Tag Archives: Gustav

The Confusion of the City

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Gustav gets up the morning after going through Malkar’s crucible. He got plenty of sleep, but looks exhausted by anxiety. The large gleaming crow keeps poking at Gustav’s side since it hasn’t eaten yet and is hungry. Gustav ignores the crow and mindlessly throws some hard tack pieces and a bit of leftovers from Mavon’s dinner the night before on the ground. The crow quickly plops down to the ground and eats the kernels of food.

Gustav sees Ethelred is up and inventorying his remaining equipment.

“Ethelred, Do you like being in the city? I am getting confused.

There are so many people, so many factions all in such a small area. Gangs, Guilds, Collegiums, Temples, Stores, Taverns, Stalls, Houses, Barracks, Briggs, Jails, Mansions, Palaces. Then there are Thieves, Priests, Scholars, Brigands, Mercenaries, Soldiers, Dogs, Rats, Cats, Barkeeps, Torturers, Executioners, Nobles, Mongers, Engineers, Mages and Morticians. And we have met and dealt with many of these just in the last few days.

Sure, I meet these people and factions over time out across Aegir, but it takes years and many miles of travel. Most days out in the real Aegir are just travel, eating, talking to your team, sharpening weapons, shaving coins. Every once in a while meeting another group of travelers. And then repeat the next day.

I wonder if Sutheron was created by evil magical forces as a way to enslave a large amount of people to keep them busy arguing and fighting against each other. There are small groups helping each other, but usually created in opposition to another group. Gangs created to protect their neighborhood eventually take to stealing, blackmail and the “protection” racket in their own neighborhood. Before Aegir took over Sutheron and before Aedelfried and the Red Cloaks took over, was Sutheron a wonderful place where everyone helped each other? I doubt it. I suppose that is a question for Alexis.

I feel lost in Sutheron. I will stay and help as long as Alexis needs. But this place is well outside my heart. What do you think about Sutheron now? I know you are interested in becoming a member of the Collegium as there are many gifts of knowledge of materials for pit fighting they can give you. But what about after? Are you getting used to the city, do you like staying here? The rat is good I guess.

Perhaps this is just a reaction to Malkar’s Torture and I am feeling down today. Ignore me if I am talking nonsense. But I do miss Aegir.”

He Did The Right Thing, For Now

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Alexis is staying up on his watch with the smell of smoke still coming into the mansion of the Crimson Calling. He has spent the time on his watch so far pacing to try and stay ahead of the memories from his time with Malkar.

During his pacing Alexis checks on Gustav, and notices Sally as well. Alexis is able to forget about himself as he remembers what Sally went through.

Alexis squats next to Gustav and speaks to Sally “we both went through a lot today, didn’t we, although I might have come out with fewer scars than you, huh?” Alexis smiles faintly at Sally and reaches out to pet her.

Alexis gets up and walks away coming back a few minutes later with some morsels for Sally. After feeding Sally Alexis asks “I’m going to keep walking around, did you want to join me?” Alexis extends his hand for Sally to hop on.

There Are Worse Prisons

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After the group is arrested by the Collegium guards and taken to the comfortable “holding cell”.

Alexis, looking tired and energized at the same time, who is still bruised from the bookshelf and burned from the scroll magics, speaks.

“Well” he says looking around the richly appointed room “if we’re going to be held for questioning, this is a better spot than most.”

He sits down and starts fiddling with his jasper necklace.

“Lorianne’s surely going to have already gotten the first word. I never thought the Collegium could be so compromised. Have to see how this plays out.”

After shortening the leather thong around the jasper necklace, Alexis wears his red jasper around his wrist. He moves to Gustav to tend to him while they wait.

The Choice of Steel

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The night forest is shadowed in the soft glow of lamplight and Alexis’ magical light, revealing old trees, dead bodies, and pools of blood. In the center Alexis stands amidst his weary but resilient team. Their faces are etched with concern and anticipation. Gustav stands slightly apart, clutching a simple dagger with a look of stubborn defiance.

ALEXIS
(seriously, addressing the group)
“This isn’t just about a choice of weapons. It’s about understanding the weight of our decisions, especially when they put others at risk.”

Alexis looks over the group, capturing their post-battle adrenaline-state, Ethelred’s post-battle dread, and highlighting their reliance on each other for survival.

ALEXIS(CONT’D)
(firmly)
“We’re in this together. Choosing a dagger over a magic sword, in the face of bow-wielding orcs no less, it’s not just a personal mistake. It’s a risk to every single life in this camp.”

Alexis walks over to Ethelred, wiping off some of the blood running down Ethelred’s armor and looking at it on his fingers, his voice softening as he turns back to Gustav.

ALEXIS(CONT’D)
(softly)
“Gus, your bravery isn’t in question here. But bravery without wisdom is folly. We needed that sword, not just for its power, but for the protection it would offer us all.”

He steps closer to Gustav, looking into his eyes, searching for understanding.

ALEXIS(CONT’D)
(gently)
“Every choice we make in our crusade against the Dark Hand has consequences. Today, it was a close call. Tomorrow, it might not be.”

A moment of silence fills the room as Gustav stubbornly meets Alexis’ gaze.

ALEXIS(CONT’D)
(curiously, with a hint of something else)
“So, I have to ask… Gus, why? Why choose the dagger over the sword and put Red in dire peril? What was it that you saw in this choice that we didn’t?”

Gustav, looks down at the dagger in his hand, then back up at Alexis. The rest of the team looks on with curiosity.

Just Confusion?

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Rask scanned: the horses’ and mule’s ears, the trees, the trails. After a few minutes, his eyes settled into a pattern and he started to think again.

His eyes slowed a bit as they swept across Gustav and the sword Alexis called “Dauntless,” Torr Bjorn’s sword, a gift from Ishtar, made of start metal, and re-forged by Torr himself. The sword had rejected Rask, chosen Gustav, but Gustav spurned the sword, wished to be rid of it. Gustav Raidensbless’d seemed disgusted and disturbed by the relic. They both needed protection from the Dark Hand.

Alexis Laelius, Ethelred, they were planners, engineers. What was the plan here? Were they really going to take the sword to Mage Eye and Ursill? Even if that is his plan, doing it while being hunted by the Dark Hand and their orcs?

It must be an elaborate ruse. We learned a bit more about the enemy. We could double back soon, push the logs over the trap door, and take on Shyeeni and her orcs. We killed three quickly, we could take out the slaver and her minions before going into the caves to rescue the refugees from the other slavers below… Yes that must be the plan.

Rask scans: the horses’ and mule’s ears, the trees, the trails…

A bit later, Rask clears his throat “A-huH-lex-IS.”

He looks at the Sutheroni sharply and jerks his head back towards the cave and enemy.

He whispers, “How much time are we going to give them?”

Rask scans: the horses’ and mule’s ears, the trees, the trails…

The Fallen Protectors of Raiden

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Ethelred waits for Gus to return from his morning ‘prayers’. As he approaches the trees Red stops him near on of the fallen trees outside of the Grove.

“Gustav, I have been thinking, studying.. pondering…”

Ethelred looks around walks a bit farther away from the Grove and indicates for Gustav to follow him. Red touches the fallen tree, ensures it is does not talk.. which as he does this seems crazy. But then talking trees, also crazy.

In a hushed tone.

“As I was saying I have been studying some ways to protect use in battle. While I have a path that is simple.. there is another path that would be more.. effective.”

Ethelred takes another few steps farther from the grove and indicated of Gus to follow. Even quieter he begins to talk again.

“But it would require a bit of a sacrifice.. and I would need your blessing to even start. This tree (indicates the a closest fallen tree) for example could be utilized to give a protective blessing of Raiden… could form a sort of armor… But it would require removing the bark from a fallen tree….”

Ethelred pause as waits to see what reaction Gustav has.

Good Blessings. Bad Blessings.

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At some point during their two weeks at the grove before heading to Barra’s pool the three treasure hunters are all having an evening meal together. After some logistics Alexis turns to his companions.

“I’ve been thinking about our battle with the Red Cloaks under the fort, and how much easier it might have been if you’d both accepted the ‘blessings’ of the symbol/archtype you both refer to as ‘Avv’. And the thing that has me confused is the ‘blessings’ you’re willing to accept and the ones you’re not. And I speak as someone who is happy to accept boons and blessings from almost any ‘god’. Obviously Nurgle would be hard for me because the slime, the spores, etc.” Alexis gives a shudder of revulsion. “And I wouldn’t trust a gift/boon from the Arril-Noroth since I expect it would contain a barb of some sort. But back to the subject at hand…”

“You both willingly accepted a ‘blessing’ from Bora Bloodfist, servant of She-Who-Is-Fierce, and from that ‘blessing’ we were taken on a journey together and now better understand the Path of the Peacemakers. Great. But that started because you both accepted magics from a priest of the goddess of the gnolls. That was acceptable, but ‘blessings’ from ‘Avv’ are not.”

“And you both willingly accepted the task to break Dauntless for a boon from She-Who-Is-Fierce. And I was, and still could be, excited to see what sort of boon that would be. But my point is that getting a boon from that goddess whom many consider evil and hostile to humanity, Raiden, etc was acceptable, but blessings from Avv are not.”

“Red, you can I carried the Eyes of Maglubiyet accepting the risks and rewards therein. But somehow a blessing from a matriarch of humanity is not.”

“Gus, you wear bracers of the VahnYir, who pledged themselves to the Arru-Noroth. And you accept the magics I learned from those bracers to further help you in your aim. Magics that also come from the VahnYir. This is all acceptable to you, but blessings of Avv are not.”

“Please help me understand how you are both willing to accept the magics of forces so antithetical to humanity and Raiden, and so hostile to accepting help from the human magics of ‘Avv’, who defended humanity at one of the points when humanity needed it most.”

Alexis looks between Gustav and Ethelred.

In With The New

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A day or two down the road to the Greyfax estate, as the Crimson Calling has just finished setting up camp and is starting their evening chores, a lone man approaches leading a horse.

The man is wearing a heavy winter cloak, and a simple undyed tabard. Under the cloak and tabard, the observant make out dark-red, almost black chain mail and the hilt of odd shaped, dark-handled sword. It reminds those that remember of the blade Ethelred called “Bushwacker,” but longer.

The man raises his arms confidently in the universal gesture of peace,

“Hail, I am Rask Felmar, of Thater that Was. You must be the Crimson Calling.” He calls out confidently.

Test Plan: Wooden Rings

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After Alexis has examined the wooden rings and found out

  • They are abjuration-hued
  • Clear connection between them
  • They seem identical
    • but in two different places
    • AND they seem more like one thing than two things
    • OR like their connection is so strong they seem like one thing
  • They appear like pieces of a working, but not the full working
    • They seem like they are a blank canvas which other magics have yet to be put on

He addresses his companions “I would like to test the nature of these rings. The one time we experimented with them, my nausea was amplified because of what Red was feeling? Or I got his feeling of nausea?”

“Over the next while I’d like us to run some tests, and I want us to come up with a plan for these tests. Red and I will be ‘conducting’ the tests. Ezrin, you’ll be studying the effects from the outside, and possibly working on trying to save us if things go very badly. Gus, you will do your best to protect us. I leave it to you to decide how best to do that.”

“Some of my thoughts on the rings:

“I would like to figure out what makes these rings ‘abjuration’ in nature. What sort of protection was the intent?”

“The ‘blank canvas’ nature of the rings made me think that perhaps we could put magics within the rings and they could be released at a later time. And this might be the case, but perhaps only protections can be ‘painted on the blank canvas’?”

“I didn’t notice any particular warren flavor while studying the rings, which is interesting of itself. Especially interesting given the material of the rings.”

Alexis looks at the group “everyone understand the plan? Any questions, or other feedback?”