A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Approach to Yesterhill

"My vengeance is eternal, but it does not require your sacrifice. It is my burden to bear, and the burden of all who have sworn an oath of allegiance to the Order of the Silver Dragon. Once I am satisfied that no more will gather for this dark ceremony upon Yesterhill, I must strike!"

The revenant held up his hand and tightened into a fist, shaking with barely contained fury. The tiny dots of red gleaming from within his eye sockets flashed with hatred.

"As for your oaths, so long as my vengeance is not delayed, I may aid you with them. I know of the mountain sanctuary, and of Tsolenka Pass. Argynvost was always concerned with guarding that pass, before the arrival of Strahd, to ensure that people did not wander up the mountain. I personally have guarded the great bridge over the chasm that leads to Mount Ghakis. It has become a dangerous road in the many years since. Wildfolk, goblyns, and giantkin roam to the south, magic wards guard the pass, and there is a beast which hunts when the mist is at its thickest. My vengeance does not lie that way however, and have not traveled it much in a long time."

The Revenant listened to Rovana's plan and nodded his skeletal visage.

"Be warned. The trees are filled with necrotic energy. A hatred like that which boils inside of me also infects them. I will follow behind your group, and provide a distraction for your quest, as it seems you are no friend of Strahd and will work to disrupt the wishes of his followers."

Damia took out her deck of Tarroka cards, shuffled it, and drew a card. It was a picture of a woman holding out a hand over a sickly looking man with three needles poking into his forehead.

"The Healer." Damia murmured to herself, her eyes closed as though in the midst of troubled thoughts. "Hmm... Vallaki did not exactly go according to plan. If we try to speak with them, we will most certainly be drawn into the center of their crowd and outnumbered. We would be taking a great risk."

"My name was Sir Aran Morladevic. As to your plan, if all goes well and I am not in need of ressurrection in a random corpse once more, I may accompany you to recover the head of the silver dragon. Such might bring anger and sorrow to the followers of Strahd. I shall wait at the bottom of the hill and begin my ascent when or if your bird gains my attention. Know however, that if I should be approached by an enemy, my wroth shall not wait another moment."

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Captain Rovana
Guard of the southern hills

"Wildfolk goblins... giantkin.. can you tell any more about these wards or that.. beast there?" Rovana grinned. This was valuable information. She still planned to go to the pass to find the dragons skull but ever since the .. incident.. with Wachter she rather prepared for problems in advance, not just a plan for herself.

"Very well then, sounds good enough.. So we should avoid a mass of people. Whilest we could rush up the hills with the horses..." Rovana theorized. "We'd indubitably be noticed and I doubt that a druid couldn't bewitch a horse. So Damia, I.. Neku, if you trust yourself to move silently, will make our way up the hill, even if we have to deal with a few trees with a mind of their own along the way, better than to get a group of corrupted druids' attention. Jowai, Sir Morladevic, We shall alert you if there is need to confront these wild men, until then, keep watch of the horses, fight only stragglers if they come close.
First we try to sneak, then we try to talk, fighting a larger number with Sir Morladevic protecting our retreat the least desireable." Rovana decided, dismounting whilest listening to the skeletal knight and sending Joe up high into the air to get a better look. Before she headed out she mused, looking at Damia. "Perhaps we could use these cards to help guide us about another thing or two I wondered about.."

With that, Rovana dismounted from her horse, nodding to the undead and her companions, dropping into a low, secretive stand as her gentle footsteps barely rustled a leaf on the ground, making her way cautiously to ascend the Yesterhill. Meanwhile, Joe would first fly ahead to warn her of potential gatherings of people ahead, then, once they were located fall behind her, in case there was need to quickly call for reinforcements, while the pirate thought.. Geeesh, I'm being all tactical. Wheres the sabre-rattling of old.. oh well, lets get this over with and if all goes well, perhaps I can move to recover the skull even before Lady Ludmilla awakens and comes to meet me.. She looked up to the sky.. it was hard to gauge the time of day with this permanent cloudyness, but Tsolenka pass didn't sound like something she wished to rush to all too unpreparedly. Plus, theres a shadow-issue still to deal with.

Spoiler

Stealth check:
Roll(1d20)+8:
13,+8
Total:21

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Yester Hill

Sir Morladevic tilted his skull backward slightly as he seemed to recall a shadowed reflection of a past life.

"There is a gateway in the edge of a mountain, protected by a spell of unnatural fire. As I stood before this gateway, the weather had turned into a blinding blizzard, heralding the coming of the beast. A great shadow from the air and the beating of wings, and then a terrible, swift pain took me. Torn in half in an instant, my body fell from the cliff side, and I knew naught more, until my spirit rose from the graves of Barovia once more. The road to the mountain's peak is well-guarded, as it should be. There is evil upon that mountain that man was not meant to know."

Neku smirked at this and held back a derisive laugh.

"And yet man was more than likely the cause of those evils, I would wager," the starry eyed mystic said.

"The origin matters not. The Order was founded to protect the evil from getting out. When Strahd conquered us, we failed in that protection. It is little surprise that the dark prince uncovered it, and in finding it, resolved to never share that power." The revenant seemed incensed once again by the idea of Strahd, his red eyes burning like the dying embers of a fire.

---

The party decided upon Rovana's plan, and the undead followed behind the living as they proceeded to trot inexorably towards Yesterhill. After about half a mile, the southern branch of the road instead became little more than a muddy trail, meandering through the woods until eventually the trees parted to reveal a mist-shrouded meadow. Here the path split, with one trail leading west into a small valley while the other fork continued south into the dark woods. A wooden signpost pointed to the west and read "Vineyard."

"Shame we couldn't get some booze," Jowai said.

"The Wizard of Wines Vineyard," Damia pointed out. "The only vineyard in Barovia. I have a distinct feeling that they have seen better days. We had best continue however."

---

The trail through the dark woods leads on for another two miles before arriving at a hill covered with dead grass and cairns of black rock. Dark, ominous clouds gathered high above, and a single bolt of lightning strikes the hilltop. West of the hill, the land, the woods, and the sky vanish behind a towering wall of fog.

Neku and Damia followed behind Rovana while Sir Aran and Jowai remained back with the horses. The half-orc didn't seem pleased about being left behind with an undead, but he didn't go so far as to voice his displeasure openly, as that might have indicated the warrior were afraid of the skeletal warrior. Sir Aran, for his part, was eerily silent, staring at the top of the hill to where the lightning had struck.

Rovana led the way up the hill, where the trail split again, either heading directly up the hill or off to either side as two concentric rings wound their way around the hillside in front of a double row of encircling cairns. Each of these cairns was a ten-foot-high mound of slimy black rock.

As they reached the second row, the pirate captain felt a slight tingling sensation at the two puncture wounds in her neck, and a faint call upon the wind. A whisper from Ludmilla could be heard in the pirate's mind.

"It is near, my love. Let it call to you... as it called to me."

Rovana felt whoozy and in a daze as the voice of her vampiric lover echoed in her mind, yet after a moment she was able to right herself, and now she felt a slight tugging, as if there were a something calling her on. A new disembodied speaker could now be heard.

"Long have I waited for her to come. The one who was meant to rule these mountains from the early days of the Whispering Wall. I feel her presence in your veins. Approach, so that the dark queen may quench my spear's thirst for blood."

The tugging feeling would guide Rovana away onto the circling path towards the western side of the hill, drawing her near to the towering wall of mist and fog that could not be seen through.

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Captain Rovana
Guard of the southern hills

"Lovely, and I need to travel up that hill." Rovana bemoaned, still quite certain the dragons skull was found there. Well, the other alternative would be using the teleporter, but likely it was one way.

"Heh, Neku has a good point. Anyway, Strahd is someone I can without shame say I can't challenge.. yet, so hack away from the snake by the tail first." She left out the part of the 'tail' being played by a handsome vampiress.

"Trust me, the wine isn't all too impressive me hearty. Maybe if we could get you a barrel you might have something to gain from it." She bemoaned with Jowai. "This is this lands real curse, no one knows how to make a proper spirit." Rovana complained, carefully leading her horse along by the reins. "Misty again. Well that wont hold me." Rovana grinned, still having faith in her blades ability to part the mists.

Rovana continued her way in .. mostly cautious silence, until suddenly she felt a whispering.. on the wind? Touching her neck she hesitated, a slight blushing on her slightly paled cheeks.

"Hold on.." she said, half hushedly, changing direction with the feeling of something .. guiding, tugging on her.. "This way.." She approached the fog wall, following the tugging. Just what is going on here? She wondered... "I can only guess what you are talking about, but if my dark lady belongs to anyone other than herself, it be me. I'll give her back the pride and freedom Strahd stole in his greed and no one will stop me." She reached to grip her sword, taking a bold step towards and into the towering fog.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Yester Hill

The path wound around the hillside, still a good 50 feet away from the base of the wall of fog. Staring up at the fog, the pirate captain could see a vision through the mist, as though there were a city in the distance beyond it, about a mile away perhaps. A great white fortress stood above the city, and the sound of a church bell tolled solemnly in the distance.

"Not that way. Behind you." the voice told her, and the tugging took her away from the image beyond the mists, spinning her around to see instead another vision.

Suddenly Rovana felt the world shift around her, and she was on Yester Hill, but now she was alone, without Damia or Neku beside her. On the path in front of her stood a familiar looking mortal woman dressed only in a revealing garment of animal hide undewear held together by cords of leather and sinew. Parts of her dark skin were covered in white tribal paint.

Spoiler

Ludmilla stood before three savage looking men in loin cloths wielding crude axes and spears. In her own hand, a darkwood spear with a gleaming metal head was grasped. When she twirled it in front of her, there was a dark red hue that shadowed the movement of the spearhead, suggesting a magical nature to the spear.

"I have undergone the right of challenge. The bloodspear of Kavan has chosen me to wield it." Ludmilla said. "The blood of the Mountain King is within me. Kneel to me and abandon your false god, Strahd."

The three men growled, looked at each other, then howled like animals.

"No! You are a usurping witch! You grew up soft, hiding behind your walls. You will never be one of us. Not even with the bloodspear! Strahd has conquered. Strahd rules the mountain! Die, witch!"

The three men charged Ludmilla. There was a flurry as Ludmilla spun her weapon, using it expertly as she brought one man low. Then, with horror, Rovana saw one man slash Ludmilla deeply into her gut with a critical blow that looked lethal. Ludmilla screeched, but in a rage she plunged the spear into her attacker, impaling him through the heart. The bloodspear glowed red, and rivulets of the man's blood streamed down the shaft before absorbing into Ludmilla's hand. The terrible wound in Ludmilla's side closed swiftly, enabling her to twirl and block the last attacker's strike. Then she kicked the man's leg out from under him, spun her spear until its point faced downward, and brought it straight down onto his chest. More blood streamed upward along the spear, disappearing into Ludmilla's hands, and the wound on her side fully closed.

---

The world shifted and Ludmilla disappeared. In her place, Neku and Damia were staring with concern at Rovana.

"Rovana! Captain?" Damia hissed, trying to get the pirate to respond. The tugging meanwhile brought Rovana forward until she was standing in front of a particular cairn of slimy, piled black rock.

"Take me to her." The disembodied voice spoke once again.

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Captain Rovana
Upon Yester hill

"Huh. Seeing things.. perhaps there was more to the vineyard than I thought and I haven't even drunken.." Rovana mused at the vision, certainly, there couldn't be such a city here.

When Rovana turned around once more she felt disoriented, commenting with an.. "Ugh.. what the.. Ludmilla? No, not quite.. was that you long ago? My queen.. Kavan? what? Am I seeing things?" Rovana remarked. Was this.. the past? Ludmilla hadn't struck her as one of the wildfolk, though, thinking about it, she had lived in Strahds castle for two centuries before. Something about imagining Ludmilla as wild caught an interest of Rovanas that was only dispersed with the worry of seeing her lover impaled in the vision.. only to heal?

"It takes their blood.. Huh." Rovana suddenly opened her eyes from.. her dream? Then, reached out, ignoring Damia and Neku mostly, reaching out to touch the rocks.

"Hold on.. Below here." The pirate grinned widely suddenly. "Obviously no point in taking it along when facing a creature without blood. As good a place as any to hide it. Rather impromptu, reminds me of myself." Rovana grinned, plunging her hands below the rocks, searching through them, gripping and pulling out if she found a spear hidden below.

"One more hole in Strahds sails." She remarked, grinning slightly. "We should avoid meeting the wild folk still, but the trip was already worth it.. either that or I'm going crazy. Now to take the trees sap." She grinned at her two companions.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Yester Hill

The stones were displaced as Rovana frantically began to dig. Neku soon joined her, pulling stones away and tossing them to the side. Damia did not do this however.

"Disturbing a grave. Not something that my people do," she whispered.

After a half minute of heavy lifting, Rovana found what she sought. A spear, just like that she had seen the vision of Ludmilla wielding, lay there beneath the rocks. Despite what must have been easily more than a century of resting beneath the rocks, the spear looked in excellent condition. More proof that it was not an ordinary weapon. However, in the pirate's hands, it didn't seem particularly special.

"Only the chosen one shall wield my power," the voice said. Perhaps this was the voice of the one known as Kavan. "My bloodline has grown weak and unworthy. The warrior knight known may not be my direct descendant, but her soul is worthy. Take my weapon to her, so that she may restore my warrior's legacy, and it might restore her freedom by a warrior's path."

With that, the spear went silent and Rovana was left holding the unusual and non-piratey weapon.

"Strange. I suppose it's no use asking how you knew that would be there. This land is strange. Watching you just now, it was as if you were possessed." Neku said.

The three of them moved on, going back to the path and traveling up to the top of the hill, where they saw a strange sight. The first thing that struck Rovana was that despite what Sir Aran had said, no druids or wild folk were visible. The second thing that struck her, was that a copse of large, but mostly dead looking trees was visible at the far end of the hill's plateau, doubtlessly the place where the sap was to be found.

The third, and most striking thing, was between her and the trees... Atop the hill was a wide ring of black boulders and smaller rocks that collectively formed a makeshift wall enclosing a field of dead grass. Lightning struck the edge of the ring from time to time, illuminating a ghastly, fifty-foot-tall statue made of tightly woven twigs and packed with black earth. The statue resembles a towering, cloaked man with fangs - all too familiar to Rovana, who recognised the effigy of the dark lord of Castle Ravenloft.

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Captain Rovana
Upon Yester hill

"This is no grave, but made to look like something only the insane would disturb.. smart. And even so, I've been in a grave myself.. arguably more than once now, I have the right." She claimed, towards Damia, grinning and examining the spear, once it had been retrieved. She contained an urge to triumphantly lift it over her head and shout out in determination. She didn't care if she had to turn her beloved into a tribal warrior, a sexy wild beast-woman, a noble, or a vampire-slime to free her, she would free her from the wicked vampires influence! She nodded to herself, gripping the spear tightly.

"And if this was a grave, rather than hiding place for a spear then of someone who took something that didn't belong.. not that thats questionable, but by law, that makes them like a pirate.. and thus under my command lest a better captain be found.. not like any of us can use it yet... the path of the warrior. Heh, and here I was hoping I was the one with secretively thin blood.. oh, sorry, excuse me, just listening to the voices of the blood spear, which I assure you, is not as concerning as it sounds at first.. I got no clue how to use a spear beyond the basics. 'tis far too heavy for an ordinary boarding pike this one." Rovana chuckled, briefly brushing the muck away from the spear before slipping the pointy pole behind her backpack, if possible. For a moment she looked down to her own blade.. an old, well crafted weapon that had found its way to her, that she could wield, just like Ludmilla could the spear. But then again, the reason for that was Molly, or Dagon, or coincidence, despite her recently expanding horizon she still didn't believe herself anyone special enough to wield such a sword by her own power. Ironic, at first she had convinced herself she was, then, her dellusions shattered by the harsh, deadly reality of Ravenloft, now.. she wasn't trying to be someone special for her own sake, but for the sake of the woman that had made her feel so helpless, yet so good.. loved. And with the spear, she had just found a wonderful treasure to do just that. Perhaps I can rather head to the nearby town to learn of my shadow and other magic to undo madness like the mages, before I go chasing dragon skulls? She wondered.

Just in case this was a grave Rovana did briefly press a hand upon the pirates codex. "You don't need it, but I do, all you've suffered, I might too, but for now I sail the sea, so for now don't follow me." This was as much as was necessary, to appease pirate and scoundrel if any were buried here.

She still grinned. She had figured there had to be multiple ways to restore Ludmilla, and perhaps with rough information on the path ahead she could consider her duty to the dusk-elf already done, as much as she still wished to carry the silver dragons skull to peace, it was a dangerous endeavor it seemed. "I wonder if I can find some warpaint to complete the picture." She mused to herself.. well, she was certain she could.. envigorate Ludmillas warrior-spirit one way or the other.

"Somethings wrong." She instantly, hushedly remarked as she glanced over the trees in the distance, her eyes suspiciously resting on the large statue to the Lord of Ravenloft himself. "These folks really worship Strahd. As much as I wish to deface the statue, knowing my luck, it'd come alive and avenge itself for this defamation, let us make a large circle around it, towards those trees.. or earlier, if anything on her way over the Plateau began moving. Keep yer lookout at.. that thing." She pointed, and proceeded to do just this, drawing her blade once she came upon the trees. She didn't need to be told about wicked druids or see the lightning striking to add things together. Rather, she'd draw what sap she could easily coax from the crooked trees into a quickly empty-drunk water bottle.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Upon Yester hill

"Uh... captain, I'm pretty sure this is a grave," Neku said in response to Rovana's assertion. He removed a few more slimy rocks, to reveal the cracked remains of ancient human bones.

"Tribal cairns. There were people in this valley who ruled before the coming of Strahd," Damia said. "They were savages, but noble ones. With customs and pride, who came and went through the mountains. This place was holy to them. The site of their old god's last breath."

The Vistana had a faraway look in her eyes, and was staring into the wall of fog as she said this. Rovana quickly made her gesture of 'fair trade' to the gravesite, and the tugging presence that led her there seemed to be felt benevolently once more. The pirate captain was filled with the sense that, the person who was buried here was the one that had led her to the spear in the first place.

With the spear cleaned of its questionable muck, Rovana was able to return to the main path with Neku and Damia, and the headed up to the hill top. Many thoughts and possibilities swirled around in Rovana's head. Conflicting images of Ludmilla as a terrifying yet seductive vampire, as a queenly noble woman, as a gallant knight, and as a poised, tribal warrior all danced through the pirate's mind. Which one would Ludmilla be? Or was she in a way ALL of those things?

The lightning bolts periodically lanced through the air, striking the black boulders that formed a ring around the giant wooden statue of Strahd. The air was filled with the smell of Ozone. The ring had two entrances where the lightning did not seem to strike, but the pirate chose to avoid the entire circle for now and head towards the trees beyond by going around the stones.

Nearing the copse, Rovana and her companions came to an abrupt halt about fifty feet as from among the foliage, a clearer picture could be seen. The grove of sickly trees and shrubs had a huge, misshapen tree at its core. Bloody ichor oozed from it, as though this was its sap, dribbling down the twisted trunk. Skulking around the tree were six gangly humanoid creatures covered in needles. Embedded into the tree was a shiny battle axe, beneath which lies a humanoid skeleton.

The creatures were horrible plant things, hunched and shuffling with conifer like needles growing across their bodies in quivering clumps. The creatures peered out towards the three adventurers and began to step towards them curiously.

"Six of them. We're slightly outnumbered." Neku said.

"There will be more that we cannot see," Damia whispered. "The tree that we must draw sap from... it reeks of a foul magic. As though it were an expression of the very rotting evil of this land."

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Captain Rovana
Upon Yester hill

"Interesting, so technically, we are breaking into a temple." Rovana grinned, already liking this sap-taking mission more. "Still, such a person would perhaps not mind the disturbance if they could see their spear used to pierce the foes of their ancient faith once more." Rovana had remarked towards the grave.

Who and what Ludmilla exactly was was.. exciting. Rovana was willing to believe the vampiress could be all these things and depending on Rovanas choice, perhaps one more than the other. The idea of a wild vampiress hungering for her spoke to the darkest desires in her, wanting to be trained and chained to serve, the gallant knight wanted Rovana to impress her, to defeat great evil with, the noble queen spoke to notions of romance and a feminine side the pirate had long suppressed and the tribal warrior again awakened primal, if not quite as dark as the vampires urges, primal desires to submit to and be claimed by the strong warrior. Perhaps she'd have to decide for a path or two among those later, but, then again, a part of Rovana wondered if she was to be hero, captain, noble or doll, and wished to in equal parts be all of these for Ludmilla. But these lewd thoughts of Ludmilla guiding and imposing her desires upon Rovana, exept for perhaps the roles reversing for the gallant knight and her noble hero, weren't well suited to explore this dangerous terrain, so the pirate captain banished them to her subconcious desires, for later, just like the whisperings of the dark kiss..

"So, we have a choice to strike down the thorned creatures, but even if we do, more will appear." Rovana mused, looking at the tree. Of course it hadn't been any simple old sap. "That said, perhaps theres a sollution we are not seeing. A fight is rarely a final goal, only a result in itself. Often a result of you not coming up with something cleverer than fighting in the first place." With her blade drawn, she pointed her hand ahead. "Seperate. Try to draw these creatures outside. See how fast they are. If we have to fight so be it, help one another as you can, but If one of you have a chance to not fight and draw enough of the sap do it, we aren't here to defeat the evil of this land in plant form." She hesitated. "At least not directly." Briefly she wondered if fighting the evil of the land at this place was something she could and should do, if this was truly a temple of sorts..

The plan was to see if she was simply faster than the skeletons, enough so to lure them to the other side of the tree and perhaps have one of her companions collect the sap, or dash back.

Spoiler

Initative: A 23 total.

Moving, dashing, moving again, slowly circling closer to the tree whilest trying so see how fast the skeletal creatures keep up.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Yester Hill

"Right. Leave it to me. I can probably get in there quick enough. It ah... just depends on how much of that sap we need..." Neku said with a questioning glance at the captain.

As Rovana dash-darted around the copse of trees, the skeletal-looking plant creatures moved forward to the edge of the copse, looking between Neku, Rovana and Damia.

By the way that they moved, they seemed to be comparable to an average humanoid. Neither particularly slow nor fast. As they moved to the other side, following Rovana, Neku set his feet in the earth and clenched his fists. His body turned, as he prepared to run, and then... fwoosh! In a blur of motion, Neku sped towards the bleeding tree, faster than Rovana would have guessed him capable of.

"Oh shi--!!" Neku cried as he reached out towards the axe embedded in the bleeding tree. Suddenly, the man was surrounded by vines and constricted.

"Uck! Captain, there's other plant things in here that we didn't see!" He struggled, kicking as the vines tightened around him and the creature that the vines were attached to stood up.

"Blast!" Damia hissed and with her rapier drawn, she muttered a curse under her breath and extended her hand. A withering shadowy blackness streamed from her finger tips as she walked forward, but the vine creature saw the dark stream blasting towards it and ducked just in time to avoid becoming hit by it.

Despite the failure of her attack, this was the first that Rovana knew of Damia's abilities with magic of any sort.

Then, the plant creatures with needles... these needle blights as it were, turned and saw that other intruders had tried to enter the copse. One of them extended its gnarled hands towards Damia and several needle darts thwipped through the air at her, but missed her thankfully.

It seemed that the needle blights had a ranged attack.

[Neku is ambushed by an attack of opportunity from a hidden vine blight. He is struck and grappled by vines. Damia misses with her attack spell. Needle blight misses with ranged attack. Rovana is up.]

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Captain Rovana
Upon Yester hill

"I know not how much we need, but take what you can without endangering your own life,.. overly such would the promise be under the pirates code. Some sap is better than none and us dead upon the hill, the elf would agree as well."

"Ugh.. more plant creatures.. If all goes badly I shall call upon Jowai and the skeletal knight, but their presumambly not so subtle advance towards us most certainly will attract more trouble down the line.." Rovana concluded, quickly observing the situation.

Rovana noted briefly she had never seen Damia fight. Luckily however, this was quite an ideal fighting situation for her. She grinned at the six blight creatures, mentally commanding: Joe, distract the creature holding Neku, so he can come free more easily.

Meanwhile, she dashed at the wraith that had attacked Damia, for a moment thinking that a second blade would be useful, as she had to navigate around the creatures, as she cut at one of them.

"Here here, try and get me. Rot your roots and curses upon Strahd. Whats that, gutless wretches, don't be so easily scared you have to throw your thorns, come and fight me like.. man-creature things!" She tried to provoke, disengaging immediatly after cutting at her foe, twirling her blade with determined showmanship.. only to try and dash in behind semi-cover behind one of the trees, not wanting to get hit by a thorned suprise.

Spoiler

Rovana attacks for: Total:14

Damage of: 9 only, thats with sneaks, bleh.^^

And, if she can first moves in to attack a wight, then moves back out of the direct fiering line, trying to keep the creatures busied. She can avoid aoos from the one she attacks, but not the others, so may well be limited in her mobility to not find proper cover.

(p.s. did small edit to add some lewd description to prior post why you wasn't looking. )

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Fight at Yester Hill
Combat Round 2

Rovana's cut tore into the needle blight but it wasn't enough to kill it. She rushed back to the safety of a tree, spinning and ducking seemlessly out of the wild swings of the other blights. Needles struck the tree trunk that she hid behind, and she successfully drew away most of the attention from Neku and Damia.

Not all however, as the creature that she had injured saw the Vistana charging at her, and fired off a well aimed needle into her leg, causing the gypsy to stumble and miss her swing with the rapier. However, Damia pivoted and spun her off hand around and sliced through the blight's throat area with her curved dagger, toppling the creature to the earth.

Neku thrashed wildly, gripping the vines that threatened to choke him and pulled them momentarily away from his throat. At the moment, he was at a stalemate with the vine blight, as it didn't let go of him, but neither could it tighten its grip on the mystic.

Joe the Parrot squawked and flew across the vine blight's eyes then, and scratch at them with his little undead talons. This proved enough of a distraction to drop the starry eyed man to the earth. He then quickly rolled over to the base of the bloody tree and reached upwards towards the embedded axe....

Two blights that had been drawn to the wild pirate captain now charged her from either side, seeking to pincer her and claw at her with their ripping hands...

[5 needle blights and the vine left. two needles have dashed up and are on either side of Rovana at the tree. Another two are turning to face Damia who is slightly injured. The remaining needle and the vine blight are facing Joe and Neku at the center of the copse.]

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Captain Rovana
Upon Yester hill

"Well then, seems you got me trapped.. nowhere to go but up." Rovana grinned ever so slightly, dashing forward with a vicious cut at one of the needleblights, before using the momentum of her own swing to jump upon her opponent.. and spring-board away towards the tree, using her one free hand to hold onto a gnarled, low hanging branch and pull herself up and away from the other one storming towards her, only to, if she had the time, swing around the tree and get branches in between herself and the thorn-spitting creature. Joe, over to Damia, lets make sure she not be cut up too badly."These creatures are just smart enough to be mislead.. perhaps we can swiftly take them out, I have half a mind to try and break the corruption of this glade before the druids come back, just to spite these wicked creatures." Not that she was a faithful of any religion, but it was tempting. Louder, she added: "What do you wretches think, should we cleanse this glade, I mean I got no clue how but if you don't stop me soon I might come up with one." She taunted, still intent on drawing attention towards herself, seeing how she was doing rather well so far.

Spoiler

To hit: 19

Damage: 21 (yey!)

Acrobatics to climb up the tree: 18 (more yey!)

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Battle on Yester Hill
Combat Round 3

Rovana's saber slashed through the needle blight, which she leapt onto and sprung upwards onto the branches above. More needles flew up after her, but disappeared into her glittering blue cloak of protection and bounced away harmlessly.

Down below, her companions still fought, with Damia spinning furiously, fighting with rapier and curved dagger in either hand. This time she spun and skewered a blight in its creeping face, causing it to howl and agonised death scream before crumpling in front of her, withering away as the necrotic animating energies left it.

Unfortunately, Damia suffered as a second blight clawed at her before Joe could get in its way and distract it. 15 feet away, next to the bleeding black tree trunk, Neku reached out and gripped the handle of the battle axe embedded in the central tree and ripped it out. The edge was covered in the bleeding sap. He swung it around, but it seemed that the axe was not something that the strange mystic was proficient with, as he wielded it simplistically and missed the vine blight that in return attempted to whip him. It struck him square across the torso with its vines, but with a brief flash of psychic energy, the vine was flung backward and Neku appeared unscathed.

From where she was in the tree, Rovana became aware of a rustling in the dead and decaying branches. The twigs in every tree were coming 'alive' with evil faces upon them. A dozen or so tiny twig blights were animating, perhaps being summoned as reinforcements. Individually, these things were a nuisance, but with them all animating at once, they threatened to overwhelm the trio.

The bleeding tree with the nearly pitch black bark seemed to groan and shift, as though it were alive in a sense as well. Fresh blood-sap began to coagulate in the 'wound' that the axe had left in it. A green glow emanating from various deep bloody pools in its side. The copse of blighted trees was coming to un-life!

"This is getting bad... do you think there's enough sap on this axe? Or do we need more?" Neku shouted, aiming his question at Rovana. The mystic didn't have much more than a light scratch on him, but Damia was looking like she'd suffered a couple sizable cuts by this point.

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Captain Rovana
Retreating from Yester hill

Rovana grinned at her cloak appreciatively, then noted the situation around them. "Screw it, wrap up the axe in a cloth so as little as possible is lost, then lets get out of here, everyone, abandon ship! This place is drenched in evil." She determined, jumping down from the tree, twirling with a grace that made her regret Ludmilla couldn't watch her maneuvering on the battlefield and rushing over to strike the blight focused on Damia from behind, regrouping with the others to retreat, commanding Joe to fly high, in case of a need to alert their backup plan. She remembered the undead saying the animated plant creatures were near endless for even his undying stamina.

Still, she took the time to consider the Needleblight she attacked, striking it unashamedly from behind and telling it: "Don't turn your back on the Reaver. Alright, lets get out, try not to get ensnared!" She commanded, preparing to flee down the hill herself.. though not without cutting anything coming close to her and using her mobility to deadly advantage.

Spoiler

Propably necessary to do a disengage plus move to not get diddled by the little blights, not sure if I need athletics to get down from the tree effectively, did one anyway
attack roll: (Not sure if this is advantage- worthy as this one is attacking Damia, if it is, 22 on the second rol!
Roll(1d20)+6:
8,+6
Total:14

Athletics.. om nom nom:
Roll(1d20)+6:
20,+6
Total:26

Damage on blight, 19 total:
Roll(2d6)+4:
6,6,+4
Total:16

Roll(1d8)+0:
3,+0
Total:3

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Fight at Yester Hill


Rovana's attack from behind brought down another needle blight, as she landed well on the spoiled dark earth of the grove, her blade splintering the blight from shoulder to mid-torso. Damia spotted that Neku was still hard pressed and limped over to where he was, ripping through a blight with her own sneak attack, catching the creature unawares.

Neku was still having trouble disengaging from the vine blight however, and his wild swings of the battle axe were unable to find purchase on the green creature's shifting form.

With a sudden movement, the vine blight shoved its arms into the earth, and snaking vines leapt out of the groun in a 20 foot radius around it, Damia managed to avoid being caught, but Neku was, much to his annoyance, again caught up by the vines.

A pair of snaking plant tendrils came Rovana's way...

[D12 Strength saving check for Rovana... roll = 8]

The vines curled around her ankles and arms! Just like Neku, she was restrained!

[You may free yourself as an action using a Strength check to beat a DC 12 on your turn]

Approaching the copse of trees behind them was a wild man with a gnarled staff, whose body was caked in mud and dirt, with only scraps of hides to cover him elsewhere. He spoke in an unrecognisable tongue and pointed a crooked finger accusingly at Rovana.

Joe the Parrot squawked and flapped away to the north side of the hill. The pirate captain knew instinctively that the bird was going to go get Jowai and Sir Aran to help, just in case the captain, mystic and gypsy couldn't free themselves in time.

Meanwhile, from the tree branches, seven tiny twig blights, each the size of a human child, dropped down and began to awkwardly trundle towards the interlopers, their clawed hands looking vicious and sharp.

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Captain Rovana
Fight upon Yester hill

Rovana sighed, "What did I just say about not getting vined.. Alright, seems you got to take out the vine-one if you can't get away, watch out for the little ones, I'll see if I can't talk this out with the locals.." then she pointed back at the druid whilest giving Joe her approval, pulling free from the Vines.. with some effort, but not letting that show, as she moved up to the primal druid, accusingly:

"What be that, you landborn mutineer, you got something to say? You betrayed your real king long ago, the one these mountains once belonged to,.. I doubt you'll listen more to me than to her, but you recognize this, wont you?" Rovana drew the spear with her off-hand as she moved in onto the druid (and at the same time, tried to keep a distance from the tiny plan-beasts). It felt awkward to wield and she doubted she could use it as weapon. But he didn't need to know that.

The plan was to either intimidate the druid into withdrawing his creatures.. or seeing if cutting him down would help the matter. .. or, more likely, she'd turn and circle to strike the back of the vine-dispensing creature.. that one was the real problem. One way or the other, Rovana had half a mind to see how well the blood draining spear did with the sap of the trees, but for now, she had found someone to talk to, even if he didn't follow her.:

"You've forgotten your faith and loyalties, your true code and.. as much as I'm shocked to be saying this, your real gods to follow. There might be a holiness in these mountains and hills, as is in the free winds of the sea, but there certainly isn't in a tyrant whose only claim to godhood is that no mortal could be such a bastard.

No wonder that nothing but this mockery of nature obeys you. At least the mad mage could throw about proper spells." Rovana accused the druid, approaching and examining the tattered man closer. Surveying the situation, although they were still outnumbered, they had taken out the normal thorn-creatures pretty quickly.. but she had a feeling that unless anyone had a good idea, in time those would just regrow, and even if only 7 of the smaller ones didn't seem like much of a threat, more could grow at any time as well, so perhaps the druid would be key to stopping this assault.

Spoiler

str check of 14, getting free, yey! move/Dash to get up to the priest and away from lil blights.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Druids and twig blights and vines, oh my!
Yester Hill

Damia rushed over to the vine blight and began to hack away at it, just as Neku ripped himself away from the vines as well, falling forward and grunting in mild satisfaction at being able to move freely once more.

That was until the vine creature struck him again with its vines directly, drawing him in close to it.

"Damn you to all kinds of hell!" Neku swore raising the axe. He seemed less hurt than annoyed by this proceeding.

Several of the twig blights moved to attack the pair, with one of them scratching Damia's already wounded leg.

Five of them however were dashing with their little legs to catch up with Rovana as she squared off against the druid. The man makes no effort to respond to her, nor any sign that he understands her speech. He merely races his staff and slams into the earth with another string of gibberish, and a shockwave of force pushed Rovana back the way she had come, hurling her ten feet and forcing her to quickly scramble as the twig blights were right on her tail.

[Rovana fails Con check (rolled a 6) and takes 11 points of Thunder damage. The Vine Blight is looking very injured. The twigs look like weak enemies, but there are many of them.]

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Captain Rovana
Fight upon Yester hill

"OWWW! Ugh.. Damn.. finish off the plant creature then get out, join with Jowai and Sir Bones, I'll handle the druid and the rest of the tiny ones, but we got to retreat!" She twisted up and away, stumbling from the powerful force-blast, still dextrously avoiding .. far too many scratching claws and instead rushing forwards, then around the druid, putting him in between her and the twig-creatures, twirling her blade.. and the spear while at it, though the former was only distraction for a vicious cut, to show her gratitude for her body still feeling numb from the shock. Don't let spellcasters recover, she had learned this lesson already long ago.

Spoiler

Rogue bonus action to disengage
Move action to circle around the druid, then attack for: 14, if that hits damage for 12, (6 weapon +6 sneak attack damage!)