the two girls, helping Blade to her feet before scaling one himself.

Climb [roll0]

[Eonas]

Blade practically vaults up the tree with near-total ease, but Aspen and Illivien aren't so successful: the branches snap as the two try to climb them. The insects scurry towards the pair, jaws snapping, and the ground continues to sink - Aspen can scarcely see the normal 'ground level' now, as the ground beneath him has lowered at least four feet.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen growls and grabs Illiven roughly around her waist, pushing her up the side of the tree and towards Blade.

Aiding another on her Climb check (If I roll at least a 10, Illiven gets +2 on her attempt). Illiven rerolls her Climb check, and hopefully she doesn't have to make it very far before her sister pulls her up.

[roll0]

[Eonas]

Illivien climbs the tree easily, but during the time it takes Aspen to help her up, the beetles have caught up with him. One of them is right at his heels, close enough to bite at him, and two others are right behind it.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen turns around and shocks one of the insects to show he means business.

Shocking grasp here. Again, hoping that mindless creatures will be repelled by the display.
[roll0] (touch)
[roll1] electricity damage

[Eonas]

The insect, frightened, scurries back a good 10 feet, and the others follow suit.

They withdraw.
If you want to try climbing again...
Illivien Aid Another: [roll0]
Blade AA:[roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen attempts to dart up the tree.

Climb: [roll0] (Including the +4 from AA)

[Eonas]

Aspen's attempt is hurried, and despite Illivien and Blade reaching down to grab him, the halfling falls back to the ground, which is, by virtue of the crater-like sinking effect, rapidly becoming more and more like a slope. The insects waver between aggression and fear, edging towards the halfling - clearly, the lightning display still holds some effect upon them, but a rapidly diminishing one.

Illivien Climb AA: [roll0]
Blade Climb AA: [roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen glances back and nods, doing his best to get up the tree again.

Climb: [roll0]

[Eonas]

The insects lunge at Aspen, but he manages to narrowly escape their pincers.

The ground at the bottom of the crater suddenly breaks open, emitting a volcanic spew of white bones high into the air. Not just bones, however: a body also is flung almost to Aspen's eye level. He realizes, suddenly, that the body is Oranna's, deathly pale and writhing in midair like a grotesque puppet. She falls down with the bones back down through the newly created hole at the bottom of the crater.

Aspen hears a voice above him. In a tone both inhuman and gutteral he can hear it say "The earth screams for our flesh. We shall be devoured. ". When he looks up, Aspen realizes that it is Blade's voice.

Well, gulp. That's an astonishing series of bad luck for you. Let's see if karma gives you a break.

Insect 1 attack/damage: [roll0] [roll1]
Insect 2 attack/damage: [roll2] [roll3]

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen manages to nimbly dodge the creature's attacks and does his best to scale up the tree as fast as he can.

Climb: [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen nods. "Time to run, then. You two, try to leap from tree to tree! I can handle a few insect bites!"

He turns around and dashes through the trees, aiming to put as much distance between himself and the maw as possible.

[Eonas]

The bushes and thorns claw and tear at Aspen's skin as you run, preventing him from breaking out into a full spring. One of the insects follows the halfling, faster, and fires a jet of acid through the bushes, burning most of the organic matter in its way.

Behind him Aspen vaguely notices the tree he'd being trying to climb bending over, sinking rapidly. He can't see the elves. Illivien seems to be screaming, but Aspen can't tell for sure - a ringing noise in his ears drowns out most sound.

1: [roll0] [roll1]
2: [roll2] [roll3]

You are one lucky bugger.

Now you need to roll a reflex save, with a +4 bonus for the cover provided by the trees and brushes.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen nimbly jumps through the trees, dodging the insect's acid with ease.

Reflex: [roll0] Evasion, so no damage on a failed save.

He keeps rushing as fast as he can to get to the other side of the forest, ignoring the insects.

[Eonas]

Miraculously, the beetle pursuing Aspen suddenly stops chasing him and begins heading back toward the tree and crater.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen looks up to the trees to see if Blade and Illiven are still moving, before running to escape the forest entirely.

[Eonas]

Aspen doesn't see the twins when he looks back - only trees, plants, and insects being swallowed up by the crater.

How much time exactly Aspen spends picking his way through the thick forest he doesn't know, but when he finally emerges on the other side, skin raw and bleeding from the scratching of innumerable thorns, the sun is a little past its zenith.

Ahead of him yawns a valley, pock-marked with craters like the one Aspen saw, choked with weeds and thornbushes. Beside a tar-black river, there's a village at the bottom of the valley. Aspen thinks he sees people bustling in the village, but it's too far to properly tell. There are other, slightly nearer, things moving; more giant insects perhaps, or perhaps things still stranger. Certainly, they don't seem to be either anthropoid or mammalian.

The strange landscape must be new: the village that was supposed to be here - Elarion - used to be at the bottom of a perfectly normal valley.

[NeoSeraphi]

[roll0]

Aspen winces and pulls himself out of the trees, looking back into the forest. "Illiven! Blade! Where are you? Come on, get out of there!" He raises his hands in preparation, in case any new creatures come out of the forest, but he seeks his companions and will not move on until he has ascertained their fate.

[Eonas]

The buzzing of a nearby gnat swarm - a regular-sized one - is the only answer to Aspen's cry.

So what exactly do you do to seek them out? Wait? Walk around? Go back in?

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen will take his time to climb a tree and start walking through the tree tops, looking for his friends.

Taking 20 on Climb. Then jumping from tree to tree, slowly.

[Eonas]

Aspen climbs through the forest for what seems like hours - navigating the labyrinthine tapestry of branches, if one isn't a flying squirrel, is, after all, slow going, and the presence of rat-sized spiders crawling the branches around Aspen don't do much to inspire confidence.

Finally, upon pulling aside a tuft of branches, the halfling spies both girls in the trees a few yards away. Illivien lies sleeping in the crook of one of the trees, and the hulking, bizarre figure of Blade's metamorphosed form crouches on a thicker tree branch below her, keeping watch. She obviously notices Aspen, but remains silent and motionless, merely staring at him.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen approaches slowly, putting one hand up and looking at her. "Calm down. I care about her just like you do. Not as much, I admit, but I don't want to see her harmed. Now, is she injured? Are you injured?" he asks.

[Eonas]

Blade nods, pointing to a few spots on Illivien's arms and neck that are covered with blood-caked leaves. The latter wakes up suddenly. Seeing Aspen, she says "W-we need to get away. The earth still hungers."

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen nods. "I found the way out. Follow me. Blade, carry your sister. We're leaving."

He leads the two girls out of the forest.

[Eonas]

They follow Aspen, weakly, through the forest. When finally the three emerge, the sun's probably about an hour away from setting. Blade morphs back into her normal, elf form, suddenly seeming small and rather pathetic compared to what she was moments before, and Illivien smiles at Aspen, though without much conviction. "Rest. Please, we need rest." Illivien says.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen nods and tries to find a sheltered area for them to set up camp. Once he has, he rolls out his bedrolls and the group lays down for the night.

[Eonas]

Aspen finds a nearby tangle of vines with remarkably large leaves under which to set up a primitive camp. The elves - and, presumably, Aspen - fall asleep on the bedrolls within minutes.

It's pitch-black outside and the crescent moon is high in the sky when Aspen is woken up by something crawling up his leg, something small and hairy. When he sits up to look at it, he finds that it's a sort of gigantic caterpillar, at least three feet long, with three pairs of mandibles and irised blue eyes that seem far more humanoid than insectile.
You gain the benefits of a full night's rest.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen leaps back from the caterpillar in disgust. "Ugh! Vile creature! I'm sick of all these vermin! Get away from me now, or suffer the consequences!"

[Eonas]

Both girls get up immediately as the caterpillar crawls away, apparently frightened. Illivien stares at it, then at the plant-choked valley, then at Aspen, with a peculiarly emotionless expression. "We feel the earth's hunger. This place is only the beginning." she says. Blade taps her feet impatiently, glancing back at the forest behind the trio.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen nods. He turns directly away from the forest and starts heading in the opposite direction, trying to put as much distance between them and the forest edge.

[Eonas]

The halfling and elves run down into the valley together, past creeping vines and knotted trees that are but black silhouettes against an only slightly lighter sky, tripping on thick roots underfoot. There are other silhouettes at a distance, too: large, uncanny ones, apparently made up of crooked protrusions from mammalian bulks. Around them Aspen and the elves hear the skitterings and chitterings of vermin, the sounds of brushes trampled and passed through by bulky entities, and deep, staccato growling sounds, as if of elephants coughing. Nevertheless, no insectile creatures hinder the trio's progress as they run.

Soon Aspen sees the village's outline looming near. It's too dark and too far away to tell for sure, but he thinks it looks as weed-choked as the rest of the valley. He thinks he hears sounds of activity inside it, human speech even, but it's either low in volume or muted by the insects, the plants, and the night. Illivien pauses. "Should we enter or try to make it out of this place?" she whispers. Blade tugs at Illivien's cloak, but the latter ignores he sister's call to motion. She's obviously very uncomfortable, perhaps even outright frightened, and genuinely seems to want to know Aspen's response.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen cracks his knuckles. "We're going to investigate the area. We need supplies. Our bodies can't flee on adrenaline forever, and the two of you eat like horses. Let's just hope we can find someone weak to rob and get out of here as quickly as possible." He motions for the two girls to follow him and starts to sneak into the village as silently as possible.

[Eonas]

The village, when Aspen and the girls attempt to enter it, proves to be as plant-choked as it seemed. The streets are so dense with flora that they're practically unwalkable, and the houses around Aspen seem almost demolished. In several of these houses - although not all -, sounds of whispering and very low speech can be heard, and further on - where Aspen sees the silhouette of a larger, taller building, he hears children crying and heavy objects thudding against other material.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen groans. "Why did Asmodeus have to give me a conscience?" he mutters to himself. "Come on. Let's go save those kids!" He rushes towards the large building.

[Eonas]

Blade growls in displeasure, but the girls both follow Aspen down to the large building.

It proves to be covered by moss and (perhaps rather predictably) surounded by vegetation. The doorway Aspen sees in front of him is jammed shut, and the swarm of insects covering it fly away when it's abruptly opened by a frightened-looking young man holding a small axe. His cadaverous face is illuminated by a small, dim fireplace in the middle of the building that reveals the presence of others around it. There indeed seems to be three or so crying children there, huddled around something Aspen can't make out.

The man at the entrance holds his axe in front of him defensively. "Who... who are you?" he asks in a hoarse whisper.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen chuckles. "You can put that away. I'm not here to hurt you, and if I was, that flimsy weapon of yours would offer you no protection." He raises one hand and causes sparks to fly out of it for emphasis. "I am Aspen Shadowstep, a former merchant from a small hamlet south of here. The great city of Lux has been overrun by orcs, and the orc tribe continues to rampage north. You and your charges are coming with us, and we will get you safely to the next town. Refuse and I leave you to your death, and possibly to your being devoured by my ravenous friends here."

[Eonas]

The man ushers Aspen and the elves in and shuts the door quickly. The figures around the fire turn around to look at them, and the man whispers "We can't, not now. There are... things up there. They got Saerin, and Jorbes, and... and little Hannur and two of the other youths. They won't let us pass."

One of the figures beside the fire stands up. It's a short, thin figure with a voice that Aspen recognizes as belonging to Khug, the dwarf who'd been locked up with Aspen. "Aspen! You're here with your pet elves? Through the forest, too?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen blinks in surprise. "K-Khug? What in the Nine Hells are you doing here?" he asks, stunned.

[Eonas]

"Set the town on fire and then rode like hell. Had to walk through the trees, of course, almost lost a leg. But all well that ends well. Say, you saw the carnage, right? It's a mess out there. But I'm afraid the guy's right. We really can't go up. " Khug says. Even in the dim firelight, Aspen can see the Dwarf's teeth glint.

The people around the fire watch the newcomers curiously, if impassively. The girls shift uneasily. Something about Blade, especially, seems really tense - Aspen's reminded of her attitude when she was tense back at Oranna's farm.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen frowns. "You said there were...'things', up there? What kinds of things? What did they look like?"

[Eonas]

"Huge, man, huge. They're like grasshoppers standing up, with loads of heads and these tentacle things. And jaws like you wouldn't believe - bit a guy's head clean off this evening!" the dwarf says. He looks genuinely excited about all of this - not even nervous. Illivien, only the other hand, noticeably squirms nervously.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen rolls his eyes. "I'm going to see what this is all about. Blade, Khug, you're welcome to join me. Illiven, stay here."

He starts walking up towards these 'monsters'.

[Eonas]

"You're insane! I like you. But try to survive." Khug says, as Blade follows Aspen back out the door.

As Aspen and Blade go around the building, the large, appendaged silhouettes of mammalian figures stalk them at a relative distance. They haven't gotten far through the village before three of figures approach the duo in a clumsy, yet rapid, loping gait. In the dim light Aspen finally sees their heads up close with some level of clarity.: narrow, mantis-like, with gigantic mandibles and bulbous eyes, planted on log-thin but furry bodies. Their scythe-shaped limbs swing at Aspen and Blade as the creatures advance, tearing up the plants in front of the with remarkable ease.

Blade doesn't wait another moment or for Aspen to make a move; she turns around and flees back to the building.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen ducks backwards and attempts to find some cover to hide behind until the creatures are distracted so he can sneak past them.

Stealth: [roll0]

[Eonas]

The creatures abruptly stop moving: Aspen sees them perfectly still, watchful.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen attempts to slowly move off without attracting their attention.

I can move at half speed without breaking Stealth. Going to keep going towards the kids.

[Eonas]

Aspen manages to crawl back to the building with little difficulty, and presently the creatures' silhouettes begin moving away.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen arrives back at the camp and frowns. "I'm not sure what we can do to save these kids. Khug, do you have any ideas?"

[Eonas]

Khug nods and leans down until his face is inches away from Aspen's. "Damn the children, you know? They can't help us survive. Come daytime I'll set fire to this whole place and run out in the confusion." he whispers.

Blade sits down beside Illivien, who shivers in a corner. The others, the native villagers, don't pay much attention to the newcomers anymore. The mothers hug crying children to their bosoms and the men burn some disgusting-smelling meat over the fireplace.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen sighs, looking at the people. He shakes his head. "This city...is already one leg in the grave. Alright. Illiven, Blade, we're moving on. The faster we get away from this place, the better. Khug, don't destroy anything. Leave them to the orcs. Pillaging what's left of this place should slow them just a little."

[Eonas]

Khug grins. "Hey, no promises."

If Aspen leaves, Illivien and Blade stand up and follow him out the door - and the villagers make little comment about his exit. They're past caring about the survival of any newcomers.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen starts walking north again, heading towards the next city. He staggers as he walks, his facial expression and demeanor an artificial construct at this point. He is not keeping himself together because he has a handle on things, or because he has a plan. He does not move on because he is undisturbed by all he has seen the last few days, but in spite of it. With each step, the sight of Aspen's parents shrieking and howling in pain as they are devoured and killed before his eyes flashes in his mind. Aspen clenches his fist and turns around, glaring at Illiven.

"What are you still doing here, anyway? Do you think I can protect you? Either of you? That's a laugh riot! We set out with a company of fifteen or twenty and now we're down to three! In just a few days! I obviously have no idea what I'm doing, and I don't have the power or wits to keep my own family safe. You're better off going on without me, at least the two of you wouldn't be slowed down by my gait." His nails dig into the flesh in the palm of his hand, and blood starts to seep down his fist.

[Eonas]

Neither Illivien nor Blade answer. Here, in the dark valley, in the weeds, among gigantic insectile creatures, they seem too cautious to speak and too nervous to part ways. Both hold their daggers in front of them, in preparation for combat. When Aspen brushes against Illivien at one point, she's trembling like a leaf.

It's not long before the appendaged, mantis-like monsters assemble before Aspen and the girls again; four of them, hulking and dark. They pause in midmotion, as if waiting, guarding.

[NeoSeraphi]

The halfling narrows his eyes and steps protectively in front of the two girls. "We have no quarrel with you. Get out of our way, and you'd better just flat out run north if you know what's good for you."

[Eonas]

The creatures don't reply, just advance, tearing up the flora before them with powerful strokes of their scythe-like limbs, until they're less than fifteen feet away from the group. Illivien screams and rushes off to the side through a clump of thorn-bushes, hunched-over double, like one avoiding missile fire. Blade unhesitatingly follows her: Aspen sees her begin to enlarge and transform as she runs.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen growls as he glances back and then sighs and rushes back with Illiven and Blade, ducking into the shadows when he can until it's safe to come out.

[Eonas]

The monsters inexorably forge on past the point where the trio were standing a moment ago, allowing Aspen and Blade the chance to lead Illivien, trembling, out of the valley. No other creatures stop them, although by the time they drag themselves out of the valley, clothes and skin shredded, they realize that they're crawling from the waist down with insects. With what sounds like a faint sob, Illivien begins frenetically slapping her legs, and Blade joins her.

It's still dark, but Aspen can still - dimly - see a plain stretched out ahead, dotted with trees.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen sighs and glances with frustration at the elf girl. "Can you worry about that when we're safe? I think the horde of marauding orcs is a much bigger threat to your life than a few insects. Blade, can you carry your sister?" He turns to the plain and points to it. "We're heading this way. We need to put as much distance between ourselves and those pillagers as possible."

[Eonas]

The girls stare at Aspen, then glance at each other. Illivien, speaking for the first time since before they entered the village, says. "You owe us a hell of a lot of sheep."

Then, both break out into a run, just slow enough for Aspen to keep up.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen breaks out laughing as he charges after them. "Trust me, Illiven. If we survive this, I will buy you an entire farm."

[Eonas]

Even in the darkness, Aspen thinks he can see Illivien grin as she runs.

The trio travels over a mostly flat, then gently upwards-sloping road until the first rays of the sun peep out over the horizon. In the new light, Aspen sees an assortment of villages in the distance. Further away, at the top of a great hill, he also sees the tall spires of Lux' famed cathedral to Pelor. There's a small cluster of huts nearby, perhaps 200 feet off of the road, next to an orchard, two large gardens, and several enclosures.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen pants and heads into the village, yelling as loudly as he can, "Abandon your homes! Flee for your lives! A whole tribe of orcs just razed Lux to the ground, and you're next!"

[Eonas]

The huts... are strangely silent. You approach, and hear the buzzing of flies. A middle-aged man, dressed in dirty overalls and farm clothes, but for some reason, wearing what appears to be a gold bracelet, saunters out of one of the buildings. "Did they, now?" he drawls. The flies buzz thickly about him, wreathing him in a sort of swirling black halo.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen steps back in shock. "What the hell...what happened here?" he asks, running to check inside one of the huts.

[Eonas]

The elves follow Aspen into the little village as the man watches the three, chuckling quietly. The first hut, when Aspen opens the door, is better-furnished furnished than a lot of the huts farther from Lux. The furniture is very obviously of better workmanship, for instance.

That isn't the most obvious thing in the hut, however. A young man lies shirtless on the bed, which is bloody and covered with what seems to be a translucent gelatinous liquid. The man's eyes are multifaceted and completely black, like those of a gigantic fly; his skin is chitinous; his limbs are almost laughably thin and spindly - so thin that a baby could easily wrap his little hands around them; and the man's hands and feet are completely absent. In a harsh, chittery voice, he whispers "Kill me... kill me, please."

In an instant, Illivien and Blade both whip out their knives. Illivien staggers backwards, averting her eyes from the monstrosity on the bed.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen stares in shock. "What the hell...who did this to you?" he asks.

[Eonas]

The young man makes a rapid clacking sound with his teeth, and his black multifaceted eyes almost seem to stare at Aspen angrily. "That man... that thing... it killed my sister... and now I'm changing..." he chitters. flailing his spindly limbs around. "Please... please kill me..." he pleads, and unless Aspen stops her, Blade obliges by quickly and efficiently slitting his throat.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen nods and lets Blade end him. He begins to take a look around the hut, for any sign of anything interesting.

[Eonas]

Black blood sprays from the man's neck as the young man screams and chitters, flailing in his death-throes. Blade walks out, leaving Aspen to search in the hut alone.

The hut shows signs of a struggle, with muddled masses of footprints and broken items. Much of the hut is lightly covered in translucent, viscous slime, not unlike that which covers the young men. There's blood, but not much of it; clearly, whoever engaged with the young man clearly wrestled or fistfought with him instead of fighting with blades (this impression is enhanced by the fact that the man doesn't seem to be significantly wounded besides whatever transformation he's undergone). Aspen also realizes, as he looks through the hut, that somebody else lived there: delicate, slender womens' clothes are placed in a chest along with the man's, for instance.

Aspen's search is interrupted by a masculine yell, then a feminine scream outside. When he looks out the door, he sees the strange man lying on his back, straddled by Illivien with a knife at his neck. No halo of flies wreaths him now: instead, Illivien is covered by insects from the midriff down, insects which are rapidly crawling up towards her head. Blade is running out of another hut towards her sister.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen quickly rushes out of the hut as well, and begins to kick and stomp the insects on Illiven's body out.

[Eonas]

Illivien apparently doesn't mind being kicked and stomped on - the insects seem to paralyze her and drive everything else out of mind. Despite Blade's and Aspen's help, however, there are simply too many insects for simple slapping and stomping to cover: the swarm crawls up to her head, and as she screams, begin to crawl into her mouth, nostrils, and ears. She falls off her position straddling the strange man and begins madly hacking and coughing and spitting on all fours on the grassy ground, desperately trying to expel the swarm from her. The strange man, now laughing again, scrambles to his feet and begins to run away. He runs oddly, as if his joints are all dislocated: his legs don't seem to be confined to the same strictures of movement as normal human legs.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen growls and turns to follow the man. "No you don't!" He raises his hand and projects an illusion of a wall in front of the man, preventing his escape.

Casting silent image, the man has to make a DC 15 Will save to disbelieve the wall exists, otherwise he's trapped.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen growls and leaps after the man, catching up to him and shocking him to his core.

Casting shocking grasp: [roll0] vs AC 10 (Touch and Flat-footed)
Damage: [roll1] Electricity, Sneak Attack

[Eonas]

Sorry, I had to leave the computer immediately after rolling in the OOC thread.

The man, not fooled by Aspen's illusion, runs through the wall. Aspen catches up to him and touches him: the man's yelp of pain turns into a sort of metallic-sounding growl mixed with some gutteral words in an ancient, arcane tongue, and he spins around to face Aspen.

As he does so, the man abruptly... erupts: His spine bends and twists until he crawls on all fours. Two short, pincered limbs sprout from his shoulders. A tail, too, with a stinger like a scorpion's. His skin becomes grey and chitinous. His eyes shatter and fracture until they look like jagged parodies of an insect's multifaceted eyes. His teeth become long and needlelike, like a lamprey's.

The man - or monster - hisses at Aspen. Blade transforms as well, growing into her hulking form that's covered with strips of flesh.

Only Illivien remains essentially motionless, heaving and retching on the ground, the swarm still flooding into her.

Aspen: [roll0]
Illivien: [roll1] 3
Blade: [roll2]

ManOrMonster: [roll3]

Illivien delays her action until after Blade's, so you can go now.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aspen gets in another shock attack while he can.

Creatures that haven't acted in combat are considered flat-footed, even if they are aware of the enemy.
So, free Sneak Attack, against AC 10 again.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Eonas]

The creature, this time, does seem shocked to its core. It hisses and snarls at Aspen, shaking like a leaf.

Then it lunges at Aspen. He manages to sidestep its pincers, and its stinger strikes the earth beside his feet. But Aspen isn't quick enough for its wicked teeth, which, as Aspen retreats, slice off a portion of his arm.

Bite attack/damage: [roll0] [roll1]
Pincer 1 attack/damage: [roll2] [roll3]
Pincer 2 attack/damage: [roll4] [roll5]
Sting attack/damage: [roll6] [roll7]
If sting hits, automatic Grapple check: [roll8]

So take 7 damage. New post incoming.

[Eonas]

Blade races towards the monster with an inhuman shiek of rage, whipping out her daggers as she does so. Aspen notices that Illivien, despite her incapacitated state, manages to grin, even make a low, hacking laugh. The monster twists as Blade stabs at it, and her blow glances off the monster's grey skin harmlessly.

And then the last of the swarm finishes crawling into Illivien. Suddenly she stops coughing and retching, but even through the fluffy of combat, Aspen catches her eyes, wide-open with terror and agony. Slowly, very jerkily, she stands up and draws a daggers. She moves as a puppet does, moving one joint after another in an awkward sequence: she looks pathetic, a far shot from her usual grace. In her eyes fear still reigns.

The creature hisses again, and this time barely-discernible words flow from its maw in a husky, very sibilant voice: "You sssee... the Earth purifiesss... firssst tiny little villages... one at a time... but ssssoon... Lux..."

One of the other doors in the village opens, and a long antenna pokes out of it.

Blade attack: [roll0] [roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

The pains of the fight, combined with all the other fights Aspen has had, are too much for him, and he yells for Illiven and Blade to follow him as he runs again.

Taking the full withdraw action, so my first 5' of movement do not provoke an attack of opportunity. And Aspen will run directly for Lux.