OOC Discussion

Travelling with family the next four days. May or may not be able to post depending on internet availability.

Will be busy over the next few days. Not sure if I can post at all before the weekend.

Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, reach 0 ft., one creature in the swarm's space. Hit: The target is infested by 1d4 rot grubs. At the start of each of the target's turns, the target takes 1d6 piercing damage per rot grub infesting it. Applying fire to the bite wound before the end of the target's next turn deals 1 fire damage to the target and kills these rot grubs. After this time, these rot grubs are too far under the skin to be burned. If a target infested by rot grubs ends its turn with 0 hit points, it dies as the rot grubs burrow into its heart and kill it. Any effect that cures disease kills all rot grubs infesting the target.

Are you sure about ignoring the maggots, Erden? That's gonna be 2d6 per round -- oh never mind, I see the Potion of Vitality in your inventory.

Reading the description, I realize I did the maggot bites wrong: the piercing damage should be applied at the start of the infested character's turn rather than on the maggot's turn.

Next round, roll the damage yourself, Erden. That is, until you take that potion.

Baracus spars and talks with Skandrana warriors and even learns one of their songs. He witnesses a wide variety of fighting styles and disciplines practiced by men, women, children, even grandmothers. This is a sight that reminds him of home. Of his father who is most certainly watching him. Baracus also befriends an old man named Gaurav, who retired from the Thousand Swords after taking an arrow in the knee and came here to became a monk. Gaurav offers his services as a guide if Baracus wishes to seek out their encampments and meet the vaunted guardians of Pradesh.

Baracus works up a sweat, holding nothing back in his sparring to show his respect for the warriors of this temple, and in turn enjoys the challenge as the Skandrana monks reciprocate. However, he is most challenged by the grandmother, Swordmother Raghavan, whom he makes the mistake of going easy on. In the moments after his thorough thrashing, as he lies still on the ground and contemplates his own mother, who his father said he took after. At the time he had always taken that as insult, but now he wondered. He looked forward to the day he would be reunited with his father. Perhaps he would learn who she was, this human woman he took after.

He appreciates Gaurav's offer and tells him he will think on it. He had thought the little knife was home sick, but perhaps it would enjoy taking a tour of glory with Baracus before it returned it to the ranks of the Thousand Swords.

Smiling at Baracus, the Golden Child points at his shortsword Xiphos. Sashvar turns to the half-orc, "One of the Thousand Swords. How did you come by it?" the priest gestures towards the weapon. "May I examine it?"

The priest turns the weapon over in his hands. "Originally composed of members of a Pradeshi army that fought campaigns in Mykenai in the Far West, the Thousand Swords have guarded Pradesh for hundreds of years. Their loyalty and ferocity are legendary, and their weapons are of the finest make. The person who gave this to you might not have been aware of what I will tell you now: their swords are reproductions of one original. This might well be that original."

Sashvar hands the sword back to Baracus. "May it serve you well."

Baracus took refuge in a dark tent full of smoke. It turned out to be a recruiting tent of sorts for a Pradeshi mercenary company, the Thousand Swords. An officer approached with an easy way about him, and told him that the turbaned men were the guardians of Pradesh, and that they were looking for warriors like Baracus. Baracus declined, his path leading elsewhere, but the officer presented him with a Xiphos - the titular weapon of the Thousand Swords - and told him that if he ever changed his mind, he could present the weapon in Pradesh and receive immediate employment.