rolled 4, 1, 2 = 7

---

Azure perches herself on a tall tree and looks around for incoming attacks on Nistamatsin while Pog rallies the party to regroup with Nistamatsin before he's sneak-attacked.

rolled 1, 2, 4 = 7

---

>there's a particular sort of cake he's very interested in, if you can figure out how to recreate it.
Did he offer any clues on this a baking mystery? Key ingredients, type of cake, or what the finished product is like? (Or is this a baking mystery surprise party where he can't just be asked without giving the game away)?

Main task of the day is probably still trying to build morale and make sure the camp is prepared for the looming bad weather, but this could be a good side project.

>There's a squirrel sitting upright on the stump, forepaws holding some little round thing which glitters bright gold in the late-afternoon sun.
Guidance from the sun from adorable woodland critters seems appropriate from a Rhea-roll. Too bad about the whole corpse-trap thing.

>>902204
Root-like tentacle grabs your ankle, then starts to squeeze.

rolled 4, 5, 3 = 12

---

Pog quickly grabs Nistamatsin and pulls him away with one hand, pickaxe in his other, while Azure overwatches for an ambush!

rolled 4, 3, 5 = 12

---

>Root-like tentacle grabs your ankle, then starts to squeeze.
Technically I suppose it did reveal itself. Need to be more careful about my wording...

>Pog quickly grabs Nistamatsin and pulls him away...
Nin will reach down and grip the tentacle in his hands before it can let go so that the stump monster gets yanked toward us instead of the other way around.

>>909655
>Azure overwatches for an ambush!
Rook's Vineyard continues to be a ghost town, quietly reclaimed by the wilderness an inch at a time. Only ambush in evidence is the one coming from under the ground.
>>909668
>Nin will reach down and grip the tentacle in his hands before it can let go so that the stump monster gets yanked toward us instead of the other way around.
The stump monster is bigger than both of you put together, and securely attached to the ground. Accordingly, Nin has become caught in the middle of a tug-of-war, playing the role of "rope under a thousand pounds of tension." Pick which limb gets dislocated first, then everybody present should proceed with your next combat actions.

rolled 4, 5, 4 = 13

---

Azure assumes second-in-command duties and rallies the party to spread out, flank, and decimate the hidden stump monster from all sides!

Pog decides to try pulling the roots until he can uplift the stump.

rolled 2, 1, 3 = 6

---

>>911772
While it's preoccupied, Kent will leap into action, winding up for a super powered stomp at the base of the tree, trying to sever the root entangling NIN.

rolled 6, 1, 3 = 10

---

>Pick which limb gets dislocated first
A wealth of choices! Nin will try to maneuver so that both legs get dislocated simultaneously. He will also try to call forth his flame spear to stab at the grasping root.

>>912425
Resultant ripple spreads through much of the town, and releases a significant quantity of bubbles from something just offshore.
>>912427
Stump-monster is reduced to charcoal, revealing both the missing gold, and partially-digested corpses of the two former gravediggers.

Half an hour later, Kent comes straight back down and lands safely.

rolled 5, 2, 6 = 13

---

>>912500
>Half an hour later, Kent comes straight back down and lands safely.

Their masked face turns side to side for a bit while they rub the back of their neck. All's well that ends well I suppose!

Taking Azure asside Kent signs about the bubbles released when they jumped- you know a bit about stonework, right? Any ideas what might be going on there? Bad air trapped under the shore? Also, that pull looked pretty nasty, is NIN okay?

>>912513
>is NIN okay?
Can't stand up, knees bending the wrong way, so... no. Lt. Cmdr. Jalkaren Blessed-Is-The-Light could fix that pretty quickly, but wants to hear somebody's explanation of how this side trip was relevant to the larger mission, first.

rolled 4, 3, 5 = 12

---

>>912682
Well, Kent thinks the primary goal was money retrieval, since that helps procure labor and tools for the project at hand. Loyalty and follow through is important too- other folks might take advantage of them if they don't think there's any consequences for doing so. Probably other ramifications, but this is mostly damage control after the most recent recruitment efforts backfired a bit. Still, there's an overall net increase of contributors, which should prove beneficial. On that subject, how would you feel about offering healing as an incentive for dungeon clearing? Obviously for folks not already on the team- Kent was thinking other folks might want to join the project if they could get ailments cured and had a solid benefits plans. Of course, that depends on how much you're willing to commit to getting this place fixed up- obviously our crew is living here for the foreseeable future, on the job so to sign, but it's clear you've got lots of responsibilities. Not sure how high up on the priority list this pet project of ours is for you.

A small respectful bow and hand sign of honorific is applied a moment after the fact, tacked on like a plesantry forgotten by someone who doesn't put much stock in them, but knows other people care enough it might be worth it to include them.

>Why is this relevant, sayth Jalkaren
Because the majority of our funding was going to be used on two worthless pardons. And since Jalkaren loves to overcharge her wares, much of it will be going to her anyway, so...

Azure has a funny idea: give the grave robbers a proper burial inside the base with all the gold they have on them, then rob THEIR graves when they need the gold.

... But no seriously she'll petition Jalkaren to resurrect these two (FOR FREE) with a warning. It's only respectable to forgive the ignorant.

Maybe purchase some expensive bomb collars as well.

rolled 2, 2, 5 = 9

---

>>901178
>Rhea will stay at camp, with Isaiah. She'll work on[...]
>>902355
Any follow up on how things went at camp while the others were out and about?

>>912714
>Azure has a funny idea: give the grave robbers a proper burial inside the base with all the gold they have on them, then rob THEIR graves when they need the gold.
Rhea seriously informs Azure there is nothing funny about proper funeral rites, or grave-robbing.

If the price paid for their breach of hospitality and theft was their lives, then so be it. Further punishment or hope for redemption is a matter for the afterlife.

The gold returns to the group (thieves, dead or not, do not have a claim) and the dead should receive rites as it is the right thing to do.

Unless Jalkaren revives them, of course, but as they didn't die helping the mission, she has little reason to do so, and their betrayal gives the group little incentive to pay for it.

Unless someone is familiar with the preferred religious practices of the dead, Rhea will perform the rites of her own faith, appropriate for an outsider of unknown faith, and for those who died without atoning for a serious sin (may they find forgiveness and repentance). By default, such rites involve immolation rather than burial, but she's willing to accommodate other practices if they're more appropriate for the circumstances.

rolled 6, 5, 6 = 17

---

>revealing both the missing gold, and partially-digested corpses of the two former gravediggers.
Anything left for Nin to eat?

>Lt. Cmdr. Jalkaren Blessed-Is-The-Light
Nin bristles at the angel's mention. He says he'd rather let Rhea take a look, or perhaps simply amputate the legs, before anybody goes to Jalkaren.

We have a way to get all this money back to camp?

rolled 2, 2, 2 = 6

---

>>912736

>No incentive for the angel to raise the dead
Kent points out that evenif they betrayed us and died running away, they can still be helpful. Resurrection gives us two more bodies to throw at the current dungeon project, and who knows, maybe things'll be different this time.

>Rhea suggest she perform the funeral rites
Isaiah makes a small polite coughing noise, and says
"The other outlaws may know something of the regional customs, if not personal faiths. Just a thought of course."
The way he hovers behind Rhea and clacks around like a someone who doesn't want you to know they were starting at you indicates he might have more he wants to say.

rolled 3, 3, 2 = 8

---

>>912714
Oh we're at camp now, I thought we needed to wait for the party to make their way back. Rolling to talk to Jalkaren about these two technically being in her service (albeit on the verge of permanent termination) and the possibility of the health insurance policy still being in effect. If this fails then she'll say a quick prayer to the grave robbers and an "I tried".

>>912736
Azure quickly apologizes to Rhea and Jalkaren for her chide remark.

>>912736
>Any follow up on how things went at camp while the others were out and about?
You've got a prototype mockup for a bakery oven with a high-efficiency flue built. The flames involved are under strict instructions to treat wooden blocks as stone, mossy mud as hardened mortar, sheets of starched felt as cast iron, and to give regular reports on airflow with particular emphasis on any unintended leakages. Without constant supervision, it would probably destroy itself in seconds. First round of cake attempts were disappointing, but edible.

Building the oven properly will probably take at least a week, once you've got the parts. Big Morgan can fabricate metal parts no problem, but for the main structural ceramics you'll need to either pay for bricks from Passholdt (and have someone haul tons of stuff overland, through an area with a random encounter table that includes unfriendly things) or owe Jalkaren a favor.

rolled 4, 2, 5, 2 - 3 = 10

---

>>912740
>We have a way to get all this money back to camp?
Scoop it into a bag and Pog can carry it one-handed, no sweat.

>Anything left for Nin to eat?
Skin and extremities are a total loss, but the internal organs basically got marinated, roasted, and infused with hickory smoke, on top of the almost syrupy-thick unrepentant wickedness already present. Not quite as delicious as that cornered ninja, but more than makes up for it on quantity.

>Nin bristles at the angel's mention. He says he'd rather let Rhea take a look, or perhaps simply amputate the legs, before anybody goes to Jalkaren.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RightBehindMe
>rolled 6, 5, 6 = 17
Jalkaren's temperance may be divinely vast, but is still less than infinite. She overhears this rejection, misconstrues it as intent to fully withdraw support from the larger mission, and sheathes her sword through that solid silver statue in such a way as to create a small yet structurally critical hole among Nin's vital organs. However much I just rolled, take three times that many points of injury, and consider gurgling out an apology before going into shock.

rolled 1, 1, 4 = 6

---

>apologize to the angel
Pffff right

"May you suck Orcus' cock in Hell, Jalkaren."

rolled 1, 2, 2 = 5

---

>>913188
Cause I can't let a good roll go to waste, Nin will continue until he's silenced with lurid and grotesque description of Jalkaren's debasement before all the demon lords of Hell, intermittent with gargled cackling.

rolled 2, 4, 4 = 10

---

>>913166
Azure figured this would happen. It's for the best, Jalkaren should get her disgust out of her system before she lets herself get manipulated by the dungeon boss. Nistamatsin will make a hollow apology and that will be the-
>>913188
Azure begins shrieking in her head.
>>913200
Okay now she's doing mental jogging jacks and Pog is squealing in the real world.

"AAA HE DIDN'T MEAN IT POG HOLD HIM DOWN BY THE MOUTH HOLD HIM DOWN BY THE MOUTH!!!"

Azure quickly performs surgery on Nistamatsin while using any remaining magical healing to assist and urges Rhea and Isiah to pitch in.

rolled 9, 5 = 14

---

>>913188
>>913200
>>913239
Roughly a swimming pool worth of Nistamatain's blood has leaked out before you stabilize him. Every empty storefront facing the scene is at least cosmetically splattered, the hole where the stump-monster was incinerated has turned into a knee-deep muddy pond, and a thin crimson trail is trickling it's way downhill toward the lake. Worms and other burrowing vermin, twisted by the prodrome of what could have been a dying-breath curse, seethe up out of the ground to avoid drowning in blood. All that wood ash means the central pool is a mildly caustic alkali.

Nin's not going to be in any condition to walk before the sun goes down, and the smell attracts scavengers. Rolling for random encounters.

rolled 1, 4, 6 = 11

---

>>916201
Nin tenses up for the finishing blow, and when it doesn't come he lets out a wretched otherworldly rattle. "That treacherous wretch! She denies me my retribution on the final step!" The demon claws worms and bugs out of the bloodsoaked mud with his filthy bony fingers and crushes them in his palms, convulsing with rage despite his injuries.

He manages to tucker himself after several minutes. Lying limply, "Please help me into one of the buildings."

rolled 3, 3, 6 = 12

---

>>916253
"ENOUGH.

We made you our leader. We followed you through deathtraps and took casualties under your orders. We just saved your life when you were so blinded by hatred that you may as well have impaled yourself on her sword. We did all this because we owe you debts of money, blood, and friendship, but those debts are nearly resolved from your costly and suicidal behavior. I don't understand how you can derive such pleasure from the spite of an angel who is bending over in pain just to bring herself to even speak with you, or why you subsequently WANT her to kill you when that would just please her greatly, but this bickering has to end immediately. We owe her a debt. We have not paid that debt with anything but death and insults. Worst-case scenario, we are all judged by the gods themselves for dereliction of duty and divine assault.

I swore an oath to pay my debt to you but choosing to risk eternal damnation from the gods for everyone who works for you will pay that debt in SECONDS. We actually liked working for you when you weren't assaulting our client.

... You don't want to talk to Jalkaren anymore. Fine. I will. Every time you demand something from her, your message goes through me. I'll negotiate terms for you and her. From now on, whenever you two argue directly and you lose your higher infernal reasoning skills, I'm in charge of the party, and I will stay in charge until you regain enough clarity and temperament to order me back in line. Is that acceptable?"

Azure orders the party to group together. The buildings are dilapidated, they won't last very long so the party needs to prepare to move. The plan is to create a series of campfires to pass through the woods safely until they can get to the nearest safe zone; the camp, the inn, that guard post those two grave robbers were heading towards, as long as the party is guarded. Focus on survival, we need to re-establish our relationship with Jalkaren before we add more bodies to her workload or she might void our health insurance for good. Pog will carry Nistamatsin so he should be fine. Rhea and Jack's crew should make a fire from fallen branches to ward off any scavengers. Isiah has enough armor to survive a sneak attack, so he and the other professional survivor will scout ahead for the best path once they can move again, and pile nearby branches so Rhea can get a head start on building the next few campfires. Healers, concentrate on Nistamatsin and make sure his wounds don't re-open, get his hit points back up so he can be moved without taking damage. Azure used up all her healing magic so she'll rest up and try to get enough partial spell slots to continue healing, same goes for any other healers out of heals. Everyone else should stay on watch and use any light or fire spells they can to keep the beasts away. Throw your rations as a distraction if necessary, fight if you have the upper hand, and if you think your specialist skills can be used for a better plan, don't hesitate to tell Azure.

rolled 4, 6, 2 = 12

---

>>916270
"I do not know how to convey this to you, Azure. But...I died many years ago. What you see before you," Nin gestures to his broken body, "is an empty husk. Bereft of purpose and incapable of any sort of happiness or fulfillment. Do you understand? I care for all of you so much, but such feelings go against my nature. Is it any wonder I wish for death? I don't know why fate keeps conspiring to keep me alive.

But all I want is to help you, protect you, ease your suffering. For you, Kent, Pog, Rhea, everybody. And I have failed. A demon with a cracked soul does not make a good leader, but I will try to do better. I'll even ... apologize to Jalkaren, and try to stop provoking her. If she's not still trying to kill me."

>From now on, whenever you two argue directly and you lose your higher infernal reasoning skills, I'm in charge of the party, and I will stay in charge until you regain enough clarity and temperament to order me back in line. Is that acceptable?
"Yes."

>The buildings are dilapidated, they won't last very long so the party needs to prepare to move.
"The buildings have been standing for years. I'm more concerned about whatever drove the mortals out of this place."

rolled 6, 3, 1 = 10

---

Kent looks as confused as someone who's face is completely covered can look. NIN bleeds everywhere, cursing the angel, Azure ranting about something or other, NIN seeming... repentant? Odd times indeed.

Regardless, gold has been retrieved, and there's the matter of getting everything back to camp. If they want to make good time it seems like Pog should carry the gold and NIN. Probably best to leave the corpses here, unless we can get a long distance resurrection going. Speaking of...

Kent turns to Azure, strategically positioning themselves so her body obscures his hands from Nistamatsin.

"Youre in charge of talking to the Angel now, right? I can't tell if she can see me sign, so could you send a message out asking about resurrections? I'd bring it up with her myself if I could be sure it wasn't falling on blind eyes, but I think two extra bodies would go a long way towards getting everyone and everything back to town in decent shape, especially if we don't have to pay anyone extra for a delivery fee."

Azure writes up a draft on what she's going to say to Jalkaren:

* I'd like to apologize on behalf of our leader
* He's actually suicidal (his wife is dead, crisis of identity, etc) and has agreed to an apology
* We have every intention of completing the tasks ahead of us, but we'd like to get all the bureaucracy and preparation done.
* Few are the projects which are completed without a stable budget, not to mention the thieves would spread rumors of their success which indicates a potential rise in enemies looking to raid what they believe is an easy target, destroying the forest and the hospital's reputation
* I hope we may remain cordial despite these incidents and I will be taking command the next time Nistamatsin has another stress attack
* Also, are the thieves still under your employment contract despite the breach of terms or have you considered them officially terminated?

Maybe they should rest up and recharge spell slots. It's been a long day.

rolled 6, 2, 6 = 14

---

Azure instructs the crew to build barricades and fires, and take sleep shifts until it seems safe to move. When the time is right, they'll head back to civilization, or stay in this abandoned village until daybreak.

Hopefully there will be no encounters...

rolled 1, 3, 6 = 10

---

Rolling for number of horse-sized web-spinning spiders encountered.

rolled 10, 1 = 11

---

Rolling for size of the pack of wolves encountered.

rolled 5, 6, 1 = 12

---

>>916350
>>920324
After the Lieutenant failed to grace them with divine assistance, Kent took some "souvenirs" off their dead grave robbers. Not particularly sure what needs to be done, but Rhea, Isaiah, and/or the Angel might appreciate having something left of the remains to do their business with. Getting Azures help, despite her insistence that Pog should be lifting NIN, the demon is more tactically transported into a house, as requested- out of sight from the original mess, in one of the less defunct structures. The gravediggers, or what was left at least, are then taken in other directions, on a hunch that such precautions (if they can even be labeled as such) might help? When the wolves arrive, Kent isn't quite as overjoyed as they were at the signs of arachnids nearby.

rolled 5, 1, 5 = 11

---

Azure attempts to charm one of the spiders into creating sticky webbing near the entrance of the ruin, and then attempts to charm the wolves into rolling around in the sticky goo and on each other. Pog blocks the entrance of the ruin with Azure and NIN inside, ready to knock the wolves out (or worse). With any luck, the plan will allow Azure and Pog to create a literal wolf wall.

They've done this before. It got weird.

rolled 1, 2, 4 = 7

---

>>935205
Kent tries to sign to Azure casually that they may want to take caution- if this is the work of Drusilla, we may not want to start any nonsense. Hard to imagine why she'd come out here to this blighted place though. Defectors? Of course, it could be totally unrelated.

Kent will adopt signs of deference for the wolves- after all, they can't exactly emulate arachnid body language all that well. With the mask on, it's harder to show the pack that eyes are averted, so they opt to turn their head down and to the side, to avoid the appearance of eye contact. They then "freeze", holding a position to show they recognize the wolves as a threat and are submitting.

>>932891
>>935198
>>935205
>>938595
After a lot of sniffing about and howling at each other, the largest of the eleven wolves steps forward into the ring of your camp's firelight and barks, "Meat!"

Coughs, pauses. "Meat in... hole, near water. Is it yours? Or of the forest, for anyone?"

rolled 3, 2, 2 = 7

---

>>941918
"Oh, hello! Such a fluffy voice! The meat once listened to us, but then it stole one hundred of our shiny rocks and ran away. And then a monster turned the talking meat into not-talking meat and buried it.

... Would you like us to cook it for you?"

Meanwhile, Pog has to keep Azure from flapping over to the fluffy talking wolf so she can pet it.

(Roll to befriend the wolves)

>>941921
You successfully befriend the wolves. After they've sated themselves (and incidentally wreaked a grisly sort of karmic justice on the grave-robbers) the spokeswolf observes that some giant spiders seem to have encircled the area, and proposes a cooperative approach to escaping. Rumor has it humans and birds can see a "third color," but that's not enough to reliably notice webs before you stumble into them, especially not at night. Scent can find the sticky traps, then fingers or fire clear a path to the shore of the lake, where there aren't enough buildings or trees to string webs from. Sound good?

rolled 6, 6, 3 = 15

---

>>942032
Kent doubts the Man-Wise Wolves know white ell sign language (WESL), given their lack of dexterous digits required to make hand signs, and turns rather helplessly towards Azure and NIN. Seems decent enough plan, right? Maybe they can even charm a spider into coming home with them!

rolled 2, 5, 2 = 9

---

>Escape from the spiders
"Very well, it will be nice to run alongside you."

>Strategy
"Alright, everyone, find any junk items in your bags and be sure to wave them in deep arcs! Torches, arrows, sticks you find on the ground! If it sticks, is low-priced, and it's not attached to your skin, leave it behind! I want a secondary team ready to cut or burn off any webs that get stuck on skin! Nistamatsin and anyone exhausted, I want you to try to regain a second wind while we carry you, but if you can't, then at least wave some sticks or ribbons in the air so we aren't ambushed from web traps above! Wolves, stay on the inside of our pack and lunge at any spider that attacks for more than two seconds! Warriors, form a defensive wall; if you use shields, use your primary hand to wave a torch and have your primary weapon ready to be drawn! Archers, hold your fire until you see someone injured or losing a skirmish, then focus fire on the spider that is attacking them and switch to regular defensive fire until the defensive wall is back up! Conserve your energy, make it back to base or town, and let's focus on making it out of this alive! Do not worry about 'spider loot', we have our own beef to worry about!"

What's your marching order? In particular, once you get to the lake, who's closest to the water?

rolled 3, 2, 5 = 10

---

>>942317
Nin thanks Azure for taking charge in his moment of crisis and starts drawing out a formation in the bloodsoaked dirt with his finger.

Nin will go first with spear in hand, as he has the best chance of spotting the webs aside from the wolves. And if he holds the spear out in front of himself, it may demolish any traps before he can even walk into them. Wolves will all move together behind Nin, with Azure and Kent and Pog in the rear. Nin tells the wolves it may be best to stay back if he's attacked, as his spear is very dangerous and he doesn't want to accidentally stab any of them.

>Who will be closest to the water?
Nin

rolled 6, 1, 1 = 8

---

>>942369
Upon NIN offering to take point, Kent points at the rather generous opportunity NIN has been afforded to share his blood with the abandoned town, and gives a quizzical gesture: You okay?
Seems unlikely that NIN would be stable enough to take point, given the massive hemorrhaging and hemorrhaging-related wounds he's currently suffering. Pog would normally be a good front man, but he's likely to blunder ahead without watching his step, and would be significantly more difficult for anyone to recover. Azure can't take the spear, for risk of her immolating or otherwise getting distracted and fluttering off into some webbing. Instead, why don't we have the big man carry the chest of gold, and see if we can't gather some webbing to staunch the scarlet flow, as it were. Azure can get help from one of the Wolves to support NIN, they seem to like her after all, so she can keep one hand on the crossbow trigger. Probably can't share that flaming spear with anyone else actually, come to think of it- technically a curse, right? If there's any way you *can* get it off, I think I might be the best front guard we have currently, Kent suggests.

>>942369
Webs are evaded or chopped through successfully; various roaming scavengers, including fist-sized mosquitos, are less fortunate. A few miles later, walking along the thin strip of sand between grass and water, some sort of tentacle lashes out and grabs Nistamatsin by the legs. Nin proves unable to ingest the lake faster than he's being dragged under, but it's a near thing.
>>/questdis/93988

rolled 4, 2, 6 = 12

---

Azure quickly casts Dancing Lights at where she approximates the owner of the tentacle is lurking, and orders all ranged allies to fire if they know they can hit the light. Azure also takes aim and fires.

Pog grabs onto Nistamatsin's leg and holds it in place for the other warriors to slice the tentacle off.

rolled 6, 5, 4 = 15

---

>>942542
Nothing fancy this time, Nin just tries to stab the tentacles. And continues vacuuming up lake water

>>942576
>>942570
Nin is not successfully rescued, and when you make it back to the main camp, the Fire Hawks are there.

Since there was a bit of a long hiatus, during which I was juggling a lot of other characters in an unrelated quest, and it's been brought to my attention various adventurers haven't been gaining levels as much as they ought, and two groups are meeting for the first time... let's have a bit of a recap.

Everybody re-introduce yourselves. Appearance, personal equipment (armor in particular), any notably grand sensual indulgences or terrifying ordeals since the last time you gained a level, and whatever else you think might be relevant.

A:"- and remember not to exert yourself during exercise, all your nerves are on vacation and not doing their jobs. And finally: you need to divorce yourself from your racism of Angels. We've seen Jalkaren isn't some forged-from-a-mold glob of divine spit, she's a real person, with individual quirks, and she managed to scam us. I'm sure that if you look past your nebulous experience with angels who you don't even remember-"
H:"Azure?"
A:"-you can hate each other like-"
Azure freezes in place. Then her head turns to the Fire Hawks.
A:"...normal... frenemies?"
Azure stares at Hore for three seconds. Then she quickly glomps her.
A:"HORE!!!"
H:"Hey, lil' sis! So, how was Pontypridd?"
A:"Oh, it was SO not worth it! There was another of those strange incidents where Pog found a murder scene and we totally got blamed for it!"
H:"Cost of being infamous, right? The hounded-by-serial-killers part, not the... well, you know."
A:"Right?! And then they had all the evidence they needed, so then we had to run from the lynch mob, in the rain, and I had to follow this expedition into Bloodmist-"
H:"Wait, you followed us?! WE were the expedition into BM Labyrinth!"
A:"SERIOUSLY?!"
H:"Yeah! It all went to ^&*(! I've fought in warzones that had less murdermachines trying to kill you! I am so glad you weren't zapped to permadeath like I almost was!"
*Extra hug*

After the reunion's over, Hore introduces herself to Magic Sword while Azure reintroduces herself to the Fire Hawks and Maru.
Hore is a half-gnoll with cyborg technology that was plane-shifted along with her elvenoid mother. Her combat class is Kineticist, a strange variant of sorcery that pushes the limits of her body to severe exertion every time she casts 1st and above and/or modifies her spells with augments, but gives her a powerful version of elemental magic missile as a 0-th circle somatic-only spell. In her spare time, Hore tinkers with new inventions and seeks forbidden technological knowledge. Hore's past can be summed up as 'daughter of former tribal goddess, turned war mercenary / Azure's on-off bodyguard'. Her weapon proficiency is the halberd, and she wears leather armor. Hore has many horrible habits from her upbringing that turn people away, but she likes making friends, and the Fire Hawks secured her loyalty by mostly not ignoring her all the time. After 4th level, Hore managed to take a close look at a magic scroll she was planning on researching for funsies, helped Vos save Azarthraine from burning half to death, and got stuck in that giant mud ball with Agatha and Bulgruf, which was a fun experience.
Azure appears to be a harpy, with phoenix blood that sets her on fire every time she takes damage and a major weakness to fire, but gives her the conditional power to resurrect herself after 24 hours if a large portion of her body turns to ashes - which it usually does when she explodes at 0 hit points. She is a bard who has three focuses: beauty, healing, and dominationpersuasion. Likewise, her main dreams in life are to become a famous idol, to become worthy of inheriting her father's merchant company, and to experience exotic sexual fetishes throughout the world. Azure carries around a crossbow and wears skimpy clothing, relying on her flying abilities to dodge attacks at long range. Azure is arrogant and pampered, but recent events have caused her to mellow out and try to contribute more to her friends. After 3rd level, Azure has been the team's diplomat and secondary leader, as she carried the team while Nistamatsin suffered PTSD and injuries, and made friends with a talking wolf and his pack to help them and her team escape from a pack of spiders.
Pog is Azure's slave bodyguard, twisted by years of magical experimentation into a caricature of orcish stereotypes; big, fat, pig-like. He lived most of his life with plate armor grafted to his skin, granting him the Armored Hulk class, a heavy-armor barbarian specialization. Pog was born a slave of Azure's father, conditioned to have the mind of a hyperactive manchild, but brain damage from Jenk freed him from his conditioning, though not his loyalty to Azure. Pog wields a pickaxe and a hammer chained to his plate armor. Pog has been silent for a while, but he'll still show his stunted understanding of the world every now and then. After 4th level, Pog has generally been rescuing Nistamatsin from being pulled to his doom by monsters, including a tree monster and that lake monster.

rolled 2, 2, 1 = 5

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Decaro Vos, eel-man paladin of the flesh goddess! Looking like a monstrous mockery of a medieval crusader, he sports a long, coiling naga tail which he slithers around on, a snappy moray face, and a crab claw replacing his right hand. Wearing a well-worn chain shirt with a tattered tabard over top and nothing else. He has a calm and peaceful demeanor.