Tag Archives: Alexis

Not Just an Arm

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Ethelred on watch hears some of Rask’s utterances, seeming to be open to turning on the group.

A night later while Rask sleeps Ethelred chooses to awaken Alexis and Ca’armine. Taking great pains to make little noise. He signals them each individually to be quite and to move away from the group. The three move out of vocal range, but can still see the sleeping Rask (and Gustav).

Whispering and keeping a solid eye on Rask as he sleeps…

“Gentleman, I am worried about Rask. I have heard disturbing utterances from his own lips last night. He seems to be pondering, relishing?, attacking us.There is something not right with Rask.

If we are to pursue taking the fight to Bandesingh we must all be aligned. We do not know enough about Bandesingh. Bandesingh might be able to effect Rask in a way that would leave his even more vulnerable to the soul that seems trapped with in him.

I have racked my brain for things that I might be able to do to help free Rask, but the magics that posses him are beyond my understanding.

Do we need the skull that was involved in the ‘ritual’ that Rask performed to take the soul into this sword?

Car’armine might you have some healing, or turning that could help?

Alexis what light might your goddess shed onto this situation?

It would seem that combining the powers of Ave and Raiden might prove to be a challenging knowing some of the history of them. But maybe that is an option?”

Red looks between his companions, a clear expression of concern is upon him.

The Little Death that Brings Complete Obliteration

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Rask moans in in his sleep…

“No… not Gus…”

“…Ca’armine…”

Sad moans shift to flat mutterings…

“… exis… join the horde… sword…”

“… ‘thelred is the weakest…”

“Two swords… the only real threat…”

“.. ‘us… at a distance…”

And finally, grim determination.

“Break the bow… cut Red down… then the Priests…”

The Hobgoblin of Little Minds

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Rask approaches Alexis as the group prepares to follow the hobgoblins tracks into the grasslands.

“Boss, I’m not going to be able to use a sword, given what happened to Ca’armine this morning…”

Rask pauses, and looks apologetically at the priest, then the Ethelred and Gustav.

“I think Zrithak has… influence over my sword arm… I’m pretty sure he was one of the escaped chained creatures connected to that crypt in Sutheron, and somehow his soul is… more aware? stronger? than the others trapped in… my sword.”

“I’m concerned simply destroying the sword will free the all the souls trapped there, including Zrithak. My preference would be to force him out of my body and back into the sword somehow and eventually to turn the sword over to the Hoodites.”

“In the meantime, I’m afraid I need to fight with just my hands, and perhaps a bow.”

Our Lost Comrade. Bravest of Us

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The group has stopped for lunch after they’ve left the First Gate (but before they encounter Illceros’ Spiders).

Alexis addresses Gustav and Ca’armine. “I’m not sure about you Raiden boys, but these western lands have gotten me thinking more about…” Alexis puts his arms out “the bigger things.”

“You both chose to give up Dauntless” Alexis holds up an apologetic hand to Ca’armine “even though you weren’t fully aware of what that meant” Alexis says to only Ca’armine.

“With some time and space, how are you feeling about the ‘Collegium’ holding such a powerful artifact in your cause?”

Alexis looks between Gustav and Ca’armine.

Each Morning

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Each morning when Red sits down to study he pull out his dagger and the stone. He sets the stone down before him. He holds the dagger with care. He goes over each part of the spell to bring flame from the blade. Each gesture, each word, each change in temperature, each way the energy moves. Careful he is to not actually bring forth the flame, but to merely warm the blade. Attention is paid to how the energy moves, where it comes from, how it interacts, where it goes. Slowly he practices. Always aware of the presence of the stone.

While traveling Red will take as much time as he can in the cart, going back over the scrolls. While he appreciates they have a ‘natural order’ he attempts to find other ways to organize them. First he just mixes them up, like one would a deck of cards. A fresh take on an old subject.

Next he looks for similarities and rearranges them around theme, common words, general similarities and even opposites. Each reordering of the scrolls reveals new dimensions to the words.

Each morning after study Red approaches Alexis, stone in his palm and ask it today is the day. So far, no.

Demons In Our Midst

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While riding away from the Spider of Illceros’ ruins and bridge, Rask approaches Alexis and Ca’armine.

“When was last time we heard from Balls Wrecked? Back in Ghanil, right? It seems the demon’s interest in us vanished as we approached the First Gate? He only works in crowded places?

The Cycle of Neef

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A bit after their conversation about dwarves and mountains, Rask perks up suddenly, looks around and approached Alexis.

“Alexis, do you remember the song Grimsby Thorne was signing when we first met him? The Cycle of Neef? Neef was the squire right? But Igvar, his master, was a holy crusader of Raiden and founded Fellsbee… right? There was something about a wizard too…”

Legends and Lore: Raiden… Of the Storms?

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Rask approaches Alexis in moment where the others are busy.

”Alexis, have you ever heard of Raiden being named a Storm God?”

Rask looks around warily, “My connection to Aegir is lost here, and it has been difficult…”

He gestured at the tattoos on his chest and back. Clearly a saddened and a bit lost.

“I have a vague… memory? “My… grandmother? Referring to Raiden as the Storm God…”

Rask’s brown furrows… Alexis gets the sense that’s not quite right, and that Rask is hoping for help understanding…

Saddles to Summon Unkillable Steeds

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As the group is all on the surface near the ruined tower where they found and imprisoned Zyrithack, during some down time. Alexis talks to the group

“Some of the greatest human knights, scouts, and explorers used to have saddles that would summon steeds which would never tire. The greatest of these were said to summon steeds that could even carry their riders across the water or open air across chasms.”

“For this kind of exploring” Alexis gestures to the ruins “we could really use some of those saddles. Unfortunately I don’t know where the great knights and scouts could have been housed around these human lands. Perhaps the Collegium has one or two in the bowels. Perhaps there are some in Ederos. Perhaps there are a few between here and Ederos.”

“Red, is this the sort of thing you could figure out? Some essence of the Westlands imbued in saddles, that is brought forth. Or perhaps a creature captured in a saddle that is forced to serve in the form of a horse. Perhaps a creature like Yog’s large cat. Or the 3-armed giant. Or Earyka.” Alexis gives Ethelred a large, playful smile and a wink “How would that work without necromancy? Perhaps there’s a better way.” Alexis waits for an answer from his companion.

The Mystery of the Crown and Hammer

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Over some breakfast since leaving the 1st Gate, Alexis is thinking aloud

“Without Drennos I can go back to my musings.” after a little pause Alexis continues.
“I’m still thinking about the Hammer and Crown, and what the Collegium is supposed to be kept from knowing. What about the history or the nature of those artifacts is supposed to stay hidden? Since nobody but villains talks to non-humans” Alexis says with sarcasm “it seems reasonable that the knowledge that the Collegium doesn’t have was acquired from non-humans… perhaps from some long-lived creature or from some lost library.”

“Perhaps the Crown and Hammer could be items that Dwarves would rally behind, but it seems like they would have to be held by a Dwarf, otherwise they wouldn’t be objects to trade, but objects to use.”

“The simple explanation, the uneducated explanation, is that these items are connected and together they form a symbol of royalty. Similar to a crown and scepter.”

“Less intuitive is that they are somehow items used by some ‘rightful chosen of the Maker’, and the hammer is the real item. It forges something. But this gets into wild speculation.”

“What would be a threat to our enemies, or a great boon to them, from those items, that the Collegium wouldn’t be aware of?” Alexis thinks on this while they all eat together.