The Wastelands

[[Brand_Name]]

Kylie looked back at her, happy to talk but simultaneously nostalgic for the peaceful silence that no longer existed. "Wellll... I trust you enough to tell you the truth. I come from a very poor family, but my parents kidnapped our princess and replaced her with myself when I was young. I lived as royalty for years, until a mage figured out the truth. I stole everything I could fit in my pockets, and now I'm here! Don't worry though, I assure you I won't steal anything from you. Now I just want to become an honest adventurer."

[Phoenixcz]

Back home, things were much simpler. Elenwe knew the area and it's inhabitants, killed or stayed hidden from demons and monsters depending on the danger they presented, knew who's a cultist and who's an innocent victim. And if she couldn't be sure after all, she just watched her target until she got the answer. Here? This woman can be anything, she may be a prisoner of these kobolds saved after that lightshow by human Elenwe is looking for, or somehow responsible for it. There's about even chance for either. In the first case, the other human will propably exit the cave behind her soon, in the other...well, he may still show up, but given the display of power earlier, he won't be the same and Elenwe is dead or worse already.

Elenwe wasn't sneaking, so the woman can see her clearly. Elenwe aims at her and draws the bowstring, prepared to shoot, even if it propably won't do much good if she's an enemy. Not every arrow is faster then the spell, and she lacks the moment of surprise. Instead of shooting, Elenwe shouts at her. "Who are you and where did you get that coat?"

[daxtinator396]

Amber had been following Darius around. She hadn't really been sure of what to do. They weren't doing what she thought they were out here to do and that irked her but having the gods good side in her favor sounded nice. Maybe Cruxie would give her something cool.... as they approached the sheer drop she looked at Darius and said,"I got some rope. Let's see if that can get us down... I have a lot. And certainly it is ONLY for adventuring purposes... not a single thing else. Nope. Just adventuring." She said innocently as she brought out the long soft coils of rope from her pack,"And uh... you sure we are ready for this? Because i don't fancy getting killed."

[Grape_Drink]

Blake is pink, Marjory is dark blue, Amber/Darius are Orange, Garian is purple, Elenwe is light blue, Ing is white, Dajal is brown, Kylie is red, Sidra is grey.

4_9_14.png (167.94 KiB) Viewed 918 times

Blake

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

GM Roll; Butterfly Pheromones- 47

A butterfly lands on your nose, leaving a small trail of dust on it and causing you to sneeze before fluttering off to its own diabolical machinations. You lay on the grass for quite a while as the hysteria begins to pick up around you. It's actually a pretty nice day, thinking about it.

Looking about, you notice that a number of adventurers are fighting slime... Lovely. Slime are never a good thing given their tendency to devour adventurers and burn them alive with corrosive acid into digestible food, but these particular slime happen to be blue instead of green, and are quite small in comparison. A number of them attach to people's weapons and boots, clinging on for dear life as their exteriors harden into a shell-like material. Strange.

Sidra

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"I'm looking for a group of missing archaeologists that went on an exploration in this general area. Have you or your kin heard anything as of late?"

"Arch-wha?"

"Think she means the humans" chimes in the little sage.

"Ahhh... Gratch's fire spitter tribe went there. Found dead humans and no cause for. Went exploring in caves and never came back... Scout claims kobold invasion."

Your backpack weighs down on you and is quite heavy given the two large wereboar heads inside of it.

Dajal

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The guards at the auxiliary entry don't really bother you as you enter a human city called "Drubkirk," whatever that is. Your fire sprite follows closely behind, floating through the air in a relatively controlled state at the moment. Just from the entrance you can tell that this is one of those cities with completely different atmospheres depending on the time. Right now it's calm, collected, and orderly, but the number of closed taverns, especially those with rather eccentric names, gives the impression that this town becomes rather wild at night. Finding yourself in the middle of the merchant's square you spot an armor-smith working on a pair of sabatons and approach him about your current location. He looks you over with a quirked brow for a moment before muttering something about damned adventurers...

"Well, this right 'ere is Drubkirk. City o'sin, and a bastion of uncivilized civilization. Yah got yer big ol' Rastanite cathedral an' the guild to the North side o' town where ev'ryone tends tah look 'round fer work, and plenty o' attractions an' shops about, but unless yer lookin' tah run an establishment it ain't no place tah set up a house. 'Course, then again, who wants to set up shop in the wastelands? Am I right? Hah!"

((GM Note: I figure a fire sprite makes the most sense since metalworking is a core trade among orcish tribes and cities/something almost all orcs learn the basics of.))

Marjory (Corruption will decrease by 6 this time sleeping)

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

((When Corruption reaches 40 points you begin to make will saves to resist sexual grapples, and at 100 points you effectively become a vassal of the Unnamed One, E.G. NPC unless you want to continue to play the character))

You take in a few deep breaths as you begin to meditate as you had been taught in the past... It's going rather well for a while, but at some point a few hours later a loud slam breaks your concentration. Blinking and looking around, you note the sarcophagus the urn had been placed on top of has been chucked out of the demon's home. A hand hangs slightly loose from the now-opened stone coffin, and a nearby broken piece of wood that you assume to have once been a bow lies next to it. Said bow seems to have been enchanted prior to it breaking.

The sun begins to set in the distance...

Garian

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As you exit the ruin entrance, you can't help but notice that what was the kobold camp is now a pile of roasted corpses and equipment. The ground is scorched as if repeatedly struck by mage lightning, and an unholy presence emanates through its entirety.

"Who are you and where did you get that coat?"

A voice shouts a little ways away as you peer in the fresh sunlight to find your elven compatriot pointing a bow at the woman next to you.

Mtan Do solsehan xaeo, Sihse? ((Shall I kill her ...?))

She turns back to Elenwe and shouts...

"Sihse xaivran ar fic a anasan toe san tolsan cea y dahsa. Do ohk Vash." ((... seems to have a ... for me wearing this garb. I am Vash.))

((GM Note: Feel free to go about your dialogue freely among one another between posts))

Elenwe

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The woman looks at you with a quirked brow before turning to someone behind her and mumbling something. Garian is standing behind her as she shouts back to you in some ancient language...

"Sihse xaivran ar fic a anasan toe san tolsan cea y dahsa. Do ohk Vash."

She seems harmless enough, but you can't help but feel that whatever caused this disaster was her fault one way or another.

((GM Note: Feel free to go about your dialogue freely among one another between posts))

Kylie

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

GM Roll; Encounter- 64, 1d6- 6
GM Roll; Perception- 6 + 1 = 7
GM Roll; Reflex Save- Natural 20!

Lean looks at you in astonishment for several moments before letting out a laugh.

"Hah! That's a good one, you almost had me there, hehe. So you're a cutpurse, eh? That's always a useful profession..."

. . .

You watch the sun beginning to get lower in the sky as you arrive at the base of a large cliff some time later. You momentarily panic as something large and fuzzy lands on top of you, nearly knocking you to the ground as you rip it away from you and roll out of the way. Huh, that felt kinda... Tingly...

On the ground lies two slow-moving plants that look reminiscent of assassin vines save for their more fuzzy and bumpy exterior. You get the impression that there's more around... Lean begins preparing a spell as one of them lunges towards her!

Amber

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

GM Roll; Climbing- 15 + 1

Tightening the rope around a nearby tree, you begin to lower yourself down the sheer cliff-side, quite thankful for your strong grip and expertise with rope. Looking down, you can see some elven woman pointing a bow at the lady who just exited the ruins, a human male standing behind her. Huh, maybe there'll be a fight?

You almost lose your grip as you take a look at your hand again! You swear you saw small wisps of black smoke coming off of them, but maybe you're just seeing things? Strange. Strange indeed...

[That_One_Guy]

Garian looked out at all the death, "My god..." He then looked at Vash and shook his head, "No she's a friend." He said and looked at Elenwe, "Hey? What happened here? Where are the others?" He asked, walking up to her, hoping Vash was right behind, he looked back at her and then back at Elenwe, "Also, do you have any spare clothes for her?"

[Kuragari]

The guards at the auxiliary entry don't really bother you as you enter a human city called "Drubkirk," whatever that is. Your fire sprite follows closely behind, floating through the air in a relatively controlled state at the moment. Just from the entrance you can tell that this is one of those cities with completely different atmospheres depending on the time. Right now it's calm, collected, and orderly, but the number of closed taverns, especially those with rather eccentric names, gives the impression that this town becomes rather wild at night. Finding yourself in the middle of the merchant's square you spot an armor-smith working on a pair of sabatons and approach him about your current location. He looks you over with a quirked brow for a moment before muttering something about damned adventurers...

"Well, this right 'ere is Drubkirk. City o'sin, and a bastion of uncivilized civilization. Yah got yer big ol' Rastanite cathedral an' the guild to the North side o' town where ev'ryone tends tah look 'round fer work, and plenty o' attractions an' shops about, but unless yer lookin' tah run an establishment it ain't no place tah set up a house. 'Course, then again, who wants to set up shop in the wastelands? Am I right? Hah!"

((GM Note: I figure a fire sprite makes the most sense since metalworking is a core trade among orcish tribes and cities/something almost all orcs learn the basics of.))

"Well, this place looks like it could be entertaining." Dajal said to herself as she looked about, noticing the various closed taverns and other establishments of ill repute. She made a mental note to herself to due some exploring when the sun began to set, to see what chaos filled the streets when the only light came from lamps.

After tracking down someone who seemed decent enough, she found out where she was, a place called Drubkirk, which was in a place that she had heard of before...some of the elves they captured talked about it occasionally. "You make this place sound bad, but it sounds like lots of fun to me! Except that church bit, blegh!" She sticks her tongue out in the general direction. She didn't necessarily have a problem with the other gods, rather it was the whole organized thing they had going. She didn't need no holier than thou preacher to tell her how to talk to her god. No, Rifa did that all on its own.

"So, anything exciting going on? Quests, festivals, random giant mutant monsters that need hugs or gratuitous amounts of fire and ice?"

[Reaver]

Darius rolled his eyes as the fairy made him eat his own words with a simple retort. He hadn't really thought of what he was doing as hero work, more of suicide for the gods but they were usually interchangeable when you took what heroes usually did into consideration. Had his penance been the contract with Myn? It seemed possible, especially since she had blessed him with power and a quest. Darius, the unknowing and ungrateful hero of the gods. No doubt if the gods were watching, he wasn't making the best impression with his reluctance to follow their commands. Maybe they were already deciding if he deserved godhood? He scratched his beard, feeling suddenly nervous about his next actions. "Well when you call it heroing then I feel flattered." He gave a small embarrassed chuckle as he knelt near the runes, examining them. They were easy to identify as unholy so that probably ruled out a dragon. That meant the most likely was a high demon. "Radamis might have been right about his theory. Or maybe the one about Rastan's great granddaughter because these are demonic in essence." He muttered, brushing his hand over one of the runes.

He looked over the side of the cliff spotting the two people, one of who the dark fairy pointed out as Vash. Fortunately Amber had packed rope, something Darius had left out of his supplies. "I don't care if you use it to get off while you rob old people. If it gets us down there then you can go tie yourself up all night and I'll even help you." He joked as he helped her set up the rope before letting her start climbing down first. He waited for her to get halfway down the mountain, double-checking the knots right before beginning his own descent. "Myn watch over me as I follow your wish." He prayed.

[Phoenixcz]

Elenwe watches with hint of relief as Garian leaves the cave, then looks the woman over once again before lowering her bow. "No idea, I hoped you'll know. There was giant pillar of evil red light shooting lightning everywhere, then as if gods themselves stopped it with their own power." Elenwe still keeps an eye on the woman. It's just a feeling, but paranoia and caution saved Elenwe before, and she's more then a little suspicious. "Another prisoner? I can't understand a word of what's she saying."

[eaenidu]

Blair smiles and grabs her stuff before calmly striding away acting completely casual as she did so not trying to attack anything just calmly walk away, she did her best not to attract any unwanted attention as she did so if anything got in her way she would just try and go around it as she walked away seemingly without a care in the world.

[berserkerhorn]

Marjory stares at the bow,. She looks around for any signs that she might be thrown out next. She gets up and goes.over to the sarcophagus. She looks inside to see what type of.person was in it as it was important enough to have a priests ashes on top of the sarcophagus. She snatches the enchanted bow and examines it."guess you won't be needing this" she says taking back with her

[That_One_Guy]

Garian looked at Elenwe and shook his head, "No, I told them I'd help them get something for their mistress or whatever and I found this woman in the cave, naked..." He said, leaving out the part where she was in the crystal, thinking it'd be too preposterous to believe. "I didn't understand her at first, but now I can understand everything she's saying, but I'm also trying to learn the language, doesn't seem to hard to learn..." He said and looked around, "We better get out of here now before we're ganged on, we'll go to the closest city and get Vash here some clothes." He said.

[Phoenixcz]

Well, that DOES sound suspicious. Mistress? Woman in the cave just like that, speaking strange language but somehow making Garian able to understand it? "I think everyone else got killed by that magic, but it'll propably draw others. I have some spare clothes. I don't think they'll fit her." Elenwe searches her belongings for spare pants and shirt and hands them to the strange woman...Vash? She then points at herself, realising she didn't shared her name even with her previous companions back in the camp."Elenwe."

[[Brand_Name]]

"Watch it!" she shouted as the vine attacked her. Kylie drew both her swords and tried to chop the thing in half before it got to her. But she had to look out for herself too, of course. She turned around and tried to trick the vines, allowing her an easier job [feint]. She also used her invisibility spell to camouflage herself. she knew nothing about these vines, but she wanted to give herself every possible advantage. There was a good chance that they couldn't tell if she was visible or not, but she knew that it was worth a try anyway.

[Nobudi]

Sidra considered her options.
"I see..."
Since what the guidelines needed was either a report, or something that marked proof of their death.
So, If she could get something there as proof of their deaths, she'd be all good.
Also, she may as well ask for something regarding a personal vendetta while she was at it.
"Do you think you could give me the directions to where they were? On a side note, has there been any news about Dragons in, say, the past 30 years?"

[Noosie]

The demon was somewhat cunning, but not much more so than Ing had expected. Even if it really didn't mean her harm, she doubted joining it on the bed would be very good for her already rather poor spiritual health. Instead of taking the invitation to not-quite-certain doom, Ing gives the demoness a smile and a polite shake of her head.

"Sorry, love, but I'm not interested in losing more of me than I already have. Fool me once and all that. I'm thinking we've got plenty to offer each other though, seeing where it is you're stuck and whose place this was." Here Ing jerks her head back, indicating the dungeon around them. "From what blind'n'ugly told me, you've got a few things to tell me. Why don't we have a little chat here at our safe distances, an' see what we can work out. Starting with a name, if you don't mind. Mine's Ing. Pleasure to meet ya, I'm sure."

A semi-practiced eye runs along the walls of the dungeon again, giving it second glance to make sure nothing is sneaking up behind her while she has a chat with the succubus. Throughout her brief speech the warrior keeps her distance from the boundary of the circle, though she leaves the door wide open and keeps the key-ring firmly in her grasp. She'd felt something nasty earlier, but she was hoping it was just the orb and the demoness that'd caused it.

[Grape_Drink]

Garian

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

You watch as Elenwe approaches the woman with a set of spare clothes in hand. After introducing herself, you watch as Vash grabs hold of her wrists and pulls her into a passionate kiss.

"Eti ohk a t'iwan ar rarnork dan, Elenwe. Do sahak ksilan kub cea y dahsa mahsa... Omr dan ohk sihse aan kalyehso'eo?((It is a pleasure to meet you, Elenwe. I do not understand this garb gesture... Perhaps you are ... servant?))

After awaiting Elenwe's response, she quickly turns around, staring at the mountainside with a glare as you see two people descending a rope towards your position.

Dajal

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"So, anything exciting going on? Quests, festivals, random giant mutant monsters that need hugs or gratuitous amounts of fire and ice?"

"Well, yeh got 'em big ol' lizards rumblin' 'bout the plains... Always the festival of moonlight's caress next evenin', but it ain't as nice as the name sounds. Crux's might'll be out in full force robbin' an' fight rings all through the sewers. Bah... 'Fraid ah don't know 'bout any quests. Merc's guild handles that nonesense o'er that way."

Darius and Amber (Told from Amber's perspective this time around)

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Climbing: 10

The two of you have descended the sheer height with relative ease for the most part. About halfway down Darius' foot catches on a loose rock as he begins to plummet to his death. Luckily, you manage to catch him in the nick of time as you press him against a thin outcrop of rocks to give him (and yourself) more support to hold him steady until he can grab ahold of the rope again...

You're about halfway down, but you could probably just drop off in another 20 feet or so without too much issue. You note that the one who the fairy pointed out as Vash is staring at the two of you...

Elenwe

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Elenwe."

The woman seems to look over the clothes for a moment or two before dropping them and grabbing hold of your wrists. You half expect her to headbutt you as she pulls you into a passionate kiss, holding you like this for several moment before pulling away.

"Eti ohk a t'iwan ar rarnork dan, Elenwe. Do sahak ksilan kub cea y dahsa mahsa... Omr dan ohk sihse aan kalyehso'eo?((It is a pleasure to meet you, Elenwe. I do not understand this garb gesture... Perhaps you are Master's servant?))

Wait a second... Did you just understand what she said? At least you think you did... The heck? It sounded like gibberish just a moment ago! And why did she just kiss you!?

((You have gained the passive trait: Ravagetouched- you are able to understand (but not speak) the Ancient Tongue.))

Seeming to gauge your reaction, she suddenly turns around to stare at something in the distance, though you're still a bit dazed at what just happened.

Blake

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

GM Roll; Reflex- Natural 1

You gingerly walk along as you... Accidentally step right into a puddle of goo. Eugh. You lift your foot up to continue along as the blue gunk sticks to your foot and hardens. You half expect your foot to suddenly begin to disintegrate inside the blue slime, but no such thing occurs! Other than mildly offsetting your weight, it doesn't seem to be doing anything else right now.

Marjory

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

You pick up the snapped-in-half bow as you walk over and look inside the sarcophagus. Inside is an almost perfectly preserved body of some old warrior. Perhaps a guardian? You aren't entirely sure. What's notable is the large hole in the bottom of the sarcophagus, as if it were a secret passage at one time.

The demon seems to be too busy cleaning house to notice much... Looking in through the doorway you can still hear the sounds of things being tossed around, but no sign of the Bar-Lgura.

Kylie

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Kylie Vs. Passion Vine: 13 vs. 11
GM Roll; Perception- Natural 1
Reflex Save: 8 + 1
Discipline: 15

Your feint doesn't seem to have much effect as the vine lacks the intelligence to flinch or dodge. Still, you manage to slash its "core" as green sticky goop sprays out of it, covering your arm in plant viscera as it rapidly falls limp. Lean seems to have equally effective luck as a fire spell of some sort turns the other plant into flailing char after a few moments.

You look about the trees for signs of more as you begin to cast your spell, only to see a mass of vines seeming to come from all directions! Is it one giant one? Three of them? You just hope they don't see you as you- oof!

Two more land on top of you, knocking you to the ground and one of your swords out of hand as you feel them slither along your back. They seem to be making no effort to detain you as you manage to keep hold of one of your blades. One of them- Oh hell no!

One of them deftly slips underneath the front of your padded armor, gently wrapping around your breast as you feel a small tinge of pain from one of the bumps on it as if a needle were injecting into you before an almost electric sensation courses through you, making your body more susceptible to its touch. Did it just inject some sort of... Pleasure toxin? Why is it that everything on this island seems to want to fuck!?

Lean is preparing a spell of some sort, but seems nervous, as if afraid of accidentally hitting you with it in the process as the vine every so gently flicks over your teat.

Sidra

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Can send scout to show you, but dangerous to go there. Lots of bad things in forest. Dragons? Bah, only dragons are yipping kobolds all over. Coming from north mountains, master up there or somethings... Pft."

It seems they don't know much at all about dragons... Still, that does give you another lead, but if you remember correctly, someone said that getting to the Northern Mountains is quite the journey...

Ing

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"A name... Hmm, I became quite accustomed to Concubine... I suppose I was once called M'itees Prandavor. Frozen Spring in the human tongue... A pleasure to meet you, my savior Ing. I'll... Attempt to answer your questions."

Eugh. Hearing a succubus call you "savior" isn't exactly the most pleasant thing, but then again even the church has utilized them in the past on holy missions since they had a tendency to stay loyal under contract out of fear of being returned to Ravage.

Nothing seems to be coming your way as the winged woman continues to stare at you like a cat watching its prey, lightly clacking her nails against the bedframe. Her calmness is almost nerve-wracking given the situation and the caution you're showing.

Karna

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Your memory is a bit fuzzy as you wake up on a bedroll in a small building that you can only assume to be an old lodge. You have a small bruise on your forehead, and all your equipment has been kept in your backpack next to you. Aside from a small pain in your side, you don't really feel that hurt though. You yourself seem to be in nothing but a set of white robes...

"Oh thank goodness! We found you drifting about out at sea on a plank of blessed wood, and thought that Bill had gotten ahold of you! Are you alright?"

Ugh... Where are you? A human female, a follower of Cara from the looks of it, stands in front of you as you begin to regain consciousness.

[Kuragari]

"Well, yeh got 'em big ol' lizards rumblin' 'bout the plains... Always the festival of moonlight's caress next evenin', but it ain't as nice as the name sounds. Crux's might'll be out in full force robbin' an' fight rings all through the sewers. Bah... 'Fraid ah don't know 'bout any quests. Merc's guild handles that nonesense o'er that way."

Giant lizards...she could have some fun playing with them. This Festival of Moonlight sounded like it could also be entertaining, especially if there was random looting and fighting going on. Perhaps it would be like back home to one extent or another. The Mercs guild...eh, she could check that out anytime.

"That all sound's great! Any idea where I can learn more about that Festival? I'd love to see how city-dwellers party, hope its more interesting than Orc festivals."

[Nobudi]

Sidra nodded to the goblin.
Another fact to store away for later to deal with.
"I see, thank you," she said as she half bowed from her seated position.
"I will need all the help I can get in order to get this job done, so if you can let me borrow a scout immediately, I would be grateful."

[Tsai]

"Ugh..." Karna reaches up to touch her head as her senses come back to her. She has a splitting headache that's made worse by someone's incessant droning... She looks around and sees herself in some white robes, not the stuff she came in on, a little too covering, but still functional at the very least. Some words come through finally and she notices it's a woman's. When she leans up off her bed roll her sight comes back to her and she sees a human woman, a priest perhaps, talking to her. Her eyes go wide when she notices the woman is human and she backs away.

"Wha...What do you want from me human?" She snarls at the human who was treating her rather well, but she couldn't take her chances around these people. They had something to prove to her.
"Where am I? And how long have I been out?" She glares at the priest wanting her answers and leaving as soon as possible, the presence of these people enough to make her want to retch.

[[Brand_Name]]

Kylie dreaded the seemingly inevitable moment when the tentacles would fuck her. They'd already started pulling on her minimal underwear. Penguinchop must have been nearby, but there was no way he could help her here. She looked back at Lean pleadingly, and shouted at her to "cast the damned spell!" Whatever happened, it would be better than getting raped by these vines. She tried to look to see if it was just one being, but she couldn't tell where one ended and another began. With her hand on her remaining sword, defiant as always, she took a swing at the mass of tentacles encircling her, hoping for the best.