AVB - Silvanus

[hustlertwo]

The receptionist looks momentarily spooked and gestures to a placard that lists the various departments. On it, at the very bottom, it reads 'Professor Velius, Planes and Dimensions- Chamber 17'.

The room is located in a dank and poorly lit section of the academy, that somehow appears to be older than the building itself.

The door stands slightly ajar. The odor of brimstone emanates from the room within, and you can hear something moving around inside.

[TechnOkami]

Tenatively, Silvanus will knock on the door.

[hustlertwo]

An instant before he does so, it is yanked open. A red-skinned elf looks at the warforged with annoyance and ushers him inside.

Hurry it up, Silvanus! We don't have much time. Your eagle is in grave danger!

He then stops himself mid-step, his foot wavering above the floor as he thinks.

No, wait...it's a snake this time, right? Triceratops? Hamster? It was definitely a hamster in one of the dimensions.

Hmmm....have we even met already? Or did I jump the gun again? You'd think after all these times I'd have remembered that just because I know someone in somewhen, doesn't mean they do. Know me, I mean.

He extends a hand in greeting. The nails have not been trimmed in some time.

[TechnOkami]

Having no concept of hygiene, nor anything which grows on him besides the fact that he's made of living Ironwood, Silvanus takes his hand with a gnarled, root bound wooden equivalent.

"Professor Velius, I might presume?"

[hustlertwo]

The elf grins at Silvanus.

The very same. You're a bit more well-mannered than you normally are; in some of the dimensions you've asked from rather blunt questions about my shelf and in one alternate even tried to convince me to sell the God-Killing Dagger of Zazzmus. The audacity!

The shelf mentioned is his cluttered desk, and is home to some unusual items, which appear to be trophies of some kind. Of particular note is an orb that glows faintly under a thick layer of dust, and a short wooden blade with a strangely-colored smear across the tip.

You had best give me the specifics of your situation, so I can narrow down the best way to solve it this time. No more foulups like we had with your poor dire rat. Little thing never had a chance.

[TechnOkami]

"Oh dear..." Is this man sane?

Taking a seat available to him, assuming there is one to be had, Silvanus will begin his explanation. "Well, to put it simply, I have a Dire Bat stuck on the plane of Pandemonium. Currently, he is sky fishing with dragon-esque creatures, so his ability to acquire food is ensured, and surprisingly the dragons native to that plane don't find him to be a predator nor any form of prey. Although, his safety is... dubious. I am more than confident that dragons would be the least of our worries if the plane itself is simply called Pandemonium."

"And, forgive me for my inquiry, but there aren't just multiple dimensions, but multiple realities as well?"

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That reminds me.. I never did give my Dire Bat a name... I'll have to work on that.

[hustlertwo]

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How about Skittles? Seems like a good name for a winged beast of death.

Right, I know that plane. Used to summer there on occasion back during my reckless youth. I suppose you squares might consider it a trifle unpleasant.

In fact, it kinda has a tendency to drive mortals a little batty. Pun intended. Never really impacted me, though.

Multiple realities, dimensions, planes....even time itself is a scale that can be slid back and forth at whim if you have the power and the inclination. Trust me, you have no idea. And you're far better off that way.

Let's start: do you have anything to help you call this creature to you once we arrive? Shifting planes is not always an exact science. And Pandemonium is not the sort of place where one asks the locals for help.

[TechnOkami]

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If I were a wizard, maybe. I'd do something with prismatic spells of the sort, but no, I don't think I'll name him Skittles...

"Unfortunately no, I do not. I do know, however, that he is still alive. My bond with him is such that I would know if it was severed by his death, which is exactly what I am trying to prevent."

[hustlertwo]

The elf scratches his thinning orange hair.

Well, that does at least tell us we aren't wasting our time. But we're going to need more than that. I was hoping to avoid this, but it looks like we'll be needing to divine his whereabouts, and then take a more direct approach. A bit risky, given his travel companions. But we'll burn that bridge when we come to it. What can you give me from the creature to allow for a bit of scrying?

[TechnOkami]

"I have already taken those measures, and sadly I do not own anything that would be considered his or part of him. Neverthrless, he was able to be scryed. I went to the head of divination for such aid, and with his help I was able to discover he was on the plane of Pandemonium, as well as his new take to sky fishing."

[hustlertwo]

He rolls his eyes at the mention of the divination head.

That hack...all facts, no imagination. Never occurred to him that you can do more than just identify the plane with this peeking if you bring in a planar expert. I'll try to take a peek at our friend, challenging though it may be. Given my knowledge of Pandemonium, I imagine I can get a good notion of where to ship our corporeal forms.

For the next hour he mutters and sways, attempting to peer through the dimensional barriers and spy on the bat as it flies through Pandemonium. Finally his eyes shut and he begins to seize and tense up. When he finally relaxes, his eyes open wide and he grins at Silvanus.

It was a near thing; your beast's mind is strong, and he does not see me as a friendly presence. But he is currently roosting in a small outcropping along the headwaters of the river Styx. I recall passing by it before, briefly; I used to stake my more traitorous underlings nearby for the crows to feast upon. A dragon appears to have nested alongside him. Can't quite make out the color. I think I can take you very close to where your pet is, but be warned: that dragon is not going to warm to you. Although it certainly might try to warm you...the wrong way. And I have taken a vow of pacifism in recent years for most of my available realities.

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Go ahead and PM me your sheet link, just in case it's needed.

[TechnOkami]

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I've got a question: can a warforged druid, or lets just say a normal warforged, wear armor? I can't remember the ruling on armor and warforged, though I do know that composite plating does not count as armor.

Anywho.

Here ya go: Silvanus' Character Sheet

"That is... unfortunate. I don't think my dire bat will have any problem coming back with me, though the dragon might... I don't think I have sufficient skill to tame the dragon... oh dear, if things turn into a more violent nature, I don't think I can handle one by myself..."

[hustlertwo]

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You might want to pose that question in the OOC or Recruitment threads to be sure. But I did look around at some other games I played where Warforged showed up, and never saw any with armor. They just used the Mithril/Adamantine Body feats. Not sure if that's because they can't wear it, or just out of personal preference, since those are fairly handy feats.

Now now, don't misunderstand. I took a vow of pacifism. Not you. Just because I was asked politely to stop trying to slaughter half the cosmos doesn't mean I can't get a little secondhand killing high by watching you fry up that winged brute with your bat. And I will be glad to aid you...just not in any way that involves me directly harming another.

[TechnOkami]

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So I got some clarification. Warforged composite plating is their armor, and they can't wear more armor on top of it. I'm already at my max of how much armor I can non-magically acquire.

"...no, I think I have another way to get around the dragon issue. If a fight need break out, then I will of course fight, but I have another idea in mind which, by the sound of it, should enable me to safely retrieve my dire bat and not become scorched by the dragon."

[hustlertwo]

The elf puts on a tattered cloak.

Let's not waste any time talking about it, then. If you're ready, let's get on with the gettin'. If not, let me know when you will be and I'll try to keep my schedule open.

[TechnOkami]

"I am more than ready, Mr. Velius. Let us go to Pandemonium."

[hustlertwo]

With a word and a snap of the fingers, the red elf opens a portal to the forsaken plane. Wind begins to howl through his chamber, and on the other side you can clearly see the bat, snoozing away on the other side of a dark river.

Quickly! I can't hold this for long, so hustle your wooden buns through to the other side!

[TechnOkami]

"Excellent."

And suddenly what is standing before you is no longer a warforged, but a dire bat, composed entirely of wood. Silvanus in his new form stretches his wings, and takes to the air temporarily to glide over to his own dire bat.

[hustlertwo]

The elf enters the portal immediately after Silvanus. As soon as he does so, the portal closes, and he casts a spell to render himself invisible.

Your bat continues to snooze as you approach, but the dragon stirs. It is young for its kind, with shiny jet-black scales and a bare patch on the top of its head. It does not rise, but growls a warning at you as you approach. The reason why becomes apparent: there is a sizable pile of gold and silver coins near its feet, not far from the roost of your bat.

[TechnOkami]

Silvanus will cease moving towards the dragons little hoard, and will instead screech like a bat in his animal companion's direction, seeing if he can rouse him awake from a distance.

[hustlertwo]

The companion does indeed rouse, and flutters over to you, sending feelings of happiness at finding you again. His fishing friend pays him no mind but continues to give you a wary eye.

[TechnOkami]

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Question: my Dire Bat's a Dire bat and I've Wildshaped into another kind of Bat (not Dire, I forget the full name, something along the lines of a Nomozdu Hunting Bat), can I talk to by own dire bat due to my wildshape?

[hustlertwo]

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Well, do bats have any proven ability to communicate with each other in D&D?

[TechnOkami]

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Rulewise? No, I don't think so, though I think it's simply because they didn't think to add it to the game. Anyways, lets just see what happens!

In the screech voice and tongue of the creature he has transformed into, Silvanus will ask, "Are you alright? Did anything happen to you during our separation?"

[hustlertwo]

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I think I'll go with it until I hear otherwise, with the caveat that you mostly limit your chats to fluff, and don't try to use this to plan out complex things normally beyond the capability of an animal companion. And keep in mind it has an intelligence of 2. It won't be quoting soliloquys from Shakespeare.

Your companion screeches a response, though some of the meanings are muddled to your sentient mind.

I ate. I flew. It is windy/cold here. No one tries to hurt/pain me, but I am bored.

[TechnOkami]

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Right... forgot about the 2 int thing... oh well, that'll do bat, that'll do.

Silvanus gives off a sigh of relief, "That is good..." Moving his head to the side of his dire bat, Silvanus looks back at the dragon, then back to his dire bat. "Who is your fishing partner?"

[hustlertwo]

The sky lizard is a sky lizard. It is lonely/sad without its mate. Be wary/cautious; it ate a pointy-eared man yesterday. It is not a good sky lizard.

The bat emits a homing pitch and looks back toward where the portal had been.

Who is your friend/companion?

[TechnOkami]

"Ah, him. He is Professor Velius. He helped me get here to bring you home. In fact..." Silvanus screeches to see Velius himself, and once seen, walks over to his location, and scribbles in the ground with a claw, "Ready for portal."

[hustlertwo]

Your sensitive ears hear the mage chuckle a bit.

I'm sure. But first, this seems like the perfect time to discuss my fee. Always easiest when you have a...captive audience.

[TechnOkami]

"...I should have settled that with him before..." Silvanus' bat form gives off an audible sigh. "Oh well, there's little I can do about it now."

Silvanus scratches into the ground again, "What is it?"