The Wastelands

[Shura]

Having slept through the night without incident, Shura awoke with a rather peaceful disposition. None of his compatriots had tried to rob or kill him in his sleep, so that was a good sign. The feywilds didn’t throw anymore surprises their way either, or so he thought. Shura was initially oblivious to the absence of one of his party’s members. If anything, he merely assumed that Garian was nearby and out of sight, he had no idea that he had been abducted at some point. Perhaps after he had packed up his bedroll he might notice some signs or indication of Garian’s kidnapping.

[berserkerhorn]

Marjory wakes up covered in her bedroll made of leather. She gets up with her hair a tangle of knots and strands as she had cum still stuck in her hair. Her body is also extremely dirty with purple spots as there was dried up cum on her.

She ignores all of that now and gets up and packs her gear. Her hermit instincts told her to move as quickly as possible. She looks at Shura packing up at the pace of a snail. She then looks at Elenwe and notices she is still up in some sort of concentrated trance. She moves over and stands next to Elenwe and taps her shoulder to notify her that it was morning and Marjory and Shura was awake.

[Phoenixcz]

Marjory's touch startles Elenwe, she awakens instantly and instinctively reaches for her knife. Moment later, when she realises what happened, she blushes, not just due to her excessive reaction, but due to shame of falling asleep in the first place. After all, she promised to keep watch all night, and she failed. They all could've paid for that mistake dearly. "Sorry." She smiles at Marjory uncertainly in an apology.

She stands up and looks the campsite over. Though unfamiliar with her current surroundings, her observation skills are trained enough to instantly notice that one of her companions, the one who offered to keep watch with her and help her with the problem caused by Morsule's vision, is missing. She quickly looks around for any signs of his presence, but conclusion is clear: She's failed in her duty and one of the people who trusted her to keep watch disappeared. Even though her short rest still left her tired, this isn't something she can ignore, it doesn't matter to her that the man is a stranger and she doesn't even know his name, she'll have to find him and either help him, if possible, or at least learn about his fate as a warning for the future.

Elenwe turns her head to her remaining companions while gathering her stuff. "I shouldn't have fallen asleep. I need to find that human now. I'll be faster alone, but I'll leave marks for you to follow if you want." With that, she simulates bird's call to try to summon her falcon back to her and starts looking for any tracks which could lead her to Garian. If she finds them, she follows them as fast as she can while keeping some degree of stealth. She leaves signs for the others, if they don't follow her immediatly, broken branches, stones, marks on the tree bark, that sort of stuff.

[That_One_Guy]

Garian opened his eyes and saw the kobolds talkin to one another, talking about an amulet in a cave, he didn't see any caves nearby from what he can see, but he did see some ruins and made a thought that it would be in there. He slowly got up, softly groaning though he tried to be quiet about it and looked around, smiling when he finally saw his equipment. He had to figure out how to get out of there, he can break his cage but then it'd be too loud and he'd have to fight them. But something in his mind also told him that there may be something of value besides a amulet inside those ruins and, seeing it as the best way to both get out of there without attracting too much attention AND get himself some money for a place to stay, he decided to play along for a little bit, especially since he'd rather fight unsuspecting Goblins than ready to fight Kobolds.

"I guess you lot aren't keen on asking politely if I'd wanted to do this or not, huh?" He asked as he got into a sitting position, scratching his head and fixing his hair a bit to get red of the bed-hair a little, "If you'd lot just ask, maybe...just maybe, I'll go along and take care of this for you and bring you back this amulet of yours." He said and smiled, "Just have to tell me what it looks like is all."

[Grape_Drink]

((GM Note: Will get a map up here shortly, but its all typed up so I figure I'd post it up now. If I missed anyone, give me a heads up!))

It will begin to rain next post.


Roxanne

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

You search around for a job board for some time before finding one in a small garden next to the Mercenary Guild. It seems the town's economy is rather central to the guild...

Looking over it, you note most of the tasks are boring delivery jobs and simple requests, the occasional logger or fishing job here and there. Sure you could do enough of them to rent a room for the evening and get food, but you'd only be left with a couple talons. Three particular postings that look new do manage to capture your attention.

-Adventurers Needed-

The archaeological team we hired some time ago hasn't reported back in a little over two weeks. With the ruins only being a day or two's travel away, this is unacceptable, and has cost us a small fortune. The mercenary guild would like to ensure our investments were well placed. Bring proof of whatever fate has befallen them, or a close refund of the 3,000 talons that was lent to them via items and currency repossessed. Reward is a flat three Lorannans. No negotiations of price will be made.

-Adventurers Needed-

Ser Ethan plans to make the march to Drubkirk starting tomorrow morning, and to clear out the bandits stationed at the escarpment. Adventurers participating will be awarded 10 talons per head delivered.
(You note by the date that it's to happen in an hour or two)

-Adventurers Needed-

Knight Commander Lendetta plans to launch a full-scale controlled burning of the forests directly north west of Merc. Town with the arrival of so many adventurers. Payment of 20 talons a day as well as any carcasses claimed will be seen as reward for this purge of vileness.

While looking over them, you can't help but notice the light trickle in the air. It seems the rain might pick up...

Amber/Darius

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Lady Myn! Even in these dark lands you don't abandon me. Forgive me for straying from your path. I only ever wanted your forgiveness and the power to bring your name to everyone. Allow me to continue to serve you in anyway you see fit"

The being looked at him, silently smiling as she listened intently like a teacher to a student, or a parent to their child's ideas. It wasn't every day that a deity decided to visit one of their followers. When he finally finished speaking, she grimaced for a moment, raising her fist as if to strike him down in condemnation.

"Boop."

The simple sound emanated from her lips, a divine voice as she placed a finger against his nose, silently giggling with her other hand over her mouth. It feels... Almost refreshing to see a being of great power joking around, but almost scary at the same time. Nodding, she reached over, gently grasping one of the fairies in her palms as she brought it to her mouth and whispered into their ear. You can't help but notice it's a dark fairy, and her voice is far too silent, like a breeze in the wind.

She smiles at you as she places a hand over your cheek before fading, the fairies in the area seeming to slowly blot out of existence back to the feywild, though the Dark Fairy she spoke to continues to... You'd say stare at you, but the bleeding eye sockets where her eyes should be make such a statement sound cruel. After a moment she perches herself on your shoulder without asking. She seems almost weightless as she crosses her legs and leans in against your ear, a small hand griping it. Her voice is like the whispers of an ancient tomb, grainy and wind-like at the same time, dead, and a little unnerving all things considered.

"Even the best of us can fall to darkness... A task has been assigned, and must be followed through to its end. Resurrection of power long destroyed, a crown to be sealed, a woman of days long past to seal its fate, a soul created past crystalline might, and the broodmother's interest will wane. She will resist the strongest might and have a soul as black as the bowels of Ravage, but fear not for your life, or she shall take it. The catalyst lies in a prison long abandoned in the mountains, upturned by the church's demands. Find Vash."

The sickening being remains on his shoulder, having let go of his ear as she remains silent.

The two of you suddenly feel a memory that wasn't there before, a spell.

Darian and Amber have learned a new spell: Myn's Shooting Stars- A spell that causes small pebble-shaped white blobs to shoot forth from one's hand. The spell has little effect on those who aren't heavily affected by corruption, but causes great pain to corrupted beings.

Ruby

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

GM Rolls; Ruby Vs. Orc- Natural 20
Followup Strike- 11 + 1(I.S.) - 1(frozen) vs. 4 -2 (combat fatigue)

Your blade swiftly slices across the tendon in his arm as it goes limp, and quickly following up the maneuver, perhaps on reflex, your blade stabs through his jaw into his skull with a squishy crunch. The life fades from the orc's eyes as the dead body falls on top of you, breaking the ice around your feet, but leaving a rather heavy dead body on top of you. You manage to get out from under him, but immediatly feel sick again as you let loose your stomach's contents onto the forest floor. You feel your abdomen spasm and cramp slightly, and reaching down, you almost swear you felt some sort of movement. The sloshing around from that morning feels more... Solid.

The wolf growls at the remaining orc who's just barely beginning to thaw out, but has since done nothing as of yet.

Kylie

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

GM Roll; Perception- 18 + 1 = 19

Surprisingly enough, the store is entirely unguarded as you look around. For a store with moderately powerful products you'd of expected more resistance. When you enter, there isn't even an alarm that goes off.

You easily manage to locate a few arquebusses and small-scale hand cannons sitting about on a shelf. Most of the rarer alchemical reagents are inside a glass casing, but there's still a number lying about that could be used for antitoxins or who knows what. You note a few thunderstones and flasks of alchemical fire on a counter as well.

Looking about, you note a peculiar (and amusing) sign hanging above the shopkeeper's counter.

"Shoplifters will be Penguinized."

Rayle

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Changing into some spare clothes, you head out as the dirty minds plaguing you slowly begin to fade in the morning sun. You notice a number of adventurers outside the town gates gathered around the Rastanite knight commander, and note the man from last night exiting his tent as he buttons up his trousers.

A small Caravanserai is positioned outside the town gates about an hour away judging by the distance, and you feel a few droplets of water flowing from the sky. By the looks of the clouds overhead, it's only a matter of time until a full storm begins to brew. Perhaps hours, perhaps minutes, it's hard to tell given the light drizzle at the moment. Looking out, it's only now you note that there is forest on either side of the town, and the road leads to the peak of a mountain in the distance.

Ingvildr

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

You locate the mercenary HQ for the city easily enough given its position near the main gates. The lightest drizzle of rain begins to fall as the sun is swallowed by clouds... Entering the building, a dwarf greets you from behind a counter. His head is only barely visible before he steps up onto something underneath him to raise him to almost eye level. The building is notably smaller than the merc town HQ (or at least this room is), and you can't help but notice the light ticking of a clock nearby.

"Welcome to the mercenary guild! What can I do fer yeh lass?"

Marjory/Shura/Elenwe

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The morning is crisp, the road most likely leading to civilization nearby and the lightest trickle of rain in the air- likely to become thicker as you watch clouds slowly blot out the sun through the trees as you begin to pack up your supplies.

"I shouldn't have fallen asleep. I need to find that human now. I'll be faster alone, but I'll leave marks for you to follow if you want."

Elenwe (and others if they followed)

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

GM Roll; Encounter- 16
GM Roll; Tracking- 8 + 3(hunter) = 11

The trail is getting cold from the light drizzle of water, but it's not too hard to find the smell of pork in the air and trail of miniature lizard feet leading directly west towards the sheerer cliffs. Your trip is surprisingly unhindered. You notice the telltale signs of creatures before you encounter them, and avoid a small swarm of butterflies with ease. By this point you've managed to arrive at the base of the cliffs, the rain beginning to pick up as you barely spot the path they seemed to follow. Nice and tight, Kobolds could probably travel double file, but it would be uncomfortably hard to get through yourself(ves) without going single file.

Garian

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"I guess you lot aren't keen on asking politely if I'd wanted to do this or not, huh? If you'd lot just ask, maybe...just maybe, I'll go along and take care of this for you and bring you back this amulet of yours." He said and smiled, "Just have to tell me what it looks like is all."

The "head kobold" looks at you, placing his hands on his waist and laughing.

"Hah! Only one of yous and many us! Yip! Will just send you in or kill!"

"Uhh... Boss? Gib thinks should tell hims what amulet looks like."

"Oh! Uhh... Was getting there, yip! Amulet is golden with big red dull gem in center! Yip! Get him out of cage, will make him go in first!"

A number of kobolds point weapons at you as they open up the cage.

[That_One_Guy]

Garian looked them over as he exited the cage and stood tall, towerin over them. He looked around, his senses telling him what he needed to know as he can hear the distant rumbles of a coming storm. He then moved towards his gear, putting back on his armor and placing his sword on his back, he wished he had his coat still, but it needed to be cleaned, because inside of it were two daggers in the sleeves. He sighed and then turned back towards the ruins and started towards them. He stopped momentarily and turned towards the Kobolds, "I was with a group when you guys took me, if one of them comes for me, tell them where I am at, don't try to fight or hurt them or I'll show you what I am capable of." He told them and then started into the ruins, keeping his sword sheathed for now.

[Shura]

After packing up his bedroll, and gathering the rest of his meager belongings, Shura followed after Elenwe as best he could. She seemed concerned about the absence of the newest member of their party, and rightfully so. The fey wilds were fraught with the kinds of danger that most were not accustomed too. There were monsters, demons, animals, and heck, even the plants that wanted to have their way with you, and not in that fun “I’ll call you” sort of way. If all of this was just a sampling of what the tainted lands had to offer, then there was no telling the depths of depravity that awaited the hordes of mercenaries and adventures that had arrived on its shores. Which begs the question, if this place is so dangerous, why are there people living here? Did they just have no choice in the matter? Unfortunately for him, Shura did have a choice in the matter, and like an idiot, he chose to be here. The promise of fame, fortunate, phat loots, “all that kind of thing!” was too good to pass up. Therein lies the trick. That’s why there were so many people flocking to this maddening place.

[Urhr93]

Ruby's plan works and not only she gets free, she also manages to continue with her action and kill the orc holding her. But the problem comes once he's dead, since he falls right on her, breaking the ice and making her fall to the ground with him. Struggling, the girl somehow manages to free herself, but as she is standing up she feels nauseous and to her surprise she throws up. Dumbfounded the girl stops, trying to understand what's happening, but at that moment her belly throbs repeatedly and, as she brings one hand on it, she can almost feel something move. Ruby is startled, but as she feels the liquid in her womb shift once again she blames it all to it... until she realizes something. The fluid inside her inner chambers is becoming more and more thick, almost solid. It continued to drip out while they were going through the forest, making her stop sometime to clear the uncomfortable bits falling down her inner thighs and gathering inside her panties, making the fabric wet and muddy. Every time, until she cleaned them, it would feel like her privates were almost bathing inside the wolf's seed, and even after she "cleaned" them as best as she could, the panties still sticked to her flower in an uncomfortable way.

She should have scooped it out, washed it all out while she was bathing, and not start her travel with her womb full to the brim with the wolf's cream. What if it now becomes so dense that it won't come out anymore? How could she live with her inside filled with the seed of an animal?

Ruby thoughts are interrupted by the wolf's growl, and as she turns toward the orc, she can see that he's trying to get out of the ice. It will be hard, as he's completely covered in it, but given enough time he will get out, so she has to finish him fast. And well, she doesn't waste time. Trying to sneak out of his field of vision, trying to make him think that she fled before he could get out, the girl tries to stealthy move behind him, and from that position she would try to stab the blade of her kodachi inside his neck, one blade for each side.

[Hazard1325]

Rayle travels north toward the forest planning to cross it and head north east toward where the vision had shown her. She kept an eye out on her surroundings and tried to make it to the forest before the rain started so she could find somewhere to hide from the downpour.

[[Brand_Name]]

Kylie was in a fantastic mood until she saw the sign. Things were going so well... She had a theory about the security here that really put a damper on her mood. "Come here little man! Take this out side and I'll be there in a bit," she told Porkchop as he picked up a small alchemical ingredient with his teeth and took it outside. Kylie did not know what "penguinized" meant, but she believed that there was some enchantment on all the items here that would turn shoplifters, like Porkchop, into penguins if they took items from the store. She purposefully did not touch what Porkchop stole. If he turned into a penguin once outside, Kylie would see no other way around the enchantment and take her losses and move onto the next store. If she saw no changes, however, she would grab everything she could carry and head back to the sailor's place. She was no stranger to little or no sleep, but she wanted to avoid a handicap if possible and get some rest.

[Phoenixcz]

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Well, enough waiting for Majrory's action back at the camp, they won't catch Elenwe so quickly anyway.

Elenwe stops in front of the gap in the cliffs. She'd prefer to have time to scout the situation and come with some plan, but circumstances forces her to act. Narrow path will help her from getting overwhelmed if something goes wrong, but it's the perfect spot to place traps and sentries...that's what she would do in the kobold's place. But she can't afford to waste much time. Grabbing her bow in one hand but leaving the other free for other needs, Elenwe enters the gap, looking and listening for any sign of kobold's presence and checking the terrain for traps before every step.

[Nobudi]

OOC: Whoops
Roxanne looked at the board, before calling on her familiar.
She then asked her if the controlled burning of the forests might help the Feywilds in the long run.
If it did, she'd take that job. If not, she'd take to the Archaeology job.

[Grape_Drink]

All colors the same except as follows: Dark Blue Marjory, Light Blue Elenwe/Shura, Black Rayle, grey Roxanne. Correct me if I messed up something, please! (I might have messed up Rayle's, not sure)

Map_3_9_14.png (507.97 KiB) Viewed 865 times

GM Roll; Weather- 89

It is consistently drizzling. The ground has become damp and water drips from taller foliage, but it has yet to become a serious rainfall.

Garian

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

You make your way inside the entrance. It almost seems like a hole in the cliffside at first, but as you descend, you quickly find the walls shifting away from rubble and more towards elaborate ruins. A kobold follows closely behind with a torch in hand, a second a few more paces back seeming to be cautious of every sound and object. As you continue along, one of the kobolds seems to have spotted something in the distance.

"Goblin scums!"

He shrieks, running up ahead. A loud grating sound followed by a rumble breaks through the relative silence of the area as stone slams against stone and the sound of crunching bones fills your ears. Your torch bearer takes a few steps ahead as you watch a stone block come back down into the ground, kobold paste strewn on it.

Ahead of you, you spot the glint of mischevious eyes- likely a goblin from the way your torch-bearing compatriot is hissing. To your left is a set of dusty old bones that look rather ancient and appear to have been in a battle, what looks like a fistt imprint dug into the rusted armor far enough to have crushed the wearer's lungs. To your right is a corridor leading to... Who knows where? Judging by the size of the block when it came down, you could jump over it, but there's no telling how many of those traps are around.

Ruby

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Ruby Vs. Orc - Incapacitated, Coup de grâce.
Lewt (D20): ?

Your blade sinks into the Orc's neck with a sickening crunch of his collarbone snapping, his body going limp. The area seems safe at the moment. Most of the Orc's supplies are either useless or too heavy, but you do note a ceremonial jet skinning knife and about ten talons between the three orc's coinpurses.

Kylie

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Spot Check- Natural 20
It seems your theory was correct. You watch as, after a tiny spark of light, porkchop has become penguinchop. Still, he's carrying the alchemical ingredient in his maw without issues.



You gaze upon your new, 16 inch high feathery friend. He's quite dashing in a... Penguiny sort of way as he drops the ingredient and waddles back over to you with a newfound avian sense of belonging. He proceeds to let out a mini-squak that almost sounds like a cross between a dieing animal and a squeak toy.

However, you did notice that the flash of light came from some stone panel hidden above the outside door frame.

Roxanne

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Your familiar informs you that the burning of the forests will do nothing in the long run most likely. It will kill the corrupted creatures and make it less noticeable to people, but not the corruption of the land.

Heading inside, you find an old man attending the guild as he provides the details of the archaeological site's known whereabouts. Apparently it's some hovel in a valley in the mountains, with an entrance into some ruins or another.

"Yeh, rumor is they awoken' somethin', but tha's ridiculous. Everythin' on this ol' island is evil, ain't like there could even beh somethin' more eviler than 'at."

Elenwe

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Your trip through the cliff gap is easy enough. At some point, the one cliff drops off and becomes a narrow valley down below- likely not something you'd want to fall into. You continue along as you spot a smoke stack in the distance- likely from a camp of some sort. You note Shura is about five to ten minutes away behind you, and the path you're on is becoming narrower.

Turning around a corner, you note a group of what can only be described as giant ants on elk-like legs staring at you. They take note of you, and given the nature of enemies you're sure they'll attack you, but instead they just sort of... Stare at you.

whatisthisthing.jpg (23.8 KiB) Viewed 865 times

It takes you a moment to process that they're "grazing" on a giant wasp's carcass, and that they're tethered to a wooden pole. Their backs are naturally shaped as if to allow travel. This seems to be the end of this hidden route, but you note tracks that look like they came from these beasts heading down the cliffside towards the encampment.

Shura

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

You manage to pack up your supplies quickly enough and follow after your compatriot. You come to a secret cliff gap, and make your way through it. Continuing along for quite some time, you finally spot Elenwe as she turns a corner.

Marjory

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

//I'll give you the option to follow them or not at your leisure when you get back. We'll assume you didn't follow them for the time being, but if you'd rather stay with the group we can easily claim you went with Shura.\\

Rayle

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

GM Roll; Daytime road encounter(d100)- 16

You travel briskly along the road as the rain begins to start as a drizzle. It's still not very heavy and you can see a good distance in front of you. You spot a set of trees just a little ways ahead that you could take shelter in if you wished. It seems that the road is relatively safe during the day, even with the rain.

[[Brand_Name]]

"Dawwww! You like dashing, Porkchop! Sorry I kinda tricked you little man, but honestly, I think you look better this way!" She examined the stone panel without going outside, and if there was a way for her to dismantle it, then she would, and make her way back to her friends and the sailor. If not, and there was no other way out without penguifying herself, she would have to find a place to stow away in the shop until morning when the stone was turned off by the owner due to it being regular hours.

[Nobudi]

Roxanne snorted.
"Dere anytin' else Ah gatta know?"
If there was anything that was deeded important, like needs for specialized equipment or such, she'd stay and listen.
Other than that, she had nothing else to do but leave, which would be a great relief to Roxanne.
Not being Sidra for too long made her ears itch.

[berserkerhorn]

(i think i'd rather be alone for now ^_^)

Marjory decides to disappear into the forest.

[That_One_Guy]

Garian watched the Kobold splatter in front of him and didn't looked at all surprised really, he looked at the surviving Kobold and and sighed, "That is why you don't go rushing headlong into battle." He said and then looked at the other passageway, "Let us see if this leads around them, maybe we can surprise them." He told them and headed down the passage, sword at the ready, "Be prepared for anything, but if you do not wish to fight, just stay behind me, alright?" He told the kobold and continued onwards, cautiously, he looked everywhere to make sure he didn't run into any traps, no need to die here.

[Grape_Drink]

Kylie

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Dawwww! You like dashing, Porkchop! Sorry I kinda tricked you little man, but honestly, I think you look better this way!"

Porkchop lets out a second squawk as you examine the tablet. It seems to just be stuck to the wall with some adhesive. You could probably break it or rip it off the wall. Intuition would suggest that it probably has a limited area of effect over the building.

Sidra

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Dere anytin' else Ah gatta know?"

"Jus' watch out fer 'em Bar-Lgura's an' trolls up thataways. Wander 'round them parts o' the forests. 'ere, take this."

He hands you a small scroll featuring a map leading to the encampment after taking down some basic information.

Garian

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

GM Roll; Perception (spot)- 5

"Be prepared for anything, but if you do not wish to fight, just stay behind me, alright?"

The kobold simply nods as you continue along. The cold, damp walls enclose on all four sides as you continue down the hallway. More corpses like the first appear before you, their armor dented in or their skeletal frames crushed. There seems to have been some ancient battle, or perhaps massacre as you continue along. Surprisingly, there haven't been any major traps. A spike in the floor here, a ball and chain falling from the ceiling there, but otherwise nothing of note. You find yourself at a set of descending stairs leading into a large room lit by a single magical candle. Your shadows dance across the walls as you note two other corridors. One descends further and the lightest smell of brimstone hits your nostrils from it, the other continues at an angle, and seems to go in the general direction the goblins were positioned from.

Looking about, you note that this particular room has a very high ceiling and some broken jars and crates strewn around it. A chair rests in the corner of the room and you hear the lightest droplets of some liquid hitting the ground somewhere. There's the faintest trace of copper in the air, but you can't entirely tell if it's real or your imagination.

[Nobudi]

"D'ank Yee," Roxanne called out as she left the building and took the road northward.
It was lightly raining, so she kept her hood up.
Once she passed the entrance of the town, she loaded up a bolt in her crossbow.
One should never be too careful in these lands.

[[Brand_Name]]

After grabbing a dagger nearby, Kylie began to try to pry the tablet from its grip on the doorway. With any luck, she might even be able to use it as a weapon in the future. The entirety of the realm would fear her as... The Penguifier!