The Sisters' Chronicles

[Xihirli]

"Thank you," Alifa said, and found a quiet spot. She put the charcoal and incense she'd just bought in a small brazier.
"I think I understand this world now..." she muttered. "Boots said it responded to her oath. Everyone has magic in them, everyone's a little bit sorcerous. This world's magic is more... emotional. So to pull on the threads... I have to truly want it." She didn't light the brazier. She instead took some webbing out of her pouch and wound it tight into a ball that she stuffed the charcoal in. Slowly, the charcoal collapsed into a spider egg, and out hatched...
"Hello, Peter."
And with her spider on her shoulder, she headed back to the circus and – gently – knocked on Ethrindae's door.

[Valmark]

Ethrindae woke up Boots again, giving her a couple kisses.
"Your sister came" she whispered "It's time to get up, Clephesia"

To mark her words, she released slowly Boots from her embrace as Ethrindae reached for her nightgown. Only after both were presentable she let Alifa in, unsure how intimate the sisters were.

[Xihirli]

Boots rolled off the bed and dressed fairly sadly. "So my Lala... my dad has this spell... that lets him go into people's dreams. If I ever get access to that, do you think we can set something up?"

---

And then Alifa came in. "Boots, your shirt is on backwards."
"Oh." Boots took off her shirt and put it on the right way.
"Hello, Ethrindae. I came to ask... where did you get your acorn? And... do you have another? I can pay for it."

[Valmark]

Ethrindae looked at Alifa, then laughed.
"The workings of destiny are amusing indeed- I assume you can use it?" she asked, walking over to her acorn pendant. She picked it up, retrieved a sealed scroll case, and walked back to Alifa.
"Here" she handed first the scroll case "I compiled what I know about the current Faerie- I hope this'll help you not go in blindly. There is also a payment for your shows- as for the acorn..." she offered her own.

"My sister would have wanted to hand this over to someone who deserves it more. You don't need to pay me- just promise you won't misuse it and will protect your sister with it. And Clephesia... I believe that as long as your power doesn't come from specifically the feys you'll be able to find me"

[Xihirli]

"I... wait, what?" Boots asked. "Do you have something against the fey?"
"What's this about your sister?" Alifa accepted the acorn gratefully. "Thank you, Ethrindae. You've... you've been a wonderful friend."

[Valmark]

Ethrindae looked at them with a pained expression... She went to sit on the bed.
Alifa... Clephesia... Those questions..." she sat on the opposite side from them, almost... Ashamed.
"Alifa... I told you I didn't believe Gary could hold himself back from killing his brother out of love. There is... A reason I didn't. And still think it was just luck. My family... We were all part of the same Circle. I... Think you can guess the rest" there was a little pitter patter sound as a tear, a single one, fell on her knee.
"As for your question, Clephesia... I was a bitter young woman when the corruption consumed my Circle. Faerie is my power, and I've said and done things that... Made me fall out of tune with it. I am... a fallen druid. Using the abilities bestowed upon me by Faerie consumes my life, and if someone was to use powers on me drawn by there it could result in... Undesired side effects" Ethrindae, the Broken Druid, concluded.

Spoiler: Ooc

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Ethrindae is a Circle of the Broken Druid.

A druid is forced into this subclass if they commit blasphemy towards what they stand for, and cannot come back if they are not forgiven.

They retain their previous subclass abilities, but using them hurts- in Ethrindae's case she receives the amount she heals with the Balm in damage.

In addition the Constitution Score is reduced to 8, or reduced by 2 if it's already 8.

If someone who is powered specifically by what the Broken Druid betrayed uses abilities on them, they may work differently.

[Xihirli]

Spoiler: OOC

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Ho-lee ****. That's why she applies healing balm literally all the time.

Boots gasped and sat next to her, offering a hand to hold. "I'm so sorry, Ethrindae. I... I had no idea."
"Neither of our power comes from our fey heritage... or at least, not much of it. Aside from the power of her own conviction, Boots was nursed by our world's goddess of beauty, which gave her a spark of divine power. I have learned to manipulate magic in a few different ways, neither of which draws from my innate faerie nature," Alifa explained.

[Valmark]

"Goddess of beauty? I can see that" Ethrindae offered them a smile- a strained smile, but still one. She took Boots' hand, but not to hold it- she kissed her fingers.
"Do not worry about me, Clephesia- it's been nearly two hundred years. Time may have a different concept for a pure blooded elf, but enough time will still heal a wound- even if my powers never recovered. But that's what I deserve for failing, you need not to waste your light on me- Alifa, if you can protect yourself and your sister with that pendant... That's all I could hope for what remains of the sister I couldn't protect"

[Xihirli]

Boots kissed her. Right on the lips. "It's not wasted," she whispered, and then went with Alifa outside.
"To Faerie?"
"To faerie."

Spoiler: OOC

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I'm gonna have them head for the Queen who replaced the one that they were supposed to go to.

[Valmark]

With a last farewell, Ethrindae bid them goodbye.

On Tilly, the Crossing was still a good three days away- not having a time limit to race against, the sister made their way with leisure, keeping a good pace (which, for an elk, was nearly double the pace of the people on foot) and also enjoying their country path. Due to Boots they weren't exactly sneaky and often saw birds rise up in the sky, flying away from the two travelers.

It was in the afternoon, heading towards the evening, that the sisters noticed what seemed to be very big birds rise from the trees of the forest they were in and turn towards them- it did not take long for them to realize that big birds flying straight at the two (three with Tilly) on a road that had been said being the target of attacks on part of harpies could only be, indeed, harpies. From afar they could make out one of the first village they knew to be on the way to the crossing, smoke rising up in amusing twist.

Spoiler: Ooc

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Harpy attack! If you wish to reach the village and dodge them I will need an Athletics from the Elk- failing by too much will mean being overtaken.

Otherwise Initiative probably makes sense.

The smoke from the village doesn't seem to be the kind of smoke that comes out of arsonism, btw.

It seemed to be a relatively small group, but maybe there were more hidden.

[Xihirli]

With the advance warning, Boots gave Alifa a kiss on the forehead.

Spoiler: OOC

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Guidance to Alifa for INITIATIVE!

[Valmark]

As the birds came into view they were, indeed, harpies. Powerfully built winged women with monstrous grimaces holding in one clawed feet knives, clubs and other crude equipment.

Spoiler: Ooc

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Initiatives

Harpies (4d20)[1][8][5][17](31)+1 each.

[Xihirli]

"So they can fly, huh?" Boots lifted her acorn and sprouting from it, a pterodactylus ready to fight.
"Ooh, does he have a name?"
"No."
"Well, he’s a dinosaur, so how about Tyrannosaurus Sex?"
"He’s not a Tyrannosaurus OR a Dinosaur."
"Pretty cool name though, right?"
Alifa got off of the elk.

---

Boots blew kisses to Alifa and T. Sex, then rode Tilly closer to danger.

Spoiler: OOC

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Summon Beast, Bless.

[Valmark]

The harpies flew closer, not quite near enough to use their weapons- they kept their height and started singing, their voices sounding weirdly... Strained? As if they hadn't drunk a whole lot.

Spoiler: Ooc

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Harpies are within 20 feet of the melee ones, but are high in the skies so Boots cannot sword them.

[Xihirli]

Boots donned her shield, something she had not had reasy while holding her sister.

---

Alifa, meanwhile, moved in closer and tried hitting the furthest away one she could get to.

T. Sex flew up to attack the same harpie.

Spoiler: Eldritch Bleest

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(1d20+5)[7] + (1d4)[2]: (1d10+3)[5]

T. Sex has Flyby Attack, so can go straight to Alifa’s target.
(1d20+5)[19]+(1d4)[2]; (1d8+6)[14]

[Valmark]

The harpy shriked in pain, having been cut down a size by T.Sex's beak- the revenge was fast and painful, club and claw tearing into the summon while two more flew down to feel Boots' softness out.

Now that she could get a better look at them Boots noticed something- these harpies were emaciated, reminding her a bit of how those krenshars they fought looked.

Spoiler: Ooc

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Two harpies attack T.Sex for 7, 5 and 5 slashing/bludgeoning damage, which should mean its still alive.

That means it gets an attack of opportunity on one of the two harpies who descend on Boots- one of them scores a 20 to hit for 5 bludgeoning damage.

Meanwhile three more harpies suddenly emerged from the trees, around a hundred feet behind the melee combatants... They were a good thirty feet straight above Alifa, circling around ready to plunge.

[Xihirli]

Boots laughed off the glancing blow and responded with a glancing blow of her own to the harpie that T. Sex had pecked on its way down.

"T. Sex! Get out of there!" Alifa shouted. She aimed a beam at the most injured harpie and moved away from the three new harpies coming for her.

T. Sex, after pecking one of the harpies going for Boots, pecked the one it had gotten once before and then started flying away from the melee, staying low but flying a full 50 feet perpendicular to Boots and Alifa.

Spoiler: Amage

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T. Sex does 11 and 12 respectively on opp. Attack and action peck.

Boots hits the harpie T. Sex opportunitied for 11 total, 7 of it radiant.

Alifa does an okay 8 force damage to the most injured harpie she can hit and moves away from her three – toward Alifa and T. Sex, if possible.

[Valmark]

Alifa's beam pierced through a wing that had been torn apart twice by T.Sex, sending the harpy rocketing towards the ground and breaking her neck on impact with the soil.

The other harpy joined the ones against Boots- but having seen that Boots was tough, they started clawing at her elk.

HA! I can just come back! Sucks to b- hey that was one of my two favorite eyes! Tilly said in Boots' mind before her head was caved in with a maul, vanishing in a bunch of angered shrieks and sending Boots tumbling on the ground. Two more harpies started wailing on her.

The three went after Alifa, singing to her ineffectively.

Spoiler: Ooc

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Tilly is cut into twice, taking 13 damage and vanishing.

Boots is hit twice by a 20 to hit, taking a total of 10 damage.

Alifa makes her saves, the harpies are 20 feet from her now close to the ground.

Boots is Prone, 70 feet away from Alifa and 90 feet away from those chasing her- T.Sex is 60 feet away from Boots, 30 from Alifa, 50 feet away from the harpies chasing Alifa.

[Xihirli]

Boots struggled to her feet and swung her sword into the most injured harpie she could aim at. Alifa followed up with a blast at the same one and T. Sex joined the focus fire, flying back to peck the harpie to death.

[Valmark]

"ENOUGH!" Came a call as Boots and Alifa blew up an harpy, T.Sex pecking another one. Another harpy, a good deal taller then the other with plumes all over her body and two wing-like appendages at the head came flying down between the sisters, tapping down and looking at them.

She had yellow eyes, and tingled Boots' senses very faintly.

"There is plenty to eat but it's sealed behind protections... Travelers. I smell food on you. Give it up and be on your way" the Harpy Queen commanded.

Spoiler: Ooc

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The harpies will not attack this turn, although the three chasing Alifa will close in on her.

The Queen is exactly in between them.

Initiative for her since combat could keep going (1d20+4)[20]

[Xihirli]

"Are you kidding? So you can all attack the next people who come by?"
"Hold up, Alifa. Why are you all so hungry?" Boots asked. "Is there no food in the forest?"

[Valmark]

The Harpy Queen smiled sweetly to Boots.
How considerate of you. Plenty of food, but we haven't fallen so low that we'd stoop down to consuming beast meat- we used to take mountain barbarians, we won't accept rabbits and deers" there was a collective sigh and many licked their lips thinking about those they used to eat up "But we were forced out of our homes by the Screaming, so this will have to do. If you didn't wear that ugly piece of plank your voluptuous body and us would have a very different conversation- we're hungry but that doesn't mean losing our strenght against well armored foes. We can survive once on gifted food" her eyes traveled up and down Boots' body, sneering at her ironwood armor, looking a mixture of sleazily looking at a whore and hungrily looking at a piece of meat.

Spoiler: Ooc

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Would you look at that, Chaotic Evil monstrosities.

Oh by the way in case you missed it, Boots is picking up corruption from the Queen. Very faint, so what she's saying is likely something she truly thinks rather then being induced.

[Xihirli]

"So... can-but-won't be nice. Got it." Boots lifted her sword again. "I have a counter-proposal. Any harpies that don't want to die have the next two seconds to fly away."

Spoiler: OOC

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I think we could win this, but it would be easier if a lot of the front line harpies who realize that even if they win, they'll die before then get outta here. Intimitation! (1d20+5)[14]

[Valmark]

The harpies looked spooked, but there was an irate screech from the Harpy Queen.

"I will show special care to any who tries running after I've swallowed that one's entrails" she gestured at Boots.

Spoiler: Ooc

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You're fairly sure the harpies are too scared of their Queen to run away from you. Getting sworded to death is apparently a better outcome then what she would do to them.

Aaaaand back to fighting- Queen didn't roll high enough to beat Boots and Alifa, so it's all you.

[Xihirli]

"Suits me fine," Boots said, and swung.

Spoiler: OOC

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Boots will do another round of focus fire on the injured. If the focus fire target is dead, T. Sex will go for the Harpie Queen. Alifa will actually cast Mirror Image..... no, she has plenty of hp and T. Sex is almost gone already. She'll summon a new one... though she actually doesn't have a saving throw cantrip. Hm... no, join the focus fire with disadvantage their AC is 11.

Boots! (1d20+5)[19]+(1d4)[4];(1d8+3)[8]+(2d8)[12] SMITE
Alifa! (1d20+5)[10]/(1d20+5)[16]+(1d4)[1]; (1d10+3)[7]
T. SEX IN THE HOUSE! (1d20+5)[7]+(1d4)[3]; (1d8+6)[7]

[Xihirli]

Alifa, unafraid of the harpies, kept shooting, though she aimed for the ones around her.

[Valmark]

Boots' blade burned bright and sank through an harpy's spine, pulling back with a schwick sound as the monstrosity crumbled to the ground. The other harpy was by now looking terrified, but a glare from the Queen kept her trying to get past Boots' defenses- quite uselessly.

Alifa turned around to the harpies that were on top of her and put and point-blank blew an harpy's stomach open- the harpy looked in pain, but screeched and smacked Alifa in the face with her maul even while the houri dodged the blows of the other two harpies.

Meanwhile T.Sex flew up to the Queen's face and beaked her, ripping a few plumes off her shoulder- the Queen laughed.
The sisters heard hoot hoot.

"Got you"

One of the Queen's eyes burst open, blood splurting over Alifa's pterodactylus, and an arrow shimmered into visibility lodged inside the Queen's eye socket, at the same time an high elf clad in black armor did so as well, a few feet away from the Queen and T.Sex.

"I WILL KEEP YOU ALIVE WHILE I EAT YOUR LIMBS PIECE BY PIECE!" the Queen grabbed the pterodactylus and with an angry screech tore the wounded spiritual beast in half, vanishing as she advanced and thrusted her claws within the newcomer's guts- then she twisted them inside the wound.

The elf didn't flinch.
"Idiotic. I'm superior in speed and stealth and your cronies will be too distracted by the other two prospective meals for you to control them enough to hunt me down in numbers- my win is not assured, but my loss has zero percent chance of happening"

"WHAT!?"

"Ignorance is bliss. Conjurer, might I burden you and ask for a meat shield to hinder her advance and offer me a window to strike?" the high elf looked at Alifa.

Spoiler: Ooc

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Boots smited an harpy into oblivion. One harpy left.

Alifa hurt one harpy, then was hit for 3 damage. 21 to hit, Shield can't stop it.

T.Sex got killed after beaking the Queen, who proceed to target ??? missing her on the first attack and hitting for 10 damage on the second.

The Queen herself received 29 damage from the combined efforts of T.Sex and ???.

???'s initiative (1d20+3)[16]

[Xihirli]

"Oh my goddess, we can talk after, right!?" Boots asked, looking in love. But she had a harpie in front of her and it was time for it to die.

Alifa nodded and lifted the golden acorn. From its core came forth a monkey leaping into the air and jumping at the Harpie Queen, pummeling into her with its fists and whooping as it punched.

"Ooooh does this one have a name!?" Boots called.
"Yes!" Alifa said insistently. "His name is Wukong."
"I like it! We'll call him Wuks!"

Spoiler: ROLLZ

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Boots! (1d20+5)[12]+(1d4)[1]; (1d8+3)[7] and (2d8)[8] SMITE!
As a bonus action she will recover a spell slot with 2 SP.

Alifa! Summon!
WUKS! CLOSE IN FOR THE KILL! (1d20+5)[21]; (1d8+6)[7]

[Valmark]

Even while the monkey slammed into the Queen she ripped out a piece of meat from the elf, who winced, and snacked on it with a satisfied hum.
"Tasty"

"Much obliged" the elf told Alifa, and unsheated a slender rapier with a low hummmm sound- she buried the rapier into the Queen's knee and quick-stepped back, a claw swiping within an inch of her face.

The harpy on Boots kept trying to attack her even as the smite brought her down a notch- the houri could see the terror in the harpy's eyes.

The other ones though were making a much better job with Alifa, claw and maul hitting her time and time again.

Spoiler: Ooc

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The harpy fighting Boots took 15 damage, now bloodied.

Alifa was hit with 21, 21 and 22 for 5, 5 and 2 damage each time.

??? took 13 damage for a total damage of 23, and looks heavily wounded though unconcerned. After Booming Blading her face she Cunning Disengaged and backed away 30 feet.

The Queen is now at 49 damage received and is bloodied.

[Xihirli]

Boots swung into the harpie and, not even paying attention to if she hit, ran after her sister.

Alifa focused on herself, knowing that keeping Wuks out was the most important thing she could do right now. She tried to keep eyes on on all of her attackers.

Wuks went bananas, howling and slamming its fists into the harpy queen again.

Spoiler: OOC

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Boots! Kill it and get to your sister! (1d20+5)[7]+(1d4)[4]; (1d8+3)[8] SMITE (2d8)[7]
Alifa! Dodge!
WUKS! KILL! (1d20+5)[10]; (1d8+6)[10]