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  1. - Top - End - #1
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    Default The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Everything's a blur in Shiver's head. She vaguely remembers leaving Svardborg on an important mission given to her by her clan's Jarl, Storvald. A glimpse of reaching the mainland... somewhere. Travelling with a destination in mind, searching for a... stone? Meeting someone. Then nothing. Missing time.

    Senses only slowly return. An instinctive check reveals she is still feeling all her limbs and fingers. No pain of injury. No bindings. That's good. More feeling and wakefulness slip back into her body. Feeling quite warm, wrapped in blankets. The presence of someone else. Soft light. Muffled light wind.

    Finally opening her eyes, her eyelids feel heavy, vision slowly steadying. Thirst hits her hard. Head aching. Her body is wracked by what at first feels like the aftereffects of a night that overdid it on alcohol, wrestling, and pleasures, like some mornings after particularly successful raids, but it feels way worse and lacks the memory of fun that was had to make it worth it. No, above all, Shiver feels weak. Her strength, her health, even some of her confidence, for the lack of a better word, diminished. Gaps in her mental and physical memory that she knows once contained much of her skill and presence.

    "Oh! Oh gods!" Shiver hears a pleasant, youthful, feminine voice, full of surprise. Someone scoots over to her, a beautiful human face with nearly radiant green eyes and full blonde mane appearing against the backdrop of the tent's ceiling, looking down at Shiver first with searching worry, then relief. "Finally awake! Knew things would work out if I kept at it!" she cheerfully says, most likely to herself, before quickly becoming visibly flustered as she remembers Shiver can actually hear her now. "Oh, uh, gods, you must be thirsty, hold on-" Reaching over for something, Shiver sees the rest of the young woman. Not an athletic warrior like the giantess, far from it. But exceptionally beautiful nonetheless, blessed with full curves clad in what appears to be a translucent blue dress (seemingly made from the ethereal stuff of magic), with a simple black shirt and skirt beneath.

    The woman grabs a waterskin, shakes it, finds it sounds empty, and snips her fingers, causing a stream of water to appear just above the opening, gliding smoothly into the waterskin until it is full. "Here, drink, please," she offers to Shiver, placing the opening of the waterskin at her lips while lifting her head a little. A soothing feeling spreads from the hand holding her, making her head hurt less and less. With a blush on her face and seemingly having trouble looking at Shiver for too long, she also quietly adds. "Also, uhm, don't be alarmed about your clothes. I had to clean them because they were soaked and I had to check you for injuries. Th-they're over there."

    And unless humans have learned to become quite big, it appears Shiver is stuck at human size, something that has not happened since her adolescent life. And either this woman is a marvelous actor who recognized Shiver as a frost giantess and decided to not mention it, or she is utterly oblivious to her true nature.

    Link to the OOC
    Last edited by Ridai; 2021-09-15 at 06:33 AM.

  2. - Top - End - #2
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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Shiver tries to press herself up to at least her elbows but the spinning and pain make her rethink the idea.
    Where am I and how did you find me?
    And who are you?

    Keeping the woman talking should cover Shiver's attempts to shift her body back to its proper size as she surreptitously goes through the routines that always work
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Shiver trying to suddenly sit up takes the woman by surprise, same with the blanket slipping a little lower, deepening her blush.

    "We're by the road leading to the town of Nightstone," she answers, then after a beat adding "Between Deepwater and Daggerford." because many people probably do not know a small town off the beaten path like that.

    "You were lying by the side of the road when I came by, all cold and pale. I couldn't just leave you there, so I put up my tent and have been trying to warm you up and, well..." She gestures with a glowing hand, while also looking for the right words. "trying to cure you of whatever knocked you unconscious. Honestly, I was getting worried I might not be able to do anything for you, since it has been a full day."

    Remembering that she had not introduced herself, the woman slaps her forehead. "Where are my manners. I go be Sėle," (she pronounces it as Shee-leh) "though people reading my name also call me See-le or Sile." (the latter sounding like it rhymes with file) Sėle shrugs. "You are free to pick whatever, I don't mind. I travel around, helping out. I've been a maid, a mage apprentice, I helped out adventurers, Sune and Sharess' priestesses had me dabbling as a matchmaker and courtesan," Sėle coughs a little sheepishly, leading to a beat of awkward silence.

    "So... what's your name? And how are you feeling?" Shiver is having an effect on Sėle, but she seems genuinely interested in/concerned about her wellbeing.

    As Sėle tries to answer the questions and rattles through her bout of nervousness, Shiver draws on her gift. She can still feel it, however... nothing happens. Her size does not increase at all, like her being cannot support it in her weakened state. While her strength does not seem to want to return, Sėle tending to Shiver at least is making the world not spin around Shiver and her head no longer feeling three sizes too large anymore.

  4. - Top - End - #4
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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    My name is Slissht, in the language of my...people, it means Shiver, most people find that easier to say.

    She pauses

    what you doing is helping...a bit...but my strength is still not there.

    She checks to see if her sword and gold are still there

    there was no indication of who attacked me
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Shiver's weapon and gold are close-by (in easy reach of Shiver), along with her clothes, which have been neatly folded. Shiver gets the feeling all of her belongings received a round of cleaning and mending, all of them also arranged in such a way that is quite visually satisfying.

    "That's a very pretty name," Sėle answers, unable to suppress a smile. Hearing Shiver talk about her condition, the young woman reaches out (pausing briefly to check if Shiver allows it) and places her hand on Shiver's chest, just below the neck, seemingly looking for something through her touch. Her brow furrows from a combination of concentration and what she finds.

    "You are good to go, but... I am afraid I can't make your strength return. Whoever did this and whatever they did to you... what was there is just... gone. I'm sorry." If Shiver allows, Sėle places a hand on her shoulder.

    "Still, bodies, minds, and souls can be surprisingly resilient. They often still remember what was once there, and they just might be able to return to it in time. Perhaps even quicker than before."

    Smiling encouragingly, she adds "Would you like to accompany me to Nightstone? It is the closest settlement and I've been on the way there anyway. A hearty tankard and a good night's sleep in a proper bed might do wonders to get your bearings."

    Hearing about Nightstone, something in Shiver's memories stirs about the place. Something about the namesake of the village.

  6. - Top - End - #6
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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Ale and a bed often help things although Shiver has found that in her smaller capacity her appetite for beverage is not diminished but her tolerance is and something about the name stirs a memory, hopefully seeing it will do more. Lead on
    Shiver dresses and buckles up
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Sėle grins at the mention of memory stirring. "All the more reason."

    She gives Shiver space as she dresses, heading out of the warm tent and waiting there. Once stepping outside, Shiver feels a cool breeze on her skin, seeing the grass and trees of the warmer parts of the Savage Frontier near the coast. A simple dirt road, if one well-travelled, winds itself from west to east. Sėle turns to Shiver, a deep blush quickly returning to her face as she needs to look up at her newfound companion, as the warrior woman stands nearly a foot taller. Shiver knows the look, having been desired by many in her life, especially among the small folk (from the perspective of giants), awe-struck by the giantess' beauty, presence, and physicality. To Sėle's credit, Shiver sees neither the lecherous look many men direct towards her, nor that of intense envy many women regarded her with. Composing herself quickly, Sėle clears her throat as she stops herself from staring, and instead kicks one of the tent pegs, causing the tent to collapse into a small, nicely rolled up pack for Sėle to pick up. Other than the tent, her clothes (including her ethereal blue dress), and a simple carrying bag, Sėle doesn't appear to carry any notable belongings that stand out to an experienced raider, such as jewelry or magic items. She seemingly doesn't mind the cool air, despite not being dressed for the weather.

    Now that she thinks about it, Shiver is pretty sure the tent was smaller on the outside than the inside suggested.

    "Anyway, it's not far, just down the road," Sėle says, pointing down the road to the east, which winds itself through a copse. "I hear the inn is renowned for its food and guest rooms. Somethign about being a popular nobles' retreat."

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

    It is an undisturbed walk to Nightstone, no one passing them, no beasts bothering them. The sun is approaching noontime as they come across an unusual sight as they pass through the copse. In a bend of the road, a waggon lies tipped over against an incline beside the road. One side of the waggon looks like it has been crushed, part of the waggon's wall and two of its wheels either caved in or practically ripped out. The contents of the waggon strewn about. Some ripped open or emptied, some just discarded. Shiver sees signs of combat. Blood splashes on the waggon's side, many footprints on the ground, but no bodies. By her estimation, this happened perhaps a day or two ago. Either the owners of the waggon escaped or they were dragged away. The attack doesn't look very organized or disciplined to her. Goblins are a likely suspect. Backed up by an ogre, perhaps.

    "What happened here?" Sėle wonders, approaching the waggon, doing a brief sweep of the site. She quickly confirms Shiver's suspicions as she examines the tracks, which apparently lead roughly the way they are going (if not exactly walking down the road, rather heading through the trees), but the tracks are hard to make out any further due to a recent rainfall and all the undergrowth.

    "Huh," Sėle says, retrieving something from the scattered wares. A small bundle, its contents just some herbs, but that is not what she draws Shiver's attention to. On the bundle is a familiar symbol of a winged serpent pointing downwards, its maw opened toward a sphere. "I heard rumors the Zhentarim are up to something in the region. But what are they doing here?" She furrows her brow as she looks at the bundle again, before tossing it away. Nothing much she can do about the waggon.

    Shiver remembers the Zhentarim, also known as the Black Network. A widespread network of mercenaries, often in the business of protecting caravans, establishments, people, you name it. Publically, they have a reputation of being dependable, good-natured helpers. Shiver vaguely remembers one of them having come to Svardborg, speaking with the jarl. If that is not evidence towards a more nefarious true nature of the ominously nicknamed Black Network, she does not know what is.

    As they want to continue, Sėle seems to wind up for a sneeze. When it finally comes, there is a brief blur about the young woman... and in the next moment, a very handsome young man with flowing hair is standing there, wearing a loose black shirt and skirt, if with an ethereal blue vest instead of a dress now. "Ah, this again," Sėle notes with evident familiarity and some annoyance, his voice as pleasant as his previous female one. Glancing to Shiver, he feels the need to explain. "Stars were feeling especially spicy when I was born, so I got wild magic in my blood. It's mostly harmless to others, don't worry, but, well," he gestures to himself. "this happens from time to time. Might change back soon, maybe not, maybe partially." It sounds like he can't do much about it. Male Sėle seems to try avoiding staring at Shiver even more than in his female form.

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

    It does not take long to arrive at Nightstone. Shiver hears the distant, unceasing ringing of a temple bell and spots a motte-and-bailey castle standing in a river (which also conveniently serves as a natural moat), the drawbridge leading into the bailey currently down. The bailey is surrounded by a palisade wall, a temple bell tower peeks up from behind it. So far, so normal. However, something is wrong.

    "There it is. Nightstone." Sėle introduces the town as they approach with a sweeping gesture, but he too notes something being off. The bridge leading from the bailey up to the castle on the motte seems to be lacking its middle section, having been broken by something. The castle shows signs of damage, one corner looking like it has been crushed, though most of the structure is still standing. As they reach the drawbridge, they see a chaos of old footprints in front of it. Seemingly mostly human feet coming out of the town and running somewhere north. Looking across the drawbridge and into the town, they see large boulders, easily a meter in diameter, having buried themselves into the dirt streets, one house having been partially crushed by one of them.

    "What in the hells happened here?" Sėle asks no one in particular.

    The bell of the temple right beside the town gate still rings ceaselessly.

    Spoiler: OOC
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    Feel free to interject at any point of the above.

  8. - Top - End - #8
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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Being used to such transformations for her own part, the change of Sile doesnt put Shiver off like it would someone else. Hard to say something when in the next 10 minutes it could happen to her....and since she has the power, it only makes sense that someone else would too.

    The city has clearly been attacked, and the perpetrators may still be inside. Being careful, Shiver draws her sword, and then looks to the drawbridge to see if enough of the middle is still intact to venture across with ease...and if so, she moves into the city.
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Shiver is neither better or worse at reading others than most people, however she still recognizes Sėle stopping for a brief moment when she (or rather, he, currently) notices Shiver treating the transformation as nothing negative. If she had to guess, this does not happen often, and consequently, Sėle seems more at ease around the (incognito) giantess. She catches part of a grateful smile as he turns away to lead the way, and to his credit, it is something that would make the hearts of a fair share of women beat faster.

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

    The drawbridge of the town of Nightstone is still intact, the heavy chains leading up to the twin watchtowers on each side. Sėle follows right beside Shiver. To her left (north) as she steps through the gate is the temple, ceaselessly ringing its bell, the noise so loud that it could potentially even cover the noise of combat, at least in its close vicinity. Shiver sees depictions of deities in the designs of the stained glass windows, and while her knowledge of the deities of the small folk is limited, the motifs of dawn in one window and forests in the other most likely point to good deities. Glimpses of a cemetary are seen behind the temple.

    To her right (south and southeast), Shiver sees simple town residences constructed from wood, with steeped, shingled roofs. Part of one of the nearby residences has been crushed by one of the boulders, more having embedded themselves in the bordering garden where wheat is growing. Beyond the nearby residences, Shiver sees a windmill on a small hill, a few more homes (some of them seemingly also damaged by boulders) and a gap in the palisade in the far south leading to the bridge up to the castle.

    Ahead of her (east), boulders have embedded themselves in the mud road, and just past the temple is the town square. As they approach, Shiver sees more boulders, but curiously also a large hole in the middle of the town square, like something large once stood there and was simply ripped from the ground (her foggy memory stirs a little at this). On the northern edge of the town square is a two-storey building with a sign identifying it as the Nightstone Inn, with the distant back corner visible from where Shiver is standing having been crushed open by a boulder. On the eastern far side of the square is a simple stable house with a large hole in its roof.

    As she moves carefully with Sėle at her side, Shiver notices something peculiar. Ever since Sėle has been leading her to Nightstone, her senses seem... sharper, picking up on more things than usual. This leads to two discoveries:

    1) Having first-hand experience in being able to throw boulders normally fit for large-scale siege engines of the small folk, she notices something odd about the boulders. Or rather, their impact sites. If they were thrown by a large creature of a siege engine, she would expect them to impact at an angle, and here or there carve a short path through the mud or strike further into a building. But all boulders seem to have slammed straight down, like they were dropped from on high.

    2) Not yet having stepped onto the town square, Shiver spots two swolen looking canines tearing open the corpse of a dog in the northeastern corner of the town square. With a certain distaste, she identifies them as worgs. Creatures usually kept by goblinoids such as orcs and, well, goblins, who in turn often serve hill giants out of fear of a very large stick (or being sat on. Or eaten). And lo and behold, due to her sharpened senses and Sėle quietly drawing her attention to it as well, Shiver spots two goblins chasing chickens in a backyard beyond the northeastern corner of the town square. By her combat intuition, Shiver feels it would be unlikely for the goblins to notice a fight in the town square due to the bell's noise, their distraction, and the obstructed view.

    The worgs have not discovered the pair yet, too busy hungrily feeding on the dog's carcass. A good 60 feet of distance lies between Shiver and the worgs. Sėle looks to Shiver, wordlessly checking how she wishes to proceed. He is unarmed, but his arms are raised, ready. Either he is confident in his hand-to-hand abilities, or his weapon of choice is magic of some form.

    Spoiler: OOC
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    Here is an overhead map of the place. Shiver and Sėle are currently just to the west of the town square with the hole in the middle.

    The sharpened senses that Shiver is experiencing are a special ability of Sėle. While she is within 15ft of Shiver, Sėle can share the ranks of one skill with Shiver. Currently this is done with Spot, and Shiver currently effectively has six ranks of Spot. Sėle can freely change what skill she/he wants to share, but she needs a full-round action to change it, and must remain within 15ft of Shiver for it to remain in effect.

  10. - Top - End - #10
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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Normally a charge from Shiver would include a whoop and holler, but in this case she is aiming for as much stealth as possible. She charges out with blade drawn, aiming to decapitate a worg

    Spoiler: Rolls
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    not sure if I get an attack on that distance, so added just in case
    (1d20+7)[14] attack & [roll]2-12+6[/roll] damage
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Spoiler: Damage
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    (2d6+6)[14] damage
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Running across the town square, Shiver carves into the nearest worg, drawing blood and doing grievous harm to the red-eyed beast, but it remains standing. A globe of acid slams into the other beast, courtesy of Sėle who is trailing behind the charging Shiver. The giantess is able to hear the growls, but even at her distance they are muffled by the endless bell ringing, which is starting to beg the question who keeps ringing it and why. The beasts snatch at Shiver, both catching flesh for a total of 13 damage, and much to Shiver's surprise and Sėle's horror, they pull the warrior woman to the ground. Not long ago, a measly worg being a threat to Shiver would have been inconceivable, even her mere skin too tough for such creatures, to say nothing of their chance of success to trip the giantess, or their chance to survive even a single strike of the giantess.

    In the distance, the goblins remain oblivious, still chasing chicken, and the chicken appear to be feisty.

    (Shiver was able to charge at the worgs. It is now Shiver's turn, and she has 38/51 HP. She is prone. Worgs are flanking her. Sėle is now 30ft away.)

    (Also, I am as surprised as you most likely are that the two worgs hit, and also managed to trip Shiver)
    Last edited by Ridai; 2021-08-17 at 03:07 PM.

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Enraged that a mere worg was able to pull her down, Shiver stands with a bellow and strikes again.

    (my understanding is that standing is a move equivalent, and so I ca still take a strike)

    Spoiler: OOC
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    (1d20+7)[9] attack & (2d6+6)[13] damage
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    The worgs, having tasted blood, snatch at Shiver as she rises, biting deeper and dealing a total of 13 damage, but not pulling her down the ground again. The swing at one of the worgs is shaky, Shiver can tell, seeing the creature react to it. However, the next instant is a flurry of activity, as silvery streaks race through the air, one unerringly striking the worg behind Shiver, one the one in front of her, courtesy of Sėle. Pinpricks for these angry piles of muscle and sinew, Shiver knows, but they serve a different purpose than attempting to bring down the beasts. Having crossed the distance, Sėle puts the beast in front of Shiver into a pincer situation, the worg whipping around to snatch at the young human, who is doing motions as if to cast another bit of attack magic.

    The reorientation and the threat of another attack by this other human leaves the worg so wide open that Shiver is able to cease the opportunity and, using her immense strength, cleave the beast in half.

    The other worg tries to bite Shiver once more, but her natural grace and finally finding her feet in her weakened state allow her to easily step around the attack. The beast growls at her, but her display of violence and her sudden agility are putting fear into it as she towers over it with blood on her blade.

    In a split-second, Shiver's combat intuition tell her a normal flanking maneuver would not have been enough to connect with the worg, and the second spellcasting attempt after the silvery missiles by Sėle was a fake-out. There are mighty warriors like her who possess immense strength and prowess to fell their foes. And then there are those who excel at creating opportunities for warriors like Shiver to capitalize on. Sėle falls into the latter category and Shiver is sure she never met someone as able to rip open someone's defense as her companion.

    Sėle himself seems to be entirely occupied by simply trying to help Shiver, increasingly alarmed by the harm done to her, then astounded by her ability to fell the worg adn weather what would have felled many a man and woman, then impressed by her simply avoiding the remaining wounded beast. Clearly, he has never witnessed anyone like Shiver.

    (Shiver is at 25/51 HP. Shiver's turn. One wounded worg next to her. Sėle is 10ft away from Shiver, on the opposite of the giantess compared to the worg.)

    Spoiler: OOC
    Show
    Yes, standing up is a move action, which also provokes AoOs. The worgs failed their strength checks when they hit Shiver with them. The regular attack of the remaining dog missed by a lot.

    Having shown the gamut of Sėle's abilities, he/she is a gestalt character, with Sorcerer on one side, and a skillful class with bard-like divine casting on the other. Sėle flanked the worg and used a limited resource to Aid Another Shiver on her attack against the worg as a swift action. Due to another class feature, whenever Sėle flanks an enemy with Shiver, both gain +4 to attacks from the flanking, and Sėle's Aid Another gives a +4 bonus, pushing Shiver's attack roll past the worg's AC with the total +8 bonus.

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Beginning to find her feet but still not entirely satisfied with her performance, Shiver brings her massive blade down in a huge chop to end the remaining worg.

    Spoiler: OOC
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    (1d20+15)[30] attack & (2d6+6)[13] damage
    assuming the bonuses of the last post still apply
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Sėle is unable to cross the distance to get all the way around to flank the worg, but is soon by Shiver's side, providing a distraction for the mighty warrior to capitalize on. But even without it, the beast's fate would have been sealed, as it is caved in by the enchanted sword.

    The threat of the worgs is gone. No goblins appear to have noticed the fight, the bell still ringing.

    Without further ado, Sėle puts his hands on Shiver's forearm. Pain slowly begins to receed as the giantess feels her wounds close. It takes a minute or two until Shiver has fully recovered, her body suffused by a pleasant feeling. Once done, Sėle has to take a few deep breaths, looking like what he did took a fair bit out of him.

    "Those should be the only worgs here. I did not see any more tracks, outside of goblin ones. And we might be dealing with a dozen of them, scattered through the town." He speaks up just enough to be heard by Shiver right next to him. Two worgs in her current state were a challenge (much to her chagrin), but goblins surely are less so, unless encountered in sufficient numbers. Cowardly creatures, they may just run once a fight does not go in their favor... and get backup.

    (Out of combat. Shiver has been fully healed. So far, they have not been discovered.)

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Do you have some way, through your magic, to either get us up to that bell to see whats going on...or at least see the bell room?
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Sėle shakes his head. "My magic has not developed that far. I had not met the right person yet to go that far." Shiver's understanding of magic is lacking, but if this is true, then Sėle has a particular and rare talent for healing.

    Shiver's companion looks to the every-ringing belltower of the temple. "Climbing is an option. Or we could simply enter the temple. I did not see anyone in the main hall through the windows." The front door is facing them and appears slightly ajar. Looking at the tower, Shiver judges it a challenging climb, but hardly an impossible one, and it would most likely earn her a greater element of surprise.

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Once again, Shiver wishes she was in her giantess form, that would render the climb a joke, handholds impossible for a human to use in combo would be a cinch for her. But even without, she is still a pretty good climber and suddenly coming over the ramparts would be a horrible surprise for her foes.

    Spoiler: Climb
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    (1d20+12)[20]
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    "Good fortunes," Sėle wishes as Shiver begins her climb. Having neither Shiver's vertical reach nor her strength, he stays on the ground. Indeed it is a non-trivial climb, but the miniaturized giantess quickly pulls herself up the side of the temple and onto the roof, from there heading over to the belltower and climbing up there. The sound of the bell is defining now that she is right beside it, though thankfully it isn't large enough to cause damage to her hearing immediately. Climbing into the tower, she gets a look down and sees two goblins swinging on the rope of the bell, seeming to have quite a bit of fun. What little she sees of the room beyond the steeple they are in looks like they rummaged through everything and probably emptied at least one mattress' contents onto the floor.

    (If Shiver wants to make an action entrance by sliding down the rope and attacking, she can.)

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    It would be even more terrifying if she were giant-sized, but Shiver is still bigger than any puny goblin and makes quite an appearance as she slides half the way on the rope, only to let go and make a huge sweep with her blade, aiming to bisect one goblin

    Spoiler: ooc
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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    In this case, her smaller size is a boon to Shiver, as she fits into the narrow tower this way. There is a sudden loud and harsh ring as Shiver's added weight locks the bell to one side. Rushing down the rope, Shiver sees the goblins lose their grip on the rope from the sudden downward motion combined with the surprise of someone attacking them from above, spilling the small creatures to the steeple's floor. With her usual grace, Shiver lands and swipes, adjusting just enough to cleave through one of the goblins and into the other, ending both of them.

    Finally, the bell falls silent, though the ringing in Shiver's ears may stick around for a moment.

    Looking around, the backroom is a mess, as the goblins rummaged through everything and emptied out the mattress of the bed in the corner of the room. Chests for holding clothes had their contents thrown on the ground, littering it with priestly vestment and various personal belongings of the local priest. In the steeple are two bags, seemingly what the goblins looted from the village thus far, a cursory check revealing blocks of incense, a silver holy symbol of Mielikki shaped like a unicorn's head, empty vials, a wooden "poor box" with a collection of copper and silver coins in it, and various knick-knacks.

    Soon, Sėle enters the backroom, seeing Shiver's handywork and her total lack of injury, once again driving home this is no ordinary warrior. "They never saw it coming, did they?" he comments, unable to suppress a smile. "Temple hall's clear. I saw the goblins start converging on the temple once the bell clanged and stopped. They'll be here any moment now."

    With the ringing in her ears slowly growing quieter, Shiver soon begins to hear muffled voices of the crude goblin tongue, slowly coming closer to the temple. Sėle considers for a moment, then places his hands on Shiver's forearm. That wonderful warm feeling returns, but this time not knitting close wounds, but rather wreathing her in a protective aura. Something rarely felt, the last time by one of the rare frost giant priestesses of Hiatea, one of the three female giant deities next to the All-Father and the gods of each kind of giant. Hiatea is the greatest of the three, as a goddess of nature, hunting, and giant women and children, with her younger sisters Iallanis (lesser goddess of love, mercy, and beauty) and Diancastra (demigoddess of trickery, mischief, and fertility) lesser in power and barely worshipped amongst most frost giants due to their violent, might-makes-right society.

    "I... thought it might help. You are powerful, but they are many. And they... go for beautiful women first." Sėle looks and sounds like he has seen this happen in the past. Shiver has no trouble sensing her companion does not doubt her ability to fight and win at all. But if he can still help in some small way, he very much wants to.

    (Shiver can ready herself for the goblins entering the temple wherever and however she wants, meet them outside, or do something else entirely. Sėle cast shield of faith on her for +2 deflection AC.)

    Spoiler: OOC
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    So, the attack roll looks bad. However, as they are swinging, they are not wearing their shields. They are surprised, and Shiver sliding down the rope knocks them prone, so her attack just barely manages to hit. Also, what Shiver attempted was awesome, and I support awesome.

    As for why both goblins died, it is something I might do from time to time, especially when encountering many weak creatures. Shiver did so much damage that enough was left over after reducing the first goblin to 0 HP that she could kill the second, so the leftover damage was applied to it. One reason is to help her deal with larger groups, and to underline just how freaking powerful Shiver is, especially once she gets bigger again (where it would feel very silly for the giantess with her huge sword having to pick off one little goblin at a time instead of sweeping through them). In a solo game, I have no problem with doing this. Should Shiver pick up the Cleave feats at some point, those will also work with this.

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    There may be many, that just means more of them to fall. But make sure to try and take one of them alive so we can get some answers. With that, Shiver grabs her blade double handed, flexes as best she, and starts to move towards the sounds
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Sėle chuckles, acknowledging with a two finger salute. "That's the spirit."

    Striding out of the temple, Sėle close behind, Shiver once more steps out onto the town square. A haphazard mob of a dozen goblins is closing in on the building, with most coming from the southeast. The reaction is immediate, seeing Shiver with her bloodied weapon, she does not need to understand their crude tongue to know what they are shouting is equally aggressive and lecherous, at least from the male majority of the group. The women mostly grin with malice towards her. If she had to guess, the currently male Sėle is promised a violent death as well.

    From the north, out of sight of the other goblins, comes a female goblin, apparently having stopped dragging a bag that looks much too heavy for her (still lying at the caved-in back corner of the inn), and when she sees the two, her eyes go wide, followed by a grin, which seems to be soured by what the other goblins are screaming at them. From the corner of her eye, Shiver sees the goblin beckon towards them. Or, at the very least, Sėle. "Queeck, here come, preetty man," she, for the lack of a better word, practically stage-whispers with a heavy accent. Sėle seems to be able to roll with the bizarre situation and stark contrast between that one goblin and the bloodthirsty rest, wordlessly letting Shiver know who the one survivor most likely will be.

    (Shiver's turn. Most of the goblins are in one group with no clear leader, with 2-3 scattered a bit to the sides. The female goblin is within a move action and not anywhere near the others, and seems to make no attempt to join in what they are planning. The main group can be reached with a move action, the outliers can be charged at. I treat Shiver and Sėle as pretty much acting in grouped initiative, so Sėle's turn may happen before or after Shiver's turn, depending on what is more beneficial/fun, and as an abstraction of their sense of teamwork.)

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Shiver is not normally a religious person, paying only minimal service to the gods but in a case like this, she really wishes one of them would choose to suddenly reverse her affliction...becoming a giant right in front of them would be a sight to see. But for now, she settles for a huge roar and a big swinging strike, hopefully taking out more than one or at least bisecting a few in spectacular and demoralizing fashion

    Spoiler: ooc
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    (1d20+7)[26] attack & (2d6+6)[12] damage
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    confirmation
    Spoiler: ooc
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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Shiver is faintly aware of Sėle answering the lone goblin, who seems to become positively giddy. But such things are far from her mind right now, as she storms into battle before the overconfident horde can act. The mighty shout takes them aback. Sėle's melodious voice chants a spell, creating a shimmer on the muddy ground below some of the creatures, causing them to slip. The very next moment, Shiver is amidst the goblins, forward foot stopping her motion dead, transferring all her speed and weight into her arms, and with a mighty swing, the giantess carves through the ranks in front of her. Five goblins have their bodies torn apart, remains sent scattered to the floor in a short-lived wave.

    Their numbers suddenly halved, the goblins begin to realize they made a terrible mistake, looking in terror towards Shiver and her blood-and-gore-dripping giant blade, while Sėle is awestruck as he positions himself to make the feeble goblin attempts to surround the mighty warrior fruitless. Three of the remaining six goblins desperately try to crawl away, but keep slipping on the magically slickened mud, making a mess of themselves. The remaining three are the outliers, who are still processing, feebly throwing their crude javelins at the giantess, but all of them fail to hit her or penetrate her skin even a little bit. They are too dumbstruck to also run away at this moment.

    The gods may not have given her back her giantess form, but somewhere, Hiatea is smiling down at the impressive display.

    (Shiver's turn. Sėle casts grease and literally all four targeted goblins failed their saves, falling prone. One of them was at the front and between that and being caught flatfooted from having lost initiative, it was enough to just confirm Shiver's crit, once again landing on the exact number needed. This is, once again, without me fudging any numbers, so I am honestly pretty happy with Sėle as Shiver's support. The confirmed crit dealt enough damage to kill five goblins at once, which were all that could reasonably be in Shiver's melee range. And I greatly enjoyed said crit and decisive action, especially in this very moment.)

    (Three goblins are within 5-10ft of her, prone on the floor due to the grease spell. The other three are within a move action of Shiver, two on one side, one on the opposite.)

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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Mewling toads, prepare to meet your goblin god In another world, Shiver would be taking a golf swing at 3 heads on the floor, all thats missing is the shout of fore. Her rage is now plain for all to see. She counts on Sile to keep the goblin woman occupied

    Spoiler: OOC
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    confirm
    Spoiler: OOC
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    (2d6+8)[18] damage which didnt roll
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    Default Re: The Thrice-Blessed IC

    Shiver cleaves a curved line through the muddy, slickened ground and cuts the cries short with one stroke. Off with their heads. Finally, this seems to be enough to finally send the remaining goblins into a screaming panic, dropping their held weapons and running away out the open town gate. For the first time, the town of Nightstone is silent, except for the occasional breeze.

    Heading over to Sėle, Shiver sees the goblin woman cackle gleefully at the misfortune of the other goblins. Having stomped her share of the creatures as a giant, most of the time, scattered survivors either fled in panic, tried to beg for their lives, or acted like rabid cornered animals. This one seems to be defective in regards to how she does not seem to care at all about the rest of her tribe, and the peculiar fact that this one looks like a freak of nature in the rare positive way. The goblin woman when examined more closely more resembles a halfling with red eyes and floppy ears (well, the teeth are still looking rather pointy), rather than the ugly, beady-eyed creatures lying dead in the mud.

    "Best day theez eez!" the goblin shouts, tiny fists raised high and laughing. Sėle, looking to Shiver, clearly cannot claim to understand what is going on right now, but he seems to get the gist of it and, well, might as well enjoy it for now, chuckling.

    "Amazing work. To be honest, that was more one-sided than I expected, but I am glad I was proven wrong." Once again, Sėle can't hide just being impressed with the giantess.

    "Yes-yes! You deedz heear them call you, yes?" the goblin grins up to Shiver who is towering over her, even without her giant size. "Murder Mare!" making it sound like a genuinely scary and ominous title despite the choice of words. She laughs again (at the dead and fleeing goblins, not Shiver).

    "I guess some things get lost in translation, but it is the thought that counts?" Clearly not the only one new to this particular cultural exchange, but Sėle seems bemused by the general situation.


    As the adrenaline subsides in Shiver, a new clarity comes to her for a moment, feeling like she has cast off some of the tiredness and weakness that have been hounding her. The glorious feel of battle, even if she just stomped a few goblins, is making forgotten things stir. It is like there is a voice, just beyond the edge of hearing. Memories about this place and why she came here trying to emerge once more, but not managing it yet, the haze in her head and body still too suffocating. But there is a rush. And with it, new strength. Peculiarly, in this moment, she feels Sėle's presence, and this rush extending to him as well, feeling a connection of sorts, much to his surprise as well.

    "What just-" he wonders as the rush disappears as soon as it came. He looks confused for a moment, then looks at his hand, producing a momentary glow. "The wild magic is stirring. Hm." He looks back to Shiver and she could swear she sees a momentary blush when he does so. Come to think of it, he seems a little more attractive as well.

    Looking back and forth between them, the goblin woman chimes in. "No-no! Murder Mare took gobber heads already! Preetty man's Teeka's!" And she wraps her arms around Sėle's thigh for further emphasis, defiantly looking up at Shiver.

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