Oh for Gods sakes, not again. Why. He'd been doing so well, comparatively speaking. But no, that couldn't be allowed. Far more worrying than the unwelcoming forest was the memory loss--that was one of the symptoms, wasn't it? Or did the headaches start first? "Hells, maybe I should take Raphael up on that offer," he groans, pulling himself upright.
...To see that he wasn't alone here. Awkward. Terrifying, and awkward. What a fantastic combination.
But--wait. He didn't recognize them. More importantly, nor did the horrible little thing in his head. Maybe this wasn't as immediately dire as he'd feared. "Ah, hello." He took a deep breath. Calm. Poise. As much as he could manage, while covered in mud and blood. "I don't suppose you know where we are, do you?"
2. A bit of light reading (TDM Tourists: The more, the merrier)
Just when his day was looking dire, it got worse. Bandits. Of course! Some gang of humans stupid enough to nest in these woods. He'd surrendered rather than take a beating, but it was hard not to struggle when they lay hands on him. That earned him a punch to the gut. Gods. "Fine, fine!" he gasped, "you've made your point." They tore off his pack and shortsword. He'd just have to make do with the knife they hadn't noticed in his sleeve, then. But they seemed just short of cutting the gold embroidery off his doublet. They're pawing through his pack, and they're going to find--
Well. At least the little yelp from the bandits was satisfying. The book's cover is a fright, isn't it? "Oh, you don't want that." He tries to sound nonchalant, hiding his contempt. "It's terribly cursed." That book is his. Now that they're recovering from the initial shock, all they care about is the massive amethyst embedded in the cover. One's already trying to pull it out, the absolute clod. It seems the book's jaws are stronger than they look, but it's only a matter of time before one of them starts performing literary dentistry.
Time to spin them a lie, then. Partially. "There's spirits guarding it. Now that you've touched it, you're their target." It doesn't take much embellishment. They can't properly sense the darkness radiating from the book, but they can obviously tell something's not right. Their eyes keep being drawn to the book's, no matter how hard they try and look away. "You'll start hearing the whispers soon enough. They'll compel you to kill each other. It's enough to drive a human completely mad." What a shame that would be.
"Fortunately for you, I'm not human." See the pointed ears? The finer features than yours? "As long as the book stays with me, you'll have nothing to fear." He held out his hand, voice gentle. Coaxing. "Just give it back, and you'll be cured."
They practically threw the book at him, beating a hasty retreat. And they left his pack behind. Potions, lockpicks and all. "Well." He smirked at the captive closest to him, dusting off the book's cover and returning it to his pack. "Sometimes a curse has its uses."
3. Curfew (TDM Tourists: The more, the merrier)
He watched as hide cord was laced up, sealing the tent closed. The knife would make quick work of that, though he'd have to wait hours for an opportune moment. Until then, he was stuck here.
And he was hungry. He'd managed to sneak a few mouthfuls of animal blood when they'd been allowed to forage, but it'd barely amounted to a snack. But he'd been sealed in with someone else.
He turned to look at them in the half-light of the tent. It was so tempting. But he still felt weak and uncoordinated. He didn't know if he could overpower them in this state.
"So," he said brightly. "There isn't much we can do except rest, then." Please agree. Please.
4. Wildcard
[Want anything else out of this vampiric fop? Let me know via DM, CellarSpider#9984, PaleAntiquarian!]
Astarion |✮| Baldur's Gate III | Tourist
Oh for Gods sakes, not again. Why. He'd been doing so well, comparatively speaking. But no, that couldn't be allowed. Far more worrying than the unwelcoming forest was the memory loss--that was one of the symptoms, wasn't it? Or did the headaches start first? "Hells, maybe I should take Raphael up on that offer," he groans, pulling himself upright.
...To see that he wasn't alone here. Awkward. Terrifying, and awkward. What a fantastic combination.
But--wait. He didn't recognize them. More importantly, nor did the horrible little thing in his head. Maybe this wasn't as immediately dire as he'd feared. "Ah, hello." He took a deep breath. Calm. Poise. As much as he could manage, while covered in mud and blood. "I don't suppose you know where we are, do you?"
2. A bit of light reading (TDM Tourists: The more, the merrier)
Just when his day was looking dire, it got worse. Bandits. Of course! Some gang of humans stupid enough to nest in these woods. He'd surrendered rather than take a beating, but it was hard not to struggle when they lay hands on him. That earned him a punch to the gut. Gods. "Fine, fine!" he gasped, "you've made your point." They tore off his pack and shortsword. He'd just have to make do with the knife they hadn't noticed in his sleeve, then. But they seemed just short of cutting the gold embroidery off his doublet. They're pawing through his pack, and they're going to find--
Well. At least the little yelp from the bandits was satisfying. The book's cover is a fright, isn't it? "Oh, you don't want that." He tries to sound nonchalant, hiding his contempt. "It's terribly cursed." That book is his. Now that they're recovering from the initial shock, all they care about is the massive amethyst embedded in the cover. One's already trying to pull it out, the absolute clod. It seems the book's jaws are stronger than they look, but it's only a matter of time before one of them starts performing literary dentistry.
Time to spin them a lie, then. Partially. "There's spirits guarding it. Now that you've touched it, you're their target." It doesn't take much embellishment. They can't properly sense the darkness radiating from the book, but they can obviously tell something's not right. Their eyes keep being drawn to the book's, no matter how hard they try and look away. "You'll start hearing the whispers soon enough. They'll compel you to kill each other. It's enough to drive a human completely mad." What a shame that would be.
"Fortunately for you, I'm not human." See the pointed ears? The finer features than yours? "As long as the book stays with me, you'll have nothing to fear." He held out his hand, voice gentle. Coaxing. "Just give it back, and you'll be cured."
They practically threw the book at him, beating a hasty retreat. And they left his pack behind. Potions, lockpicks and all. "Well." He smirked at the captive closest to him, dusting off the book's cover and returning it to his pack. "Sometimes a curse has its uses."
3. Curfew (TDM Tourists: The more, the merrier)
He watched as hide cord was laced up, sealing the tent closed. The knife would make quick work of that, though he'd have to wait hours for an opportune moment. Until then, he was stuck here.
And he was hungry. He'd managed to sneak a few mouthfuls of animal blood when they'd been allowed to forage, but it'd barely amounted to a snack. But he'd been sealed in with someone else.
He turned to look at them in the half-light of the tent. It was so tempting. But he still felt weak and uncoordinated. He didn't know if he could overpower them in this state.
"So," he said brightly. "There isn't much we can do except rest, then." Please agree. Please.
4. Wildcard
[Want anything else out of this vampiric fop? Let me know via DM, CellarSpider#9984,