The Harbinger of Ferocity

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Freed once again, this time by his own ally, the fire that singed at the monstrosity of moonborne wrath drove it into a frenzied rush. Like a gathering storm the striped champion built gathering speed over the short distance between it and its first target, one of several kobolds, and immediately leveled the worst of the sword carried against it. Towering over the creatures and with untamed force guiding the strike, it likely well dropped the first it had caught sight, scent, and sound of before it reversed the swing. Crossing across the battered armor that lined its chest, the clean end of the biting edge now led on the backward return; it would be a narrow escape, if any, for one of the little dragonmen to avoid it but thus far they had been luckier than most.

The snarl that quivered the lips grew worse as the jaws they shrouded snapped in barely restrained rage. Were Brannor not quite what he was, he well likely would have devoured them like any other prey, just something to feed the beast, but to his fortune and all of theirs quite likely, he was blessed with this other self more than he was cursed with it. All it wanted to do was drive out these despoilers and their minions, by force of course, rather than feed some supernatural hunger. Instead it would be sated by their destruction, which it aimed to continue with another pawed step forward across the dust kicked floor following its initial assault.

Effects

Brannor moves into melee range toward the kobolds, to a maximum of 30ft, and uses his Large size to attack the first one in range. If two creatures are in range at the same time, he attacks the wounded of the two, rolling 18 to hit and dealing 16 slashing damage to the target. Regardless if the target lives or dies, he attacks the next target within range, rolling a 12 to hit and dealing 9 slashing damage if it lands. If need be and he has any movement remaining, he will use the remainder to draw closer to his quarry. If the kobolds provoke opportunity attacks, the first creature to do so is attacked by him.

@Hekazu@Ryonara@Zverda@Lucius Cypher@Norschtalen

Post a random fact about yourself.

On the matter of series, I have still and yet to find one that I enjoy. So much so that combined with how little I go to see films, I have not seen any of the above listed series in any full length or combination. I have, instead, perhaps seen at most a quarter of each. None of them held much my interest from what I did see in passing.

Post a random fact about yourself.

A companion of mine is one of the few truly Neutral Evil, or at her best, Chaotic Neutral persons I know. She is the only person I have ever met to not only fit either description reliably, neck and neck, she is also the only one to score the same on various tests with a consistency that matches my own Lawful Neutral status. As one suspects, the fact we are so different and consistently opposed is what makes the interaction interesting.

D&D 3.5e - The Marches of the Savage Realm

There was long silence again for many moments prolonged and while to any observer of the ordeal, the extension was no less and no more than any other. Vah'lux received no added punishment, no preferential treatment, or anything in between. Rather the towering woman and her ornate natural camouflage upon her slate flesh was seen just the same as was any other, at least in the eyes of the god who the priest invoked. So the events played out characteristically before, with the young man turning away and offering the encoded, somatic gesture in reply to the hand of the judge. Mayhap the goliath expected something more extravagant, something more distinctly judgmental, but from the look of it at least these people's god was fair in his consistency; it would be determined later if he were truly as merciful and good as they proclaimed, however.

This sort of test was at least not unfamiliar to her, at least as far as her memory extended. A trial of spirit? Foreign, distant, estranged from the earth and from all of nature, but at least it could not be regularly - or at least easily - cheated except by practitioners of spell craft. It may well have had some merit although her heart still welled with the uncertainty of all what it meant. None of the men, not the orc, not the soldier, and not the faithful, had given her any insight on this - not that she needed it, of course, she was well off without them as it had been were it not for the rough hewn stone holding her back in a mockery of her heritage.

Ultimately for one last time the words were spoken, so that they too filled the now faintly morning lit prison, given by the lip of their decider of fate.

"Judgment in the eyes of the holy has been passed."

This time they were short another breath, followed on by something new and different once the two withdrew to the entrance of the doorway. The elder nodding to the priest and speaking beneath his breath with a thanks, receiving a verbal blessing in response. It was unclear to de Bray and Renault just what was said, with the other two unable to hear anything more than the voices interacting, but it was evident now the time of their mortal judgment was here.

"As it has been seen, in the eyes of the holy patron, all of you are free from the evils of the deeds us mortal men have accused you of. The breaking of our time honored law and tradition, the commitment of crimes against the land and its service to His Majesty as the great bastion against the most barbaric things beyond, however, cannot go unpunished. As a consequence, as giver of your collective sentences, per my noble station, I judge all of you innocent in the eyes of the divine, but guilty in the eyes of man."

He paused for a moment as he withdrew a bound parchment from the inside of his coat, laying it into the hands of the priest who took it with some obvious and apparent ill preparedness.

"You all shall find yourselves in service to the temple, so that it may be judged the sincerity of your commitment to wiping your slate clean. Once this task is done and it is deemed that you have paid off your collective debt, you will be free men, and woman, once more. Should any of you fail, you all fail together, and I shall proclaim the judgment which was determined for each you at first from the start of your crimes."

The justice addressed the priest from a glance over his shoulder, seeing the younger man a bit taken aback at suddenly being given the responsibility of these four outsiders. To Renault this was not an unexpected turn of events, something that could legally be done, of course, but from the reaction the humbly robed man gave it seemed as though he was ill prepared to receive them all and guide them on being redeemed in the eyes of the kingdom.

Looking forward once more, stern stare sweeping from the furthest back to the front, ending upon de Bray, who he glowered at - knowing the man's charge of cowardice and clearly having been a man of prominence in battle himself in youth based upon the ornate, cleanness of his attire and presentation. His restrained intensity continued, not breaking from where it came to rest.

"Have the guilty anything to say before the justice?"

@BangoSkank@Hellion@Lord Wyron@TyrannosaursRex

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

The effects of restraint should not stack, is what I agree with as well, @Hekazu. I also believe it is probably the intent that the individual instances stack as well but not the penalties obviously based on what we do know. The other issue is though, is that these came from two different sources per se as @Lucius Cypher points out. It makes no sense for them to not stack although it does make no sense for them to stack in its own way since the penalties do not stack.

As I see it, "Restrained" as a condition only applies once, yet the stacks of the glue all still keep applying it. So for each glue effect, it keeps the restraining in order, requiring each of those to be broken. Again, not favorable in this case, but it has the consequence of seeming to be what I imagine they intended?

D&D 3.5e - The Marches of the Savage Realm

"It is a shame to meet you this way and here, Gorosk."

The young priest replied, attempting to be as articulate as he could when repeating the obviously orcish man's name. He provided a courteous smile despite it being clear all along he knew what it was he was to do; that they both knew as much at that. He took in a long drawn breath as the justice behind him folded his hands behind his back, observing the turn of events. The watchful eyes of the much older man said much by themselves, that he was not hopeful in any of this. Were it truly so bad here in this land, that it was almost assumed or known all were guilty, and worse yet, guilty in the eyes of the gods? Or just was it by chance that the dogged, tired man worn by a lifetime of this type of arbitration just expected an orc to be guilty? He truly had acted no different in each of their cases but this was unknown to all of them, by design even. Whatever sense of "fairness" he would put unto them in trial would likely be evenly cast if his demeanor was consistent.

In all this time, all this thought aside, the priest stared down Gorosk in a way that was far from menacing - a procedure that truly was "looking through him", so to speak. It fit the bill for the type of stare a master could give a pupil at the monastery, sizing them up, albeit this time said master was supposedly a god working through magic. Maybe a man working through the perspective of a god's magic or altogether something else but it was uncomfortably familiar. For as long as the penetrating gaze held, it soon ended predictably with the ritual the two deciders of fate had done before, this time Gorosk being unable to see what was communicated as the leading younger man turned his back to him.

When he returned to face forward once more, the elder spoke up, again reciting the words, "Judgment in the eyes of the holy has been passed. You may pronounce divine judgment in the eyes of our god upon the next."

The two shuffled on down the uneven stone floor without a word more. For better or worse the half-breed had avoided being condemned outright although it might really have just been another moment of stayed execution. He did know, however, if he was doomed, then certainly the beast of a woman crammed into the tiny cell at the end was just as hopelessly doomed as he. Whether that brought solace or not, only the disciple of his art knew.

When the priest arrived at last to his final charge, he looked up to her. It was clear at first he was going to ask her to kneel but held his tongue when he realized the woman all but visibly radiated pride. It may have been that she would concede and she simply intimidated him or it could have been she might have well tried to strike him for making such a demand or something else altogether that made him opt against this. He would concede to making this work, one way or another, and all he was going to do to do so was hope that the patron divine of this tiny village in the wilderness would find this suitable all the same. His lips gave a soft smile all the same, asking her just as sincere as he could manage the same question he had begun with each time.

"Please come forward and allow judgment."

@BangoSkank@Hellion

Post a random fact about yourself.

I have not once used a human image for a character I have created, even if they were human, in general always avoiding images. I do, admittedly, prefer to do so solely describe a character by writing unless it is extremely appropriate for them to have their own image.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Allow me to be certain this time, is Brannor still glued, and if I understand correctly, twice glued? I understand they are not stacking in terms of penalty, however, not that I desire this outcome, would the two different instances of the effect still stack? Thus two turns, assuming success, to break free of the glue, @Hekazu?

Post a random fact about yourself.

At times all I await is retirement, so I have an excuse to collect the benefits I have spent so much time working toward and to no do anything at all aside from that which I want. The majority of my life will be spent receiving these things, as I began so early.

D&D 3.5e - The Marches of the Savage Realm

Despite the well reasoned and restrained hostility of de Bray, the priest but only brought both his hands back rest around his crude belt. He bobbed his head quietly, listening to the man's words. The priest did not smile nor did he frown throughout, seeming pensive for a few prolonged moments before he at last spoke.

"We are all going to be judged, friend, I probably more than any of you in the eyes of our god. So I don't envy your position in this cell knowing that I too will need come before the ultimate judge one day. And while he is merciful, I know without doubt in my heart that he will know each instance of my deeds in greater detail than that which I will be judging in your sum."

He said nothing more after, calm eyes looking away from the incarcerated man before he straightened himself up before the cell door. For a moment the youthful priest's gaze closed tightly and relaxed until he simply stared upon his fellow man. Just as before, no word or break in character came to pass and instead when it seemed he finished, he addressed the justice. The same peculiar ritual was played out and the old, clean cut man kept the scowl that played across his ivory dusted face. By the time they had finished, de Bray was left only knowing that whatever magic had stared him down, he would not know the answer even for himself. Was he truly as guilty as he stood accused or was he an innocent man made example of? The duo, however, gave him no clear insight as to if he was or was not.

Again, the judge spoke up following an adjustment of his more elaborate costume for the event, "Judgment in the eyes of the holy has been passed. You may pronounce divine judgment in the eyes of our god upon the next."

The priest stepped back from the cell, whose bars de Bray held upon, grim smile still upon his lips the entire time. There was more to be said as well, too much more, but now was not the time. Instead, the matter fell to Gorosk as the procession arrived at the mouth of his cell. For the first time the half-orc could see both men, one years younger than he and one many more. Each fit the bill as he had first seen them outside the window and even with dawn peaking behind him, the darkness and the glow of the torches that lit them made them far more theatrical than they would have been otherwise.

"Please come forward, orc, and allow judgment."

@TyrannosaursRex@BangoSkank