Andrew and Maude Go Adventuring

Jun 20 02:43:49 <Belaris|GM>	You settle back into your chair, sighing contentedly as you loosen your belt slightly. Your great-aunt's mutton stew was thick enough to float lead shot in, and you'd helped yourself to four servings of it, paired with a dollop of your uncle's rye biscuit.
Jun 20 02:45:26 <Pink>	(With a healthy dollop of ergot in it!)
Jun 20 02:49:57 <Belaris|GM>	You contentedly take in the idle chatter around the table as people finished eating and got to talking. There was your great-grandfather Billiam, talking military tactics with Tenled, your sister-in-law and resident guard. Sam and Dan were getting into it again, arguing about nothing in the way that only very close siblings can. Little Tommy White, technically your uncle by birth order, ran past under the table, chasing Sal and
Jun 20 02:49:57 <Belaris|GM>	Danni, your cousins. They emerged almost immediately from the far end of the table, having not bumped a single leg, table or otherwise. This doesn't surprise you too much; they /are/ ghosts, after all.
Jun 20 02:50:17 <Belaris|GM>	Everyone at the table is, in fact.
Jun 20 02:51:14 <Belaris|GM>	Not everyone is a ghost, actually, at least not the older members of your family. But they are all most assuredly dead.
Jun 20 02:52:01 <Belaris|GM>	Tommy, Sal, and Danni only 'run
Jun 20 02:54:26 <Belaris|GM>	 ' in a vagueish sort of way, since instead of feet their legs end in little whisps of white that don't touch the ground. Sam and Dan both sit minus one arm, removed before they died to orc raids forty three years ago. Tenled, as the ranking homestead security officer, occupies a fit young man's corpse, with the eyes replaced with green gemstones and the hair grown out and tied back in a woman's style.
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Jun 20 02:55:16 <Belaris|GM>	Billiam resides in a skeleton with gold capped joints, his own personal touch.
Jun 20 02:56:30 <Belaris|GM>	As you sit and look out over your family, aunt Margaret taps you on the shoulder, one hand hanging loose at the wrist. You should get on that at some point. Her other hand, however, bears a steaming fresh pie, occupying most of your attention.
Jun 20 02:58:09 <Belaris|GM>	"Like a slice, deary?" Her voice rasps a little, understandable given that you fished the corpse out of the river at least a month after it had fallen in. "It's strawberry rhubarb with sprinkled sugar. I know it's your favorite!~" It sure looks delicious. ||
Jun 20 03:03:17 <Panda|End>	"You're the best, auntie!" I dig in, she always makes the best pies.||
Jun 20 03:05:09 <Belaris|GM>	She offers up a grin, sparkles of gold signifying rotten teeth you'd replaced, and pulls the pie away after you take a slice. "Ah ah ah! Leave enough for everyone! Just since you're the Watcher, don't mean you don't need to share!"
Jun 20 03:07:38 <Belaris|GM>	With that, she wanders off down the table, serving up pie to whoever doesn't decline fast enough. You see that when the ghosts scoop up chunks of pie, they somehow... pull? the essence of the pie into their mouths, slowly turning bits brown and rancid until it falls through their fingers onto their plates.
Jun 20 03:09:39 <Belaris|GM>	Your wandering eyes catch a flutter from the doorway to the kitchen. It's your cousin Sandy, beckoning you over, and it looks like she wants help with the dishes.
Jun 20 03:11:08 <Belaris|GM>	She was three or four years older than you when she died, but the passage of time has evened the two of you out and she's likely the closest member of the family you have. Even that hasn't gotten her a body, though. Seniority trumps everything with the dead, the family would riot if they thought you were playing favorites. ||
Jun 20 03:13:17 <Panda|End>	Fuck Sandy. That bitch thinks I forgot that she pushed me in the mud by 'accident' when we were little. The seniority card was played JUST so I could pay that conniving slopbucket back. "Coming, Sandy dear," I say as I politely head over. Hate this bitch so much.||
Jun 20 03:18:02 <Belaris|GM>	She grins and floats over to the sink, where a veritable mountain of plates and cups await. "Thanks for helping out," she says over her shoulder, turned head hiding the ruined side of her face. She'd caught a falling rock to the temple and died instantly, but the corpse hadn't been pretty. Great-uncle Gerald had most of the skeleton, if you remembered correctly.
Jun 20 03:21:25 <Belaris|GM>	With noticeable effort, she starts sliding plates to the edge of the counter and, humming absentmindedly, passes her hand through the plate, wiping most of the excess food and grime into a bin. She holds the plate out to you, and asks, "Mind getting the washing and drying?" ||
Jun 20 03:23:46 <Panda|End>	"Yeah," I do the thing. Mindlessly, I do stuff while totally tuning her out and thinking about how mundane my life is. Also I want more pie.||
Jun 20 03:26:59 <Belaris|GM>	She chatters on about this and that while you rinse and dry the plates. Mostly complaints about how the older members of the Family stuck her doing dishes, snide remarks about cousins her age (at time of death, of course), and idle remarks about the weather in the Aether.
Jun 20 03:29:17 <Belaris|GM>	A chill interrupts your daydreaming about pie. Startled, you turn towards her. She's poked you in the shoulder, passing through slightly, and is twisting her face into a semblance of a mischievous smile.
Jun 20 03:30:09 <Belaris|GM>	"I said, how's that girl from the village doing, Maude? How are you two getting along?" ||
Jun 20 03:31:00 *	Antioch (Antioch@dlp-BD8C6F08.lightspeed.brhmal.sbcglobal.net) has joined
Jun 20 03:32:09 <Panda|End>	Bitch. "Eh, fine, I guess. Still doesn't know I'm a necromancer and all of that. She seems to want to become an adventurer. I'd join her, but I have to look after you all. Plus the conversation about "oh yeah, I can raise the dead and it's totally cool!" is....going to be trouble. I just know it."||
Jun 20 03:34:40 *	Prothean (Prothean@dlp-8C1063A4.dhcp.malb.ca.charter.com) has joined
Jun 20 03:34:44 <Belaris|GM>	"She doesn't /know/?" Her mischievous smile is threatening to grow into a full on grin. "What do you tell her you do? Card tricks in the tavern?"
Jun 20 03:37:50 <Belaris|GM>	She nearly drops the plate she's holding, just barely stopping it from slipping through her hand, and turns back to the sink to resume wiping. "And as far as adventuring goes, if you'd paid attention to Family History better, you'd know Great-great-uncle Alf went adventuring as the only living Family for over two months and the world didn't end. Well, it almost did, but that wasn't really his fault." She's threatening to slip back
Jun 20 03:37:50 <Belaris|GM>	into her unending monologue again. ||
Jun 20 03:39:03 <Panda|End>	"Who'd watch over you all without me? Obviously I'm doing an important duty babysitting here!"||
Jun 20 03:41:53 <Belaris|GM>	"Easy now! I'm just saying that maybe you should think about taking a break for a bit. Going out and seeing the world and all that. Lord above knows I can't, what with staying in the Stone's light and all that."
Jun 20 03:43:54 <Belaris|GM>	"Plus, you're going to have to marry her at some point. Might as well take the honeymoon now, eh?" She tosses you a wink at that and promptly drops the ceramic mug she's holding, flinching as it shatters on the cool stone floor. ||
Jun 20 03:46:02 <Panda|End>	Ooooh I hate her so much. "I'll get it," I say, completely ignoring the marriage dig. Once I clean up her mess, I stand straight. "Welp, that's that then. I'm going to see what Uncle Alf took with him and brought back from his adventuring, then I'll head out. See ya." I wave and walk off.||
Jun 20 03:50:35 <Belaris|GM>	You catch a glimpse of her 'dashing' off through the back wall towards the barn, where her friends lallygagged about this time of day. Probably going to gossip about the first adventuring Watcher since Great-aunt Jude a hundred years prior.
Jun 20 03:52:28 <Belaris|GM>	Passing by the dining room, you notice that it's mostly cleared out by now, with only an errant ghost flitting through on his way to another part of the farm. You pause by the threshold to the outside.
Jun 20 03:56:03 <Belaris|GM>	You could go try and track down Great-great-uncle Alf, probably by asking around since you sure don't remember his name. Or, since the dining room's cleared out, Tenled's probably down at the armory by now. She might be able to help you pick something out. ||
Jun 20 03:56:41 <Panda|End>	Tenled would be the better choice for now. So I shrug and head for her direction.||
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Jun 20 04:00:56 <Belaris|GM>	You exit the building into the warm spring evening, turning down a well worn path towards the armory. The farm's arranged in a roughly circular pattern, with the armory housed in the central building, constructed of stone instead of wood and stretching 3 stories tall.
Jun 20 04:02:28 <Belaris|GM>	Marching up to the second floor, you reach the closed door to the armory. Nobody's around in the hall and, on trying the handle, it's locked. ||
Jun 20 04:03:17 <Panda|End>	"TENLED!" Goddamn it, this is horseshit. I sit down in front of the door and wait impatiently.||
Jun 20 04:12:37 <Belaris|GM>	Before you can even begin to sit down, the door flies open, revealing Tenled. She's holding a bushel of arrows under one arm, with pieces of armor draped over her shoulders and three different swords clenched in one fist. Worst of all, she's grinning like a madman. "Watcher, congratulations on your betrothal, sir." She leans forward and grabs your shoulder with a grip like iron, nearly dragging you through the door.
Jun 20 04:15:56 *	Prothean has quit (Connection reset by peer)
Jun 20 04:15:58 <Belaris|GM>	Within, you can see Theresa and Terry, two of Sandy's buddies, alternating between passing excited whispers between themselves and tossing huge shit-eating grins at you. Tenled waves them off the bench they've perched on and sets down the swords and arrows. She turns to you and says, "It's customary to trade swords with the bride. Would you prefer Nagasil, Antrio, or Dep?" ||
Jun 20 04:17:33 <Panda|End>	I roll my eyes. "This is why I hate Sandy," I mutter before raising an eyebrow at the names. "Tell me about each one."||
Jun 20 04:22:37 <Belaris|GM>	She gives you an approving look, gems sparkling in her sockets. "Nagasil was forged before the Family was formed, seeing action during the first Great Migration and the Tornscade Rebellion. It's a shorter blade, with a low center of gravity and etchings done by a master.
Jun 20 04:23:59 <Belaris|GM>	"Antrio is the sole remaining member of a set of three identical swords, meant to be used in tandem by Threks moving as one. Your great-great-great-great-great-grandmother Nulius brought it from the Aether and wrought it into being."
Jun 20 04:27:18 *	ionnukestorm (flipnash@D10A0C81:EECCDFEE:AE5852FA:IP) has joined
Jun 20 04:27:20 <Belaris|GM>	She lifts the remaining sword, Dep, off the table, and you just now realize its length, a full five feet long and a foot wide at the base. "Dep is a monster," Tenled deadpans. "I shaped him myself thirty two years ago. The balance is too far out for my liking, but a taller woman could use it well."
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Jun 20 04:30:33 <Belaris|GM>	She drops the sword and it sticks, quivering gently, tip first in the floorboards. "Do you know what type of sword she prefers? If these three do not satisfy, I have others we may sort through." She motions to a walk-in closet behind her, nearly overflowing with various weapons. Her posture seems to indicate that she'd like nothing more than to spend days going over every sword in that closet. ||
Jun 20 04:32:46 <Panda|End>	"Firstly, I have no clue what type of sword she prefers. She's an aspiring Paladin, if that helps at all. Also, we aren't getting married. Sandy assumed we were because I've seen her a bit and I'm planning on going adventuring with her. Which is why I'm here, actually. Equipment for my journey...my...lady friend, after, please."||
Jun 20 04:33:25 *	Prothean_ (Prothean@dlp-8C1063A4.dhcp.malb.ca.charter.com) has joined
Jun 20 04:34:43 *	Prothean_ is now known as Prothadin
Jun 20 04:39:29 <Belaris|GM>	She marches straightaway into the back of the closet, shifting piles of swords with metallic clangs to reach the back of the room. She pulls out a long and slender box, maybe four feet long, and walks it over to you reverently. "This is Anduril, the blessed sword of the so-called Saint Agatha." Her voice is hushed and her eyes are locked on the box. "Its creator is lost to time, and its list of fights too long to say. If your...
Jun 20 04:39:29 <Belaris|GM>	ladyfriend... aspires to paladinhood, this sword will get her there."
Jun 20 04:42:47 <Belaris|GM>	She gently passes the box to you, then begins grabbing bits and pieces of armor and straps and detritus. "If you will adventure, you will need gear," she explains. She lays the junk down in three piles. "These," pointing to a pile of metal plates joined by steel mail, "go on under your robes. These," pointing to a pile of belts, "go on over your robes. Finally, these," pointing to the pile of sharp metal bits, knives and a short
Jun 20 04:42:47 <Belaris|GM>	sword and such, "go in the belts. Suit up. Billiam is waiting for you at the front gate." She turns and marches smartly out of the room. ||
Jun 20 04:44:23 <Panda|End>	I growl at the dedication she had to outfitting a person she didn't even KNOW over her own flesh and blood (and I actually am flesh and blood, which is a change from most of the family who's one, the other, or neither alternatively).
Jun 20 04:45:08 <Panda|End>	Placing everything on as she commanded, I slip the final piece, a knife, in the belt and adjust myself slightly. Still angry, I look around.
Jun 20 04:45:18 <Panda|End>	My eyes catch on Dep.
Jun 20 04:45:20 <Panda|End>	I shouldn't.
Jun 20 04:45:29 <Panda|End>	I don't even care.
Jun 20 04:45:56 <Panda|End>	Dep goes across my back and I turn and make an immediate line for Billiam at the front gate.
Jun 20 04:46:07 <Panda|End>	Goodbye family, I guess. Thought it'd be more bittersweet.
Jun 20 04:46:12 <Panda|End>	It's just bitter at this point.||
Jun 20 04:54:15 <Belaris|GM>	The entire damn family is lined up at the gate, half on each side of the path. Contrary to the earlier displays of glee, everyone is uniformly solemn, eyes up and not meeting your gaze. You have to walk between them to get to Billiam, standing at attention with a pack at his feet. As you approach, he salutes, then raises an eyebrow at the sight of Dep peeking over your shoulder. ||
Jun 20 04:55:13 <Panda|End>	I nod curtly at him. "Betrothal gift. I don't want to talk about it." I heft the pack over a shoulder and leave, without giving so much as a backwards glance.||
Jun 20 04:59:30 <Belaris|GM>	He doesn't break from attention as you lever open the gate (squeaky; Tan was supposed to oil that weeks ago) and leave. As you start off down the road, a deep, bassy drumbeat sounds from somewhere within the farm, roughly keeping time with your footsteps. It quickly fades away to a gentle pulse in the soles of your feet that you can easily ignore, seemingly pulling back to the heart of the Family, the Stone of Anharken.
Jun 20 05:00:46 <Belaris|GM>	You don't get more than a mile down the road before you run into Maude, just walking out of the forest, ever-present sword and bow in tow. ||
Jun 20 05:03:30 <Prothadin>	Maude finishes wiping the blood off of her blade as she saunters down the path towards (Panda's dude's name), cracking a dopey grin. As she sheathes the sword, she says, "Well, wasn't expecting to run into you out here." ||
Jun 20 05:05:10 <Panda|End>	Andrew blinks, equally surprised by the sudden appearance. Being used to shrugging off the most peculiar of things is a talent though, one he's good at. "Eh, likewise, but I apparently have something for you."
Jun 20 05:05:34 <Panda|End>	The young necromancer holds out the 4 foot long white box reverently.
Jun 20 05:06:24 <Panda|End>	"Since I've been pushed into giving you a sword, for 'betrothal swapping' or some nonsense that my family was on about, here's this. Anduril, blessed by Saint Agatha. I thought you'd like it."
Jun 20 05:06:33 <Panda|End>	I hold it out a bit further and smile painfully.||
Jun 20 05:07:39 <Prothadin>	"Uh, betrothal?" Maude laughs. "I mean, if you want to. We don't really know each other."
Jun 20 05:09:48 <Prothadin>	"Wait, did you say Anduril? This is a joke, right? Saint Agatha's sword? The one she used to kill Isengrim, necromancer of Gul?" Maude pratters. ||
Jun 20 05:11:15 <Panda|End>	"Yeah, sure, that one." Andrew smiles, all of his teeth showing in a clear display of discomfort. "Figured that I could give it as an adventuring gift, if you'd let me come with you...."
Jun 20 05:11:30 <Panda|End>	He trails off, but looks downward, meaningfully at his armored attire.||
Jun 20 05:12:39 <Prothadin>	Maude stares dumbly for a moment, then laughs. "I have no friggin idea what I'm talking about, but that sword looks badass."
Jun 20 05:13:42 <Prothadin>	"I mean, adventuring, huh? You're a little... underdressed. Look like you had a run-in with a dominatrix." ||
Jun 20 05:15:18 <Panda|End>	He rolls his eyes at her typical oblivious joking. "I notice you didn't give me anything in return, so I figure you can suffer through my 'scantily clad form' for a few miles."||
Jun 20 05:16:56 <Prothadin>	"What? Oh, no, I'll take the sword. Just, uh, pick whatever you want. Not super attached to any of my gear." Maude continues, "if you really want to run around the woods in that getup, go ahead." ||
Jun 20 05:17:38 <Panda|End>	Andrew hands over the box with the sword in it.
Jun 20 05:18:02 <Panda|End>	"Here, don't sweat it. I get first dibs on the first piece of loot that catches my attention. Fair enough?"||
Jun 20 05:18:47 <Belaris|GM>	...
Jun 20 05:20:19 <Belaris|GM>	As Maude touches the box, she sees a bright flash of light. Suddenly, she's warm all over, and clean of the road muck. A deep, comforting voice is speaking to her, but she cannot understand the words.
Jun 20 05:20:36 *	Panda|End is now known as Panda|
Jun 20 05:21:05 <Belaris|GM>	It's over just as quickly as it began, and Maude is left standing in the road, holding a box that buzzes gently under her fingertips.
Jun 20 05:21:23 <Belaris|GM>	Andrew sees her stumble a bit. Maybe the wind gusted? ||
Jun 20 05:22:11 <Prothadin>	Maude blinks in surprise, staring at the box. "Huh, you weren't kidding. This sword is something special. Or the box is."
Jun 20 05:22:27 <Prothadin>	Maude tears the packaging off, and hoists the blade. ||
Jun 20 05:24:28 <Panda|>	"Yeah, you know, it's the 'MAGICAL BOX OF SAINT AGATHA' and all. Maybe you should throw the sword away, fight foes with a blessed box." Andrew teases with a shit-eating grin on his face.||
Jun 20 05:25:00 <Belaris|GM>	The blade flashes with a bright light, visible to both Maude and Andrew, then settles down to a steady white glow. ||
Jun 20 05:25:30 <Prothadin>	"Mmm, I've already got one, so I think I'll pass." Maude approaches Andrew, replacing her standard sword in its sheath, tossing her old blade aside, and hugs him. ||
Jun 20 05:26:41 <Panda|>	"Holy mother of oceans, that....well done Andrew, great gift." He metaphorically pats himself on the back while being hugged and stiffens up, like the socially inept sad sack he is.||
Jun 20 05:30:45 <Prothadin>	"You're thinking out loud again, Andrew." She says as she lets go. "Come on, let's get adventuring." ||
Jun 20 05:33:34 <Panda|>	"Damn it, curse that infernal thought process. Andrew, figur-" He shuts up abruptly and flashes a grin at her. "Let's do it." He falls into step.||
Jun 20 05:35:12 <Prothadin>	"Come on, I found a really suspicious looking cave off the path over here. Boarded up entrance and everything. Get a move on, Andrew!" She grabs his arm, pulling him along. ||
Jun 20 05:35:21 <Belaris|GM>	...
Jun 20 05:36:50 <Belaris|GM>	The two unlikely partners walk down the beaten road, Maude pulling ahead and excitedly describing all the wrongs she wants to right while Andrew feigns disinterest and follows along happily.
Jun 20 05:40:23 <Belaris|GM>	Her talk consists of small things like local goblin incursions and petty theft and rather large things like halting the Otinian Civil War. Lots of ambition, there.
Jun 20 05:42:28 <Belaris|GM>	They soon reach the break in the foliage that Maude had found earlier, leading along a deer trail-like path up to the cave. As they approach, however, they both hear some rustling coming from the road behind them. It sounds like something moving through the underbrush the same way they did. ||
Jun 20 05:44:44 <Panda|>	"How do you want to handle it?" Andrew mutters under his breath, while going over what magic he knows to think of what tools he has at his disposal, in a worst case scenario.||
Jun 20 05:44:53 <Prothadin>	"Who goes there?" Maude says, interposing herself between the sound and Andrew. She notches an arrow on her bow, aiming at it. ||
Jun 20 05:47:18 *	soulpelt|sleep is now known as soulpelt|
Jun 20 05:48:14 <Belaris|GM>	Essentially all Light and Darkness magics, most necromantic rituals, a fair number of snare traps meant for wild game, limited levitation and evasion spells, a painting cantrip and a mending spell. At least that's what he could manage on short notice with no preparation or books to read from. Maybe leaving in such a haste was a poor idea.
Jun 20 05:51:08 <Belaris|GM>	Maude's stepping forward interrupted his racing thoughts. What was she doing? Didn't she know he was a powerful necromancer, commander of mighty and awesome magi- oh. Right. ||
Jun 20 05:51:12 <Belaris|GM>	-||
Jun 20 05:55:26 <Belaris|GM>	At her call, the rustling stops. A squeaky voice pipes up. "We don't want no troubles, we're just tryin' te get home, see?" Slowly, seven short, red creatures move into view. Goblins.
Jun 20 05:56:27 <Belaris|GM>	You think. Neither of you has ever actually seen a goblin before. But they seem like they fit. Tattered clothes, check. Spiky and rusty weapons, check. Short and red, check and check.
Jun 20 05:56:45 <Belaris|GM>	The apparent leader looks towards Maude anxiously, hands raised well away from his weapons. ||
Jun 20 05:58:01 <Prothadin>	Maude keeps the arrow notched, but drops the bow to the side, pointing away from the red midgety creatures.
Jun 20 05:58:15 <Panda|>	Immediately Andrew's mind flashes through some of the more advanced rituals that he'd not had a chance to implement. Blood bonds and sympathetic magics and /flesh golems/ and he was on the verge of bouncing excitedly. "Hey Maude, can I handle this?" He jumps in politely as possible given he was about to explode with excitement.||
Jun 20 05:58:47 <Prothadin>	"Oh! Sorry, I- Andrew, uh, handle it? What do you mean?" ||
Jun 20 06:00:01 <Panda|>	"Trust me," he smirks before turning to the Goblins. "Hey there, I'm Andrew and that piece of bristling steel and terror is Maude.
Jun 20 06:00:44 <Panda|>	"We're about to check out a cave and we could use some help. I'm sure Maude won't mind if we escort you home afterwards, to make sure nothing happens to you guys."
Jun 20 06:01:18 <Panda|>	He gives her a meaningful look, spelling out clearly 'BACK ME UP, OR I SWEAR, I'LL PUNCH YOUR STUPID FACE IN', before turning back to the Goblins and smiling.||
Jun 20 06:02:17 <Prothadin>	Maude furrows her brow, but stays silent. She glares suspiciously at Andrew. ||
Jun 20 06:02:30 <Belaris|GM>	...
Jun 20 06:03:44 <Belaris|GM>	The goblins mirror her expression, their hands indecisive on whether to surrender outright or go for their weapons.
Jun 20 06:04:57 *	VereorNox (VereorNox@9D98B0C1.E88E9779.3F8827F7.IP) has joined
Jun 20 06:06:15 <Belaris|GM>	"Like ah said, we's don't want no trouble," the leader says, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and worry. He slowly edges forward and points toward the cave behind them. "We's just head right down in there and we'll be outta you
Jun 20 06:06:25 <Belaris|GM>	'se hair, yeah?" ||
Jun 20 06:07:33 <Prothadin>	"Well, Andrew. You're handling it." ||
Jun 20 06:08:03 <Panda|>	"We were actually headed there for adventuring purposes. Would it be an issue if we came and looked around? Maybe took care of any pests you guys might be having and such?"||
Jun 20 06:11:02 <Belaris|GM>	...
Jun 20 06:16:56 <Belaris|GM>	"Well that's very kind o' you's," he explains, the look of consternation and worry still plastered on his face, "but I think me and me boyos here c'n take care o' rats ourselves." He's slowly walking up, hands still above his head.
Jun 20 06:20:35 <Belaris|GM>	Suddenly, the other goblins jump out from the underbrush to either side of the leader, having masked their approach with his speaking. Spiked bolas whip through the air, thrown by the goblins.
Jun 20 06:22:12 <Belaris|GM>	Maude has the presence of mind to duck, releasing the tension from the bow as she does. Andrew is caught off guard while speaking and his torso is wrapped up tight. The weighted ends of the bolas bite into the armor, but it seems to be holding them off so far.
Jun 20 06:23:14 <Belaris|GM>	The goblins draw clubs and charge, screaming tinny war cries. The leader holds his hands out to them, shouting, "No, boyos, no! Stop it! We ca' leave!" Nobody is listening to him. ||
Jun 20 06:24:55 <Prothadin>	"Andrew!" Maude shouts, still standing between him and the goblins. She holds the bow and arrow seperately, swinging them to create a perimeter of safety, hopefully. ||
Jun 20 06:25:49 <Panda|>	Andrew had to take a moment in his mind and decide what kind of necromantic adventurer he wanted to be. Welp, he had time while wrapped up, so he decided to just chill for a moment. "I'm fine. Just gonna relax here for a second."||
Jun 20 06:28:17 <Prothadin>	Maude stares down the goblins, silently, channeling her patron god's wrath into her gaze. Well, whichever one she eventually decides on. ||
Jun 20 06:31:16 <Belaris|GM>	...
Jun 20 06:32:18 <Belaris|GM>	Maude's wide, sweeping swings keep the goblins at bay for the moment, but as they start to realize she can't truly back it up, they start to press in on her, egging each other on.
Jun 20 06:32:35 <Belaris|GM>	The leader may or may not have his head in his hands, it's difficult to tell. ||
Jun 20 06:34:39 <Prothadin>	Maude backpedals, still swinging, getting closer to Andrew, using her arrow to cut the bolas. "Come on, run!" ||
Jun 20 06:35:39 <Panda|>	From his surprisingly comfortable vantage point on the ground, now released, Andrew stretches before grabbing a nearby goblin and hugging the creature gently. "You guys are just defending your leader. It's fine. I'm protective of my family to. I know what I'd do to anyone that messes with them..."
Jun 20 06:35:46 <Belaris|GM>	The edge of the arrow catches in the loops of cord binding Andrew, shredding them neatly and freeing him to move. ||
Jun 20 06:36:20 <Panda|>	Shaking his head from the unfortunate implications, Andrew turns his attention to the leader. "Sorry about the interruption. I'll see you around...." He waits for a name as he starts heading in Maude's hastily made direction.||
Jun 20 06:38:18 <Prothadin>	With some distance between her and the goblins, Maude notches another arrow, aiming at the goblins. "Hurry up, Andrew! Talk later!" ||
Jun 20 06:39:06 <Belaris|GM>	...
Jun 20 06:44:32 <Belaris|GM>	Andrew hugs the ferociously attacking goblin. The sheer audacity of the maneuver shocks him into hesitantly accepting the hug, weapon hanging loose in his grip. The leader, sure of his demise, sinks to his knees in relief, sobbing in his hands. Between gasps and foghorn-level nose blowings, you catch the words, "Name's... Chek... 'ank you..." As Andrew walks away, the goblins all group up in a tight huddle around their leader,
Jun 20 06:44:32 <Belaris|GM>	occasionally peeking a head up to look back at Andrew in case he changes his mind. ||
Jun 20 06:45:39 <Prothadin>	Maude pauses in her retreat, lowering her bow again, staring dumbfoundly. "Andrew... let's go." ||
Jun 20 06:45:48 <Panda|>	"C'mon Maude. Let's look for a place with some nice loot. Maybe a ruined flying castle?" He completely ignores what just happened, knowing it'd drive her insane.||
Jun 20 06:47:23 <Prothadin>	Maude follows Andrew. "I... uh, sure. If you can find one." Maude says, confused. ||
Jun 20 06:49:41 <Belaris|GM>	Maude and Andrew find their way back onto the roadway. It was late when they set out, and getting later by the minute, and they're still several miles from town. ||
Jun 20 06:50:19 <Prothadin>	"It's getting late, Andrew. You sure you want to stay out? I mean, I have a bedroll, but... well, I didn't expect company." ||
Jun 20 06:50:42 <Panda|>	"No worries, I need to set up some stuff for my magic anyway, I'll take first watch."||
Jun 20 06:51:23 <Prothadin>	"Hm. Let's find somewhere safe, first." ||
Jun 20 06:52:01 <Panda|>	"We almost got ganked by goblins...in the middle of the day...with rusted weapons...'safe' is relative at this point, Maude."||
Jun 20 06:52:30 <Prothadin>	"Somewhere where we're less likely to get ganked, then." ||
Jun 20 06:53:39 <Panda|>	"Up a tree?"||
Jun 20 06:53:54 <Prothadin>	"Don't think we can both fit in a tree." ||
Jun 20 06:54:58 <Panda|>	"You are even more difficult outside of your village, I swear. You want to backtrack to the Goblin's Cave? Because that's the only other alternative."||
Jun 20 06:55:59 <Prothadin>	"I'm sure we can find a clearing, or another cave, or something, Andrew." ||
Jun 20 06:56:32 *	Violaine has quit (Quit: Connection closed for inactivity)
Jun 20 06:57:55 <Panda|>	"Lead on, then." While he follows her lead, the young necromancer goes over his armor, knives, short sword, and Dep to see what- if any- enchantments were layered across them. Better to know what was there before you messed around with adding more magic to the mix.||
Jun 20 06:58:30 <Prothadin>	Maude searches for either a shaded clearing, a pond/lakefront, or a cave. ||
Jun 20 06:58:34 <Belaris|GM>	...
Jun 20 07:00:54 <Belaris|GM>	As Maude scouts out the terrain ahead, Andrew begins to get an idea of what treasures his family has lent him. The enchantments on his arms and armor lie as thick as the trees around them. Spells for hiding, spells for strength, spells for cutting and speed and power. Hell
Jun 20 07:03:16 <Belaris|GM>	Hell's stars, there's cutting enchantments on his /armor/, though he can't quite get them to activate. Dep has a powerful accuracy enchantment worked throughout the blade, but it seems hacked together. Andrew can't make rhyme nor reason of the targeting, the trigger, nor even the real effect. It would seem intentionally obfuscated if it weren't surrounded by the same wards as the other pieces of equipment.
Jun 20 07:04:59 <Belaris|GM>	Maude, easily outpacing the lollygaggin Andrew, manages to locate a stand of trees surrounding a travelers' stone on top of a small hill. Accorded neutral ground, it's as safe a place as any out here. ||
Jun 20 07:05:49 <Prothadin>	Maude rolls out her bedroll under a tree, and removes her sheathe, belts, and quiver, placing her equipment and bag at the foot of the bedroll. ||
Jun 20 07:08:10 <Panda|>	Andrew sets up with his back to a tree in an area where he'd be unlikely to be spotted, while still keeping Maude in visible range, and lay his short sword across his lap. "Hey you," he murmurs to the inanimate object, "I'm going to name you soon, then we'll layer titles on you until people treat you like a god long after I'm gone. Yeah. But first.
Jun 20 07:08:10 <Panda|>	.."
Jun 20 07:09:04 <Panda|>	He closes a single eye for concentration purposes and focuses on the short sword in his lap, channeling energy into it in a complicated ritual used to turn an object into a storage battery, which could be tapped to fuel spells instead of the user's own body.||
Jun 20 07:10:37 <Prothadin>	Maude continues prepping for sleep, removing her armor and laying it on the bedroll, then gathering some sticks and leaves to start a fire to cook her ratiosn. ||