"I wouldn't dream of it Taisia, how else would we enter this new world?" L'os chuckled at her companion as the gargantuan dragon kneeled down so that she could climb up into the saddle. Taking hold of the nearly hidden latter that was part of the securing belts for the saddle. She easily made her way up into the saddle then and once she was strapped in she pulled out her lyre from her pack. She strummed the magical lyre, playing a tune of hope and love normally heard in the temples of Shelyn. It was the same song she played for her many children, a song she learned from the Spirit of ADoration that came to aid her on her darkest night.
"Ohh! Music!"
Sparky starts to sing a horrible tune and starts to dance inbetween Taisias feet, often under them if she lifts them up.
Doran would stretch out a bit removing Alura from his back and giveing her a few practice swings before placeing her back on his back. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be just say the word. Wait need to check one thing." He would kneel and begin searching through his bags for a moment beofore nodding and getting back to his feet. "Okay yes I'm ready lets go get this done.
Rorge takes out shrieker and gives him a few swings. Let's go boys and girls... and dragons
Sparky chuckled to himself a bit after hearing Aluras comment. He decided that it would be prudent (and fun!) if he didnt let on that he could understand Celestial, instead, he figured he would try and see what he could make of it!
He saunters up over to Doran and without facing him directly breaks out into song, aided by St Lo's playing on her Lyre.
Round we go, round we go
Catch a squirrel, kill a mole
Start a fire and watch it glowww
Cook the mole. Not the squirrel!
Thats for fun you see
You can break its legs and watch it squirm
And for a treat you can eat its eyes
Whack it with a stick until it dieees
Thats the fun you see!
Round we go, round we go
Catch a squirrel, kill a mole
Start a fire and watch it glowww
Cook the mole. Not the squirrel!
Thats for fun you see
Now get your friend an gather round
Lets play a game with this rock I found
Its called tag and I throw it at you
WHACK! Now you are it and away I fleee!
Oh so much fun you see!
Round we go, round we go
Catch a squirrel, kill a mole
Start a fire and watch it glowww
Cook the mole. Not the squirrel!
Thats for fun you see.....
Inbetween each verse he would stop and do a little jig, then continue onto the next one with redoubled vigour.
"Very well. Let us begin."
Kazimierz waves the tables and food away. Using the the empty space, he gets to work immediately on forming a teleportation circle. After a few short moments it is ready.
"If you would please step inside the circle. Some of you may have to wait for the area to clear."
As each PC and their compaions enters the circle, they are teleported above ground. The ground is mostly barren and deserted. The arid landscape and hot air quickly begin to pull moisture from exposed skin and scale.
Off in the distance, the outlining of a grand metropolis can be seen. The golden tint of the civilization almost blending in with the sand. Taking their first few steps, everyone can feel the extra weight of their bodies, but are able to adjust quickly thanks to the ingested pills.
shrieker joins in on the chorus with the goblin, but ends up just butchering the song even more and making everyone's ears hurt.
Rorge walks over to the dancing goblin. I think you and me will get along splendidly little one. As long as you stop that incessant noise. I get enough of that from Shrieker.
L'os and Taisia appear in their element, Taisia's kind loved hot deserts and arid places. L'os continued to pluck away at her lyre as she changed the tune to something more lively. The magical lyre's strings made each note sound more profound than a regular instrument ever could. "The air is quite lovely up here isn't it Taisia?"
Taisia held herself back from roaring into the empty arid air.
She turned her great head back to eye L'os as she felt a shift in the music and chuckled. Her rider's clothing had become a little more open, on the verge of revealing too much. Yet somehow it retained a colorful and vibrant look to it.
L'os merely nodded as she continued playing the Lyra a small smile playing across her lips.
Taisia turned from her teasing and eyed the metropolis in the distance, almost warily as she considered all of Kaz's warnings about what they were to face...
Looking around, L'os and Tasia see nothing else but the metropolis. They both come to the conclusion that the lack of wind and sand dunes in this flat sand desert means that no one has walked this way in a very long time.
"ohh! Ohh! Everyones looking at the city, I wanna! I wanna!"
And with that he bounds up the back of Taisias hide until he is perched atop her head, no doubt with no small resistance from the dragon. He then peers at the city as if looking through binoculars made with his hands.
After seeing what he can, he curls up into a ball on the dragons head
"Ahhhh... This is nice here, I think I'll take a nap :)"
L'os never stops her musical performance merely flowing through each song she knew, which she knew hundreds after a century of life. As she thought of what to do she looked to those nearby and counted them up.
"We have a long trek before us but I can create a road or most of us can fly on Taisia's back. If there was a way for Sheila to be made smaller we all could fly on dragonback. Either way we are fine with it~"
Akin to how a cat reacts to a sudden itch running up its back Taisia wasn't able to focus on what L`os was saying as she shivered from the feeling of the little goblin running up her backside. When he perched himself atop her head she grumbled. "The things I have to put up with..."
Then with little rhyme or reason L'os chuckled and waved show her head as she continued to play the lyre. "No Taisia you'll just have to put up with it for now. Sorry dear."
Taisia grumbled under her breath. "Your no fun..." She flicked her head to get the gobo's attention. "Don't get too comfortable up there and no nest building either..."
Sheila just laughs... "I only weigh 250 lb plus l50 lb for my equipment... So I'm not sure if my weight will bear down on Taisia's back. But you can certainly try to make me and my equipment smaller just for the ride."
I then gaze towards the city.
When Andromeda and Virgo arrive the hot air hits them hard.
what the blazes!, why would our host choose us to help considering this most unpleasant of environments! there had best be something cold when we reach that city
Virgo clings to Andromeda
Yes. m'lady err I mean Andromeda, I hate the hot too. but we can survive. besides maybe we can convert this land to ice once the mission is done
Andromeda looks to Virgo with a touch of anger
Virgo, we are not here to conquer! we are here to help, I am trying a new approach, remember
Before falling asleep Sparky tosses Sheila an extract of overland flight. If you decide to drink it you can fly for 20 hours. If you decide to drink it ;)
"There. That'll fix ya good. Don't worry about any nesting up here. We gobos don't nest, least none that I know of... Now alchemy, that I could do instea... Whops! Well... That should come out in about a week!"
You feel something wet trickle down the side of your head as Sparky winks at St. Lo's with abottle of water in his hand and a mischievious grin on his face before grabing onto an ear and feigning sleep with a quiet murmer.
Sheila catches the extract of overland flight in her mouth and then gulps it down. She sighs with relief after gulping down the extract. "Thanks sparky. That will help greatly."
Doran raised a hand to the light for a a brief moment a smile dancing over his lips. "Even here her light shines through." After taking a moment to survey everyone's demeanor in this hot arid environment he would kneel to the ground facing the sun. He clasped his hands together and begin to pray as the sunlight hit his face. After a little while roughly 15 minutes he would raise to his feet with a smile upon his lips.
" If anyone would like I can cast endure elements upon you, don't worry about being shy there's plenty to go around." He then raised his gaze up to Spanky narrowing his eye's a bit. "Even you if you'd like." With that said he would begin to cast Endure Elements communal on any would like splitting the time among them as needed.
L'os and Taisia turn down any potions of endure element, wishing only for them to be saved for later.
Taisia grimaces, her stoic attitude crumbling as she realizes to her horror that the goblin on her head was an alchemist.....
She hated alchemists, she was turned orange once by an enemy of L'os when he slipped his alchemical poison's into what he believed was L'os's dinner. Her muzzle contorted as she shook her head in an attempt to shake the cursed little cretin off her head. She stopped when she heard L'os laugh and turned her massive head around to look at her balefully. "Don't laugh, it was meant for you and I don't relish another six months of bright orange scales... again."
Goro pulls himself up next to the goblin. he is the only one who doesnt make him feel short.
"Hey oldie, ima take a nap now. YAWN! Its comfy here..." with that the goblin snuggles in holding onto an ear tightly and is asleep in minutes when all of a sudden 8 goblins explode from the spot Sparky was resting. 1 sticks his hands in his ears and his tounge out at Goro, 1 climbs down Taisias snout, another stands in place picking his nose ano the rest do similar gobliny hijinks then vanish a few seconds later, obviously illusions leaving Sparky quietly murmering in his sleep.
Lorelai casts endure elements on herself.
"I can handle myself if we fly there. Flying is such an enjoyable..."
Lorelai stops and watches the humorous antics, amused but silently shaking her head.
Doran would sigh rolling his eyes placeing endure elements on Andromeda and virgo, as well as anyone else who wanted it then finally placeing it on himself. He shook his head as he began to climb up on Taisia's back.
Before Sparky drifted off to sleep, his amazingly good preceptive powers revealed that the heat and dry spell did not seem to be normal. Though he did not know anything about this area, he was able to take in subtle clues; clues that, combined with what appeared to be plateaus and forests on the very edge of the horizon, meant this area should be some sort of plains or hillside.
While her companion didn't mind the heat L'os tried to remain stoic and ignored the beading sweat on her brow. She continues her playing of the lyre, albeit a little distracted by the heat it does nothing to throw off her ability. "I can understand the gnomes discomfort it is a tad warm out~" She chuckles at the explosion of goblin decoy's on her companions head, while simultaneously ignoring Taisia's glare.
"Virgo and Andromeda will you be joining us? A quick flight will get us out of this arid place and hopefully the city will be more hospitable for you both."
Taisia chuckled, L'os could play it cool all she wanted but the Taisia knew she was feeling the heat. Maybe not as much as the Gnomes but it was obvious from the rapid change of clothes. Her change of focus was a welcome relief from the goblin sleeping among her horns, she had barely restrained a roar at the sudden multitude of goblins running amok on her head earlier. Thankfully it had been a short lived illusion, as the dwarf climber on she turned her head back towards the city.
She was mixed parts of eager and wary to be off to the city. She would have to do her best to protect L'os and hoped that this mission wouldn't be full of too many peril's.
While her companion didn't mind the heat L'os tried to remain stoic and ignored the beading sweat on her brow. She continues her playing of the lyre, albeit a little distracted by the heat it does nothing to throw off her ability. "I can understand the gnomes discomfort it is a tad warm out~" She chuckles at the explosion of goblin decoy's on her companions head, while simultaneously ignoring Taisia's glare.
1d20+16+3
"Virgo and Andromeda will you be joining us? A quick flight will get us out of this arid place and hopefully the city will be more hospitable for you both."
If it will get us out of the heat you bet. Virgo pips up but the more reserved Andromeda simply nods her approval of virgo's decision.
It feels like ages since I was able to actually fly, I wonder if I even remember how.
Andromeda and Vigo both begin thier flight to the city ahead.
Flight to the metropolis is hot and dry, but with Doran's magic - bearable. As the groups nears the metropolis, it is easily seen by all awake that the walls appear to be made of gold metal with prismatic glass-like clear sections.
Taisia gives a grunt at the unfriendly look of the walls, knowing only that there had to be several types of magical protection and probably summoning spells in place to bring up a quick and brutal defense. Her feelings were easily communicated across the bond and wordlessly the two conferred with one another as to how they were going to approach the city.
Like her companion L'os watched the walls with a calm and cool look; she was still playing her lyre tranquilly and despite her outward appearance she was hesitant to approach the obviously magical walls. "We're going to find a gate so that we can enter the city properly, i'm sure we will engage some sort of a response if we try just flying into the city." She smiles as Taisia rumbles with laughter.
L'os patted her companions massive neck as she chuckled. "I'm sure there not too concerned about that dear, besides your perfectly sized for me~"
Andromeda, with Virgo in tow attempt to locate some sort of main road that appears to lead to the city walls. once located or something close enough They will both land. and starts to walk approaching the city .
Goro clambers down from Taisia's head shaking the goblin awake before he does so. once he is on the ground Ted climbs out of his shirt and drops to the grounds before running small laps around the gnome's feet.
Once much closer, large gates can be seen that serve as the metropolis's main entrance. No road appears to lead to the city, but roads can be seen beyond the walls. Looking through the clear sections of the all there does not seem to be any movement or signs of life visible.