DM Nagging: It's pretty much my job

[Anastasia]

-How did Lagann (Yandrazrt) rehabilitation go? What's going on there now? He'd be my first choice of proxy, though only after I know where we stand.

Fairly well. Let's put it this way - he has a better shot at having much of anything with you than anything else. He's not stupid.

-How did Oraga's rehabilitation go? What's going on there now? Incidentally, my second choice of proxy.

Begrudgingly but moving. More on this in character, I think.

-How about the Astral Dragons? I've held hope that I could convert them closer to my cause and way of thinking, but I'd settle for a mutual defense pact if a true alliance wasn't in the cards.

Fairly close to the chest right now, dealing with them IC after some stalling and watching will be a thing.

-What happened with Ajan? I sincerely hope the 3 years of service promised him took place in the intervening 20 years, since I'm not the person now I was then. I do hope he's a minor ally at present.
-Related to this, the Balmurian ruins and the gnomish god-king. If this still hasn't been resolved, that becomes priority #1 for me now.

It has not and this will be discussed in depth later.  That's a big enough climax that seeing that to the end, even if by helping others do it, will be sorted out.

-Figuring out where I stand with my Balmurian friends, the other allies across that Prime, Deme and Polly, the elemental princes and princesses, the Elven pantheon and Waukeen.

A general summary will be done IC and OOC as needed.

-With Benfal and Lifasa freed, it does seem a good idea to both render aid and proselytize. In fact, Kascha would probably be best for that.

Kascha will do it if desired, but if it's all the same to her, she'd really like a little down time to study before being drafted into that.

-I want to deepen my studies into metamagic and overcome the last hurdle I have with it. Since I would've heard from Kascha that means exist to ease its use further, that'd be where my personal research would be headed. Elle could be helpful here.

Certainly.

-I want to see where Sanzha's gotten with our goal of transcending elemental boundaries, especially after Afina's success.

That's best covered IC, I think, since it'll be an interesting conversation.

-I want to help Amaryl with her own pursuits of DvR1, given that she seems quite close.

That should be one of your first big goals, no doubt about it. More on that IC as you pursue it.

-One of the specific means of countering Shar I'm thinking of is increasing the sponsorship of agents across Primes. Similar to what was going on with Annerose, just having these rangers (to borrow a term) try to do good. No crime or injustice too small! They'll help! And I'll help if they're in a jam. I think Donald could be entrusted with helping here, given that he's my first student.

Certainly. Welcome to the Competition, try not to lose.

-Aurora might've been a fortress serving as the base of a crusade, but the Cauldron is an actual trading hub, both intended and designed for such use. I'll see what we can do to make it a credible competition to Brightwater and the Mercane without getting into some trade war. Abby should be decent for this, due to having a good head on her shoulders, a mercantile education and plenty of ambition.

Sure. Talking to Waukeen about that and other things should be a todo for you for obvious reasons.

-Any anniversaries coming up? Birthdays? Plenty of things happened near the end of B1, including a few weddings. That could be a nice 'goal' to follow up on.

The concept of things like birthdays and anniversaries can get hazy on the planes. Primes don't share the same calendars (let alone a single Prime sharing one between races, and many don't have them) and the planes don't have a unified system of timekeeping. Oh, the lawfuls try but you can imagine Celestia and Baator don't agree on it, let alone Arborea and Baator or the Abyss and Celestia. So when you're an immortal, those things are a little relative.

In other words, you have lots of room to explore and play with there to celebrate what you want.

-Valar, was it? The friend I made over Eblis? Due to a lack of relevant logs, I'm curious where it lead.

Indeed, that's a fair question. I think I have a build of him somewhere.

Further browsing through the B1 forum revealed 'The B team!' which lists a bunch of our minor allies, by current definition.
Celebrimbor, Saul, Yoshi, Lumenbur, Valar, Oraga, Gulpan, Gilartal and Mia, Na'lith. Some of those listed there went on to be major allies, such as Sanzha and presumably Lagann and Oraga. It'd be interesting to see what evolved from all this, and whether we got visitors from Air and Earth as well.

Celebrimbor's old and retired, Saul's retired just because. They won't be statted but can be minor allies to call on. Yoshi's still Amaryl's animal companion and posted. Lumenbur continues to serve, of course. Valar is doing his thing in Kesse, more on that later. Oraga is at the Cauldron. Gulpan continues to serve. Gilartal and Mia are mostly working in Balmuria to various ends. Finally, Na'lith is basically living in the Cauldron and helping out. I can slap together a minor ally stat block for him if you like.

[Anastasia]

Okay, two points.

1. Status reports on sheets, please.

2. I'm going to do a combat demo for each PC against a default Nessian Pit Fiend with no gestalt. The idea is that this shouldn't be a hard solo fight for all of you and make sure your build works as desired. Moore may get an alternate challenge since he's a pure support character. This will purely be an OOC fight, no worries about it mattering IC.

[Iron Dragoon]

I should be completely done. I've got some leftover cash I'll probably get a couple wands with, but that's really minor stuff.

[Ebiris]

I'm pretty much done. I've reshuffled some skills around and transferred some spare equipment over to Marie, and swapped out spell penetration for extra spell as far as changes since first posted go.

Bring on that pit fiend!

[Anastasia]

Pit fiends will be next weekish, depending on how I get things in order. I have a lot of fluff to write now, mostly.

[Anastasia]

Greater Snowsong
Enchantment (Compulsion) [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Brd 10

This spell functions as Snowsong, except as noted here. Allies gain +8 morale bonus to Charisma and attack rolls, and a +8 insight bonus to Armor Class. They also gain fast healing 3 and resistance to cold 30 to all affected allies. All melee attacks made by allies in the snowsong deal an additional 2d6 points of cold damage. Enemies designated by the spell have a 40% chance of spell failure if they fail the will save.

So basically Snowsong+3 or so?

Sonic Shattering
Abjuration/Evocation [Sonic]
Level: Brd 10
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 80ft
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude partial or Reflex negates (object); see text
Spell Resistance: Yes

With a scream and a gesture, you create a cone of sounds powerful enough to shatter magic. This spell does 15d6 points of sonic damage to creatures and 1d6 points of damage per caster level (to a maximum of 30d6) to crystalline or brittle creatures. This spell also stuns affected creatures and deafens them for 1d4 hours. In addition, this spell also functions as a greater dispel magic against creatures caught in the area. Any spell shattered in this way causes an extra 1d6 points of sonic damage to the creature. This damage cannot be reduced via a successful Fortitude save.

A creature in the area of the cone can negate the stunning and halve both the damage and the duration of the deafness with a successful Fortitude save. A creature holding vulnerable objects can attempt a Reflex save to negate the damage to those objects.

So basically Shout+5 or so?

Made it a dual-school spell, since dispelling is firmly in the domain of abjurations.

Lliira's Joy
Level: Brd 11, Clr 13, Joy 13
Transmutation
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 60ft area burst, centered on you
Duration: 1 min/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell fills those affected with a wellspring of joy, as if they were in the presence of Lliira herself. Creatures affected by this spell are immune to any fear, despair or similar effect. This spell also rids the target of the same sorts of effects that heart's ease removes. Creatures also gain fast healing 10 for the duration of this spell.

So basically a souped up heart's ease with fast healing attached?

Not meant to be dismissive or anything, it's a good way to start with spells and learn how they work. I'm just sayin'. I like Lliira's joy the most, since it feels like it does the most with the concept and expands it a little bit with the fast healing. It might also be over leveled, need to compare it to some things, but 1 min/level fast healing 10 probably justifies it.

[Anastasia]

Alicia and Seira, I have something I'd like you two to fill out. Consider this a refresher and a chance to clarify things and positions before we begin flavor and fluff catch up in earnest. These might shift a bit as we go into this, of course, but I'd like you all to fill out your thoughts and use this as a springboard.

1. My friends have various duties around Sylica/The Cauldron. What do I have them do?

2. I value allies for the future, these realms and personages are ones I'm trying to forge stronger ties with. Which ones are they?

3. There's a lot of things wrong in Creation, but these ones in particular are a priority to stop. What do I really want to stop?

4. My church is important to me. I make sure that they do as I will and help people, so I structure them so that everything works well. How do I structure them?

[Anastasia]

Moore and Tryll, I have something I'd like the two of you to fill out.  Same reasoning as the previous post.

1. I'm starting fresh and building something strong. I'll need allies for sure. Who and what realms do I want as allies?

2. I've seen that Creation has some really horrible things in it. As I accomplish my goals, who in particular do I really want to stop?

3. Aurora won! Yay! Am I worried Hell will exact reprisals on me and am I doing anything about it?

4. How people view me is important, right? What sort of reputation do you think you have now?

[Anastasia]

Alyssa, same as the first two, please answer.

1. I'm starting fresh and building something strong. I'll need allies for sure. Who and what realms do I want as allies?

2. I've heard there's terrible things out there. What am I most concerned about?

3. I've gained so much power so fast. What are my goals now with all this power?

4. How people view me is important, right? What sort of reputation do I want to have in the future?

[Nephrite]

1. I'm starting fresh and building something strong. I'll need allies for sure. Who and what realms do I want as allies?

Aurora taught Moore that even completely opposing viewpoints can be brought together for similar goals. With that in mind, he'd want to branch out from purely Celestia-aligned folks. The totally neutral realms didn't really impact Aurora very much but he'd probably at least try and make some inroads there. The Triune clearly has their eye on him so he'd try their realms also. Arborea is a natural place for him to go as well, especially since he has some business there. Lastly, he'd be willing to look at Auril and the Frozen Heart as an option.

2. I've seen that Creation has some really horrible things in it. As I accomplish my goals, who in particular do I really want to stop?

He doesn't have much exposure to evil things outside of Hell, so he'd probably continue that particular missive. They're also pretty reeling right now, so it seems a good time to continue to give them a black eye. In that particular vein, Lixer probably stands out the most since he's likely to have an awful lot of enemies right now.

3. Aurora won! Yay! Am I worried Hell will exact reprisals on me and am I doing anything about it?

Moore expects Hell to try something on him and will continue to collect allies who don't mind giving them a punch in the face when they decide to be uppity.

4. How people view me is important, right? What sort of reputation do you think you have now?

He made a splash as a diplomat with Aurora that likely sent some ripples through various cliques across the planes. He's probably well-known enough that people know his name even in places he hasn't been, but maybe not much more than that.

[Corwin]

As I've told you previously, my sheet is done  :)

[Anastasia]

As I've told you previously, my sheet is done  :)

Excellent.

[Nephrite]

Wild Magic Zone
Abjuration
Level: Clr 14, Magic 13, Chaos 13, Sor/Wiz 13
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400ft + 40ft/level)
Area: 20ft/level radius sphere
Duration: 1 min/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: None

You create an area of chaotic, wild magic. Anyone who attempts to cast a spell while within the zone rolls from the wild magic table twice. In addition, aiming spells is a challenge within a wild magic zone, any spell targeted at an individual has a 25% chance to strike another, random target. This targeting effect remains even if the caster of the spell is outside of the zone and targets someone within the zone. The effects of this spell are doubled when in the Astral or in Limbo (you roll four times on the wild magic table and the targeting penalty is 50%).

[Ebiris]

1. My friends have various duties around Sylica/The Cauldron. What do I have them do?

While Alicia doesn't 'have' her do anything since the nature of their pairing and divinity makes them a matched set, Syala generally acts defensively and holds down the fort while Alicia may be elsewhere. It suits her long history of tree guarding anyway, and she's trying to express herself as a nurturing sort of deity.

Antenora acts as Alicia's extra set of arms, bodyguard, and enforcer at times. If there's a problem that requires a strong and decisive response, Antenora's the one that handles it. If Alicia's going somewhere dangerous, Antenora's at her side. During quieter periods she spends her time on the Opal Mountain overseeing the incarnation of new souls into Sylica.

Latha occupies a role of both master of arms/chief blacksmith, and chaplain. She's the one Alicia is most likely to go to to for a sounding board on a moral or ethical issue that she's unsure about, and with that as an example a lot of other people probably clamour for her wisdom and perspective. Plus she makes lots of cool weapons and armour!

Jessica mostly gets to live a quiet life when not on missions - those ones she does get tending towards stealth, infiltration, and assassination befitting her skills. She's purposely kept in the background otherwise, giving her time to focus on her family and keeping others from thinking too much about the deadly assassin so close at hand.

Marie is Alicia's familiar but also her steward/maid/gopher. A lot of the time she tends to go places where Alicia can't, typically on Prime Material excursions to act as her representative there usually accompanying one of the others who've temporarily been granted a proxy template for the occasion.

2. I value allies for the future, these realms and personages are ones I'm trying to forge stronger ties with. Which ones are they?

While Mystra and Alicia are naturally tight, it's not a tie she takes for granted so she still expends a lot of work on helping out the old boss and being helped in turn. Beyond that she works hard to collaborate and maintain strong ties with the forces of Celestia, who she's ideologically in league with, and the Court of Stars which she appreciates more on aesthetic and moral grounds. It fits with Sylica acting as a bridge between Law and Chaos for her to give equal time to those two. While she lacks any real matched interests with Selune aside from hatred of Shar, that alone is enough for her to make overtures towards the Moonmaiden and seek to work together with her.

3. There's a lot of things wrong in Creation, but these ones in particular are a priority to stop. What do I really want to stop?

Alicia's main targets are Shar and Hell of course, but thematically the type of evil she most focuses on fighting is corruption. Every good person turned bad, every hero broken into villainy, every angel fallen to evil weakens Good more than anything else. She and hers fight the corrupters, the Shars, the Malcanthets, the tricky devils with smooth tongues, the iron-clad contracts. She aims to drag their schemes into the light, liberate and inspire their targets back on the path of righteousness, and ultimately crush them.

4. My church is important to me. I make sure that they do as I will and help people, so I structure them so that everything works well. How do I structure them?

The church of Alicia is quite de-centralised and diffuse with an emphasis on its clerics and champions travelling a lot to get to places that might not have the benefit of established temples or mighty defenders. What temples do exist function mostly as hubs to trade information and take stock at. The priests and defenders at these temples would pick up lots of information from wandering heroes and piece it together to get a picture of what's going on in the region so they can effectively advise other adventurers who visit as to where the quest hooks and trouble spots are.

In terms of hierarchy/progression, clergy and paladins and the like start out at one of those temple hubs learning and training with their elders and acting as temple defenders, graduate to being wandering heroes/knights errant (they're expected to work with others since individuals make easy targets on the roads and in the wilds), then as they get older and start to slow down they go back to those temples to act as leaders and train the new up and comers.

[Nephrite]

Oberon's Blade
Conjuration (Creation), Abjuration
Level: Sor/Wiz 12
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Effect: One longsword
Duration: 1 round + 1 round per two levels
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

This spell conjures a sword that looks the same as the one used by Oberon, King of the Seelie Court. The sword hurls itself at an enemy you determine. You must succeed on a ranged touch attack to hit your target. Creatures struck by Oberon's Blade suffer 10d8 points of damage. Any illusion struck by this blade is subject to a superb dispel effect at your caster level. This damage is doubled against Unseelie or evil fey. The blade will continue to strike at the same target every round unless directed by you (as a free action) to strike a different target.