A Fool's Ambition Report
General Summary
As Rickee's sword sinks deep into Marianne's stomach, she wakes up screaming. Rishaa, only ever sleeping with one eye closed, is up in an instant and a roundhouse kick to the head (critical hit) lays out Rickee stone cold unconscious on the ground. Bruising is already coloring his blue skin purple as he lays on the ground, unaware of what damage his betrayal has done to his friendship with the shifter.
Marianne winces as she pulls the sword out of her chest. It's a nasty wound - already infected. Rishaa tries her best to help clean up the wound, but unfortunately it's no use. Marianne shrieks for Dimitri, still asleep in the boys' tent. He jolts awake and rushes over as quickly as he can.
Marianne stands up wearily. She asks Dimitri for help dressing her wound, but pauses before she undresses to warn everyone to look away.
"None of you are allowed to look at my tits."When Dimitri's face freezes in pure confusion, Rishaa nervously laughs.
"Oh yeah, fun fact: Marianne was just stabbed."The wound is patched up as best as it can be, then the rest of the party gathers around Rickee, still unconscious on the ground. Rishaa wonders out loud if maybe Rickee came back from the dead.... wrong. Dimitri suggests that it could have something to do with the pact that Rickee made to come back. That Rickee needed angel blood - though why he attacked Marianne and not Rishaa (if Rishaa's blood would even work) is not a question he can answer. Rishaa suddenly notices something out in the woods: the trees bending and swaying as something pushes through their branches. Marianne reluctantly tends to Rickee. His wounds are easy enough to treat, and when he comes back to consciousness, he woozily recalls seeing something with horns. Rishaa immediately assumes that he saw a devil of some kind. Rickee has no memory of attacking Marianne, and when he learns what he's done, he ashamedly uses his bardic magic to heal her, apologizing all the while. Unfortunately, Marianne does not accept his apology. At this point, Rickee is feeling enough like himself to use his illusion magic to create a silent image of what the faun looked like. Rishaa lets out a sigh of relief. Not a devil. This only serves to make Marianne more upset, however, and she storms out of the tent. Rishaa laughs nervously, and anxiously begins to try and corral the others to follow Marianne as she's worried about what will happen if one of them is left alone. The monk also attempts to tap into her divine spark to learn anything about the faun, but unfortunately it does not share much insight. Thankfully, she is still able to track it with her excellent hunting skills. Dimitri also assist, picking up the trail with his trio of raven familiars and having them lead the way (critical success perception). The party finds themselves at a campsite - a different one from their own - where the faun has already begun to play its pan flutes again. The haunting melody calls out to the sleeping residents of the campsite, and the party springs into action before anyone else can suffer as Marianne did. The barbarian herself is the first to attack, allowing herself to give into her rage and fear and she swipes at the fey creature, but misses. Rishaa runs out of the forest into the clearing and does a back handspring into a flip that puts her over the faun's head and at it's feet, where she swings out with her sword to try and cut its legs out from underneath it. Unfortunately, the faun is fast too, jumping over her blade before it can connect with its goat hooves. But the monk isn't quite done: leaning back on her hands, she kicks out at the faun twice, striking it twice in the chest. As it stumbles back from the hit, Rishaa's leg explodes with light, and the faun is blinded by the brilliance. Dimitri pauses, nodding in satisfaction - his prophetic magic hadn't failed him yet. Almost as soon as the faun cries out in confusion from Rishaa's blinding light, Dimitri calls on the frost of Sarcystle once more - the ray of frost hits the creature right in the chest. From one of the tents, a handsome gnome runs out. He looks around, gobsmacked at the battle taking place right in his campsite, but he doesn't take long to readjust to the current predicament. He throws down his box of gear, and pulls out a gadget that begins to whir, turning white-hot before firing a flame bolt at the faun, striking it in the same place that Dimitri's ice magic had. Rickee slowly walks up to the faun, looking at the ground as he drags his blade from its sheath. He looks up at the faun.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Faun, but they're really mad at you."Rickee swings his dark blade, and it bites deep into the creature's leg. It growls in pain, stumbling back a bit as the blood begins to run down its goat fur legs. Still unable to see, the faun stumbles towards Rishaa and swings at her twice. Rishaa is quick and nimble, and ducks both attacks. Seeing as it has no other options and cannot see to defend itself, the faun makes the sensible choice to retreat, running back into the woods as best as it can. Marianne follows, swinging her axe at the creature, but missing each time. She howls in frustration and anger, and her form shifts to that of a wolf-woman. Still, her attacks miss every time, blinded by her emotions. Rishaa runs up behind both Marianne and the faun and uncoils her chain dagger. She throws it out - and it lodges in the back of the fey's throat, the tip of it poking out the front. The faun collapses to the ground, where Marianne gives it a few more kicks for good measure. At the campsite, Rex Dynamio Xenetar and Dimitri lock eyes, and Dimitri immediately dodges out of the way, terrified of what Rex may do if he sees Dimitri's form. Rex's for his part, begins to futz with his goggles and toggles down a red-tinted lens, still staring at Dimitri. As he does so, he begins to explain to the other party members, who have since gathered back around the cold fire pit in his campsite, that he is a Northlander, and is traveling through Vespmar looking into the fey presence within the country. Dimitri, at this point, has slunk away to eat the faun's brains, but as Rex looks amongst the adventurers: a zombie, a tiefling, and a shifter, he comments on their exotic natures. While they don't disagree, Dimitri looks away in some shame at his predicament. Rex notices the awkwardness and tries to break it by calling out his retainers: a gnome named Maria, a dwarf named Storm, and a halfling named Robert. The word "retainer" puts Rishaa on edge, and she demands to know if the retainers are paid fairly for their assistance, or if they are simply slaves by a different name. The retainers assure her that they are and are not bound by any medieval laws that would keep them with Rex if they do not want to be there. It is at this point that Marianne notices something lacy in Rickee's pocket. Pulling it out, she realizes it is her own underwear. Rickee realizes with a cold shudder that that must have been what he had stolen from the faun - and that the faun had been in Marianne's belongings. Unfortunately, this does not satisfy Marianne, who is once again infuriated and distrustful of Rickee. She slaps him across the face and tells him to stay the hell away from her. Meanwhile, as Dimitri quietly consumes the faun's brains, he gains the memory of the faun stealing Marianne's undergarments, thereby confirming Rickee's story. Marianne is not placated by this revelation, and the explanation that Rickee gives of being enchanted by the faun's flute is not helped when he tries to replicate the tune and only manages to make a squawking, half-rendition of the tune (critical failure). Rishaa has taken this moment to notice that Rex is quite the master craftsman, like Rishaa's late wife, and excitedly asks for his help (potentially) adding guns to her prosthetic leg. Rex considers it, but says it will require more research. For now? Drinks! Rishaa pulls Rickee away as the food is prepared to ask him about that night's betrayal. She expresses that she is worried that this is only the first of many betrayals to come - that his contract or his death is affecting him to become more and more hostile to the party. Rickee assures her this isn't the case. This is the faun's doing, and no one else's. As he gathers together refreshments, Rex uses his goggles once again, and notices that Rishaa has a slight sheen of angelic - celestial - energy coming off of her. Rickee is much the opposite, having a fiendish energy rolling off of him in waves. It is important to note that Rishaa's beacon seemed to come from within and shine forth, like a light in a lantern, while Rickee's fiendish energy rolled over him, like oil slicking down his body. The two light and dark carriers return to the party, where once again Rickee profusely apologizes to Marianne and offers to help heal her. Marianne seems hesitant, but agrees. As he helps her, Rickee admits that his deal was not just with any old fiend, but with his father, Asmodeus. A troubling revelation, to be sure, but not one that they can focus on at this point. Not until they reach Brenbrooke. Meanwhile, by the rekindled fire, Rex, Rishaa, and Dimitri discuss Rishaa's celestial core. She admits to them that she can feel herself getting stronger, that she hopes to one day be more than mortal. To become divine herself and help the people that the gods have abandoned. Rex, surprised, tells her of his own ambition to learn the true name of The Nameless One and become the master of the lord of creation. There is a moment of silence as the two Icarus's stare at each other over the fire. What will become of them, whether or not they get their wish?
Character(s) interacted with
- Maria
- Storm
- Robert
Related Reports
Notes
Quotes of the Session
Dustin (after striking the faun): "I turn completely away from the faun because that's what god wants from me."
Dustin: "All life is sacred! Except for that one vampire we killed..."
Rishaa Parbat
None Wood Half-Elf (Monastic Learning)
Monk 6
Monk 6
51 / 51 HP
STR
8
8
DEX
20
20
CON
16
16
INT
12
12
WIS
16
16
CHA
13
13
Rickee Trail
None Tiefling (Urchin)
Bard 5
Warlock 1
Bard 5
Warlock 1
33 / 33 HP
STR
9
9
DEX
16
16
CON
10
10
INT
12
12
WIS
15
15
CHA
18
18
Dimitri Markov
Zombie (Acolyte)
Wizard 5
Wizard 5
32 / 32 HP
STR
11
11
DEX
14
14
CON
15
15
INT
18
18
WIS
12
12
CHA
11
11
Rex Dynamio Xenetar
Chaotic Neutral Rock Gnome (Sage & Noble)
Artificer 6
Artificer 6
35 / 35 HP
STR
8
8
DEX
11
11
CON
16
16
INT
20
20
WIS
11
11
CHA
10
10
Marianne Snowden
Lawful Good Shifter (Sage)
Barbarian 6
Barbarian 6
71 / 71 HP
STR
19
19
DEX
18
18
CON
19
19
INT
18
18
WIS
16
16
CHA
9
9
Report Date
01 Nov 2022
Primary Location
Related Characters
