Edie has the deviancy of the sleep-deprived
Edie collects up all their lances and finds a good tree that's a bit of a reach *for her* to shove them all in -- that should compensate for the 'not having a dogmount'. She WAS initially thinking of making a 'tiger trap' in the road using them, but meh, effort and she's no good at making traps, anyways.
"Let's not... sleep... so deeply this time just in case. They may come back with firebombs because they're little punks."
Bella give advice on how to tie up the Halfling. Things like 'Don't make that too tight' or 'You want to use that type of knot'.
"So I guess no bonds." in response to Edie.
Edie can work with this.
"I suspect it'd would depend on the nature of such. Some materials would be right out, but a nice silk scarf or something..."
The tiefling clambers back into the lodging to go back to... sleep.
Keeyan watches as the lances are taken away and some minor bindings are placed on the halflings. He glances at the wand and shrugs. Tired of playing the part he tries to do a mean grin at the halflings, "You know, it's been several days since I've 'burned' anyone. But I guess I don't really want to waste charges from this anyway. Antiques like this are hard to re-charge." He tucks it safely away again, then takes a few steps back to lean against a tree.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Bella follows Edie into the vehicle wondering how many silk scarves the tiefling brought along...And why?
It isn't very long before the halfling returns-- thankfully without a horde of his friends. He tosses a golden coin at Klyto's feet, and holds up a tied cloth bag presumably holding many more.
"Will this do?"
Keeyan quietly casts Detect Magic, , pulls his "Fireball" wand out again and moves to about 20' from Klyto and the returned halfling. "What's the count in the bag?"
"F***in-- whatever we could scrounge, man! We didn't sit there and count it out!"
The bag is tossed to follow its precursor. Assuming no one tries to pull a fast one, this situation is resolved.
The party gets 300gp to split! Solid!
Keeyan nods at the idea of sleep. He is far more mentally taxed than physical, but....
Keeyan will gladly accept some healing from Bella's Hex.
"No need. Just a little sleep and I'll be fine for the morning. Besides, I've still got a couple of those in my bag."
The morning after Bella is sitting by the cooking fire...she doesn't cook for the group as there are only two people she will cook for and there are not here.
She looks like she wants to share something but with a look over at Edie chooses not too...that is not her secret to tell. Instead she looks over at Keeyan and asks...
"I have been meaning to ask...I am a traditional weilder of the magic so I get my magic from the source directly. You get yours thru you cell...how is that like? I mean dont you feel not as connected to it?"
Keeyan considers Bella's question for a moment, obviously trying to frame his reply right. "Well, it's kind of like.... my cell phone isn't so much a source for my magic. It's a focus. I can.... cast without it, but there's a chance that the spell will fail. And the phone does let me cast one unprepared spell each day. Oh, And I have the Wand App on it."
"Really, it's like before technology when wizards used big heavy books, and wands or rings or something as a focus. Or they had a familiar."
"And the other, well, I've always liked to party.... and I just felt a connection to Cayden Cailean. He's kind of misunderstood by a lot of folks you know. He's a hero and rewards heroic behavior from his followers. The partying is a celebration of heroes! So anyway, I felt the connection so I prayed to him. And he accepted me as a cleric. I think the two are a good mix. Once I get strong enough I will become a Mystic Theurge, using Divine and Arcane power together."
"I know. And I have read stories of great wizards that learned to cast their spells in armor. Or maybe it was some very powerfully enchanted armor, I don't know. Maybe in a few decades I'll change my mind and try to figure that out too. But for now, maybe the Mage Armor spell. But the only Heavy Metal I'll be doing is the music!"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Bella thinks about it for a moment while Starwing looks at Keeyan cell phone with disdain. And says (Starwing says)...
Starwing flies off perhaps spotting something the halflings dropped.
Bella laughs.
"I think modern witches loose something though...also is it true some of those User Agreements are written by devils to trap people's souls?
At the mention of liquid armor Bella asks "Liquid? My girlfriend actually has been looking into magical liquid latex that she can control so she can..." Bella stops and says , " I am over sharing again?"
"What is this liquid metal called?"
"Interesting...though I am saving up for a item called a Witching Gown. But that will probably come in handy till than. Thank you.
Edie is waking up for real, honest.
The tiefling gives Bella a brief glance as she comes out of her watch-standing fugue, but reserves comment for the moment -- that was a private conversation and she's planning to leave it like that for the time being....
"Haven't thought it through, to be honest. Probably give a chunk to Fregna, put another chunk into trust fund, and then... I dunno? I'd like to avoid the 'All-in-One' magic macguffin, to be honest -- that never turns out well."
"I mean ultimately I doing this so I and Crystal can get one of those Mage's Magnificent Mansion apartments...and open up a BDSM club. Oh and get married and have kids. That is my dream at least."
Edie is considering....
The tiefling nods with a polite level of enthusiasm.
"Nice. I think you'll do great for that, Bella."
"Thank you, Edie. Though we will probably only do that for like 50 years or so...after that I want to become international spies...Crystal is still weighing options."
Bella looks around wondering when the plot will continue.
Bella will say...
"So you guys know my horrible backstory I feel as if I am at a disadvantage. Which I am okay with as a sub...but I would li,like, to get to know everybody at least a little better."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Edie is torn, but rolls with Bella 'opening up'.
"Well, growing up I didn't really fit in with 'normal' folks. Played a bunch of roleplaying games in the dreams of y'know, maybe someday? And y'all wouldn't've recognized me back then.
Went into the Navy with the Advanced Applied Elemental Power System Programme -- they make the bigger ships run by having huge air and water elementals bound in a container, and the steam they make is enough to run a ship.
Washed out of that because I wasn't smart enough to keep up with the math, spent a year or two feeling like hell because I couldn't find work -- no pun intended. Folks pretty much ostracized me at that point because 'I wasn't trying hard enough'.
Eventually ended up at Gem Drugs on a pure fluke -- they were hiring and I was desperate to get out of the house and *meet* people.
Well.
'bout five years ago, Corporate came down with this *great* idea for the PandeMagic Serum -- you might've heard about it being called the 'Mummy Flu Shot'. Nobody wants to get mummy rot, right? Right.
Anyways, due to how they put the thing together, I was one of the lucky rare few that got the cruddy side effects after they made every associate take the shot."
Edie flexes a winglet, stretches her clawed toes/hands, and bounces her tail around to indicate some of the side effects.
"...and then the legal fight began. First they tried to fire me because I wasn't 'the same person'. Then they tried to say that I should be put on permanent disability because of... well. Then they tried to give me all the a*+*~*& hours and short-schedule me. It's been a battle for the past three years after physical rehabilitation to try and get enough hours at work to pay rent.
Lawyers finally came down last year and got me a *significant* settlement for the 'workplace injury' that was really the Company's fault, but then Corporate started fighting *that* -- and I can't just quit the job without walking away from a LOT of money."
Bella gives Edie a encouraging and sympathetic look,
"I think you are beautiful the way your are. People are dumb to those of us that are different. I find a kind strength in their insults and dirty looks. It is just mean I am being true to myself." she pauses a kind of anger and defiant rises in her eyes, " F$&% society.
Keeyan listens to Bella and Edie and shakes his head sadly. "Sad to hear all that. The first eighty years of my childhood was pretty easy. My parents are both accomplished magi and traveled a lot. They took me along to see the planes, or at least the 'safe' ones. When we got to earth I was shocked at how the humans treated each other and the other races. All they seemed to care about was accumulating wealth, and not just enough to live on! My parents had enough coin to live on, and to help others when they needed it."
"Anyway, we moved away from New York looking for slightly less dense populations. Then I found a job where I could earn a living wage.... Geek squad! Terribly boring though. Mostly try to undo the stupid mistakes that people did to their electronic things. I've quit that and applied to assist Professor Sen at the University. He's the wizard that helped me with my 'Fireball' wand."
Bella seemed to about go into a rant about society but stops herself to listen to Keeyan.
"Keeyan you better include some tragedy in to your history or your adventurer's license will be revoked." she jokes.
Edie is a bit confused...
The tiefling gives Bella a nod and a smile. "Thank you. And I know that, because the Ibis Matron teaches us that the most important thing in life is to be aware of ourselves, and by extension those around us."
...and then Keeyan starts.
Edie stares.
Then stares some more.
"So, ah, I get why Klyto's adventuring -- both to test out equipment and make money to buy better metal to make better armor, right And I get why Bella's out here. But... what's your call to adventure? No offense, but it's really baffling me..."
Keeyan grins at Bella, hoping that she's kidding. When Edie adds her words he gets thoughtful. "Well, I didn't really have any tragedy, other than perhaps my loss of innocence and world view when I saw the squalor of New York, the rich and the poor.... It opened my eyes to the way of this world."
"As for a call to adventure!?! How about the love of the adventure? Learning things! Expanding your mind? I started as a wizard, specializing in divination because I wanted to know everything at once. But then I learned more about what everything really meant. Then I realized that there were other facets to magic and realized that I could be a Cleric of Cayden Cailean. And I can use my magic to help others and teach others about magic. But.... I also need to earn enough so I can do what I want, and that also leads to adventuring!"
"I'm fascinated with the stuff that Klyto plans to do with the metals and such, but that doesn't really get my interest, except knowing about it not doing it. I hope my explanation isn't too much of a disappointment. It is the real me...." ??
"What are your plans for the future? Are we all going to reach some point where you say 'OK. That's it for me! I've reached my goal of whatever so I'm leaving? If so, let us know so it won't be such a shock!"
|
Applied materials sciences don't do it for you?
Sorry ladies, I'm with Keeyan on this and lack a tragic history. I haven't seen my family in years, but that's mostly expense. I don't know how much you know about the wayang. We try to maintain a link to the shadow plane and know that in death we return to the shadows that our ancestors came from. It's always been more for me. I blend in a little easier, I get impressions that guide me, and this...
A dagger of pure darkness appears in his hand.
Pure shadow, but entirely real. If I can use it, I can conjure it. That's honestly what pushed me into armor. These are temporary, yet constant. I don't need any weapons. So I build what's missing. It's hard sometimes. Weapons are sexy. Everyone wants a cool knife. So I make them. It pays the bills. But, the people like us? Out in the wilds? They need armor. So I push forward. Better, stronger, lighter, more specific. For Bella? Something that moves with her. For Edie? Something that works around her form. For the ifrit? A steel that channels their fire. That's not even getting into some of the rare metals found in meteor strikes, whether they warp time or are just radioactive. When will I retire? No idea. I left home so I could learn more. I'm almost done with my mastery, but then it's time to learn gone to pound magic into metal with my hammer. That's a journey all it's own. Legends tell of smiths who could forge a blade so divine it was like having a miracle in a scabbard. Maybe I'll quit when I've made my unobtainium.
Edie considers...
There's a quiet moment as the retailer stares into the distance of the WestVirginia hills.
"I used to think if I just got a thousand gold, that'd be 'enough'. Hit that 'milestone' over a decade of retail, but threw most of it away along the way not considering the consequences of it. So it's nice to work with folks who haven't done something like that."
"Guess I've been focused on the journey, and not the end-game. Something to learn from."
Bella thinks for a moment about what Klyto said armor for various people.
"One of the things is at the store I work at is I am not only good at seeing what accessories and outfits look good on people but what they will feel good wearing. Matching their personalities to it. It is nice feeling helping people express themselves." She give a apologetic look to Klyto, "Which does result in me being a little picky on what I wear...I don't want to seem ungrateful but do you mind working with me on the design of my armor?"
"That is okay it give me time to research the materials and such."
She makes a note on her cellphone.
The sun is nicely situated in the sky by the time Klyto puts her into Drive and gets Fecklin rolling.
Without the advantage of night, it's harder to see camps in the distance. Everyone rolls Perception:
Bella's keen elven eyes see them all, however; the scrap metal lean-tos, the small, simple huts, the caves that show signs of humanoid habitation...
Each of them has efforts put in to hide them from strangers' eyes, but Bella's good at picking out signs of danger amidst harmless facades. She had to be, after all.
She's able to tell that each camp seems... small. There are no settlements here-- just small clusters; the biggest one she sees has room for maybe twelve people, at most.
Bella will relate what she sees to the group and opens a window to let Stsrwing out. She says in Elven
To the group she says,
"I have sent Starwing out to get a closer look at those camps. At best maybe we can find one where we can get aid if needed...at worst it should be easier to avoid hostile camps."
Starwing flaps up, up, up into the sky.
It's the cleanest air she's breathed in a while. She soars high and as free as she wants, circling and swooping as she attends her duty.
She sees camps dotting the landscape for miles; there's a larger settlement-- a trading outpost?-- but it's a ways off the path that the party is headed. The ones that are along the route are largely small, and populated with humanoids of various stripes; some are intermingled, but others are single-race. It's hard to tell how intentional that is, though, given the small sizes of the groups-- it's possible these are family units, or parties not too dissimilar to your own, or polycules, or...
Well, it's hard to say without actually talking to them.
Each and every camp, however, has a few weapons stashed in easy grabbing range for its inhabitants. A few have what appear to be treasure stashes as well-- nothing enormous, but single chests or small heaps of goods.
Starwing also sees hunters out and about, folks gathering from nature, fletchers forming arrows.
She returns to Bella (assuming Klyto slows the van enough for her to fly back in through the window without risking missing and knocking herself senseless) and relays all this information after about twenty minutes.
Bella will translate for those who don't speak Elven.
"Anybody got any thoughts?"