Server started.
fritz has connected.
Ferrinus has connected.
danhenge has connected.
banana has connected.
cbass: hmm. I wonder why banana could possibly be here.
CBN has connected.
fritz: guest dm
fritz: fjord crossover
Ferrinus: adrian khas, level 18 vampire vampire
cbass: bolo
banana: actually i'm just up at elfgame oclock by chance for once
banana: and was like i might as well spectate
banana: i normally never get to
Ferrinus: i'm half vampire and half vampire
cbass: and all vampire, baby
elfGM has connected.
elfGM: sup
elfGM: sorry i'm late, drama and rapidshare are both dumb
elfGM: mainly me for using rapidshare
elfGM: i feel like an aol customer
cbass: hah
dammitwho has connected.
elfGM: are we all here?
Serge: ready whenever!
Dominique: let's do this
Wil: ready!
Imre: ok
danhenge: i'm here
Devar: I'm here
elfGM: pc up you damn ehathen
elfGM: oh you did
elfGM: ugh just noticed something brb
elfGM is disconnected.
elfDM has connected.
elfDM: much better
Serge: heh
Ferrinus: yeah that was fucking with me when i tried to whisper you last game
elfDM: You really have to worry when you whisper elfgm and elfHG whispers you back . . from over your shoulder
banana: o_o
elfDM: ok, ready to begin
elfDM: introing
This cave is a tomb. Literally.
You can only imagine the number of creatures who have fallen to dust in your wake, and before you even arrived. The assault of the stormkin long ago, the lost batalion, and now, the comnig of the champions.
The ground is a thin, dry, gritty dust. You find yourself wondering how much of it isn't soil.
But just for a moment. Then somebody talks.
elfDM: somebody talk
elfDM: !
Devar: Devar glances over the table(?).
elfDM: they're mainly racks, there is one bench
Serge: "We need to take them back to Lark's Landing for burial, when we leave."
Imre: "There's not much to bury."
Devar: "They're dust."
Imre: "And if it's dust you want, this whole cavern is thick with it."
Dominique: "Ash is still remains. They should be attended to."
Serge: "You have a point. I- dammit, it was all just a misunderstanding. If only we'd known..."
Serge: "So there's really only one thing to do now, right? We go north. Past the seal."
Serge: "Find out whatever changed them, and make amends."
Wil: "Well, what's done is. Gather them up in...I don't know, one bag or something? And then we should----actually, Serge. About that. I was thinking."
Devar: Devar sighs, "It's not the first otherwise innocent blood we have on our hands."
Dominique: She looks at Devar quizzically for a moment, but doesn't say anything.
Serge: "All right, Wil, I'm listening."
Wil: "I don't know about the rest of you, but I could go for a good night's rest with my head on an actual pillow and with a roof over my head, instead of just a sense of dread and some dirt. And since we've been awake awhile now..." Wil holds up his hand and points to the small silver ring on a finger. "...we could probably give this a go."
Imre: Imre doesn't say anything either, but he's thinking innocent? they were Realmsmen.
elfDM: So is she.
Wil: "Stop by the Landing, have a solid rest, get our affairs in order before we march off to inevitable death...you know. The usual. So who's in?"
Imre: "Are you sure it works?"
elfDM: il's ring can trasport you back to the landing. However, before you go, you could trek to, or even past the seal. Less time wasted when you return.
Dominique: "That sounds like an excellent idea."
Devar: "How does that work again? Does it get us back here?"
Serge: "Just as long as opening a portal, or rift, or whatever, while we're down here doesn't accidentally send us all to the land of the dead."
elfDM: Your arts should protect you, esp if you do it near one of the seals, which offer a measure of protection.
Serge: Once this is all explained to him, Serge is all for it. "Well then. What are we waiting for?"
Serge: "I have a couple of affairs I should put in order if I'm about to go face down the Void, anyway..."
elfDM: So you guys collect the remains of the doomed soldiers, and head off to the north tunnel?
Devar: yah
Serge: indeed!
Dominique: yep
Imre: If there's more remains here, well collect them too.
Wil: "Well, from my fiddling with it during our miscellaneous moments of downtime, it's no portal or anything. It's just like when I go somewhere without really walking. Except, further. And all of us. And when we want, I say the word and whoop! We're back in the place where it was activated. As long as we do it within a fair span of time. Whenever we choose to do so, and all." He explains as they ambulate.
elfDM: There's nothing else of note in the camp. Looks like the others that died are. . wel, they're not here.
You head back through the tunnels, past the traps and tricks, working your way through the huge granite boulder with bit of effort, and emerging back into the entrance area.
Serge: "Realm sappers sure are something, though, aren't they?"
Imre: "I don't know what to look for, else I would report back to your craftsmen."
Soon enough you move on, heading into the north tunnel you had only briefly visited. The air here seems. .. cooler, and dry. .very dry. You wonder if the dead drink away the moisture, along with life. Some do, certainly.
Wil: "Serge? The next time I say 'oh, underground. Caves. Those sound like fun.' Please, knock me unconscious."
Wil: "Can't have boulders dropped on you when you can see the sky." Wil notes wistfully.
Devar: "I feel like that's patently untrue."
Serge: "Counterpoint: Wizards."
Devar: "And really, just saying that begs it to happen at the next opportunity"
Imre: As they approach the seal, Imre draws a stick of incense. It lights, seemingly by itself, as he bends down and wedges it in a nook on one side.
Wil: "Thank you both for ruining some perfectly good optimism. Oh look, turtle thing's still here."
Ahead lies the great shellback seal. Built of poured, polished obsidian, scribed with symbols and glyphs and runes, it sits, like an anchor in a stormy sea.
Serge: "It had damn well better still be here."
Imre: "It's not going anywhere."
Serge: "Fantastic." Serge reaches down to touch this impossibly ancient artifact.
Serge: "And people say the tribals had no culture! Just look at this thing!"
Wil: Wil watches Serge carefully with one eye on the exit, just in case.
The darkness looms beyond it- tempting, and forbiding. Perhaps a quick look to the north is in order?
Devar: i'm going to short rest, ok?
elfDM: yeah, evereyone should short rest already
Devar: Took a short rest.
Gained 32 HP. Spent a healing surge.
HP: 129 / 129 — Surges: 7 / 11 — APs: 1 — Daily Items: 1
Dominique: Took a short rest.
HP: 89 / 89 — Surges: 9 / 9 — APs: 0 — Daily Items: 2
Serge: "Let's just take a little peek before we go back to the Landing. Just to satisfy my curiosity."
elfDM: Do you want to explore a bit beyond the seal, or head right back?
Devar: Devar peers ahead into the darkness "I doubt that the pure manifestation of the void is the first thing we'll meet. Let's check it out."
elfDM: Everyone take a move action
Imre: "I feel like we should have some warning. Wil, how quickly can you turn that thing on?"
Dominique: "As last words go, those aren't the best, but I suppose we have to make do."
Serge: Serge doesn't walk over the seal. That would almost be sacreligious.
Devar: Devar's boots click earily as he crosses the seal. Only after he's crossed does he realize everyone else has gone around.
Wil: "Same amount of time it takes me to toss off any other spell kinda thing, Imre. So not long but I'm not going to do it tumbling into an abyss or in time to not-get-crushed-by-a-rock, if that makes sense."
Up ahead, the tunnel seems to end, but before it does, it drops away at two points- one is a rough hewn flight of stairs, and the other, a deep, dark pit.
Imre: Imre starts to tell Devar to stop crossing the seal, but it's too late. He remembers.
elfDM: You can walk on shellback. You can do whatever you want to shellback. You can't hurt shellback. Not if he's careful.
Not if you're careful.
Serge: "Stairs... and a hole in the ground."
Devar: "Fast way down...or up."
Serge: "Could be."
Imre: There's 'not hurting' and there's 'impolite'.
Imre: What are the stairs like?
The entrances to the underlevel rest ahead of you. As you approach, you realise that you can hear the hint of. .wind. There is a current of wind, down below. Not up here- here it is quuiet, as it has been since you arrived. But somewhrr below, there are motions in the air, stirred by who knows what.
Dominique: "Interesting. And we can find out all about them after we've come back from the Landing."
Wil: "I emphatically agree."
Devar: Devar didn't know any better and he can only imagine that shellback knew that he didn't know any better."
Serge: Serge hauls a coil of rope out of his pack and ties a loop around his waist. He tosses the other end to Devar. "Hey, I'm going to take a look at that hole. Hold onto this in case... anything happens, would you?"
Wil: "Wouldn't it be funny if ten feet down, the stairs drop into an empty pit, and ten feet down, that pit over there has stairs?"
The stairs are ancient, worn. Like much of this cave, you wodner when they were made and by who. Perhaps by the goblinoids, or perhaps when the stormkin and their armies invaded. Perhaps one of each.
Dominique: "You can't possibly be serious."
Serge: "I'm not climbing down. I just want to take a look."
elfDM: Is anyone stopping serge?
Dominique: "Much better last words."
Imre: "Should you toss a sunstone in there first?"
Devar: Devar steps up next to him, ready to grab him in case of trouble.
Serge: "That was the idea, yeah."
elfDM: So, what does serge do?
Serge: Serge strikes one of his unused sunrods (that lantern sure is handy), and drops it down into the pit, watching with interest as it falls.
Wil: "Well, let's all crowd around Devar. That way, this goes bad fast, I can jump us all out and then come back with Serge not-in-a-hole." As Wil wanders over-ish.
The rod drops into the pit, plummeting for a long moment.
Imre: Wil's the expert on this, so Imre follows his suggestion.
Dominique: "Do you know how that ring of yours works?"
Serge: "Ssh, I'm listening to hear if it hits anything."
A moment later, the wind current turns
Air blasts from the pit!
Serge: Yipe!
Serge: Serge takes a quick half-step back.
Far below, you catch a flicker of. . .something. . streaming past the pit like a river, the sunstone torn out of view by it's motion!
Dominique: Possibly an actual river?
Dominique: Or... not.
Serge: "There's some kind of current down there, and it was moving pretty damned fast."
You catch a confusing flicker of motion, a broad, undulating, permiable, fluid surface streaming along like a river or a. . .you hope it's a river.
Serge: "When we come back, we're taking the stairs."
Imre: "The sky has tides, but I've never heard that the earth does as well."
elfDM: That didn't look like soil
It looked like bone.
Imre: it's deep under the earth ergo
elfDM: So, porting home? The seal is right over there.
Wil: "...Serge, did you wake something up? Please tell me you didn't wake something up."
Dominique: We should port from the other side of the seal imo
Devar: "Let's step across the seal. I don't want to open up something right on top of it...or on this side of it."
elfDM: You can port on the seal, that would be safest
Wil: "Oh, and even though I said that this puts us back exactly where we left, how about we edge back from the pit of death a little?"
elfDM: You assume shellback won't mind, you don't see why he would, he's very hard to offend.
Wil: "I mean, this is the first time for using the bounce-back bit, and I'd really like to not get it a tiny bit wrong and end up a large amount of corpse."
Imre: "Let's do it from the seal."
Dominique: "We should leave from the other side of the seal, or better yet on top of it. Unless Imre thinks that would be a bad idea."
Serge: Serge ignored Wil's question, he was looking down into the pit. Then he shakes his head and turns to the others.
Serge: "It's really okay to step on this? All right then."
Imre: Imre steps to the edge, and kneels down. He puts two fingers to his lips and then touches them to Turtle's head. After a few seconds, he stands, and steps inside.
elfDM: ok, ring?
Dominique: "I mean, you don't know how that thing works, and while it probably won't leave a metamagical tunnel for whatever's in here to escape through while we're back in Lark's Landing, better safe than sorry."
Serge: He walks gingerly, not trying to scuff or break any of the ancient runes.
elfDM: These runes are built tough
Wil: "Everyone ready?"
Devar: "Move in close, folks."
elfDM: sec
Wil: "Arms and legs inside the...I really don't know the range on this, so let's hope for the best, everyone." Wil offers, optimistically.
Serge: "If I did wake something up, that's the politest awakening anyone down there's going to get."
elfDM: just settingup, one sec
elfDM: ok, wil, flavour the transit
Wil: Wil raises the ring in front of him. "Okay. Just like walking. Just like walking. Just like walking. Big step. Big step." And Wil, glancing over his shoulder at the group for a quick headcount, lifts his knee and kicks out his foot, but doesn't set down. Repeats for Devar. For Serge. For Dom. For Imre. For Bully, just to be on the safe side. And once more for himself. And then, he takes the step forward. "Big. Step." Wil's voice echoes in everyone's ears, in their heads. And while they're taking that in, the cave feels a little brighter and a little darker, all at once. And then.
You feel a twist in space as you begin your journey.
For a moment, you are still in the cave. You feel acutely the ward that thrums wiht power all around you. Then, a blink, and you are somewhere else, and there are voices
Leilah: "I have never seen any evidence of your patron's trasubstantiation, and if I did, it would be caused by an enchanted artifact-"
Sersus: "But aquiring the artifact is part of his glory! You dogmatists fail to recognise the illusion of reality, the trappings of aquisition for what they are-"
Devar: Devar just groans as he hears the conversation they enter upon.
Serge: "Ah, hello, are we interrupting anything here?"
Your feet touch ground. Not the marble of the ballroom, but. . the polished wood and carpet of a small, out-of-the-way but extremly upscale salon.
Imre: "Yes, this is certainly the Landing."
Wil: Wil brings his foot down. "...not in Hell oh hey!" He looks around. "Hey!"
The room explodes into an uproar, but only for a moment. By this point, everyone is a little bit used to things like this happening.
Serge: Serge looks down and realizes that he still has a rope tied around his waist. He undoes the knot, looking a bit sheepish.
Sersus: "S-SEE? DID YOU SEE THAT? THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT! DAMN!"
Dominique: The oppressive atmosphere of the caves and the terrible itching cease in an instant. "Oh, that's better. Like a cold shower."
Devar: Devar stares at Wil. Just looks at him, doesn't say anything.
Leilah: The pelorite arcanist sighs, her glowing left eye flickering as she closes her eyes in fatigue. "This is clearly a coincidence-"
Devar: "It is definitely a conincedence."
Sersus: "IT- IT . . NO! LOOK" The halfelf hops from foot to foot, pointing fratically to the group who has suddenly appeared.
Serge: "We'll just be showing ourselves out, then."
Imre: A slightly-younger Imre would have been horrified at his older counterpart's acceptance of Wil's Wilness.
Cynthia: "Uh, Devar? Before you depart. . " The soft but persistant voice of a young woman sounds from the upper level.
Wil: "No time to chat Sersus. You folks carry on, we'll see you soon, I'm sure." Wil makes for the door with almost as much haste as Serge.
Dominique: It's not surprising that the colonials would be in an uproar over what is, ultimately, a rather minor teleportation effect. But it is disappointing. Where are the academies?
Serge: Serge pushes past the onlookers and heads out the door. At the threshold, though, he turns and waits—best to hear what the Pelorites are up to with his own ears.
Sersus: "Well, since you have made your point, there isn't much reason to stay, is there? Heh? HEH??" He beams in trumph at his opponent.
Serge: (back in a couple, dogtime, sorry)
Devar: Devar climbs up the stair, stopping just below Cynthia and leaning on on the rail, "Yes?"
Cynthia: Her smile is a small, gentle apology for endless trials. "There's been a development with your. . errant chosen."
Devar: Devar looks over at D'arby skeptically, "Is that so>"
Devar: ?"
Squire D'arby: Darcy looks up from what looks to be a book on pastries, his expression neutral. He blinks, as if just noticing Devar's arrival. "Oh, hi."
Devar: "Hello D'arby."
Devar: He's going to turn out to be a prophet or something, isn't he? ugh
squire overton!: Overton sighs, a kind of ragged exhalation that borders on battle meditation. "Just tell him, please!"
Squire D'arby: "Oh uh, right. I don't have magic powers anymore."
Devar: Devar raises his eyebrows, "Is that so?"
Squire D'arby: "Sorry. Sorry? I uh, well, didn't want to be a bother, I mean I didn't - I don't really know what happened- but I can't do things anymore."
Devar: He looks up at the ceiling for a moment and nods sharply.
Devar: "Makes sense. Being chosen isn't necessarily permanent. You're chosen for as long as you're filling the role you've been Chosen to fill."
Cynthia: "He's been healing the sick, but just after you left, he realised he coulnd't do it anymore. Odd thing is, I thought that your faith had to give up their power voluntarily?" Devar isn't sure where she learnt that, but it fits with what they learnt back home.
Squire Overton: "He did take part on one of thoses uh. . reconciliation rituals? The ones we had with the tribals. it had a lot for language about surrendering burdens and such."
Squire Overton: "And it was pretty magical. . y'know, lots of magic going on in it. And stuff." Wilandrians.
elfDM: brb
Devar: "I see. Well...it could be that. Or it could be that D'arby was never particularly attached to the power at any point. I can't imagine you were particularly upset to have it gone, eh D'arby?"
Imre: Suspiscions.
Squire D'arby: D'arby shrugs.
elfDM: Ok so wehre do you guys wanna go
elfDM: and how long do you have
elfDM: 8 hours, or 24 hours?
Devar: We have 10 hours
elfDM: interesting
elfDM: Well you need 8 hours for a full complete rest, which you should be able to get. .. i mean. . unless something comes up
Devar: "Alright guys...let's hustle to the keep. We're on a tight schedule here..."
Landing Garison 8: "Count serge! When did you-" A guard bustles into the room, as if just on time.
Wil: Wil glances around and at his ring and back around again. "Guys guys guys tight schedule c'mon"
Landing Garison 8: "Never mind. Your lordship, there is a situation that you should speak to Marathe about. He has been hoping you would, uh, re-emerge, in order to deal with it."
Devar: Devar stares that guard resignedly.
Serge: back, sorry!
Serge: "Well then. I can hardly turn down his request."
Landing Garison 8: "Right. He's at the ballroom- i mean the court. "
Imre: 10 hours. Imre is already whispering quietly; the potted plants in the salon rustle in the still air.
Serge: "We really do need to have a proper audience chamber built sometime."
Serge: "But that's neither here nor there. Come on, let's go."
Vagabond: "Hey! Imre! Fancy seein' you here! I was just hoping a fight would break out, but I actually had something to talk to you about- it's really important!" Wow, this is worse than usual.
Devar: "That implies the sort of free time our lives no longer seem to contain..."
Wil: "We need to mark this spot and have it demolished and rebuilt as a series of chambers locked and boarded from the inside is what we need."
Serge: "That'll only encourage them to solve the puzzle."
elfDM: The odd thing is. . Wil was sure he setn the ring to return them TO the ballroom. Odd.
Imre: "Eh? Wh? Oh, hi, Vagabond."
Devar: "This thing was supposed to take us to the ballroom, wasn't it Wil?"
Serge: "Maybe something tried to grab us in transit. Thank Shellback, I guess."
Vagabond: "C'mon! I had dancer and mako doing sendings all morning. They're waiting at the tree! I'm pretty sure we've found the missing tribes."
Devar: "Of course. Even Shellback's not sure we can triumph. Mire us in mundane difficulty so our transit time runs out."
Wil: "It should." Wil remarks, a little peevish at the whole situation.
Imre: "You what? Serge, I have to go."
Serge: "As do I. We'll meet up back in the square later."
Wil: "Hopefully the ballroom isn't on fire and wet and dead or something."
Serge: "Or the ballroom. Either one."
Imre: "We'll find you."
elfDM: Does dom wnat to bury those ashes? Devar probably knows the perfect place- the most peaceful, sacified place in the whole city. Imre is headed there, too
Serge: Anyone going with me or am I facing the cold shackles of bureaucracy alone.
Dominique: "...don't care if you're a certified alchemist, it's sacrilege... Yes, I'll meet you all back at the square."
elfDM: Wil could come wiht serge
elfDM: diplopowers
Dominique: sounds good. let's sanctify the heck out of these vampire ashes
Serge: "Come on, come on." Serge motions for Wil to follow him. "Help me take care of this official business."
Serge: "Best excuse I could come up with on short notice."
Devar: Devar glances around, "I guess we'll see what's going on with the Tribes."
elfDM: who wants to go first
Serge: dom and imre should go imo, they haven't done a whole lot yet!
Serge: sorry for taking over with my death pit inspecting antics
elfDM: don't apologise
elfDM: player agency rules
Dominique: always take initiative
elfDM: Gotta biggen this tree one of these days
Dominique: all the corpses we're dumping beneath it should make it grow reeeeal nice
Imre: When they arrive at the tree, Imre stops and looks at the younger shamen. "Tell me."
Wil: Wil does indeed follow along with Serge, shit-eye-glaring everything he sees along the way. "Swear that step should've taken us to the ballroom."
The three heroes hear out to the city square, where a sapling forms the beating heart of the city. This place used to be an unidentified, but keenly felt core of menace, btu it has reversed completly under the leaderships of the champions- now, it is a visible, but subtle beacon of peace and hope, adding a soft undertone that calms even the most frantic reveler.
Devar: Devar stands on the edge, listening to the shamans, watching Dominique.
Vagabond: "Right. Right. So. Remeber that dagger we found? In the sea?"
Imre: "Yes."
Vagabond: "In the chest?"
Imre: "With the pommel-markings, right?"
Dominique: "Excuse me, just need to get by here..." Dominique retrieves a small silver spade and crouches down by the base of the sapling. She begins to reverently overturn the earth near one of the larger roots.
Vagabond: "Never mind- anyway it was a pretty good ritual knife, so obviously we've spet the week you've been away cornering the market for reagents and casting rituals, mainly as pranks on colonists-"
Imre: "Successfully, I hope."
Vagabond: "Very. We accidentally outed a serpent cult, but nobody thought they were real because of all the fake ones we had been making turn up in people's water closets."
Dominique: As she does so, she recites the Litany of the Honored Dead, a favorite among the Seven Armies of Heaven.
Imre: "How many heads was it this time? We should probably mention it to Zeyat, just so she knows.
Imre: "
Vagabond: "Yrah she knows." Her face turns sour. Pretty clear who spoilt their fun.
Vagabond: "But we also did a bunch of sendings. Mocking our old mentors, threatening nemisis's , the usual. Along the way, I talked to this axe-fighter i trained with. I thought his whole tribe was dead, but apparently, they're out in the midlands, wayy west of the cairn, but nowhere close to anywhere else. Like, north of the central mountains- they don't evne really know themself. They've got like, sixty tribes out there."
Imre: Zeyat spoiled plenty of Imre's japes when they were younger, so he knows Vagabond's annoyances.
Dominique: "...for victory is not a path but a stair, and the stairs are built from the bones and breath of the faithful... blessings be upon these soldiers of the gods, who laid down their lives in the service of the divine vision..."
Imre: "North of the mountains?"
Vagabond: "North of dwarfhome, yeah."
Vagabond: "I don't think they evne know themselves, they're miled from trailsigns any of them know, but they're moving with the sun. . .back towards the east."
Vagabond: "They've been running since the goblins started marching. They've had skirmishes and betrayals and all sorts of garbage, but the point is, they're coming back."
Vagabond: "It should take them a while, but I get the feeling they'll be around when. . when things go down out on the frontier. With old storms and everything."
Imre: Imre lets out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
Dominique: "...for the Seven Cosmic Gods, Architects of the Universe, see every drop of blood that falls and every enemy of heaven righteously slain..."
Vagabond: "Thing is. . .i'm not sure who's side they'll be on. They split with the real skull-eater type tribes, but there's still some real fierce bastards in there, and a few that aren't happy about being on the wrong side."
Imre: "They never promised us it would be boring."
Vagabond: "I don't think you can do anything about it now. . . in fact I wasn'ty going to mention it until you got back, properly. . " She looks a bit confused for a moment. "But I guess it's good that you know."
Serge: well now, we didn't tell her we were leaving again.
Imre: " 'Properly?' "
Vagabond: "Well I figured you were in a hurrry. . .just kindof occured ot me, but I figured i'd tell you anyway."
Devar: we mentioned tight schedule in her presence
Vagabond: She shakes her head. "That doesn't matter. Some of these tribes I recognise. Some I don't." She reels off names, some imre has visied with, others he's met members of, others he only knows by reputation. . and some he's never heard of. A quick moment of pondering in his head, and he realises that together, the tribes she notes, on top of the ones he is pretyt sure would join the master, and a few added in that probablly got caught up in the fighting. .. would make a full account of all the tribes in the eastern two thirds of the wildlands.
Vagabond: "I don't know what you can do about it. Not yet. But maybe later on, you could seek them out. Make sure they. . well don't get themselves killed, at least."
Imre: "That's all of them. It all comes down to the Cairn. You said Sheeps Tooth Toll lives?"
Dominique: "...remembered for all the tally of years revealed by the Seven Gods of Righteousness. Et noctem quietam concedet Domini."
Vagabond: "Yeah, I think so. I doubt they're losing people that quickly, that they could end up dead. If anything, sounds like the master's mob are leaving them alone, now that they're all joined up and well defended. Letting them forwage. . everything. Maybe courting them. Yeah." She looks glum, not an expression she uses often.
Dominique: She stands, brushing her hands together. "There we are. A shame I don't know their regimental hymn, but it probably wouldn't be prudent to ask at the enclave."
Imre: "The world's changing, Vagabond."
Vagabond: "Yeah well, wouldn't it be great if it changed our way for once? Why do i get the feeling that if you lot don't get yourself killed, you're still going to end up sitting up the back of the metting while a bunch of colonists argue over a map?"
Vagabond: "I mean. . ." She pauses, and tilts her head sideways, towards Dominique.
Imre: "I'm not going to take a back seat to anybody, and if I do, you can stab me yourself."
Vagabond: "I will, too. A calod notch on my belt would get me my own damn harem."
Imre: "This continent is going to crash against itself like a wave upon a shore, and you and I will be there to sift the wreckage."
Vagabond: "Wreckage. . sound like my scene." She laughs, and then pauses, as if confused.
Vagabond: She pauses, then sheakes her head. "Oh, mako, you wanted to ask about the uh. . .the goblin city on the north shore?"
Devar: Devar listens but doesn't interrupt.
Mako: The young man looks up from where he has been wathching dominique. "The wh- i'm amazed you even remembers that."
Vagabond: "Whu. . i'm the LEADER, I remember stuff!"
Fire Dancer: "Didn't remember my birthday."
Imre: "What do you want to know, Mako?"
Mako: He shrugs and stands. "Well, I guess this is as good a time to talk about it as any."
Mako: "My people are the tribes of the long shore. The north, east shore of this landmass, north of the elven forest. I actually came here to seek out the Gnoll Hyra Champion Thyrn, who's mentor was rescued from the waves by my people. I . . don't usually talk this mutch, sorry, I'll get to the point. Our people have goblins as neighbors."
Serge: !
Imre: Mako would of course have talked about this to Imre already. He nods, and waits for the young man to continue.
Mako: "Not, friendly. . there is a great city on the north shore. Now my friends tell me you all . . sort of know it's there, but I can confirm it. They have a grand city, with an amazing deepwater port. . not like the ones you have, sort of primitive and more impressive at once, we always thought that giants must have built it-"
Vagabond: "Ugh get to the point! Damn you're lcuky you've got looks, boy!"
Mako: "I- I really don't apreciate the way you talk about me like a. . a fillet on a salted table-"
Serge: hahaha
Imre: "Beya told me a little, but not much."
Imre: "Have you been there?"
Raven: "Get to the point! Come on, these are important people." The archer's soft voice is rarely heard, but her rebuke is well aimed.
Vagabond: "I'M important too!"
Vagabond: "We- we are important-"
Serge: i'm sorry heroic tier characters :I
Devar: Devar smiles at Raven and very carefully doesn't laugh.
Imre: Of course they're important, they do things for us.
Mako: "No, but we've seen it. It's large, maybe the size of baelamar? Maybe a bit smaller. It has great yards beyond it where the armies cap when they're around. We don't know much about what goes on inside. . but the point is, I want to know what's going to happen to it. I mean. . you're at war with the goblins, will you end up there? Could there be a coup within them, a civil war? Whatever happens, i fear it will spill over onto my people."
Imre: "I believe the Fjellvik navy is to pass nearby. Pierrot may find it a tempting target."
Mako: "The what?"
Mako: "The who?"
Vagabond: "The Fjellvik? The guys who are like dwarves, only way bigger, and in boats, and drunk all the time instead of most of it?"
Imre: "Men of the south-east. Their boats are sailing west, to aid the Gnolls."
Mako: "That is. . troubling. . any armed group. . we have close ties with the people of the islands. . you know them as the pirate isles. . .they deal with raiders and slavers. . a lot."
Imre: "And civil war? Yellow Horse has already split with Storms, what he may do after the war..."
Imre: "Do you expect them to contest the passage?"
Mako: He sighs. "This is troubling. I may have to issue sendings home, to prepare them for . . for all of this."
Imre: "That would be wise."
Mako: "Not so much, but we live a scarce life. Food is no problem normally, but if a fleet moves through. . .and they may uh. Anger other friends of ours. Shark is not to be trifled with."
Vagabond: "And what about you two? Looking to smash a goblin city? Not really caring about the tribals who live next door?"
Imre: Imre suppresses a shudder. "I can't imagine any of them would be so foolish as to anger Sh....". He quickly runs through the Dragonslayer's roster. "You should warn them, just in case."
Mako: "This is not the time for an aguement, come on!"
Devar: "I don't really have any interest in smashing a goblin city."
Devar: "Honestly, I don't want to fight the green man all that much in the first place. But Storms is coming."
Vagabond: "Well, they're villains, right? Evil doers? Would you rather leave them be, let them run roughshod over the tribes?"
Devar: "Are they?"
Raven: "These are good people. Why are you badgering them like this, all of a sudden?"
Dominique: "Were they doing that before?"
Devar: Devar glances at Mako, "I'm sorry...he really didn't make that clear. The ones in the city, I mean."
Vagabond: "They've been at war with our peolpe for centuries! Not that you'd know."
Imre: "They might be forced to withdraw some of their armies to defend their homeland if threatened."
Devar: Devar looks at Vagabond levelly, "I'm sorry, I'd gotten the impression these goblins in the city were different in some way? If not, my mistake."
Vagabond: "Durr my mistake! You make a lot of mistakes? Damn, your god even makes mistakes, what with giving that blonde idiot his healing hands!"
Imre: "Even the threat of a Fjellvik sacking should make some of their generals march backwards."
Raven: "Vagabond! Stop this! I thought you'd tired of causing trouble for imre."
Devar: "He took them back already, and it served its purpose."
Vagabond: "Oh yes, a grand purpose!'
Devar: "Sorry he's not busy doing more important things, like running elaborate pranks on townsfolk."
Imre: "Raven, if Vagabond is my worst problem, I would consider myself blessed."
Vagabond: "No no no- shut up raven! I'm making a point. Do you, either of you." She looks to Dominique and Devar. "Do either of you think that your gods are really looking out for you? After all the. . crazy stuff you run into?"
Imre: "Vagabond, don't try to make yourself such."
Dominique: "Yes."
Devar: "Pelor has given me the tools I need to complete the tasks that are set before me. I'm expected to make the best of it. Those with weaker arms and less power to change the world - they're the ones that need his protection."
Vagabond: "Why? Why do you think that? Are you saying that you've never seen anything in your time with imre, that makes the gods look like fools? Things not working the wya they should? the faithful warring on each other- or you?"
Devar: "Vagabond, you're a person of such passions that I'm sure you've scarce ever felt one way and did something entirely different despite that feeling."
Devar: "Other people are different...and the gods are complex."
Vagabond: "Oh oh oh, I don't claim to be perfect that's the thing! But your gods? They do. You know what a god is?"
Vagabond: "You know what a god is??"
Fire Dancer: "Oh, don'tsay it."
Serge: heeeere we go
Vagabond: "It's a great spirit who holds a lantern in front of their head, while wearing a BIG FANCY HAT!"
Dominique: "How long have you been waiting to use that?"
Devar: Devar watches Vagabond evenly, "Perhaps so."
Vagabond: "AGES!"
Devar: "I've seen Grandmother Jay and the Swan treated with a certain amount of reverence before."
Imre: Oh, sure, Vagabond, spill all the secrets to the godhavers.
Vagabond: "It's some powerful thing- oh, they've got power! But that's all. They've not wise, or all knowing. Ask imre, he'll tell you. The spirits aren't perfect. They don't ask us to be. They usually don't ask us muhc of anything, aprt from shamans."
Imre: "She's right."
Vagabond: "Imre could tell you the stories. About how little brother frog tricked grumpy jealous Toad, or how dog and wolf had a bet about people, and wolf cheated. Damn, mako goes on about shark being reliable, but it's only because it's a big dumb cosmic eating machine!"
Mako: "don't. .. DONTCALLSHARKDUMB!"
Raven: "Have you been drinking? This is really not-"
Vagabond: "Oh, lighten up sister!"
Devar: "I suppose it depends on what you mean by perfect, Vagabond."
Vagabond: "And don't even get me started about grandmother jay. Wiiierd!"
Vagabond: "i MEAN,"
Imre: "I know!"
Serge: When has she not been drinking?
Imre: Grandmas. Sheesh.
Vagabond: "They're asking you to believe in them as perfect, and their plan is perfect. And you have to be good little soldiers, and trust in it. But that's just their big fancy hat!"
Dominique: Dominique is patiently watching Vagabond and Devar argue, with a small smile.
Vagabond: "And I mean you too-" she pokes a finger at Dominique, as if sensing her lack of engagement in the odd tussle.
Vagabond: "You're from the realm! Imre, she's from the realm, did you not notice this?"
Imre: "Oh, I'm well aware."
Devar: "They're all the same, of course."
Mako: "That's enough! You're pushing too far. This isn't a game. These people put their lives on the lane, same as us-"
Dominique: "Oh! I knew I forgot something. Imre, I'm from the Realm. Sorry, you had to find out sometime."
Devar: "Just like all the Tribals are a load of bloodthirsty, frothing barbarians."
Imre: "I feel as if I've always known, Dominique."
Devar: Devar rolls his eyes.
Vagabond: "Ahh yes, big joke." She shakes her head- again.
Serge: gahahaha
Vagabond: Then turns to imre. "Imre are you telling me, you're ok with traveling with her? That you trust her?"
Vagabond: "That you tell her secrets? Secrets that could kill us?"
Imre: "I haven't seen any indications that she's going to betray us, and I've been watching."
Dominique: "He has."
Imre: "And listening. Ask Grandmother what I've learned."
Vagabond: "She's from the realm. You were flat out breaking bread with pelorites not so long ago! And now, the source! In your cadre!"
Vagabond: "So is that how it works? You circle each other?"
Mako: ". . . "
Mako: "This isn't like you."
Devar: "What has you so angry, Vagabond?"
Vagabond: "SHUT UP! This is exactly like me! How can you trust her? How can you go DOWN there with her? What dod you think will happen?"
Fire Dancer: The last of the tribal cadre looks up with a quizical expression. "Down where?"
Vagabond: "uh. . . I dunno, forget i said that.
Serge: O_O
Mako: "No! Why did you say that? Down where?"
Devar: "Vagand..."
Devar: "Vagabond..."
Devar: "How do you know about that?"
Imre: "Everything I do, Vagabond, is for our people. If I go b--- where exactly am I going, Vagabond?"
Vagabond: "Know about what?"
Imre: "Have you been casting the teeth on us?"
Raven: "We have not! We've been doiong pranks and sendings, she alreayd told you that. I don't know why she's so agitated all of a sudden."
Imre: "I think Vagabond has her own secrets."
Vagabond: She shakes her head. It's like she's fighting something. "It's just. . .I don't know what you're talking about. Look just. . you have to be careful, thats all. I can't. . "
Vagabond: "I CAN'T KEEP YOU SAFE IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL"
Julien Marathe: "Count Sege. . . excellent timing!"
Wil: "fffffffff"
Serge: "Glad to be back, although we're not staying long."
elfDM: oh damn i just realised that due to low, cbna bd cbass could nto see that scenee
Serge: I missed anything that was there
Serge: or you mean vagabond's scene?
elfDM: no there wenre't any fancy things
Serge: I wasn't clicked on my token so I could see it
elfDM: just the conversation, really
Serge: that could be because I'm logged in as gm though I have 'view as player' on
elfDM: like, can you see each other's tokens with los between them
elfDM: yeah you're a gm
Devar: if i don't hjave my token selected i can see everything
elfDM: oh, ok
Serge: that's cool then!
Julien Marathe: "Well uh, that may be difficult, we have a situation." Odd. It's not like Julien to need much help from his boss.
Serge: "Really now. And it's something you couldn't handle yourself?"
Julien Marathe: "Normally i'd simply deal with it, but. . .i'ts a rather sensitive subject, relating to a lot of. . security issues?"
Serge: "All right, go on..."
Julien Marathe: He leads them some distance from the main staircase, into a quiet and secluded nook. For a long moment, he pauses, as if choosing the right words. Finally, he nods, and speaks, his voice hushed.
Julien Marathe: "Dwarves"
Serge: Serge's heart sinks. Dwarf business.
Balak: The old dwarf roars with laughter, slamming his tankard on the varnished bar-top. "THAT IS JUST LIKE A DAMN HAMMERHAND! BLOODY BLOODY MINDED!"
Wil: Wil elbows Serge. "It's these guys!"
Wil: "...oh god dice no."
Hammehand Dwarf: Another dwarf, bearing the off facial scars of a generation spent in the mines of stormpoint, sucks in a lungfull of air, and continues his impresonation of a long dead officer. "IF THE DAHM HUMANS WANT TO BUILD THEIR WALLS, THEN WE'LL SALVAG EIT RIGHT OUT FROM UNDER THEM, ahahahha, and then we did!"
Serge: "As long as nobody starts divining with them, I think we'll be okay, Wil."
Serge: Serge turns to face the dwarves. "All right, fellows, what business have you got for me?"
Dastot: Another dwarf, his accent thick, sighs, and nods. "Sounds like an old captain I had. Wyrmbane. Nasty sorts, and never, ever, ever back down. Ocne saw him sink into a lake and walk across the bottom, rather than recognise the army man who was running the ferry!"
Berad Bardanson: "COUNNNT SERGEEEEEE!" The young dwarf who serge met long, long ago in far less pleasant circumstances, barrels up to him, grabbing him around the shoulders and slapping him on the chest. "Our benefactor! Our friend! Come, drink with us, both of you! I can tell the story about the time when Wil almost pulled my lungs out with his mind!"
Serge: Ooooggggggfffffffff.
Berad Bardanson: "Come, come! We're swapping tales!"
Serge: "And you almost knocked my own lungs out just now, so we're even!"
Wil: "It was a time yes!" Wil acknowledges with feigned enthusiasm.
Serge: Serge perches on one of the barstools and has the barkeep pour him and Wil a couple fingers of brandy.
Serge: "The good stuff, not the swill you foist on the tourists, I mean."
Serge: "Might as well be drinking bodac." Guh.
Wil: Wil follows along with the intention of making it a hand. "Serge was just saying, we need to catch up with those guys." He remarks to the dwarven contingent.
Berad Bardanson: The dwarves seem to simply be having a boisterous drunkan chat, but it doens't take long for serge to see the problem. Those of you playing at home, see if you can spot it! "We were swapping tales. One thing led to another, let's see uh, I told them about the time that you lot gutted those pelorite bastards in Baelamar, and Balak was talking about the vampires that used to run this joint. then our new friend haldred mentioned his old officer from the rebellion- hammerhand of course- and dastot has mainly been on about his old naval commanders. Damn, they summoned a giant aquatic pyrohydra from the ocean, did they? Rough stuff! I'm surised you didn't jump that fey bastard that turned up at court! Say, is the duek really insane?"
fritz is disconnected.
Berad Bardanson: oh damn fritz missed a spiel
Serge: I'll whisper it to him when he reconnects
Serge: Serge all-but-audibly winces as Berad rattles off a wide variety of secrets and almost-secrets.
Wil: "...how much have you gentlemen been drinking?"
barkeep: "Yrah they've uh, been talkin up a storm today. . normally aren't this chatty. . "
fritz has connected.
Wil: "Like, I was pretty sure we only had so much in the entire town, but...clearly. Your blood could be bottled and thrown to set lakes ablaze."
Wil whispers: the only counter to truth: the best bluff scores in the party.
Berad Bardanson: "Oh, not much! Say Wil, is it true that you lot had to burn down an observatory up in the mountains north of baelamar? Something about sky spiders? I heard it from a tribal one time."
Serge: "You fellows don't believe everything you hear about us, don'tcha?"
barkeep: "Last call folks! I think the count might want to ahve a talk to these dwarves about, heh, making up tales!" Like every barkeep in town, this guy works for both the guild, and the count.
Wil: "One, we did not burn it down. Two, they were only spiders in the sense of having more limbs than you or I. And three, maybe."
barkeep: "Better check the taps. . " He ambles out of the conversation as soon as the bar is cleared.
Berad Bardanson: "So join us lads! You must have some damn fine tales to tell!"
Serge: Serge gives a nod of understanding to the barkeep. Yeah, he'll get a little extra for bringing it to Julien's attention. He's heard the fellow has a big family.
You whisper to fritz: Berad Bardanson: The dwarves seem to simply be having a boisterous drunkan chat, but it doens't take long for serge to see the problem. Those of you playing at home, see if you can spot it! "We were swapping tales. One thing led to another, let's see uh, I told them about the time that you lot gutted those pelorite bastards in Baelamar, and Balak was talking about the vampires that used to run this joint. then our new friend haldred mentioned his old officer from the rebellion- hammerhand of course- and dastot has mainly been on about his old naval commanders. Damn, they summoned a giant aquatic pyrohydra from the ocean, did they? Rough stuff! I'm surised you didn't jump that fey bastard that turned up at court! Say, is the duek really insane?"
You whisper to fritz: that's the main thing you missed
fritz whispers: thx
fritz whispers: last i saw: Wil follows along with the intention of making it a hand. "Serge was just saying, we need to catch up with those guys." He remarks to the dwarven contingent.
Wil: "Well. It depends. What sort of dragon you like to hear about being slain? Living dragon? Dead dragon? Undead dragon? Fake dragon?"
elfDM: And so, a quandry. Draves with suddenly loose lips, no doubt in part brought on by the joining of so many seperate paths- the baelamar dwarves, the locals, the few fred slaves who came ashore when sick, and evne one from the realm. But the result could be a lot of loose talk. . then again they've dwarves, it's not like you can lecture them and expect it to work.
elfDM: Of course, there are many tales about the heroes that are common knwoleg,e or not particularly. . worth keeping secret. So maybe what's needed here is a bit of. . creative redirection.
elfDM: brb
Serge: Yeah, we can't just yell at them about state secrets.
Wil: i have a possible solution to the issue of claim-validity
Serge: "You have to understand, fellows, most of those stories are made up. People see the plays, they get a glimpse of us at the Champion's Games, one thing leads to another, pretty soon you can't tell real from fake."
Wil: we just ask them to fact-check with the wilandrians. then they say 'oh, we heard it from ____,' and no one will listen
Serge: "I mean, who the hell ever heard of an aquatic pyrohydra? Water and fire don't mix. Someone must have been getting too deep into the absinthe on that one."
Wil: "You know who keeps the best records on us and ours? The Wilandrians."
Serge: Serge picks up on that one right quick.
Wil: "Just ask any of them about my misadventures and those of the count here, and they will be able to separate the wheat from the chaff pretty quick. And get you drunker than dogs."
Dastot: "Well, we certainly called up something out there!" And here another problem. A lot of this is semi first hand. Each of these dwarves has certainly Seen some Shit
Serge: Ah yes.
Balak: Even if they didn't realise what it was at the time.
Devar: clearly the case of not enough forges. these guys haven't got anything to do
Berad Bardanson: "The Wilandrians, eh? Well, we're just talkin, ya know? No need ro trapise across town for that! Hey, was edwin malich really jack of bloody chains?"
Serge: !
Berad Bardanson: "I mean, somebody mentioned it, and I was in their face about it! 'you dolt', I said, 'do you think these guys would be dumb enough not to notice that guy in their midst'??"
Wil: "You guys really do hear a lot of odd things."
Serge: "Let's not speak ill of the dead here. I wouldn't wish being Edwin Malich on anyone, especially not Jack of Chains. Ha!"
Wil: "Well, thank you for thinking well enough of us to not buy that one without checking the price first. Heh."
Balak: "Yeah well, I worked for a vampire coterie for six years and didn't notice. I ain't one to judge. The count was a nice fellow, though."
Berad Bardanson: "haa haa haa, good one!"
elfDM: ok so, each of you can roll a skill to resovle this quandry
elfDM: use whatever strategy you want, really, but let's see how well you do
Serge: Yeah, exactly how public did we make the nature of the old guard in this city?
Serge: Not very, I don't think.
elfDM: Honeslty, it's a bit odd for them to be talking like this, but maybe they aren't as tight lipped as you assumed
elfDM: Not very no
elfDM: but i mean, that was a hell of a brawl
Wil: well, worse comes to worse, why don't we just trust them
elfDM: word was bound to see[ around eventually
elfDM: And that guy ltierally worked here, and iirc may even have been involved in resonstruction
Wil: and be like, hey guys. it would do us a huge solid to not blab. btw have you noticed we are nascent godlings + own the city. it would be really cool for you to have friends high up
elfDM: he's the foreman of the gang sthat do the building, remember
elfDM: you can just ask if you like
Serge: ooh right. I can never keep these dwarves straight, they all look alike to me
elfDM: dat's cool
elfDM: brb
Serge: I'm thinking we want to do this two-pronged, suss out just how much these guys know and then wil can convince them to keep it all on the down-low with his tongue of the sun and moon
Wil: "Well. Hm." Wil looks to Serge. "You know what I think you need to do here, Count?"
Wil: "Deputize." Wil grins broadly.
Serge: "Do tell, do tell."
Serge: so I'm going to do Streetwise « 1d20+20 = 19 + 20 = 39 »—just how common are these kind of rumors in the population, especially the dwarves?
Wil: ! !
elfDM: wow
elfDM: Funny thing
barkeep: "Funny thing guvnor. . .before they sat down I don't think they knew half of what they were on about. It was like they were piercing it together on the spot, you know?"
Wil: "Realistically, it would be best for everyone involved if you lot---" Wil looks around to ruddy little drunken bearded faces. "Tell the Count here everything you've heard and shared lately that you think is worth talking about...and then the Count---" Wil looks back to Serge. "---determines if ---and trust me, it'll be when more than if --- he could use a few more ears to the ground and eyes on the crowd, you follow me?"
barkeep: "I almost wondered if your uh, friends follwoers had been putting something in the hops! A right little stunter intrigue brainstorming session, thy've been goin' all day! Strangest thing to watch. . kind of why i sent word."
barkeep: "Just. . seemed odd, you know?"
Serge: "Yeah, I get you."
Serge: "Hmm..."
Devar: that IS the bar where Wil caused that fuckery with the dice
elfDM: Serge's streetwise roll reveals that yes, dwarves know a lot, and don't really give a shit about secrets, that much. But they're being extremly loose lipped here. . all of a sudden, and seem to have figure out a fair bit of stuff by conferring. . all of a sudden.
* Wil is going to make some friends and cement some incidental contacts here without accidentally ruining Everything t.i.a.
  Diplomacy: Rolled 29.
Serge: "You heard anything about stuff like that happening anywhere else in town, or just here?"
Serge: Nice Two
Wil: it serves well enough :-/
elfDM: no you mena
elfDM: Two bad.
Serge: teh
Devar: Encounter Reroll
Serge: that's me
barkeep: "It's been a wierd day. Something in the air or something." He shrugs.
Serge: I think wil used his action point yesterday
elfDM: nahh it's cool
elfDM: it's 2 successes, iirc
Devar: oh that was Wilnot Serge
Wil: yeah i have a daily reroll that i've yet to. but let's hope for a More Important Roll or at least anything else to come up
Wil: "...so you see, gentlemen. You show us yours in order to see ours, as it were."
Serge: "So just today then. Funny how it starts when we come back..."
Berad Bardanson: "Oh aye, I see what yo're sayin, wil. Not sure why we were talkin so much. . .in future, we'll keep it in our beards a bit more, aye lads? Plenty of friends and family to talk about, is the main thing!"
barkeep: He shrugs. As an agent, he's more perceptive than he looks. "Did seem to sorte whip up the last hour or so."
barkeep: (also serge's streetwise roll in part represented this guy being very well selected for his role in this scene!)
Serge: "Okay. I think Wil's got this lot in hand. If you hear anything else, make sure to let us know. But I think they'll stop blabbing so much in, oh, about nine hours or so."
Wil: "Fair enough. But do come to Serge's right-hand if you hear anything in future, you hear? I know I'd like to hear any fun stories you catch wind of. It's more boring than you think out there."
barkeep: "Yeah, kind of odd. We don't tend to get much uh, blowback, you know? Even the Wilandrians are pretty ordinary, really."
Serge: "Let 'em drink on me the rest of the day, and I'll have the Honest Gentlemen put a little extra in your pouch this week."
Berad Bardanson: "Sure thing! We'll keep ya posted!"
Serge: "And give 'em the strong stuff."
barkeep: He nods. "Best damn job i ever had.
Devar: Honest Gentleman = The local thieve's organization
Devar: just precisely the sort of thing Devar never hears aout
Serge: Serge nods his head and rejoins the chatty dwarves.
Serge: "So Wil told you about the little partnership we had in mind for you! Great. Let's celebrate! It's on me."
Wil: "Hooray!"
Serge: "Open bar, men!"
Serge: "With luck, they won't remember a damn thing tomorrow."
Berad Bardanson: "Excellent! Just remember boys. . you've done a lot for the dwarves, and we've got your back, aye? Not as much as dorvan, but still, allies and such, ya know?"
Berad Bardanson: "Don't be strangers, ok? And don't run off and get yourselves killed to easily, heh!"
Wil: "A good plan."
barkeep: "Alright lads, drinks on the house! And don'
barkeep: tw orry about the count and his friends. They're well taken care of."
barkeep: "I mean. . as long as they're sensible about things."
Serge: "Don't worry about us. And Lark's Landing is a friend to the dwarves, don't forget it!" Serge feels a slight pang of guilt at this—he still wishes he could have done more for their kinsmen.
Serge: But he couldn't afford touching off a war.
Serge: Not before time, anyway.
Hammehand Dwarf: "We know you had a hard time of it, Count Serge, but we thank ye all the same."
Hammehand Dwarf: "After seeing your city, we understand why you had to be so careful. In court, I mean."
Serge: Serge shoots the barkeep an odd look—just how well connected is he?
barkeep: The barkeep shrugs, and wanders off away from the reveling dwarves. "Yeah. . ..can't keep you safe if you're not careful."
Mako: "!"
Serge: "That's most kind of you. We're in a precarious position here. I'm glad we were able to get as many of your kin as we did off of those ships."
Raven: "!"
Fire Dancer: "!"
Vagabond: "?"
Vagabond: "What? What did I say? Why you all looking at me? Honeslty, why didn't anybody look at me liek this when I beheaded that cultist in the raw the other day?"
Serge: "But they're in good hands with the Dragonslayers. A toast! To the Dragonslayers!" And with that, Serge quits talking over the other people's scene.
elfDM whispers: To explain, the barkeeper started acting wierd towards the end of that scene. Just liek vagabond is!!
fritz: "Because we expected you to do that."
Imre: "Because we expected you to do that."
Vagabond: "I didn't! Who knew they'd actually be in our water closet?"
Devar: "You know a lot more than seems...likely."
You whisper to elfDM: yep! I got that much
Imre: Does it look like she was possessed by something?
Mako: "What's going on?"
brennon has connected.
Imre: Imre is wondering the same thing.
Vagabond: Vagabond scrunches up her face, seemingly confused by the reaction to the odd phrase she clearly does not remember uttering.
Vagabond: She doesn't seem to be posessed- but it could be a more. . subtle effect.
elfDM: imre! devar! dom! MAGIC TIME~
Dominique: That's a strange thing for her to say, and Imre is clearly a bit surprised. Hmmm.
elfDM: use magic, insight, perception, or whatever
elfDM: to figure out what's goin down
Imre: nature: « 1d20+37 = 6 + 37 = 43 » « 1d20+37 = 5 + 37 = 42 »
* Devar uses a skill.
  Insight: Rolled 27.
* Devar uses a skill.
  Insight: Rolled 40.
* Dominique what is this tribal hoodoo
  Religion: Rolled 36.
Serge: damn, devar
elfDM: remember your dily skillswap feat in future, devar
elfDM: um, as if that would evne help
Devar: it's Diplo afaik
Imre: "Vagabond. Follow me." I RISE Imre collapses to the pavement. Mako lunges for him, but quickly turns to catch Vagabond instead, as she goes limp also.
elfDM: man i gotta rewrit ethe whole skill system one day
Devar: ahaha
Vagabond: Vagabon'd spirit rises slowly. She is after all, and extremly, stubbornly, non-magical person. Her spirit folds it's arms, tapping it's foot on the ether. "Whaaat? Is this your way of lecturing me without us arguing in front of the kids?"
Imre: Imre darts and twirls, examining her aura. This is no place for subtlety. "Are you possessed?"
Dominique: "Uh...?"
Vagabond: sec
Raven: "Are they. . aloft?"
Mako: Raven and Mako place the two unconcious tribals on the ground, gently. "Devar, do you. . sense anything?"
elfDM: one sec whispering
Dominique is not sure what's going on. That alone tells ehr something. She is extrmely tapped into the power of the world. . enough to face the spirits if she has to. And yet, here. . something is beyond her. . hiding in the spirit world.
Devar is reminded of something. . he's not sure how, or why. For a moment, he is reminded of the broken bridge. . and then a flash of blue light at the corner of his eye distracts him, and he looks up, to see something. . .looming over the city.
Vagabond: "I'm not posessed! Cut it out!" Vagabond bickers with imre as the two hang in the sky just above their earthly forms.
Devar: Devar gapes up at the sky.
Devar: "Oh...oh no."
Imre: "Then explain."
Vagabond: "I don't know, it jsut popped into my mouth. I'v ebeen feleing wierd ever since. . well since you dropped into the salon in the debate. Maybe YOU'RE posessed!"
Imre: "Maybe I am, but it's speaking through you."
Vagabond: She pauses, and looks up. "uh. . ."
Vagabond: She gapes, her spectral arm raised.
Imre: Imre follows her gaze.
Imre: He's ready to send her back to her body if nec---- !!!!
Serge: cripes
The voice is low. ..deep. .. slow. . .. .massive, sad moist eyes peer out at you from the deep sky it strides upon.
"I cannot protect you. . . .if you are . . . .not. . ...careful."
Vagabond: "Uh. . ...I think he's talking to you?"
Imre: yesgreatoneyesyes
A flit of blue through the ether.
A
Imre: Do Imre and Vagabond grow? Does Turtle shrink? Both? Neither? The matter is meaningless.
The tread of hooves nearby. But for the moment, it is shellback.
Imre: "What must we do, Grandfather?"
Turtle: He turns from side to side. It's voice is soft. First to vagabond. "You canot defeat the dark prince. He is the saint of light. He is taken up, taken up by the mother of us all. He will sit upon her throne. Do not cross his path again. It is a path of bone. I cann't protect you from him."
Devar: whaat
Turtle: Then he turns his head, and loks at imre.
Turtle: "You cannot face the black valley. I cannot keep you safe. Light will mingle with darkness, and your enemy will become your greatest ally. You will die, as trees die."
Grandmother Jay: And yet at this, another form flits and flickers- the blue light that devar spied. and with it's touch-
Vagabond: ". .. this is an awfully crowded vision. Can I get my cadre in here?"
Wil: ".........."
Serge: "Uh... did someone spike that last glass?"
Serge: Then he notices the turtle. "Oh-oh."
Turtle: A small, nondescript turtle lokos up at them with the wisdom of aeons in it's eyes. "Be safe."
Devar: Devar would shift uncomfortably were such a thing possible. He nods his head at Gradnmother Jay."
Dominique: Oh! Does Imre do this all the time? How interesting.
Grandmother Jay: By grandmother jay flits and flies, looping and twisting in the ether. She disagrees. She wants them to find their destiny.
Imre: "What are we to do then, Grandfather? The River tops its banks."
bully: Brother bull, as always, stands by. He will go with them. He is with the peoples of the land.
Serge: "We can't turn back. Not now that we know what lurks down there."
Turtle: "Be safe. The river will run over you. You will grow fins, and swim as my children do, sometimes. Let the hunters pass you by. Be not prey. Be apart. Be careful, and I can keep you safe."
Vagabond: "The uh. . . ."
Vagabond: "Ok, I'll do it. We'll. . .we'll back off. We won't go after him."
Turtle: "Now she is safer."
Vagabond: "But I don't want to be safe! I just don't want to be part of some idiot's path of bones!"
Wil: "grow...fins...?"
But she is already gone. Leaving the champions to face this dire warning. Shellback, who's ward they walked from, journeyed with them, to hold them back. To try and keep them safe. Now, he speaks directly to them.
Grandmother Jay: Grandmother jay flits back to where she was. Apparently, she is glad at that decision. But her views are clear of yours. Go forward. Learn, live, risk, know. Her wisdom and Shellback's are ages apart. She is prident, but she is not. . ..
Turtle: "Safe."
Dominique: "The river...?"
Turtle: "Go into the stream, as your people do. You will be safe there. Close enough, in the lake beneath the lake. No further."
Devar: "Are you saying we should take the hole and not the stairs?"
Imre: "Grandfather, there is safety and there is safety."
Grandmother Jay: Again a counterpoint from the jay- almost birdsong, but oddly, silent. So much to learn!
Turtle: "If you go into the dark beyond my shell. You will die."
bully: Brother bull snorts, his mighty horns twist. Imre senses the answer to that riddle in his brother's eyes.
bully: All things die, in time.
Imre: "You said as trees die, Grandfather"
Imre: "But there is always another spring."
Turtle: Shellback is silent. He cannot lie. Evne if he might want to.
Imre: Imre tries not to think of conifers.
Dominique: "Trees die in winter, and winter is Hers."
Turtle: "Not hers alone."
Serge: Serge is lost in thought.
Turtle: "I cannot protect you. . .. from yourself. If you are not. . . careful, . . .. I cannot keep you safe. Step beyond my shell, and you do so, . . . .without me. Those on your shoulders . . . .. can only aid you . . ... so . . . much. "
Imre: "Yes, Grandfather. I understand."
Wil: "But we can't just turn away. We can't just leave things as they are. They'll get worse."
Serge: "We can't shelter within your shell forever, uh, turtle."
Devar: "I appreciate you trying to keep us safe, Grandfather. But our lives are not lives of safety."
A moment arrives. In your hearts, what do you choose?
Serge: Serge is thinking of something he saw when he was young: an eagle picked up a tortoise once and dropped it from a great height. Its shell didn't do it much good in that case. There's only so much you can accomplish by hiding and hoping for the best.
Devar: "As always, I will bring light where none is to be found."
Serge: "I am sorry, uh, sir. We must go beyond and see what is there with our own eyes."
Dominique: She's not exactly looking forward to it, but whatever's beyond the seal needs to be dealt with. If that means her death, so be it.
Wil: If Wil wanted to wait for things to happen to him, he would still be in bed at the Landing like he was during the Month of Indolence. And he got sick of that so quickly. For good or ill, change needs to happen. "I'm going to kick myself to the end of my days if I don't do something about that cavern. Better to die sooner without regrets than live a long and cowardly life with them."
Turtle: The eyes turn to each in turn
Turtle: "Your madness will find it's match."
Serge: Serge folds his arms and meets the turtle's gaze.
Turtle: "Your luck will run out."
Turtle: "Your brother will walk beside you, in the way you wish he never would."
Turtle: "You will never make amends."
Imre: It's not in Imre's nature to hide behind Grandfather's Shell, but he's making some strong points.
Turtle: "You will not make the choice that matters."
Devar: Devar is visibly shaken.
Turtle: "Your light will not be enough."
Turtle: "Your faith will kill that which you love the most."
Turtle: "Good luck."
Devar: Devar drops to one knee, breathing heavily.
You return.
Unsure, perhaps. Shaken, perhaps. But for all your doubts, you can eb sure of one thing
Imre: Imre returns to awarness with a convulsive twitch.
Vagabond: She stands, slaming her fist into a hardwood wall, tears in her eyes.
Vagabond: "I WANT TO BE A HERO, DAMMIT!"
Serge:
Sure of one thing.
At least your'e taking it better than vagabond.
Devar: Devar looks at Vagabond, "Who? Who were you going after!?"
Vagabond: "No- one. It doens't matter! None of it matters!" And she's gone.
Serge: Serge snaps back to his body with a jolt, makes some excuses to the dwarves, and hurries back to the manor.
Dominique: "How did you do that, Imre?"
Julien Marathe: "Sir? You were uh, absent minded for a moment. I jsut came to tell you- your bed chamber is prepared, and a mel has been set on the side table."
Wil: Wil scratches his head. "Serge, I think things are about to get weirder." Is all he can muster up.
Julien Marathe: "I hope you get a decent night's sleep."
Julien Marathe: "Pleasant dreams."
Imre: "I don't know. I knew Vagabond had been practicing, but I had no idea Turtle could call the rest of you out like that."
Serge: "..."
TO BE CONTINUED!
elfDM: THANKS FOR PLAYING EVERYONE
Serge: thanks for having us!
Dominique: "So what are you going to wear, Devar?"
Dominique: "When she and Serge get married. Like they completely are."
elfDM: oh and the explanation is that since you ported from the shallback seal, wil's crazy magic allowed him to have some influence over the situation for a while
elfDM: fter all
elfDM: he was still just trying to protect you from the dark
cbass: that's what I figured, sympathetic connection and all
elfDM: ok ebfore we ajurn
elfDM: we have to do one mroe rules thing
CBN: let's trust wil to arrange for transportation. let's trust wil to ______________________ --- thoughts of crazy dead people
elfDM: You guys have two optionf ro resting, but since surges vry, you all have to choose one or the other
dammitwho: dom's pretty safe. i mean how can her faith kill anything that isn't down there with them. she's only travelling with these guys anyhow
cbass: all right, lay 'em out for us
elfDM: Option one, a full surge restoring long rest, you amange to get a good night's sleep. Option two, you toss and turn, worried by shellback's warning. You onyl get a weak, one-surge long rest, but you also get a reroll, and a free action second wind.
elfDM: and everyoner has to choose one or other other
elfDM: so you gotta choose as a group
elfDM: the surge and reroll last until you use them,
cbass: I'm the lowest on surges by percentage but I'd only be getting 2 in the former case anyway
Devar: I am comfortable with either option, I want to know how Serge and Wil feel most of all as our lower surge, more fragile members
Devar: shall we take the weak rest then?
cbass: wil would only be down 1
elfDM: yeah your surges arne't that bad
CBN: yeah, i'd only be down 1
elfDM: but that is 2 suerges for serge
dammitwho: i'm full up for once so i'm fine with whatever's best for you guys
elfDM: and the crawl might. . take a while
elfDM: you do hav elike
elfDM: temples yo can summon and shit, though
elfDM: also obv
Imre: one back gets me to full, but i'll go w/ your call
elfDM: you can still back out. .. if you want. . .
cbass: I'd be at 4/6 and we have at least a few sources of surgeless healing
CBN: on the one hand low-surge serge would be bad, but on the other...a free reroll would go a long way towards mitigating disaster
Devar: let's toss and turn
cbass: what the hey, I'll live dangerously
CBN: your luck's gonna run out anyway
elfDM: ok, everyone note that
CBN: may as well get it goin'.
elfDM: one free action second wind, and one reroll,
Devar: Serge is priority target for surgeless healing for the time being
elfDM: and do you r long rest now
elfDM: just one surge back!
Devar: Took an extended rest.
HP: 129 / 129 — Surges: 11 / 11 — APs: 1 — Daily Items: 2
elfDM: then ill save the campaign file
Devar: Lost a healing surge.
HP: 129 / 129 — Surges: 10 / 11 — APs: 1 — Daily Items: 2
Devar: Lost a healing surge.
HP: 129 / 129 — Surges: 9 / 11 — APs: 1 — Daily Items: 2
Wil: Took an extended rest.
HP: 111 / 111 — Surges: 8 / 8 — APs: 1 — Daily Items: 2
Wil: Lost a healing surge.
HP: 111 / 111 — Surges: 7 / 8 — APs: 1 — Daily Items: 2
CBN: lose healing suge. will always be there.
cbass: posted in thread about it
Imre: Took an extended rest.
HP: 115 / 115 — Surges: 11 / 11 — APs: 1 — Daily Items: 2
Serge: Took an extended rest.
HP: 108 / 108 — Surges: 6 / 6 — APs: 1 — Daily Items: 2
Serge: Lost a healing surge.
HP: 108 / 108 — Surges: 5 / 6 — APs: 1 — Daily Items: 2
Serge: Lost a healing surge.
HP: 108 / 108 — Surges: 4 / 6 — APs: 1 — Daily Items: 2
cbass: serge, I figure, stays up too late writing his "IN THE EVENT OF MY DEATH OR DISAPPEARANCE" letter
Devar: Devar has bad dreams and wonders how Mom is doing.
elfDM: yes
elfDM: we'll asume you make arrangements
danhenge: because he was reminded of Lake Vision
elfDM: put your affair sin order
Wil: Wil quietly seethes over his inability to teleport multiple people with any accuracy. It keeps him up most of the night.
elfDM: hye, if wil would just take a terleportation course ata reputable academy-
danhenge: writes a letter to mom c/o Father Alvin, takes a brief moment to talk to a few folks at the local church and then tries to sack out
Imre: imre stays up late doing Sendings to other calods
cbass: Julien wondered why Serge quintupled the endowment to the orphanage, and now he knows why.
elfDM: !
dammitwho: dom renews the ritual that disintegrates her corpse and teleports it to a prepared niche in the Grand Mausoleum, and writes a few letters home
CBN: child 6 isn't just a number anymore.
elfDM: ok, saving log
elfDM: i hope i dind't end that too abruptly
cbass: nah it's good
elfDM: Shellback (
elfDM: ahh didn't do it right
dammitwho: turtle friend
Imre: 'daddy!' the little dragon boy shouts as he runs up the steps into the ballroom
elfDM: heh
elfDM: saving ampaign