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What's your religion? in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #72
Revised results from the Belief-o-Matic:

1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Secular Humanism (91%)
3. Liberal Quakers (89%)
4. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (86%)
5. Theravada Buddhism (74%)
6. Neo-Pagan (69%)
7. Nontheist (66%)
8. Bahá'í Faith (64%)
9. New Age (61%)
10. Mahayana Buddhism (54%)
11. Taoism (53%)
12. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (51%)
13. Orthodox Quaker (50%)
14. Reform Judaism (49%)
15. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (47%)
16. Jainism (47%)
17. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (41%)
18. New Thought (41%)
19. Jehovah's Witness (36%)
20. Sikhism (36%)
21. Scientology (36%)
22. Orthodox Judaism (30%)
23. Islam (27%)
24. Hinduism (25%)
25. Seventh Day Adventist (23%)
26. Eastern Orthodox (16%)
27. Roman Catholic (16%)

All it really says for universal unitarianism is "Beliefs Vary". That's just so helpful...

Chop off the first four and it's the same top scores from the last test. Interesting. Still, I didn't expect anything christian to even get close to 50%.

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
what do you think of summoning? in The Avernum Trilogy
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #13
Well, Arcane Summon was useful in A3 and semi-useful in A2. The only summoning in BoA I ever use is Simulacrum, which can be horribly broken if you use it in a boss battle.

EDIT: Divine Host was also awesome, particularly when you could still summon Vengeful Shades at level 3.

[ Tuesday, August 09, 2005 10:50: Message edited by: Ephesos ]

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
The Mountain of Shadows RP in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #123
OoC: I think I'll follow along.

IC:

Brother Sequoia was ill at ease again. Down here, far from the sunlight, his magic couldn't possibly work as well (though, truth be told, he had never been down this deep). That, and the town in front of him looked positively unnatural, reminding him of tales about Avernum.

Too much metal... he thought, noticing the heavily-armored guards approaching the group. Still, he accepted their greetings cordially, remembering not to mention the hair.

OoC: Didn't want to go into too much detail, this town would best be described by Zephyr. (And it'd be best to see who follows along)

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
The Mountain of Shadows RP in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #117
OoC: Urk... I thought we were ignoring "IC under construction"s. I'll remove the post.

EDIT: Okay, if nobody posts soon, I'm going ahead with my previous IC.

[ Monday, August 08, 2005 10:55: Message edited by: Ephesos ]

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
The Mountain of Shadows RP in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #115
OoC: Don't worry, Marvin, I got the e-mail. And anyone whose character makes it into the scenario will be among the first to be offered a role betatesting (after all, I want to get the characters right).

And I agree, I think it's time our party moved on (sorry, I think seven people will be enough for now).

IC:

EDIT: IC removed, waiting for previous posts to finish.

[ Monday, August 08, 2005 09:08: Message edited by: Ephesos ]

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
The Mountain of Shadows RP in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #112
OoC: Wow... already a death. And why is everyone rushing to join our party? That'll just make things much more complicated...

No IC in this post, too tired to think (and trying to relearn too many characters).

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
Phobias in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #14
A bit of social phobia, but not much else really. Rather annoying when I'm somewhere new and don't know many people.

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
Druids of Krell - a premature encounter? in Blades of Avernum
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #6
Uh... try clearing up the matter with Brother Elm back at the Temple (ask him about it). That should fix your problem, provided you've actually spoken with Brother Coldgale (the one outside the Sanctum).

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
The Mountain of Shadows RP in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #100
OoC: Happy to see that nobody advanced our party... I had a great idea this afternoon but had to leave it. And I think I'm going to start italicizing thoughts as well.

EDIT OoC: Hey, 100th post! Woohoo!

IC:

Looking down at the suit of armor full of Cyrus, Brother Oakleaf cast another look around the clearing they had stopped in. "We have everything?"

Andros tossed a rib into the pile. "I think that's all... nobody spotted anything else."

"Be careful with that!" Cyrus yelled when the rib bounced into the armor. "I kind of need it!"

"Sorry," Andros said. "But now what?"

"Put my head back on the armor, and I'll just be an hour." Cyrus said, clearly a bit annoyed. Brother Sequoia carefully balanced the skull on top of its armor, and stepped back.

"Wait..." Melora said suddenly. "I hear something. Growls, probably wolves."

As if on cue, a pack of six wolves leapt out from the surrounding forest. Brother Sequoia immediately noticed something strange: the wolves were larger than most he had ever seen, and had what looked like a malicious glint in their eyes.

"Do not kill them! They are only acting according to their nature!" Sequoia yelled, as Lisha and Caecus had already drawn blades. The druid then held his staff aloft and started shouting a spell. His staff glowed neon green, and a thick hedge wall grew up around the six adventurers with a loud creaking of wood. However, unlike in the town, this wall quickly grew foot-long thorns to coat the ten-foot walls.

Andros lowered his already-loaded crossbow, looking puzzled. "Why do we leave them alone?"

"Cyrus needs time to pull himself together, pardon the pun." Sequoia replied, focusing his energy on maintaining the wall.

The first two wolves charged the wall, if Sequoia interpreted the resulting yelps correctly. However, he soon heard the wolves tearing into the wall again, which put him on edge. Normal wolves would've given up after the first try, he thought. This can't be good...

After a few tense minutes, with Cyrus still muttering words of necromancy to himself, a loud growl marked the first wolf clawing through the hedge. Brother Sequoia shouted more spells, and the hole closed itself up, growing thorns again. "I can't keep this up all day! Get ready!" he yelled.

"But you said..." Caecus began, but Sequoia cut him off.

"This isn't natural at all," the druid said with a snarl. "It's trying to kill us for a reason beyond food, so I advise you get ready!"

OoC: I believe that matched up nicely.

And on an unrelated note, I'd like to know if anyone would mind having their character appear in my work-in-progress BoA scenario (assuming they survive the RP). If you don't want them in it, post and let me know, and if you're interested, e-mail me and give me details. I for one plan on including Brother Sequoia as long as he survives.

[ Friday, August 05, 2005 20:06: Message edited by: Ephesos ]

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
All I ask is one small favor... in Blades of Avernum
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #15
Well then, I suppose you got the "too bad you have no idea where the Sanctum is" message. Go directly west of Relias, and look for an odd-looking hilltop.

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
What's your religion? in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #17
Paganism 96%
Buddhism 75%
agnosticism 67%
atheism 54%
Judaism 50%
Islam 42%
Satanism 42%
Christianity 42%
Hinduism 29%

Interesting... I'm an atheist, but I do sympathize with Buddhism and Pagan religions most (in that order). Still, I'd have thought that Hinduism would come in above Satanism (why did they put that on there?!).

Buddhism's score there makes sense, because after all, it doesn't have a god (thus I'm attracted to the idea). I think my Paganism score came from the nature questions... which will make sense to those of you who've played my BoA scenario.

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
Scenario Contest Entries in Blades of Avernum
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #18
I'm flattered by the prediction...

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
Human cloning in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #5
There's a fine line between creating fresh people (exact replicas, which we cannot do quite yet) and regrowing organs. Both are technically cloning, but only one is ethically hazy.

As demonslaeyr said, it's a bit wrong to create life, if only because it'd be too easy for someone to abuse the power. Overpopulation would hopefully never occur, though that's just too weird for words.

Identity crises would get very unpleasant, and the "evil twin" scenario would probably happen eventually. In fact, everyone would have that problem, knowing they could instantly be replaced. Think of how it'd lower military morale, not just knowing you can be replaced, but (even worse) knowing that clones have come before you and died.

Therapeutic cloning: nothing but good, as Thuryl said.

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
The Mountain of Shadows RP in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #90
OoC: Why did some of you call me FBM? I have no idea who that is... this is my only account.

IC:

Brother Sequoia twirled the dagger idly in his off hand. "Before we go back, just promise us that you won't try to attack anyone in our group."

"It's a deal. I'd rather not have to face assassin alone." Andros replied, following Cyrus and Sequoia back into the forest.

--

Finding Caecus, Lisha, and the elf (who now stood free) in the clearing with the rust piles, Brother Sequoia greeted them jovially. "Guess what? We all have prices on our heads!"

Lisha and the elf barely reacted at all. "So... how did this occur?" Lisha asked.

Andros gave an abbreviated account of their conversation, and Lisha just smiled. "Well, then you three should know that we're headed for a village Caecus is familiar with. Don't mention their hair."

"I just don't want to know, do I?" Sequoia asked, handing Lisha her dagger.

"Probably not."

"Is the elf with us now?" Cyrus asked, still a bit sore (as much as a skeleton could be) from the elf's attack.

"My name is Melora, and you should remember it." the elf said, in a much calmer voice than Sequoia had expected.

"Alright then, who's going to lead the way to the village?" Brother Sequoia asked, gesturing with his staff toward the sun, which had begun creeping over the horizon.

OoC: New day!

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
The Mountain of Shadows RP in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #86
OoC: Alright... looks like I'm fixing my post again.

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
The Mountain of Shadows RP in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #78
OoC: So Andros attacked Cyrus, correct?

EDIT: Okay, that was stupid of me. I mentally mistook Blackrune's headless corpse for Cyrus (it was late), and somehow thought Andros tried to attack us all. My post has been changed. I was just following Davida's post (though badly), and I figured that I could go ahead with the three of us that went off elsewhere.

EDIT2: Good to see I was right about who walked off with Sequoia... I think I'm up to pace this time.

IC:

Brother Sequoia was a bit angry, to put it simply. As he led Cyrus and the angry archer (who still carried his broken crossbow), the gray light of early dawn began filling the trees.

Having barely seen the archer (who had grumpily said his name to be Andros) leap to try and attack Caecus, Brother Sequoia knew to keep an eye on him.

"So, what was that about?" Andros asked, a hint of confusion mixing with the indignity of having his weapon broken.

"Well, you almost attacked one of our party," the druid said with a snarl. "I think it should be natural that we let you cool off."

"Cool off?!" Andros replied sharply. "You broke my only weapon!"

"Unless I'm mistaken, that's a machete strapped to your back." Cyrus said bluntly.

"My most trusted weapon!"

"Here, give it to me." Brother Sequoia gestured toward the broken bow. Andros cautiously handed it over, and the druid began muttering a spell as he drew the knife from the bow's frame. The gaping hole in the wooden frame closed itself up quickly, and Brother Sequoia handed the crossbow back to the stunned Andros. "You might want to oil it... my magic tends to induce rust." he said with a smirk.

Andros looked over the bow, and fairly satisfied, folded it up and slung it across his back.

Brother Oakleaf turned to Andros. "So why did you try to attack Caecus?"

"He had already killed a man! Didn't you see the body? I wanted to stop the spirit from killing anyone else!"

"From how Caecus was acting, it looked like the dead man deserved it." Cyrus said slowly.

Andros's voice filled with sarcasm. "Must be something important if he deserved to be beheaded.."

Brother Sequoia paid no attention to the sarcasm. "Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I am no fan of needless violence, and I sense that Caecus is similarly inclined. There must have been a good reason."

"Anyway, why did you have the shadow elf bound?" Andros asked after a short silence.

"She attacked Caecus. I had to help him subdue her." Cyrus said. "More importantly, why were the two of you sneaking up on all of us?"

"Yes, you should probably explain yourself..." Brother Sequoia said darkly, still holding Lisha's knife.

[ Thursday, August 04, 2005 11:43: Message edited by: Ephesos ]

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
What scenarios hve you done? in Blades of Avernum
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #19
Good luck to you, JadeWolf... UV can take some patience (and usually a headache or two).

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
All I ask is one small favor... in Blades of Avernum
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #13
I look forward to getting some more feedback before getting too deep into the sequel.

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
The Mountain of Shadows RP in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #74
OoC: Alright, I get it now. Good job on guessing my character, Davida. I hope I do everyone elses' justice here.

IC:

Brother Sequoia awoke to Caecus's wail, followed by a sharp scream and a sword's swish. Jumping up from behind a broad oak trunk, he quickly took in the scene. Hearing Caecus's warning, he picked up his staff and ran over to the suits of armor, who were rapidly advancing on the half-asleep Lisha.

"Can't get a decent night's rest out here, I see." he said to himself. Still, he was surprised by how stealthy the mobile armor was. He'd never had given the wail a second thought it weren't for the scream...

He shouted at Lisha as he ran past her tired form, and she was running with him in seconds.

"Why are they here, and how do we kill them?" Lisha said quickly. A 'good morning' would've been nice, but oh well... thought Brother Sequoia.

"Don't know, but Caecus said to break the helmets."

"Good." she said, drawing a silver dagger and chucking it at the nearest helmet. It shattered, and the armor below it fell to the ground lifeless.

When Brother Sequoia and Lisha reached the melee, they found that Caecus had already shattered two suits of armor. Brother Sequoia was surprised by his sudden agility, given how clumsy he had looked walking through the forest.

Cyrus was nowhere to be seen as Brother Sequoia began chanting a short spell. Once he finished, his staff glowed the color of rust, and the three suits of armor nearest him were quickly rusting away. Three quick blows from his staff shattered the helmets.

Lisha had retrieved her first dagger, and was now wielding two as she snuck up on some armor suits attacking Caecus. Two loud clanks signified the armor's death (if it could be called that).

Caecus had by now defeated five more armor suits, his two runed swords flashing brightly in the moonlight. Only three remained.

A rust spell, a dagger, and a runed sword quickly accounted for each remaining suit.

"This is just unnatural..." Brother Sequoia said with a hint of disgust in his voice. The three warriors stepped out of the field of unoccupied (and in some cases, terribly rusted) plate mail.

After Brother Sequoia reduced the remaining armor to piles of rust, Cyrus approached the three leading what looked like a shadow elf behind him. The elf looked female, though her cloak made it hard to tell in the dark. She looked as though she'd been dragged a short distance.

"Good, you're all awake." Cyrus said, not immediately noticing the piles of rust. "Now Caecus, why'd you run back here after I knocked her out... wait, what happened here?!"

"First explain the shadow elf." Lisha said abruptly. "Present problems before past."

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
The Mountain of Shadows RP in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #52
OoC: While I wasn't aware that Davida could drag my character off or speak for him, I'm glad to be along for the ride. I'm actually pleasantly surprised... that was pretty much my what my character was going for.

Two posts a day sounds good... I may only be able to make one.

IC:

Brother Sequoia was very puzzled. Two assassins in one night... one wanting to travel with undead, one trying to kill them... it was all getting a little strange. In fact, he still wasn't sure why he had followed Lisha (who had given a rather unpleasantly curt introduction), but it was better than sitting in the tavern for yet another night.

Honestly, Brother Sequoia was just glad that nobody died... he had never had a taste for bloodshed, and needless killing simply wore on his nerves. Still, Lisha seemed a bit suspicious to him, and she looked as if she had seen a lot of killing in her time.

Neither of the undead (Brother Sequoia was sure the armor had to have something in it) had spoken in a while, and Lisha had stayed silent as well. Brother Sequoia could only guess Lisha's motives, but he had noticed that their path led towards the Mountain of Shadows. This was all that held Brother Sequoia's interest, as he had hoped to not make this trip alone.

"Where are you leading us, Lisha?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. She didn't answer, simply continuing to lead them deeper into the forest.

Annoyed, Brother Sequoia muttered a short few syllables, and his staff began giving off a dull red glow, just enough to light his path beneath the thickening treetops...

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
I am wed. in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #18
Congratulations, Drew. May it last as long as... something that lasts very long (don't you hate it when you can't find an analogy).

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
The Mountain of Shadows RP in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #40
OoC: Well, yeah. More for show than anything, though the thorns are big...

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
Scenario Contest Entries in Blades of Avernum
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #6
Well, I'm just happy that there are scenarios that will rank below mine. I'm confident that DoK can beat Undead Valley, A Large Rebellion, Crescent Valley, RoR, and maybe even Backwater.

I think RoR will get the lowest, just because it's a port. Crescent Valley should be next-to-last, and if you've read half of its dialogue, you know why. A Large Rebellion and Undead Valley will be towards the bottom, due to annoying quests (LR wins there) and sheer confusing-ness (UV).

And yes, it's obvious: Canopy, Bahss, and Mad Ambition are the best.

To be fair, DoK will rank rather low due to its length, numerous revisions, mundane quests, and often ill-explained backstory (which will be patched up in the sequel, I promise).

[ Tuesday, August 02, 2005 11:38: Message edited by: Ephesos ]

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
The Mountain of Shadows RP in General
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #38
OoC: Pardon my absence... couldn't get to my computer. Also, love the "may you live in interesting times" curse... a Terry Pratchett reader, I assume?

IC:

Brother Sequoia turned to look not only at the gathering crowd, but also to listen to the armor-clad skeleton splashing around in the well. As if it could possibly get weirder, he saw the walking suit of empty armor again. It appeared to be arguing with a shady character who loosely gripped a silver dagger.

Still, Brother Sequoia couldn't quite understand why someone would want to kill the skeleton... any hostile undead would have already run amok in the town. Very few would choose to sulk at the bottom of a well...

The crowd was growing a bit agitated, and many of them were looking at Brother Sequoia as if they expected him to do something. "What do they want from me?" he thought, looking down the well at the struggling skeleton.

As the crowd grew even louder, Brother Sequoia decided it was time to act. Stashing his waterskin inside his cloak, he drew his staff and began muttering a spell he learned back on Krell. As his staff glowed bright blue, a foot-thick hedge erupted around the well in a circle about ten feet wide, leaving Brother Sequoia alone with the skeleton in the well.

The astonished looks from the crowd didn't faze Brother Sequioa as the hedge grew to about ten feet high and filled with thorns. Soon the confused cries were muffled by the hedge.

Brother Sequoia's staff dimmed to its original color. "If they want to bother me now, they'll have to deal with that." he muttered in a satisfied way.

Looking down the well, he pulled a thin climbing rope out of his cloak and dropped one end down the well.

"Hey, grab onto this, I'll help you out." he shouted to the rather damp skeleton.

OoC: The hedge spell is meant to be an advanced one... I'll do everything in my power to keep my character's power reasonable.

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
What scenarios hve you done? in Blades of Avernum
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #8
I look forward to hearing your comments about DoK, Kelandon. You're lucky, the newest fixed version is up now... an older version got switched in for a while (still not sure how).

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00

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