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====== Ubu the Underfoot ====== Scoundrel, layabout, deadbeat. As a child, Ubu was a dreamer. Growing up in the small, but prosperous halfling holding of Three Rivers, Ubu would spend his time willfully going against the peaceful and respectable grain. If there was a solemn occasion at hand, he would invariably interrupt it with a huge farcical display; if there were visitors to the hamlet, they would not be safe from his practical jokes. Instead of attending formal education, his schooling days were spent learning to tell lies with the goblin cubs of Mudsticks, the small, neighbouring trade settlement. Known to a few scholars, Three Rivers is close to the Feyrealm at certain times of the year. Ubu would occasionally wander into the Feyrealm by accident when he made his nightly journeys to gaze at the moon. On his 9th birthday, Ubu stumbled upon and interrupted a grand feast attended by the Fae court. Enchanted with his wild, brash manner, the Fae invited Ubu to a Game of Stories. His mind was filled with fantastical visions, and he managed to twist, lie and enchant even the most ardent competitor. As an award, he was given the 'blessings' of the Feyrealm, and came to the bemused attention of Sehanine. Forever changed, he left his community to find more stories to tell. They were tactfully quiet about their relief... As many before him did, Ubu eventually found his way to a secluded monastic order dedicated to Sehanine's teachings of non-absolutes, non-truths and deception, called the [[Knights of the Autumn Leaves|Knights of the Autumn Leaves]]. Here he was instructed in the ways of swordsmanship, to both create and see through falsehoods, and to follow his passions with utmost conviction. ===== About Ubu ===== {{ http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1131939.jpg}} **Were you born in Lockenport, or elsewhere?** I was born in a small town in the Halfling Riverlands. **Do you have a big family? Do you stay in touch with them?** I still have both of my parents, some grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and the most annoying stickler-for-rules sister around, Obo the Overhand. We've never liked each other, and my parents adore her! The last I heard she's become some sort of noble Paladin or something. **What are your religious beliefs?** I'm a follower of Sehanine, Goddess of the Moon, Trickery and Love. She encourages a full, passionate life, not constrained by conventional ideas of right and wrong, good or evil. I too find slavish devotion to an abstract ideal very limiting. My 'worship' of Her might not be understood by many, but it involves me getting lost in the woods by myself sometimes, or fighting for the love of those close to me. I'd rather not go into more details at this point... **Do you have any famous ancestors?** Not that I know of, no. **What sort of education or training have you had?** Training and education! Those are just ways to confine your life into a miserable, small existence, and to never reach your true potential. I sneer at the lessons my tutors tried to teach me; in reality, lies are as valuable as 'truths'. For my own interests, I have learned the ways of tricksy magic and how people think. Get inside their heads, you know? **Do you have a trade (other than "adventuring")?** No. I live for the moment, and I always manage to get by. **Do you have many enemies?** I don't know what you mean. Are there a lot of people that don't like me? I'm sure there are. But unless they make the mistake to draw their swords, I don't really care. **What style of clothes do you favour?** I like to travel light, and as prepared as I can be. I live on the move, you see. Never really been comfortable settling down... **Have you ever killed someone?** Who's asking? And define 'someone'... If you draw your sword, I draw mine. As simple as that. **What is your opinion of the Lockenport authorities?** The who? Just kidding. I know they make small-minded people feel safe in their tiny little lives, but I wouldn't count on them to save my butt. ===== Ubu's Journal ===== ==== Companions ==== The undead are on the march, and it's clear that they need to be opposed if the people of Lockenport are going to have a chance at survival. So I enlisted with the local Guild. Boy was a I assigned with some blowhards! The "leader", a self-style ladies' man, has the kind of uneasy, grim grin only a Shadar-kai could flash. The first time it took a lot of concentration to keep my breakfast down. I just wonder what he's doing adventuring so far from home... And then there's the suicidal Kord Dwarf. What an idiot! I can't believe these muscle-bound Kordites; don't they know how embarrassing it is to keep reinforcing their own scantily clad stereotypes? At least he could swing that axe when it counted. On a side note, the Shadar-kai kept making mindless 'small person' jokes, aimed at the Kord-iot and myself; I feigned indignation, all the while calmly studying him for some clue to his persona. I am starting to be intrigued by this far-off journeyman... The warforged seem nice enough; he kept doing as I instructed, so I can't fault him on that. Plus, he's tough as nails. I felt comfortable fighting alongside him. The half-elf (I think he's a half-elf) was stoned out of his mind for most of the day, but he quickly switched to wide awake and violent when we were confronted. I like him. And then there was my favourite party member: that cat lady druid. I felt quite shy around her for most of our travel, but seeing how she fearlessly she charged into combat and how wild her passions ran, I think I might have a small crush on her... ==== Defenders of Comack Isle ==== We were instructed to meet up with a herd of Centaurs to ask for their help in scouting out the approaching dread army, when en route we were assaulted by some of the undead's van. The huge, monstruous dog was merely a distraction to an evil mist and his two spectral servants. I bravely charged into combat, never fearing their presence, and striking true with the cleansing glow of Sehanine's moon. There is no room for Passion, Love or Trickery with undead; the kindest thing you can do is to unmake them. The Centaurs were proud and graceful, truly a wonder to behold. Their strength through harmony with nature, plus their free way of living made me nostalgic for more travels; I fear that would have to wait until after a turning point in the upcoming battle. The elder warned us of an ancient evil that was stirring as a result of our rag-tag army's base camp. We agreed to use the Fey ring to travel there swiftly and warn our company. Sadly, our travel was interrupted. We found ourselves standing in a chamber of spore-like eggs, slime and crystals. It seemed that these had the ability to somehow influence and bend any attempts at traveling through the hidden realms. We were assaulted by foul creatures of the Far realm; these aberrants are inimical to all natural life, and a true horror to behold. My companions fought well, although some were a little foolhardy and too eager to meet their musclebound god daddy (I'm not going to mention any names). Through great effort and bravery (mostly on my part) we reached a room where the creatures seemed to spawn through pools of sickening red matter. After a devestating battle, where I gloriously slayed a roper with a mighty blow, we managed to fix and attune a harp that seemed to have a pacifying effect on these foul creatures. Our brave leader, freshly returned from the beyond, proved his worth then with a graceful play of the harp. This seemed to lull the creatures back into torpor, and bought us the time we needed to dig our way to freedom, and to alert the camp. The base of operations decamped with astonishing speed, and we are currently rethinking our grand strategy... Sadly, some of our party, including the the fiercely beautiful druid, were diseased in our battle. I hope that her passion can overcome this affliction... [XP awarded 2011-11-17] ==== Winter Comes Early ==== After we returned from our underground trial, we scarcely had time to rest before a runtish halfling scout riding a lizard reported a disturbing region of snowfall. Our diseased companions were replaced by three new allies. One was a very capable looking Elf, whose steady aim and fearless determination is something to admire. Then there was a slightly disturbing Human, who remained distant and quiet, except for an occasional whisper that sent shivers down my spine. I still can't make out if he was talking to me or if I imagined it... he DID however turn his grim attentions on our foes, so for that I took it upon myself to guard his frail frame. I dismissed our other new Human companion at first glance, with his overly affected way of talking and flamboyant dress sense, but the Elf's faith in him was well placed, as he has an excellent grasp of the arcane arts, which often turned the tide of battle. Guided by our new Elven friend, we arrived at the patch of snow where it was determined that the glittering cold white was spreading at an alarming rate. The two humans divined that this phenomenon was related to the arcane, and we ventured in. Silently approaching, we spied two magnificent beasts setting upon the remains of a young doe... I was admiring their raw beauty, when our foppish young friend let loose with fiery incantations. I was surprised at the delight in his eyes... The two creatures were taken by surprise, but soon turned furious, and their raw anger saw them crashing through our ranks. One of the fowl beasts let out a blood-curdling yell, but I stood firm. This commotion led to more of his pack approaching from a distance. Our Elf and his human friend peppered them from the tree tops, while the rest of our company bravely fought the primitive creatures. The smell was horrific, but their deafening voices were even worse. We followed the beasts' track to the epicentre of the snow fields, which led us to a cave... as the Elf walked through, he disappeared! Fearing for his safety, we charged through as well, and we were back in the Feyrealms. There was no mistake about the feeling!! It's been a while since I've stumbled through to the other side... however, a snow storm was breaking in this realm as well, and we were greeted by two wary Eladrin guards of the Court of Whispering Winds. They asked us to warn the Lady Elismé, while they stood guard. We set off through a white wilderness until we came upon signs of a bloody combat. Danger was afoot, and it wasn't long before we were ambushed by ferocious-looking white wolves... and something more sinister. The wolves appeared out of nowhere, before savaging our most vulnerable looking members, and disappearing into the wilderness to launch more surprise offenses. An awful cackling was quickly silenced by our Elf's trusty arrows, and a wounded Ice Hag showed herself! The wounded Hag was set upon by our brave warriors, and promptly slain before she could work her magics, but three of the wolves had surrounded our Elven guide. He managed to escape, and I bravely charged into the fray. Once I was face-to-face with the wolf pack, I drew on the immediacy of the Feyrealm to freeze them in place, as well as spiriting myself away, just in time for our wizard friend to hurl a mighty ball of fire that sunk the wolves beneath the ice flow. It was a glorious combat indeed! Arriving at the Lady's Court, we were expected to perform, as is the custom for those seeking audience. Our Shadar-kai leader spearheaded a unique new performance art, bolstered by our combined powers of trickery and illusion, that created a sensation! The Lady warmly welcomed us into her Court, and gave us each a boon. She warned us about the Prince of Frost, whose expanding demesnes has caused this terrible winter. We had to consult with a Hag in the verdant bog to find a special gourd, which could temporarily bind the portal. Before leaving, the Sultan in attendance favoured me with another boon, where I would not be apart from my Elven friend, if that was my wish. Leaving the court, we were guided by a young behir, who didn't seem to appreciate our small talk. We came across a Frost Giant! Everybody froze in their tracks, and decided to sneak past this obscene monstrosity. Unfortunately the foppish wizard stepped on a twig, which caught its attention. Serving as bait, the wizard ran with all of his strength while the rest of us made our way safely up the trail. All of us, except for the Dwarf, who had been fighting his urge to attack. His indecisiveness was soon interrupted by the Giant's Axe, and the last we saw of him, he was being carried off by the Giant. We grieved for a while, but decided to push on. The creepy human decided to send his mind to the Dwarf, and somehow he managed to not only survive, but to escape! I could hardly believe it; this was too strange, even for the Fey Realms. The party soon encountered the Hag, who traded us her magic gourd in exchange for the bard's colour, and some fruit that sped our journey for an unspecified favour in the future. We had to fill the gourd with the tears of a Weeping Willow. I didn't understand what made the tree sad, but I tried my best to come up with a sad story from my past. My companions were obviously frustrated at my candour, but I have lead a charmed life, and being in the Feyrealm always boosts my spirits. Eventually I recalled my little friends from Mudsticks, and that I never got to know them better; that seemed to make the tree cry. It even made me a little sad. We raced back to the portal, to find a White Dragon guarding it! Occasionally it would make way for a Frost Giant, or worse, to enter our world through the portal. We decided that our fearless leader would water the portal with the Willow's tears, while we tried to distract it. Approaching from different angles, we opened our first volleys. Again I called on the power of the Feywild to blind the beast and rip at its mind; he tried to engulf me in his icy breath, but Sehanine rewards the unseen, and I was unaffected. The dragon roared and rampaged, thrashing through our ranks; more than once I was trampled underfoot, but quickly sprang to my feet and rushed at the beast. Again and again we struck mighty blows, but our wizard and Dwarf were overcome by his assaults. Finally, picking myself up from the sweep of his mighty tail, I charged at the Dragon, and buried my sword to its hilt. The beast thrashed a final time, before crashing into the icy ground. By this stage, the portal was almost completely covered with the tears of the Willow, but I offered to finish the job. As a group of Frost Giants descended on me, standing besides the sealed portal, I wished to be reunited with my Elven friend. The merry, warm laughter of the Sultan filled my ears, and I left the Feyrealm behind once more, soon to return! **Update:** It seems that something followed me from the Feyrealms... the cutest little dog! I think I shall call him [[Mr Jinxy|Mr Jinxy]]. ==== Defenders of Comack Isle II ==== What a day. These two bumbling idiots were trying to measure I dunno what, and now Petru is dead. I took his lips. We fought really nasty spiders, elementals! and then a monster horde of undead. It was really bad. A lot of us almost didn't make it back, and Petru didn't. I know he always teased me, but I will miss him. I hope the Guild decides to bring him back to life. ==== Into the Pit ==== Sitting here, battered and bruised. I almost died just now! A huge monster pulled me under the sands and I didn't know which way was up; my plate mail switched from protecting me to drowning me. And, besides that, I was used as bait to lure out swarms of stirges. Ugh. I am really annoyed, and going to try and get some rest before we tackle the rest of this little trip. ==== Into the Pit (Contd) ==== We woke up and we saw some hunting lizard folk outside on the silt. They were tiny, but capable, and we slowly went up to make friends. After some gesturing, our Blackguard Kat struck a deal for some of their traveling gear and showing us the way to the Troglodyte lair. With their help, we avoided the huge monster we faced, plus truly scary plants that tried to eat our sorcerer! Yikes! When we got to a huge stone door, some of our friends were rattling off shouts and screams (I guess they wanted in), but I didn't quite get what they were going on about. Meanwhile, two huge basilisks(!) approached us, but our team was cloaked in the shadows of the sorcerer, and we killed them easily. Once we were inside, it really reeked! And the troglodytes are dumb. I mean, smelly and dumb. Ugh! Their king was the fattest, ugliest and stinkiest of all. We agreed to chase off some snake enemies of theirs, and they would let us borrow the king's crown. So off we went to hunt some snakes. I think we may have taken them by surprise, 'cause it wasn't all that hard. I saw Lucy hiding a crown after modelling it in the wall's reflection, but when the troglodyte king demanded his crown, I just kept quiet. Things almost got ugly, but the creepy dead guy gave them his crown as a trade. He really didn't want to, but there was a lot of ugly trogs around. When we got back topside, we stopped to peek into a crypt that Lucy and dead guy wanted to check out. But it was empty (except for this dead dwarf guy - I wonder what that's all about). Apart from getting a lot of jewels, the Guild paid us good money this time!! I can't wait to buy myself something... sadly, I had to give up the ring that I had borrowed. And it was so useful, too. ===== Ubu's Vital Statistics ====== ==== Halfling Paladin, Level 9 ==== **Game Play Concept:** Mobile Wall with Control Elements **Emphasis:** Charisma, Wisdom **Theme:** Fey Beast Tamer **Trained Skills:** Arcana, Endurance, Insight, Intimidate, Religion **Feats:** Pact Initiate, Novice Power, Lost in the Crowd, Versatile Expertise, Great Fortitude **Powers:** * **Race:** Second Chance\\ * **Class:** Channel Divinity, Divine Challenge, Eyebite, Lay on Hands\\ * **At-Will:** Bolstering Strike, Virtuous Strike\\ * **Encounter:** Benign Transposition, Otherwind Stride, Valorous Smite\\ * **Daily:** Majestic Halo, Unyielding Faith, Ray of Reprisal\\ * **Utility:** Divine Counter, Minor Threat\\ [[Ubu's Character Sheet (Lvl 7)|Ubu's Character Sheet (Lvl 7)]]\\ [[Ubu's Character Sheet (Lvl 8)|Ubu's Character Sheet (Lvl 8)]]\\ [[Ubu's Character Sheet (Lvl 9)|Ubu's Character Sheet (Lvl 9)]] [[Mr Jinxy|Ubu's Fey Beast Companion - Mr Jinxy]]\\